Whole Story
I was a walking curse…love haunted me, cursed me. It started off when I was in middle school. The age where I started liking boys. One boy caught my attention. He always sat in the back of the class while having his nose dug into a book. My heart stuttered in my chest every time I looked at him. I confessed to him one Friday after he last bell rang signaling the end of school.
He agreed, and we planned to meet up the following day at a small diner for our first date. I ran home excited to tell my parents the good news. It was my first date, and I was thrilled.
The next day, my mother dolled me up. She offered to drive me, but I rejected the offer and decided to walk. The diner was only a few blocks away. The sky was a bright orange as I arrived at the diner. I looked around as I entered the building. He wasn't there yet. I sat down at a booth and waited. And waited. And waited. And waited…
I waited until the full moon was high in the sky.
I fought back tears on the walk home. Once I arrived home, I ran into my mother’s embrace. We watched TV. I rested my head on her lap as I dozed off into a sleep.
I slowly opened my eyes. My eyes slowly focused on my surroundings. I still layed on my mothers lap. I stood up to look at my mother. Her hand covered her mouth as she stared at the TV, her eyes wide with shock. I snapped my head in the direction of the TV to see a news report broadcasting.
My heart dropped. I felt dizzy and dread filled my heart that played at the pit of my stomach.
The boy I had planned a date with was found dead earlier this evening. I won’t go into details, but he was murdered in the most gruesome way possible.
Years passed, and the memories of that night lingered in the back of my consciousness. I went on dates, and each date was either found dead in different ways or went missing and seemed to have vanished. I was cursed. Bound for a loveless life.
Until One Day. I sat in the back of a coffee shop sipping on a coffee as I stared aimlessly out the window. The cafe was mostly empty, and music played softly in the background, reaching my ears. Soothing my soul. The chimes of a bell alerted me that someone iust walked in the cafe.
My eyes darted to the entrance out of curiosity, and my heart began to do the thing that I scolded it not to do. His dark eyes observed his surroundings until they landed on mine. He looked like a beautiful sculpture. His face sculpted perfectly, rested on a tall stature. As beautiful as he looked, his eyes concealed something dark. Dangerous even.
I wasn't waiting around to see what darkness he concealed behind such beauty. I smiled politely before gathering my stuff. I felt his eyes on me as I walked past him and entered the busy sidewalks.
I tossed my empty coffee cup into a nearby trashcan and headed to my car.
Once I arrived at my apartment I tossed my purse on the couch spilling the contents over the sofa. I groaned in annoyance as I gathered the items and placed them back in my purse, when I noticed a white envelope. It was completely blank with no return address, not even so much as a name.
I didn’t remember putting this in my purse and I made it a habit to clean it out everyday before bed.
I was more alert than confused. I slowly opened the envelope and slipped out a folded sheet of paper. I unfolded it to reveal sweet yet sadistic words.
“Since decades ago I decided you would never be alone. And you haven't. Not for a second. You believe your love killed them. That may be so… But it’s only my love that keeps you alive. You are the sickness I chose. I have no intention of finding a cure for such illness. Oh my darling…how i can’t wait until I can reveal myself from the shadows. I yearn for your touch. For your heart to beat for me, whether it's from fear or from love. We will see each other very …very soon. Sooner than you think, My dear. Until then…Guard your heart because you know what happens if you don’t.”
My eyes widened as I read on. Every word sends shivers down my spine. Every instinct I had told me to run. But to where? My mind raced with questions. Who put this in my bag? Who wrote this? When did they put this in my bag? Is this some kind of prank? What do they want from me?
Fear tormented me as I clutched the sheet of paper. I read the letter multiple times trying to make sense of it. My mind dug up past lovers. I tried so hard to erase from my memory. Their faces, their laughs, the way heart filled with affection at the sight of their smiles. And most importantly, their souls. I stuffed the letter back in the envelope and tossed it in my bag before making sure every window was locked and the drapes were closed. My apartment was on the 7th floor, but my anxiety was in control of me now despite that fact. It was nearly impossible for someone to break in through one of the windows.
I locked the front door and grabbed my phone, and barricaded myself in my room. With the door locked, I felt somewhat safer.
I spent most of the night scrolling on my phone or watching movies on my laptop, trying to calm my racing nerves.
I dozed off shortly after. I was aroused from my slumber when I heard a faint noise. It was subtle, quiet. Mouse-like. But it was enough to alert me.
I shot straight up in bed. My eyes darted around the room searching for the cause of the noise, that's when my eyes landed on the doorknob of my bedroom door. A weak state of mind took over as fear ran through my veins, paralyzing me. The eerily creaking sound of the door opening, warning me of the intruder beyond. I clutched the blanket, making my knuckles turning white as paper
My eyes widened as a tall silhouette was revealed. The wooden floors groaned as the stranger stepped closer. And closer…And closer…And closer, until the stranger stood no more than a foot away from me.
My heart thundered against my rib cage. The stranger reached out and switched my tableside lamp on, spilling light in the darkness, like ink spilling on a white sheet of paper, and more importantly, revealing the intruder's face. The man who stood in front of me was the handsome stranger from the coffee shop. His chestnut hair slightly fell over his dark eyes. He watched me. Observed me. Studied me. I shuttered under his gaze, feeling small. His eyes gleamed as shadows danced across his face.
He reached out and tucked a loose strand of my hair behind my ear. I stared at him, not with fear but with something else. Curiosity.
“Every one of their Hollow ends…” He paused as he lifted my chin. “...Lead me here…To our fatally entwined Beginning .”
