Stalker...

Chapter 3

Rain was soaking the streets as Maria waited anxiously for the police to find something. Jake got in the backseat with her, "Hey, are you ok?"

"No! I'm not ok!" She inhaled slowly, "I'm sorry. I'm just really nervous right now. I just can't believe Nikita's alive."

"I understand. Nikita was my friend for a time. She trusted Rina and I a lot."

 Sheriff Wilson tapped on the window to the backseat, standing outside with an umbrella and a  brown paper bag. Maria rolled down the window, "did you find her?"

"No, but we did find some of her personal effects in a closet. Along with some very, um, very different types of tools."

"Oh gosh."

"We'll expand the search. For now, go home and catch up on some sleep. I'll call you if anything new turns up."

"Ok. Thank you. Sheriff? Did you happen to find a locket with her stuff?"

"Yes, do you want it?"

She nodded sadly. Sheriff Wilson handed her the locket and tipped his hat to her. Maria put it on and tucked it under her shirt.

Mikhail drove Maria back to her house for the night. He and Rina slept on the couch in the den and Maria and Jake slept in her room. Well, if you can ever say that Maria slept. The poor girl was up all night tossing and turning. Jake was asleep on the couch a few feet away. He heard how restless she was, "Maria, what's wrong?"

"I can't sleep."

"Do you want me to stay up with you?"

"You don't have to." she yawned.

He turned a small lamp on and sat on the edge of her bed. Suddenly, the man that was with Nikita appeared behind Jake holding a knife. He slit Jake's throat and went for Maria. Just as he was reaching for her, she woke up with a start. Jake was awake, and alive, and sitting next to her. She couldn't think of anything to say, and Jake could guess what was happening.

"He's not here, Maria. It was only a nightmare."

"Well it was pretty damn convincing."

"Let's go downstairs. I don't have a good feeling about all this."

"About what?"

"Us. I think we should tell Mik about us. There's already enough secrets and weird things going on. I don't think we should keep it a secret."

Maria nodded in response. She put on a hoodie and they went downstairs. Rina was asleep but Mikhail was wide awake, watching YouTube on his phone. Jake called Mikhail into the kitchen. Maria was sitting on the counter with her legs wrapped around Jake. Without saying a word Mikhail just shook his head and smiled. Maria's jaw dropped open and she looked at Jake as Mikhail grabbed a beer and left the kitchen, "Rina!"

"Yup!" He yelled back to them.

"Damn it!"

Maria went to the refrigerator and pulled out a package of strawberries. Most of them were rotten, so she sorted them out. Good ones in one bowl and bad ones in another. A knock on the apartment door made her jump. Jake answered it, and an angry voice from behind the door cried, "I'm here to see Maria."

She went to the door, only to see her ex-boyfriend standing there in a dark hoodie and jeans, with his fists jammed in his pockets. Maria was in such a state of fear and disarray and hatred she could barely get the words out of her throat, "Get the hell out of here."

"You weren't at the cemetery."

"Because I didn't feel like dying." Those words practically rammed him against the wall.