Chills
Strange. But not in a peculiar sense. When she left his front steps each time, it was like eyes were upon her. Like a stalker in the bushes, you know?
‘Ha, like I would have a stalker’, she chuckles to herself.
Walking to her car,... no inching, because of the ice from the winters’ fall. She did not want to slip. “My stalker would just loveee that!” she mumbles.
Again she chuckles. She gets that from her mother, that half laugh, half tisk she makes at the things that are not really funny. There needed to be noise made though. It was too quiet on 10th. She pauses at the end of his driveway, gazing at her Chuck Taylors on the sheet of slippy ice. She turned her head, her eyes finding his front door; That little window he usually peers out of to make sure she gets to her car safely. He was not watching.
She looks down; ‘Has he got too comfortable with me leaving?’
Something crunches in the snow and her left ear catches the sound. She snaps her head toward the direction it came from. Her eyes searching frantically to find a cause. Nothing, as she looks from left to right. She steps off the sidewalk, onto the cobblestone, one-way street. It is quiet again. She chuckles, inside her head this time, inching towards her car. Her keys are in her jeans’ pockets, her hands occupying her hoodie pouch. Again she peers at his front door, as she slowly moves toward her drivers’ side door. Still nothing. She stops at the car, overthinking it.
‘Bitch, it is cold, get in your car.’
Reaching for her keys and fumbling with the fob, she hears crunching again. Now, she is panicking. She looks back and forth all around her. Nothing. Down the left side of the street. Down the right. Everything is illuminated by the street lights. The wind blows and a few leaves catch her attention as they make their way across the neighbors’ yard.
‘There is nothing there bitch. Just get in your car.’
She draws in a deep breath. Pushes the unlock button on her key fob. Her cars’ lights flash yellow and that is when she sees him. Behind the neighbors’ tree on the passenger side of her car. She jumps and her mouth releases a gasp. Her keys fall at her feet. She stands there looking at him, eyes wide with shock. His now darkened outline peering back at her. She knows not to move, not yet.
‘Leave your keys on the ground, do not take your eyes off of him. Do not look at that damn door hoping for your white knight to take concern and come outside, he is not there. Just stay still.’
“Did I startle you?”
‘Don’t respond. Just look at him.’ A few seconds pass. Long enough to give off the vibe that conversation was not occurring.
“Ha, I must have so much that you can not speak! That’s a first. My apologies, I’m just out here for a smoke.” Her eyes follow his hand as he brings the cigarette to his mouth and she sees the orange tint off the end as he hits. She has seen enough horror films to know that he intentionally frightened her and has probably been noticing her leaving his house for months now. She glances down, taking notice of where her keys landed, then looks back up at the man.
“You’re beautiful, too beautiful to freeze standing outside in such a thin sweatshirt. Where’s your boyfriend? He really should have walked you to your car on this cold evening. I mean, you could have fell on that ice.”
“And what? You would be there to take my hand and help me up? Don’t take concern with my safety now.” She could feel her anger start to boil her blood.
“Don’t give me that bullshit. I treated you better than any man could...”
“Trying to sacrifice me to your diluted view of Satan? Oh, yes, how could I ever thank you for such kindness.” She interjected. Still standing with one hand on the car handle and the other free and clenched in a fist.
“I didn’t come here for conversation Kara.” He threw his cigarette on the snow bank beside him and started moving towards her car. She could see his face clearly now, but it didn’t look how she remembered it when she saw him in court last before his sentencing. His black hoodie and dark leather jacket hid a larger body than she recognized too. What was this monster walking towards her?
