Evanescent

- Chapter 2 -

The Darkness

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I've come to the conclusion that my darling Avery is like a drug. This is not settling well with me, regarding my history, although she's something that I don't think that I will be able to quit. I don't think I'm strong enough. The high of her is too intoxicating, mind numbing yet all consuming. I know that I should try to stay away, I fucking know that my infatuation with her is going to get me caught. I tried, honestly. Avery Cole is a high that I won't ever be able to recover from, nor would I want too.

For nights on end, I would find myself back in that alley, peering up to her window. I like to think that I would have had more self-control if she didn't always leave her windows open. I couldn't turn around and leave when I could see her figure dancing around her room. My sweet darling Avery is just too hypnotizing.

     I've started to remember little things about her, it's helped by the fact that I've just about followed her through her entire daily routine.  I know that she can feel my eyes on her. It's in the way that she's looking over her shoulder when we are walking to her favorite café, nervously scanning the crowd for me when we're riding the train to her work, or in how she's started to carry pepper spray on her little keychain. It's okay though, I don't blame her. I'm not angry with her. The world is a really dangerous place, I'm glad that she's looking out for her own safety. My girl doesn't know that she doesn't have to worry about that anymore, not with a demon who is more than willing to destroy anyone or anything that could so much as drop that pretty smile from her face looming over her shoulder.

I'm trying to adjust to my new apartment. I did have to clean out the old vermin that lived here prior, but he was an older man who was easy enough to dispel. The apartment is solid brick, the rough red interior making the walls cold. It proved to be fucking difficult to scrub out all of the blood and gore from the old tile that was in the bathroom where I did most of the work to rid him. Even harder to try to clean the red stain trail that's throughout the pine floored living area from where I struck him first. Newsflash, getting blood out of hundred-year-old pine is next to impossible. Now my place smells like bleach and there's still a bloody body trail leading to my bathroom. Which is just fucking fantastic.

The studio is small, with nothing more than a small kitchenette, bathroom, and an iron framed bed in the corner of the living quarters. I threw out the old man's junk, which wasn't a lot thankfully. This is a rougher area of the city so as long as the rent is paid on time nothing will it be looked into. I also didn't see any family pictures or anything to reference that I would also need to take care of any family that would look into his disappearance which is good for me, and for his family too I guess.

I never cared for how close the old residential buildings are in our city, but I do have a newfound appreciation for it allowing me to be able to get so close to her now.  Honestly, I liked my old place more, but this one comes with an amazing view, a lot better than the alley.

I open my window, cringing at the bleach fumes that waft out. Outside is an old fire escape that is shared with the building beside mine. I step out onto it, it's rusty and rocks a bit under my weight but it will do the job. My darling girl I've come to learn is a little forgetful. I can't help but try to help her where I can without it being obvious. She always leaves her bedroom window unlocked, as she frequently comes out on this escape when her anxiety seems to get the best of her, hoping maybe that fresh air or the star littered sky above would help clear or quieten her mind. On those nights, I lean against my wall from inside my apartment and just sit with her, feeling calmer by knowing that she's so close. I hope that my presence helps her somewhat too, hope that she can feel my decrepit heart aching for her through the wall that separates us. My mind wanders to what's hurting her, who is responsible for her anxiety, who I need to kill to erase that knot that's tied up in her throat when she sometimes cries when she thinks she's alone.