The Spring Break Suffocator

the present

A calla lily.

That's what I saw staring back at me in the box. A red calla lily.

Underneath the flower, there was a note.

'when im finished with this town, it will be the perfect place for us to live together. with our nice big house. with our beautiful children. im doing this for you, gianna.'

There was nothing else on the note. I brought the box with the flower and the note upstairs to my room. I closed the bedroom door and set the box next to my laptop on my desk.

I sighed. What have I gotten myself into.
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I woke up around 2am to a thud downstairs. I got up and quietly made my way downstairs. At first, there was nothing odd about the house. Then I noticed it.

There was a man dressed in all black sitting at my kitchen table.

"I'm glad you're awake." The man said.

"Who are you?" I asked, slowly descending the stairs to get closer to the door. I was going to book it as soon as I could.

"Did you like my present?"

"How did you know what my favorite flower was?"

"I know everything about you, Gianna."

Just as I was about to wrap my hand on the handle, the man abruptly got up.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you." He said as he started to walk towards me. He stopped right in front of me. He towered over me.

"Why not? I feel threatened and when a normal person feels threatened, they run from the threat."

"You don't need to be scared around me. I won't hurt you."

"How do I know that?"

"I'm standing inside your house, in front of you, and I haven't made a move to do so."

"You're the one who killed the Summers', aren't you?"

He chuckled, a dark chuckle. It sent shivers down my spine.

"You guessed it, my dear."

"But why? They didn't do anything wrong!"

He grabbed my face with his hand. "You didn't know them as well as you thought you did."

I tried to jerk my head out of his hand, but he gripped tighter. "You're mine, Gianna. And I meant what I said in that note. I'm creating the perfect town for us to spend the rest of our lives in together. You don't understand right now, but you will. You'll even thank me for it."

"You don't have to kill anyone. Why not just take me with you to a better town?"

"You would never willingly leave your hometown. You're going to come right back after you graduate college and settle down again."

He had a point. But still. Killing innocent people is not the way to go.

"Like I said, you'll understand when it's all over. I promise you." He said, before he sidestepped me and left through the front door. I made sure the locks were locked before I went into the kitchen for a glass of water.

I stopped in my tracks when I noticed what was on the counter. A beautiful bouquet of calla lillies on the counter. I sighed.

Who is this man? How did he get into my house without breaking a window? And why, out of everything I know, do I feel like there's a connection between us?

I need to go to bed. Obviously, my brain is making up fake feelings due to lack of sleep. I head upstairs with my water and fall into a restless sleep.