Watched From Behind The Screen

3 - A turn for the worse

Mia's days of peace had now turned blur of fear and paranoia. Every sound made her jump out of her seat. A car passing,a doorbell,a cat.

The messages hadn't stopped, they'd only grown more frequent and more detailed.

The thought that someone was watching her sent chills down Mia's spine every time, even when she was outside. She couldn't shake of the feeling that eyes were on her,somewhere,hidden in the darkness, out of her sight.

As she hurried through the hallway of her apartment building, looking at her shoulder,if someone was follow in her from the behind,she felt her heart racing. The fear held in her chest,heavily.

What if it was one of her neighbors?

Just as she reached the door of her house,she heard a voice call out, "Mia! Hey, wait up"

She turned around,startled, it was Jake. Her next-door neighbor,jogging towards her. Relief washed over her. Jake had always been friendly—if a bit reserved. He was the kind of guy who kept to himself, always tinkering with computers and gadgets.

"Everything okay?" Jake asked, "you look....out of it."

Mia hesitated. She hadn't told anyone about the messages, except Sarah.

But Jake seemed genuine and right now she needed help - any help.

"I've been getting these weird messages" she said in a very fragile tone. "From some anonymous account,they know things about me, things they shouldn't."

Jake raised an eyebrow. "Like what kind of things?"

"Like what I'm wearing,where I go.....Even things I do during the day,like they're watching me."

His expression shifted from curiosity to alarm. “That’s really creepy. Have you thought about whether you might have spyware on your devices? Sometimes hackers can access your camera or microphone without you even knowing.”

Mia's heart sank..."I.....I hadn't considered that" she admitted,looking down at her phone as if it were a snake ready to bite. "What if someone's actually been spying on me?"

Jake nodded, his jaw tightening. “It’s possible. I can take a look at your phone and check for anything suspicious. I know how to dig around a bit.”

“Really? You’d do that?” Mia asked, a spark of hope igniting in her chest.

“Of course. Just… don’t panic, okay? We’ll figure this out.” He stepped closer and reached for her phone. “Let’s see what we’re dealing with here.”

As Jake inspected her phone, Mia felt her anxiety rise to the mountains. Just then her phone buzzed in Jake's hands.

Jake loomed at the screen, "you got a message."

As soon as Mia heard she snatched the phone from his hands. She read the message :

Unknown-  Nice talk with Jake. Too bad he can't save you.

Her face turned cold. "No.....no! They know we are taking." She can feel the fear,heavier than last time.

"What? Who knows?" Jake asked,looking over her shoulders.

"The stalker. This isn't just online anymore!" Mia widened her eyes while saying this.

Jake's expression turned into concern.
"We need to get you out of here. Have you told about these latest messages?"

"I don't want to worry her more. She already thinks I'm overreacting" Mia said,her voice shaking.

“Right now, you need to prioritize your safety,” Jake said firmly. “Tell her. Get her to come over. I’ll check your laptop too, but we can’t take any chances.”

Mia nodded. "Okay,I'll tell her. But what if they know where I am? What if.....they're watching right now?"

“I’ll keep an eye on the hallway while you call. Just keep your door locked, okay?” Jake assured her, moving toward the entrance.

She took a deep breath, her hands trembling as she dialed Sarah’s number. “Hey, Sarah? It’s me. Can you come over? I really need you.”

"Sure!....what's going on?" Sarah said with quiet concern.

"Its.....its hard to explain. I think I might....be in danger"

"O...on my way! What going on!"

"Just come over and BE CAREFUL" Mia warned before hanging up.

Jake turned back to her."She's on her way. We need to be carefull. Whoever the f___ it is, they're getting bolder"

"What if they're already here? What if they're waiting for me to slip up?" Mia said,gulping the fear.

"We'll figure it out. You're not alone in this,Mia. We'll find a way to stop them"

But Mia was still filled with fear and dread. She couldn't shake the feeling of being watched every single second.

It was no longer a just a prank, she could feel darkness lurking around the dark corners closing in.