Return Me Back

Chapter 3 - Return Me Back

(Tuesday)

Clark woke up in the middle of the night, his mind racing with thoughts of the woman he had helped and the ongoing investigation. Glancing at the clock on his bedside table, it read 1 am. Letting out a sigh, he sat up, knowing that sleep was far from his grasp. He decided to send a message to Ledet, expressing his discomfort.

"Are you awake? I couldn't sleep"

Minutes passed, and there was no reply from Ledet. Frustrated, he ventured outside and began jogging to clear his head. Thoughts of the looming threat occupied his mind. What terrified him the most was that the perpetrator seemed to know his whereabouts. Living in the same building meant the threat of an ambush at any moment.

As he ran, he noticed someone jogging behind him, gaining ground rapidly. His heart raced as the figure drew closer, preparing himself for the worst. "Oh god," he thought, bracing for the encounter.

The person reached out and touched his shoulder. "Clark! Is that really you?"

Coming to a halt, he turned around to face the individual. It was Jack, someone he knew from college, but not in a positive way. Jack had been his tormentor, the epitome of a bully. Memories of being pushed around and punched in the stomach flooded back. Despite Jack's friendly demeanor now, the wounds of the past were still fresh in his mind.

"Stay back!" he said, his voice laced with hostility and fear.

"Come on, Clark. You alright? You look like you haven't slept." Jack said, Trying to sound friendly. "And besides that was a long time ago."

Jack pretty much bullied him around in college, for no reason. And Clark couldn't fight back because he was too skinny to give a fight. Jack is a tall guy who plays basketball. In fact, he is on the varsity team at our university, but he

is not really good at academics. Ledet knew him also, but she only knew him as Clark's bully. She never stopped him, but she always advised him to stay away from Jack. Which he did, but Jack never stops sticking to him like glue, Jack once attempted to murder someone, Clark saw it with his two eyes. And he knew Jack noticed him. And then Clark acted like he never saw a damn thing. The guy who he was about to murder never got back to school. So he never got to know what the reason was. He doesn't even know if he is still ALIVE.

"That doesn't excuse what you did to me back then, and to-" he snapped, stopping himself from mentioning Jack's attempted murder.

Jack gasped for air, still catching his breath from the chase. "I know, and I am... sorry for what... I did before," he managed to say.

Taking a moment to process Jack's unexpected apology, he was unsure if he could believe it. The memories of his torment were etched deep within him, and forgiveness wasn't easily granted.

"It's the first time I've seen you here in this place. What are you doing here?" he asked, his suspicion evident.

"I actually got a job here a few months ago," Jack replied, somewhat hesitantly. "I work for a company as a security guard. I'm responsible for monitoring the security cameras around the building."

Raising an eyebrow in surprise, he couldn't help but be taken aback by this revelation. Jack, a security guard? It was certainly unexpected, he thought jack would never get a job because of his laziness. but he couldn't ignore the skepticism lingering in his mind.

"Oh really, well good for you, man," he replied, masking his true thoughts with a forced smile.

Clark was really awkward talking to Jack, i mean how can you talk to someone who literally bullies you all the time in college. And here he was acting like they were best friends who have not seen eachother in a long time.