Watched From Behind The Screen

2- Escalation

Mia couldn't stop thinking about the messages. He hands shivering as she sipped her morning coffee. Staring at her phone like a alien object. Any random sound was sufficient to make her jump. A car passing,the creak in her old apartment's pipes,anything.

She tried to push the thoughts away from the last night, but the messages kept floating in her head. Maybe it was all in her head. Maybe it was a internet prank.

She grabbed her phone and scrolled through the blocked messages, staring at the recent message.

Unknown- I'm closer than you think.

It was all too specific. The sweater,the fact they knew she looked out of the window. It was too much to ignore. She was not being paranoid,right?

( Being paranoid means- the feeling that everyone is out to get you,suspicious)

She thought a second and called Sarah,her best friend. The phone rang twice before Sarah picked up,he bubbly and cheerful voice bringing a sense of relief.

"Hey Mia,what's up? You sound weird"
Mia tried to be casual but her voice wavered. "You know, I got some weird messages last night"
"Weird,how?" Sarah asked,her tone now a bit serious.

Mia glanced at the closed curtains. "From some random account. They said things.....about me. Personal things."

"Like what?"

"Like they knew what I was wearing. They told me to look out of the window."

Sarah let out a small laugh. “Oh my god, Mia, it’s probably just some creep online. Block them and forget about it. You know how people are these days. Anyone can send a message and freak you out.”

Mia paused, her eyes narrowing. “Yeah, but they knew things, Sarah. I mean, how would they know what I was doing in my room? What I was wearing? I didn’t post anything, and I was alone.”

There was a brief silence on the other end of the line. "Okay....that's a little weird. But maybe some one hacked your camera? I have read stuff like that happening?

Mia looked at her laptop, the tiny black lens at the top suddenly looked more evil than ever. She quickly slammed the laptop shut.

"Yeah maybe"
"But seriously," Sarah continued,her voice tone light again,"don't stress it too much. It's probably some loser with too much time on their hands. If they message you again,just report it"

Mia forced a laugh,trying to unease the tension.
"You're right I am probably overthinking."

"Exactly. Don't let them get into your head. Come over later, and se will binge that new 'Tuesday' series. Believe me, you'll forget about this"
Mia agreed and hung the call. But the feeling of unease still weighted on her shoulders like a bag of bricks.

Sarah was probably right,but it didn't made her feel any better. Her logical mind tried to rationalize it but her gut was saying that something was definitely fishy.

Mia had just put her phone on the desk after talking to Sarah, but her phone buzzed again. Mia got the hairs of her eyebrow raised.

It was again.....

Unknown- "Sarah thinks I'm harmless. She's wrong."

Her heart skipped a beat,she stared at the message in disbelief, her face getting pale.
How did they know about the conversation with Sarah?

Mia - Who are you? What do you want?

Seconds later,a reply came.

Unknown- "You'll know soon enough. Just don't look out the window again."

Mia's pulse quickened. Her eyes drifting towards the window. The curtains which always felt like protection from the outer world,now,looked thin and fragile.

She backed away. She checked every single locks in her room. It was no longer a prank. The messages were real, and whoever is sending them is watching her every move.

The end.

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