Roses From the Devil

» three

It's a horrendous thing, going through life constantly looking over your shoulder for the thing you're running away from. Hell, it's already worse enough that you're running. But when you know that your every move is being watched by the stalker you used to be madly in love with, it's like your own personal Hell.

I threw the flowers away immediately. I went to the dumpster located behind the apartment building and along with the note, I threw the flowers away. Every time I thought about them, a shudder went down my spine.

He was near. He knew where I was despite just being released from jail in California. He was coming for me. And he was going to take Jack away from me. Jack. My baby.

I sniffed, feeling the way my eyes burned with unshed tears. I didn't dare to sleep. Instead, I sat on the couch, eyes wide open, despite how exhausted I was earlier. I made occasional trips to my room, where Jack slept soundly on my bed. Ever since he was born, he's only been sleeping with me. I was too paranoid to let him sleep in a separate room, where anything could happen without me knowing.

Biting my lip, I pulled my knees to my chest as I stared out the window, out at the bustling city of New York. The city that never slept. People walked along the streets, trapped in a bubble regarding only their lives. And how I wished I could switch places with any one of them. How I wished I could just have a normal life with Jack. A life where we lived peacefully, not on the constant guard of being found by him.

Sighing, I let my face fall into my knees. Why couldn't I just stop thinking? - stop thinking about him and that stupid note he gave me with those just as equally stupid flowers. Why couldn't my day-to-day worries be that I'd be late to pick up Jack or jealous that one of my colleagues got a promotion and I didn't? Why did it have to be me?

A tear rolled down my cheek and I quickly wiped it away. I couldn't let these thoughts get to me. I couldn't let them distract me from my goal - keep Jack safe.

Staying up was harder than I thought. Occasionally, I found myself dozing off and quickly slapped my cheek to wake myself up. My eyes were drooping by the time it was three A.M. But I pushed through whenever I thought of Jack.

It was only three-thirty when I decided that I would only let myself lie down on the couch. Nothing more, nothing less. I couldn't close my eyes and I definitely couldn't fall asleep. I would just lay down because it felt as if an unknown force kept pushing down on my shoulders, begging me to rest. But the only way I would rest would be to lay down on the sofa, my legs pulled up to my chest because of the drop in temperature.

I will not sleep, I insisted to my consciousness.

But I wasn't strong enough. For I didn't even realize I was falling asleep when my eyes had fluttered close, my body welcoming unconsciousness with open arms.

And I sure as hell didn't wake up when footsteps sounded out against the floor of the apartment, slowly making their way towards where I rested on the couch. I didn't even so much as move when something heavy was draped over my body, followed by fingers caressing my cheeks, warm breath fanning over my face, whispering the words, "My lovely Bella."

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I woke to the sound of a clattering bowl in the kitchen. Confused and disoriented from sleep I didn't remember allowing myself to have, I pushed myself off the couch abruptly. Jack. Oh, my God! How could I... How could I have gone to sleep? I needed to make sure Jack was safe.

Pushing one of Jack's dinosaur blanket off me, I only let my mind question how it got there for one second before speeding myself to the kitchen. Adrenaline pumped in my veins as I got ready to fight the intruder.