The rise of the White Widow

A man. A car. A whole lot of suspiciousness

The following day, I find myself waking up later than usual as my first class of the day happens to be a free period. Stretching and yawning, I step out of bed and make my way to the bathroom for a hot shower. The steaming water wakes me up completely, and I dry off before slipping into the clothes I'd worn the night before. After finishing up in the bathroom, it's finally time for me to head downstairs and satisfy my growling stomach.

However, as I walk out of my bedroom and down the hallway, an inexplicable sensation washes over me, causing me to pause in my tracks. A heaviness fills the air, and I notice that the television in the living room is on, something unusual for this time of day.

Feeling uncomfortable and fearing for my safety, I cautiously retrieve a gun from a nearby drawer. Quietly, I start making my way down the stairs with slow, measured steps. As I reach the living room, my heart pounds in my chest while I close in on the couch where a strange man sits.

Noticing my approach, he turns around to face me and says calmly, "Put the gun down, I'm not here to hurt you. I just want to ask you a few questions."

Gripping the gun tighter, I force out a tense response, "You have five seconds before I put a bullet through your skull."

Unfazed by my threat, he continues, "I was just wondering if you know anything about something called 'the Red room'?"

I shake my head slowly while maintaining steady eye contact. Without missing a beat, I lie, "Nope. Never heard of it."

He studies me for a moment before giving an unconvinced nod. As our eyes remain locked together, his single clear eye revealing fear beneath his tough exterior with an eyepatch covering the other. Following this strange exchange, I decide to lower my gun.

"Now get the hell out of my house," I order firmly.

He reluctantly rises from the couch, keeping his eye on me as he does so. "Fine, if you really don't know what the Res room is then, I'll leave"

One more time, I stubbornly lie, "I told you already, I don't know anything about the Red room"

With one final nod, he makes his way out of my home. Once he has left, my heartbeat finally returns to normal as I try to process the bizarre encounter.

I make my way back upstairs to my bedroom, taking careful steps to make sure I gather everything I need for the school day. I double-check my backpack for essentials, feeling the slight weight on my shoulders as I pick up my loaded gun, sliding it into the back of my pants. Ensuring it's hidden from view, I take a deep breath before leaving the house.

As I exit, I notice a suspicious car parked on the side of the road. The windows are completely tinted, making it impossible for me to see who's inside. A chill runs down my spine as adrenaline kicks in, my heart races while I try to maintain composure. I decide it's best not to linger on this, so I walk past it quickly with long strides and head straight to my car.

Today doesn't seem like the right day to walk to school, just a gut feeling. With haste, I insert my car keys and turn on the ignition. As I pull away from the curb, glancing in my rearview mirror, I notice that the mysterious car begins to follow mine.

"What the fuck?" I mutter under my breath, feeling a mix of confusion and fear.

Reaching school safely despite being tailed, I park in the standard student parking space. Trying not to draw attention to myself and hoping that whoever was in that car won't cause trouble here at school, I gather my backpack and walk towards class cautiously.

During lunchtime, I walk toward my usual table in the cafeteria, carrying my tray of food. Just as I'm about to sit down, Peter and Jack both call out to me from separate tables. They're each sitting with different groups of friends. Caught off-guard, I pause and glance first at Peter, then at Jack.

Making a difficult decision, I flash Peter an apologetic smile and head over to sit next to Jack instead. As I settle into my seat, Jack greets me with a warm smile.

"Hey Alex, how you doing?" Jack asks, genuinely interested in my day.

"I'm ok," I reply, taking a bite of my sandwich.

"That's good," Jack says with a friendly nod, noticing my hesitant response.

As we continue eating in comfortable silence for a moment, Jack finally breaks it by asking me a question that's been on his mind.

"I was wondering if you wanted to come with me to the movies tonight?"He seems slightly nervous but keeps his smile on.

My eyes widen slightly at the unexpected invitation. Noticing my hesitation, Jack quickly adds, "Not like a date or anything. Just two friends hanging out"

I take a moment to think about it. With my parents out of town celebrating their anniversary and my brother spending time at his girlfriend's house, there's no real reason for me to go home after school. Plus, spending time with Jack sounds like fun.

"Sure," I say with a genuine smile. "I'd love to go"