Under Pressure

Chapter 6

 Breathe.

 Breathe.

 I looked away.

 No.

 I looked back towards the person.

 Male.

 Definitely male. There was no doubt about it. I watched as the figure became bigger and bigger as he got closer to me. He reached the edge of the park and I knew I was in trouble, especially when I saw that there was something in his hand. Who knows, maybe it was a knife but I didn't want to die. His pace never slowed down and his direction never changed.

 I looked around quickly to make plans on what to do. There was a store still open a bit down the street, opposite of where he was, that people would be in. I got off the swing. He was close but not as close as he could be. I grabbed the can of pepper spray I always carried in my pocket and made sure the lever was open without him seeing it.

 I took quick steps backwards and turned around. I quickened my steps and walked as fast as I can. When I looked back, he was still following, but walking quicker than before. I ran. He continued to walk but with his size, his steps were nearly the length of my height if I laid down. That scared me.

 I ran faster and saw that the store was only a few feet away. A group of people walked out of the doors as I ran in. They gave me a look as if I was crazy. Maybe I was. But one thing for sure was that my follower was and when I got in the store, I was panting and looking around for the front desk. Of course it had to be in the back.

 Then a thought hit me: if he walks in here, I am trapped. Nowhere to run.

 I wanted to cry as I saw him walk through the doors. His face was one of a mobster from the twenties: sharp jaw, dark eyes, five o clock shadow, scars near his cheekbones and eyebrows.  He was definitely a face I've seen. I knew I had seen him before, but where? My legs led to the desk and saw a short, petite girl working the register.

 "Can I use your phone?" I asked and she said, "Yes, dial 2 and then the number."

 "Thank you." I typed in the number and held the phone to my ear, looking around the store. The guy was still here, pretending to look around but his eyes kept zeroing in on me. I turned around when Celeste's voicemail rang through the phone.

 "Damn," I typed in another and it went to voicemail.

 "Jake, you better answer or I swear to-,"

 "Hello?" his voice rang through the phone and I breathed a sigh of relief.

 "I am at the only open store on 18th street near the park. There's a guy, tall, scary looking, in all black, following me. He is in the store right now and I am scared. I need you to come get me, like NOW!" I rushed through the phone low enough for him to not hear me, wherever he was.

 "Woah, woah, calm down. I'm right down the street. Be there in a few."

 "Thank god. Hurry Jake! Please!"

 "I got you, Scarlet. Don't worry." With that, he hung up. I looked at the register girl and she was looking at me with a curious face.

 I caught my breath and began, "Do you see that tall, mobster guy in basically all black?"

Her eyes looked around and locked on what I assumed was him. She looked back at me with a confused face but turned to panic as she saw the look on my face.

 "Yes. Why? Is there something wrong?"

 "Yes. I was at the park down the street and he was following me. I ran here and he still followed. Now he is in the store. I called someone who is coming to get me, but please, please, keep him away from me."

 "Alright." She looked over to him again and it was a different place in the store this time.  "You can stay behind the counter with me and when your ride is here, another employer will walk you out."

 "Yes, thank you so much!" I walked behind the counter and stood in a place where I was out of the girl's way but close enough to where I wouldn't get nabbed.

 "Michael, I need you up at the front register please," she announced through the intercom. A middle aged guy walked up to the counter and I was happy to see that he was the same size as the follower.

 "This girl needs to be escorted to her friend's car in a few minutes because someone is following her. Can you do that?"

 He nodded and looked at me. "This the girl?"

 Wow, his accent was really thick. What was it, Russian? I think so.

 "Yes," she replied. The phone rang and I jumped. The girl answered it.

 "This is Shelley, how may I help you?"

 Words came in through the receiver but I couldn't hear them.

 "Yes..."

 "Are you Scarlet?" I nodded and looked at her with wide eyes.

 "Yes..."

 "Thank you." She hung up. "A man named Jake is here for you."

 "Come," Michael said.

 I followed and I swear I heard my follower say, "You'll always run but soon you'll stay." He was near the door but not near the pathway Michael led me to. I put my pepper spray back into my pocket and pranced out of the doors.

 "Thank you for that."

 "My pleasure. Have good night," he said in broken English before shutting the door and standing in front of it until I got in the car and left.

 I opened the door to Jake's car and sat down. He rushed away and as I looked at the store, I saw the stalker looking straight at me with the most intense look I have ever seen. His jaw clenched and I turned around when it got too far to see anything more.

 "Want to explain what that was?" Jake said.

 "Looks like I saw the guy behind the notes," I whispered, looking down to hide my fear.

 "Notes? What notes?" he asked and turned right.

 "I've gotten some notes- poems really. Even my friend, Andrean, has gotten one. They were in his job register and in my house."

 "What the fucl?" he exclaimed. "How does this guy know you?"

 I shook my head. "I've seen him before. I don't know how, when, or where that was, but I've seen him. He doesn't know me. Or maybe he does, I don't know."

 "Well clearly he does if he knows your friend, where he works, and where you live."

 I sighed, relieved that I knew I was almost home. "Yeah."

 "You say he left poem type notes. What did they say?"

 "They told me to go to your party. Andrean's said to make me go to the party or he wouldn't be happy. There's some sort of plan if I go to your party, I think. And I don't think it's a good one."

 "Who knew you were going? I invited you but I didn't even tell anyone about it. How the hell does he know?"

 "I don't know. And I don't like that I don't know." He pulled up to my house and turned the car off.

 "I need you to call me if anything weird happens again, especially if another note shows up. He might be targeting you, but my party is also involved. I can't put anyone in danger, especially you. So just keep me in the loop."

 I nodded. "I will." I turned to face him and saw the concern in his eyes.

 I hugged him tightly. "Thank you. You don't even know- he could have- I could have..."

 "Shhh," he whispered. "It's okay. I'm always here for you, just know that. Get some sleep and text me in the morning so I know you're okay."

 "I will, thank you for saving me."

 "No problem, Scarlet. Goodnight."

 I walked into my house and noticed my parents were both sleeping. Getting into my room was an act filled with paranoia and once I got there, I threw myself on my bed and passed out.