"I honestly still can't believe it. I mean, I'm sixteen, things like this don't happen to people in tiny towns." Sam bragged to her best friend over the speakers of the rose gold I phone 6 she held carefully against her pierced ear.
The pink and purple jewels that hung down from her customized back pack clanged against each other as she walked, filling the empty street, as did the clacking off her heels. She toyed with the end of her white sun dress that clung to her frame, fanning out at her waist as her friend listened eagerly to her rambles about her blossoming YouTube career.
"Can you believe it? I posted my P.O. Box address in the description of my latest beauty haul video three days ago and I've already gotten like three calls from them saying I had things to come get. It's crazy."
Her friend hummed in reply, flipping the page of what sounded to be a magazine on the other line. "Make it home yet?"
"Right now." She replied, popping the lock of the massive black iron gate and stepping into the neatly trimmed yard. She skipped up the front steps, pulling her keys out of her pocket book to open the front door. Once she had the keys in hand, she lifted her head, pausing as a sparkly pink box with the largest white bow she'd ever seen caught her eye.
It rested elegantly on the welcome mat, topped with a card that read 'from your biggest fan'. "That's so weird." She laughed. "Do the people at the P.O. box place deliver?"
"No." Her friend scoffed. "That would be why they called you- so you would know to pick it up."
"Um, loose the tone please." Sam shot back. "There's a really pretty present on my door step."
Balancing the phone between her ear and her shoulder, she lifted the package off of the ground while unlocking the door with her other hand. Once inside, she tossed the keys onto a nearby table along with the box.
"Ooh, who's it from?"
"I don't know. It just says your biggest fan. I didn't give my address though, I'm not a total idiot."
"Had me fooled." Her friend giggled.
"Ha Ha." Sam replied as she pulled a coke from the refrigerator, popping the tab.
"Didn't you say some guy was bugging you like everyday to promote his channel? Wasn't his username something like 'Sams biggest fan'?"
Sam rolled her eyes, grimacing to herself. "Yes. He wants me to do a collab with him, but I know it's just so he can benefit from it. Why would I do that? Besides, he's totally annoying."
"Hey, I have to go. I gotta' have my homework done before my mom gets home."
"Ew." Sam grimaced.
"Call me later, k?"
"Always. Bye." Sam clicked the phone off, taking a swig of coke and grimacing a bit as the liquid stung her dry throat.
Glancing around the kitchen, her eyes landed on a piece of paper that was stuck to the case of flowers in the middle of the island. She grasped the end of it, reading out loud 'Got called to meeting, be home late. Love mom'.
Sam rolled her eyes, yanking the note off and crumpling it up before tossing it back onto the counter. Before she had the chance to make a smart comment to herself about how her mother was always busy or always in a meeting, the doorbell rang causing her to curse out loud in annoyance.
Stomping back to the front door, she yanked it open to reveal an empty porch. She froze, glancing around before jutting her head out further. "Hello?" Nothing. "Stupid kids." She spoke aloud while slamming the door.
The glitter of the package caught her eye once more, drawing her towards it. Without hesitation she quickly untied the bow, letting it fall to the floor by her feet. She lifted the lid off smoothly, staring down at the single piece of paper that rested inside. It read '234 street. Park. 8:43 pm.'
***
"That's so totally weird!" Her friend exclaimed on the other end of the line.
"I know right!" Sam replied, plopping down in the middle of her bed after lighting multiple candles around her room.
"Well, you're not going to go right?"
Sam glanced over her shoulder to the clock on her beside table, the numbers 8:38 blinking at her. "Of course not! That would be totally crazy of me."
Her friend agreed, changing the subject. "So, what are you doing tomorrow?"
"I don't know. Probably nothing. Mom is working late so she'll probably want to sleep all day like the past bajillion Saturday's."
"We should go check out that new boutique!" Her friend suggested. "I heard it's super cute."
"Sounds good." Sam smiled to herself. "You know, we never did go to that new-" A harsh rapping on the front door cut her off.
"What was that?" Her friend asked.
"Somebody's at the door." Sam replied slowly. "You know what, it's probably the neighbor. Her dog gets out all the time and she goes door to door asking if anyone's seen the little-" The knocking sounded again, this time much louder. "Coming!" She yelled. "I gotta' go Em, tomorrow though?"
"Yep. See you around noon."
"Bye." She hurriedly ended the conversation, clicking her phone off and dropping it onto the bed. Dashing around the corner, she snatched her pink robe off of the hanger on beside the door, wrapping it around her pajama covered frame.
The stairs creaked a bit under her weight as she took them two at a time, arriving at the door in seconds. "Hi Mrs.-" She started, pulling the door open, pausing as she realized no one was there. "Hello?" She leaned out a bit, glancing both ways into the empty yard before leaning back inside slowly.
Shaking off the uneasy feeling that was building in her stomach, she pushed the door closed in a nonchalant manner, keeping up the sassy internet character she had created to get views even when the cameras weren't on.
She skipped back up the stairs, eager to lay down and check the progress of her channel.
The atmosphere inside the room seemed a bit more uneasy than it did downstairs, but what threw her off the most was the slip of paper, perfectly folded in the center of her bed.
Her breath caught in her throat as she approached her bed slowly. 'Why didn't you show?' She read aloud, shivering harder with each word.
Before she even had a chance to react, she felt a sharp pain against the back of her head, and everything went black.
***
-The next morning-
"Hi guys!" Sam exclaimed to her video camera, careful not to let her fake smile falter. "I know I don't normally post videos on Saturday, but this is a special occasion." She paused as the boy behind the camera dropped the cue card, lifting a new one. "I would like to take this video to promote the channel of my b-biggest fan. His links are in the description down below. Please check him o-out." Her breath came out in shaky, uneven puffs as she read the last line of the new card. "We will be making many videos together in the near future. Be sure to subscribe."
~Moral of the story, people will do anything for five minutes of fame. Stay safe ;)~
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creepshow (wattys2018)
Kinh dịHe's watching me. That's all he ever does. He stands on the other side of the glass and stares at me. He brings his friends and they join him in the pointing. They tap their fingers against the glass at me, the noise filling my ears, causing my worl...
