7:13
Brandon Cole leaves his house at exactly 7:13 every morning.
Not 7:12
Not 7:14
Exactly 7:13.
Different hoodies.
Same paper coffee cup.
Same careless smile that compels strangers to smile back like idiots.
And for the past four years, I've followed him..
I know.
Sounds bad.
Actually, scratch that, it sounds insane, unstable even
Probably one bad day away from ending up in a true crime documentary.
But, before you start dialing 911, hear me out.
I'm not dangerous.
I'm just...curious
Obsessive, yes.
But there's a difference.
Or at least that's what I tell myself.
I crouched behind the half-dead hydrangea bush across the street that has been my hiding spot for the past four years now.
My cracked phone balanced in one hand.
A pair of cheap binoculars in the other.
Yes, Binoculars.
Shut up.
My phone buzzed.
GrimReaper: Morning, stalker.
I frowned.
Nyxoria: Morning, creep.
Three dots appear instantly.
GrimReaper: Funny you'd say that
I rolled my eyes.
He always had a habit of texting at the perfect moments.
Not creepy at all.
I checked the time.
7:13.
Right on cue, Brandon's apartment door opens.
And there he was.
The man of the hour.
Dark hair.
Coffee in hand.
Completely unaware that somewhere between boredom, curiosity and unanswered questions.
He'd quietly become my favorite mystery.
I raised the binoculars.
And waited.
Because every morning,
Brandon does something different.
Subtle things.
Things normal people wouldn't notice.
Newsflash, I'm not normal.
Today.
He stopped halfway down the steps.
Reached into his hoodie and pulled out something silver.
A necklace.
No, a locket.
My breathing hitched.
And for a second,
Just one,
The world around me faded.
Rain.
Cold pavement.
A flash of silver.
Then,
My phone buzzed again.
And I snapped out of whatever trance I was in.
GrimReaper: You alive, stalker?
Nyxoria: Unfortunately.
GrimReaper: Good. Would've have been awkward if you died mid-creep.
I snorted.
Then looked back up.
Brandon was gone.
And for the first time in four years,
I couldn't remember why I started watching him in the first place.
