Chasing the Browns

Chapter Eight

Chapter 8

‘Open the door for God’s sake!’ I muttered, banging on the door for the umpteenth time.

I knew I was being a little paranoid; it was seven in the morning, and there was no way someone could just creep up on me in that kind of daylight without me noticing.

Then again, I felt like I was being watched.

The last time I’d felt that, a mad man with a black face mask had approached me in an alleyway in the dark with a knife.

It was the fourth day, too. He could be after me, already.

But wouldn’t coming here, to Marie’s, be putting Marie in danger, too? But I was banging crazily on the door like I didn’t care whatever happened to her. I just had to get inside, where I knew that I could be safe.

I heard some inaudible mumble come from the other side of the door, and as soon as it opened, I burst in and Marie ended up tumbling to the floor. She glared up at me.

‘What the freaking hell was all that about?!’

‘Someone’s after me. I have a stalker and he’s coming after me!’

There was a silence. My panting suddenly halted. Marie regarded me with a weird look. I gasped, realising what I’d just said, and ran out of her house and down the street.

‘LEA!’ I heard her call. ‘Lea, stop!’

And the only reason I stopped running was because I was too tired to go any further. I doubled over, waiting for her to catch up with me.

It had been a massive mistake, telling her. I knew that if I begged enough, she wouldn’t tell anyone, but she would be able to get me to tell someone. She was that persuasive. And, because she cared about me that much, she could eventually “do what’s right” and report this mysterious man to the police. He’d be searched for, I’d be in even bigger trouble, my parents’ lives will be hanging over my very head…and all because I’d stupidly gone and told Marie what was going on.

I felt her hand on my shoulder. I spun around. Had the situation not been so serious, I would’ve been rolling around on the floor, laughing at the sight of her standing in the middle of the road in a tiger onesie with her windswept hair and a crazy expression on her face.

‘Lea, what the hell is going on? You wake me up at God’s knows what time and scream that there’s a stalker coming after you and then you run away again? Is it true? Is there actually someone after you? And how long has he or she been after you? Has this got something to do with that cut on your neck? And—’

‘I didn’t scream,’ I cut her off. I pulled away from her hand. ‘And that’s not true. Look, I’m tired and I haven’t had any sleep and I’ve got homework—’

Her face said “unimpressed”. ‘You’re going to blow me off because you didn’t get all forty winks? Look, you’ve got to get into the house right now and—’

‘No. I was stupid to come here. I-I…I have to go…’

‘No! Are you saying that you don’t trust me? If you’ve actually got someone stalking you, we’ve got to do something about it! You can’t just do nothing!’

It was as if she wanted the whole street to hear it. I followed her inside, trying to ignore her gaze. Although, it was a bit hard because she looked like she was about to cry. And I’d only ever seen her cry whilst watching films, and when she’d seen a cat get run over on the road.

She shut the door, led me to her living room, then turned on me. ‘Who is it?’

‘I…I don’t know.’