Issues

Threat

Emily's POV

Everywhere I look, pictures are plastered all over my bed, the floor, my dresser, and the wall. Pictures of me and Alison stare back at me. Our life together, our love, the story of our relationship, everything is displayed before me.
Our comings and goings, our dates, you name it, they covered it. My heart aches at the sight of such an invasion of privacy. These were such intimate moments. We've been stalked. We've been under surveillance and I didn't even notice. How could I have been so careless and so stupid? I promised that I would always protect her and now it's very evident that I've failed her.

This is a clear message for me. Whoever this is is not joking around. They really want me to break up with Alison. The threat is real. This monster isn't a figment of my imagination. I can't sweep this under the rug anymore. Alison and I are in real danger. I need to protect her. The devil is staring me square in the eyes and I have to make a choice in this moment. Run or stand and fight this. Of course I want to fight this, but how? I need time to think. I need to distance myself a bit from Alison while I come up with a plan. Not too much though or she'll notice something is wrong.

I'm very careful not to touch anything or disturb the scene this predator set for me to find. I return to my purse and pull out my phone. I quickly find Jared's Instagram account and private message him, asking for his cell phone number. I begin to pace back and forth across my living room floor in anticipation of his reply. Within minutes he happily provides his phone number.

"Hey Jared it's Emily. I know this is a very odd request, but would you mind coming over to my apartment in street clothes whenever you can? Please don't wear your uniform. I'll explain more when you get here" I say cryptically as soon as he picks up the phone.

"Ummm... sure" he says after a long pause. "Do I need to bring my gun? Is everything okay?"

"I'm fine. And no gun. Please don't tell anyone. Just come when you can. I'll text you my address" I say feeling anxious.

"Okay.... I'll be there in about an hour" he replies before hanging up the phone.

Jesus this hour is going to feel like a lifetime. I need him to get here now so we can figure out what to do about this. I can't do this on my own. I've lost all of my connections in the military and I need someone to help me without making this go public. That would only increase the danger. Even in the few moments I met him, I could feel that he was a good man. I feel like I can trust him.

It's been an hour and fifteen minutes and he's still not here. I'm about to pick up the phone and call him when I hear a knock at the door. I draw the only weapon I have left to my name and quietly gaze through the peephole in the door and see Jared. Relieved to see his face, I put my gun my the back of my pants and open the door for him.

"Hey. Come on in. Thanks for coming. Did anyone follow you" I ask while shutting the door.

"No one did. I made sure of it" he says reassuringly. "So tell me, what's wrong?"

"Well I guess I should start from the beginning" I say as I lead him over to the kitchen were I had the cryptic note hidden in a drawer.

I pull it out and show it to him while explaining, "I received this a few days ago when I returned from a week trip overseas. I've been the only one to touch it. Did you bring the fingerprinting kit and the evidence bags like I texted you about?"

Jared puts in his gloves and takes the note. "Well this definitely is creepy and absolutely a threat. Is there anything else?"

I oddly laugh and say, "This is just the tip of the iceberg. I came home today to my door cracked open. I came inside and as you can see nothing was destroyed but all of my secret stashes of guns and knives have been taken". Pulling my gun from the back of my waist, I continue, "They missed this one though. It's all I have left for protection. Let me show you what I found in my room".

I lead him to my room and as soon as he crosses the threshold he gasps and says, "Yea this isn't good. Whoever this is means business. They obviously had enough time to search your place, take your weapons, and craft this message to you. Have you called any police or told anyone about this?"

"No, no. I haven't told anyone. Not even Alison. I have to protect her from this. We have to fix this on the down low. This can't go public or whoever this is will probably escalate. I can't do this alone. I need your help. Will you help me?"

He pauses for a moment, taking in the horrific spectacle before him and says, "I'll help you. I have a few buddies in various departments that I can trust to help us figure this out. They won't say anything and they owe me big time. Don't worry Emily. You're not alone. You now have a team on your side. We're gonna figure this out".

I can't help but burst into tears and smother him with a huge hug. "Thank you so so much! I seriously couldn't do this without help".

"You're welcome" he says breaking the hug. "I want you to have that gun on you at all times. You need protection and I know you know how to use it."

"I promise I will" I reply fumbling with my fingers. "Just one more thing. What do you think I should do about Alison? I mean obviously I don't want to break up with her, but I know she's not safe and we still don't know exactly what we are up against. She's going to figure out something is up. She knows me too well".

Jared begins to individually pack all of the evidence in my room as contemplates my question. "Well, I bet she will figure out something is going on. For now, just keep things as normal as possible. Hopefully this predator will have made a mistake and left evidence. We can also check security cameras to see if we can catch a glimpse of this freak. If anything else comes up or whoever this is contacts you again, you call me immediately. But for now, just keep loving your girl".