Devil's Prey

{chapter 4, part 3} - Stalker

"What?!" Sam exclaimed, "Your Dad is arriving today?"

Sapnap nodded with a smile. He had just told Sam and George that Jackson was moving to Orlando, Florida. They sat at a lunch table, picking at their trays of nasty school food. George groaned as he took a bite. "Yup! He called me a few days ago saying he wanted to be a part of my life again," he said.

George spat out his food with disgust, "Eugh... anyway, that's a good thing! Right?"

Sapnap nodded. "Yes, it is! But my Mom doesn't know that he's coming. He's going to be moving into the house beside Sam's." The green-haired boy's eyes widened at the news. "I'm going to visit him after school. He should be there by then."

"Do you want us to come with you?" George asked.

"It'd be amazing to meet your dad! Isn't he going to be a cop?" Sam asked. The raven nodded with a smile as he stared at his food. His nose scrunched at the smell. He shook his head and threw the plate in the trash, turning to look at his friends. "Yeah! He studied to be a cop after graduating high school, so he has got everything he needs. I'm pretty sure he's able to start working tomorrow."

Sam nodded with interest, "That's good! At least now you have someone here to protect you from that monster."

George agreed, throwing out his plate of food. "Yup. That monster is Dream."

Sapnap shook his head as he sighed. "George, when are you going to get over that? Dream is not the Smiling Man! He can't be. And now that I remember, I have to ask for a raincheck with him. I didn't meet him that one time."

George shook his head with disapproval. "No! He's bad news, Sap. Do not ask him to meet up!"

Sam silently sat as he watched the two bitterly argue with each other. He sighed as he got up, pulling his backpack from the ground. The boy slipped away from the table without catching his friends' attention. He approached a round lunch table in the corner of the cafeteria. He dropped his backpack on the ground before sitting down. "Hey," he greeted.

Punz looked up at him, smiling. "Hey! What a lovely surprise," he said.

"Yeah, I was wondering if we could hang out," Sam asked.

Punz looked at Dream, who was chugging the orange juice. "With the both of us?" he asked. Sam nodded, "Yeah! Is it right if I invite my friends? Sapnap was already planning on asking Dream to meet up."

Dream slammed the box of juice down, "What?"

"Yeah, Sap wanted to have a raincheck because of last time. That day, he was upset because he couldn't make it. By the time he got there, you were already gone," Sam said.

Dream sighed as he looked down, his face flushing a bright red. Punz looked at him, shoving him with his elbow. "Come on! Let's hang out with them. You have been wanting to get closer to Sap, right?" he said, poking at Dream's arm. The blonde rolled his eyes as he pushed Punz away, "Fine."

Sam smiled, "Great! Twenty minutes after school, meet us at my place."

"Why not immediately after school?" Punz asked.

"Sapnap's Dad is arriving today. He's moved here from Texas. Sap wants to see him after school," he answered.

Dream tilted his head, "I thought his Dad wasn't allowed to see him because he hit him?" Sam shrugged, "I guess it was an accident. But Sapnap has been wanting to see him again for months. Anyway—I'm off with those two before they notice I'm gone!" Punz and Dream nodded, watching as Sam got up and grabbed his bag. He sighed as he left, waving at the two blondes. "I don't see what George is talking about. Dream doesn't seem too bad." He thought.

—

Sapnap sighed, biting his lip. He lifted his hand, knocking hesitantly on the door. He turned to look at Sam's house, wondering if he was inside waiting for him. George and Sam decided to stay at Sam's house to give Sapnap and his father "catch up" time. He grew nervous as he stood there, waiting for the door to open. "This is terrifying. Why is it terrifying? It's just Dad, who you haven't seen in five months..." He thought.

He turned around, feeling a chill in his spine. "What the...?" he whispered. He whispered as a figure slowly hid behind a tree. "Am I being stalked?" he thought. Maybe he was. All he did know was that he felt someone watching him. He felt the same way whenever he thought about the Smiling Man and their small encounter. He shook in fear, remembering that night.

The door creaked open. "Sapnap... oh my God, it's you!" Jackson exclaimed, standing like a stone statue at the front door. Sapnap smiled, feeling the tension in his body weaken as he felt safe. "Hi, Dad..." he whispered. Jackson sighed with relief, bringing his son into a tight hug that could last for eternity. "Dad—I need to b-breathe!"

"Sorry! Come in. I've almost finished unpacking," Jackson said.

Sapnap nodded, turning to look behind him one more time. The figure was no longer there. He sighed, entering the house and looking around. "Wow... this is a nice place!" he exclaimed, staring at the furniture. Jackson smiled, "Yeah! I picked it out myself."

The raven giggled, "I think you're better picking out furniture than my Mom."

The man snickered, "Always have been. Anyway, how have you been? How is school? What's it like at your house?" Sapnap's smile faded as he sat down, rubbing his hands together between his knees. Jackson emitted a deep breath as he sat beside the boy, rubbing his back. "I've missed you, kid. I want to know what it's been like for you since we last saw each other."

Sapnap nodded, "I missed you, too. Well, I've been okay, and school has been okay. Living with my Mom is okay, too. She's always inviting our front neighbor to 'watch over me' because she doesn't trust me to be alone. But I don't trust him. He's trying to be a father figure to me. At first, I was okay with it because of what happened, but then I thought about it and hated the idea of a random man taking up that spot."

Jackson sat there silently, listening. "But overall, life here has been good. Nothing bad has happened," Sapnap lied. Jackson smiled, patting the raven's head. "That's great to hear, Sap. Do you want to eat something? I can cook you something real quick!"

Sapnap smiled in response, watching his father stand up and walk to the kitchen. He sighed as he leaned against the couch, turning to look at the window beside the TV. He saw a shadow reflecting off; someone was hiding behind the wall. "Who the hell...?" he thought. "Who could it be?"

He shook his head, deciding to ignore it.

—

Dream sighed as he stared through the window. His eyes glued on Sapnap sitting on the couch. He watched as the boy's father brought out a plate of hot food, handing it to the teen. He could see how big and genuine the smile on Sap's face was. He was happy. "I wish I could do that... to make him smile like that," he spoke.

Punz sighed as he leaned against a tree with his arms crossed. "Come one, Dream. Let's go. We should knock on Sam's door before someone sees you. Or before George sees you. You promised to avoid Sapnap so he wouldn't say anything."

"I know."

"Then, let's go! If he sees you, he's going to explode. It's bad enough that he knows your identity. It'll be worse if he sees you stalking his friend," Punz said. Dream rolled his eyes as he left the window, approaching the sidewalk. "Fine, let's go. I don't know how you expect me to avoid Sapnap when hanging out with them."

Punz chuckled, "George will be there. I doubt he'll let you get near him."

"As if he can stop me. Now, hurry up! You're the one who's desperate to get inside," Dream complained. Punz scoffed, following his friend to Sam's front door.

To Be Continued. シ