I awoke to the steady beeping of my watch alarm. I need to start going back to the gym. I guess I'll do that today. Popping out of bed I grabbed my workout bag. Unbaring my door I walked downstairs. Nothing had changed overnight, no notes and no tripped wires. Great I grabbed an apple for breakfast. Slowly munching on it I planned a shortened workout. Less weight, same or fewer reps. Shorter run, maybe slower too. Should I do gymnastics? Sure. I'll work on flexibility more than strength today, yoga maybe. I tossed my apple core in the trash and jogged to the door. I locked the door before heading off to the bus station. Climbing aboard I noticed there was no room to sit. Sighing, I grabbed onto the overhead railing as we pulled away. So either he can't get in with all the doors and windows barred, or he didn't try. Gah it sucks not knowing if he even tried to get in. He was trying to kidnap me the night of the cake right? What if I managed to kidnap him? Hold him captive? That seems counter productive, why would I want to keep my stalker in my house? He can't follow you anywhere if he's tied up in a closet. True. Kill him, then you never have to worry about him again.
NO! Besides the permafrost would keep me from effectively hiding the body. I suddenly released what I had just thought. Did I seriously just consider killing a man? Like not just sarcastically, but seriously. Yep. I sighed, shaking my head slightly. We pulled up to my stop and I climbed off. Heading into the nearly empty gym I made a bee line for the locker room. I don't wanna talk to anybody. No, no, no. I don't wanna talk.
"Hey Jackie," a voice called. Damn it. I turned around, "Hey." A young woman maybe in her mid twenties stood before me. "Winter," I sighed, "it's uh, good to see you." "Yeah you too, glad to see you're getting back into the flow of things after the um, ah," she trailed off slightly, "incident." Winter you are lovely but I'm still not sure I'm up for socializing. "It's not a big deal, I'm talking it a bit easier today so as to not aggravate this," I pointed to my forehead. She hissed lightly upon seeing the wound. "I'm doing a free yoga class today, care to join," she asked. "When does it start," I tilted my head. She glanced down at her smart watch, "ten minutes." I sighed, hoping I wouldn't regret this. "In that case I'll run and change, then you wanna grab mats together," I tried my best to sound friendly. She nodded. I turned and jogged to the locker room. Changing quickly I threw my stuff into my locker, double checking that I had indeed locked it. I walked back out into the gym, looking for the flowing blue hair of Winter. I spotted her over by the yoga mats. I wove my way though the gym over to her. "That was fast," she smiled. I shrugged, eyes scanning the mats. I pulled a black one out of the pile as she grabbed an aqua one. "Looks like we both got our favorite colors," she giggled. "Yeah," I smiled. She led me to a room off to the side of the gym. "It's only a half hour class, so you should still have time for everything else you wanna do," she said. I hummed lightly in agreement. We laid out our mats near the instructors, and waited for the class to begin. People trickled into the room over the next few minutes and when the class began the room was a little full, not to empty, not overcrowded. The lesson started off with simple stretches and progressed into more advanced yoga moves. I was pretty proud that I was able to do all of the moves. It wasn't hard due to my flexibility. It was strange though, I felt eyes on me the entire lesson. I am at the front of the room, someone who can't see the instructor is probably following me. The class ended and people began to drift out of the room. Winter turned to me, "How the hell are you not sweating?" "It was easy," I admitted. "Easy," she said in disbelief, " easy? It's only easy because you have the flexibility of a dang cat!" "Hm," I smiled, "I guess." She stood up, "I'll see you another day then." "Bye," I waved, heading back out into the main gym area. What next... reduced weights. I walked over to the weight rack to do my exercises. Ten minutes of exercise and I was very bored. Go home? Yeah. I put the weights back and walked outside. The next bus isn't for fifteen minutes. I guess I'll get some coffee, Starbucks is right there. I wandered into the surprisingly full coffee shop. I walked up to the counter. "Welcome to Starbucks," the barista greeted, "what can I get for you today?" "Is like a tall peppermint mocha please," I smiled. She nodded ringing up my order, "4.25, May I get a name for the order?" "Jackie," I told her, handing her a five, "keep the change." She nodded, dropping the coins in the change jar as I moved away from the counter. As I waited for my drink somebody odd came in. They had on a dark hoodie with the hood up, face turned toward the ground. Weird, most people take off their hoods once they enter a building. Suddenly he jerked his head back, throwing off his hood. A red bandana covered the bottom of his face. He raised a gun, pointing it at the barista. People panicked and began running out of the store. "Empty the cash register," he ordered. "Somebody call the cops," I heard someone whisper. The man whipped around, "if anybody calls the cops I'll kill everyone here." The few people who remained the the store froze. He turned back to the frightened barista, "Money, now." The people who left will probably call the cops. They won't get here in time though. Well there's a cop already here. Who? Oh yeah. I'm a cop. A mall cop but still a cop. The barista was fumbling with the register trying to get it open. Bad idea here we go. I slowly crept up behind the robber, footsteps light. When I got behind him I quickly wrapped my arm around his throat, locking him in a choke hold. He struggled, clawing at my arm. I could feel him growing weaker as he neared unconsciousness. Suddenly his gun struck my scab, splitting it open. I lurched back, releasing him. He gasped, breathing heavily and turned the gun towards me. I quickly moved to the side circling him. I tried my best to stay out of his line of fire. It worked, until he grabbed one of the other customers. He held the gun to their head and I froze. "Who the hell are you," he growled at me. "An off duty mall cop who just wants a peppermint mocha," I told him. He looked confused, lowering his gun slightly. I took the chance. Darting forward I pulled the customer away while simultaneously shoving him back against the counter. He cried out as his spine hit the corner of the counter. He slid down to the ground. I went to get the gun away from him when he suddenly raised it and fired. A searing pain erupted from my arm. I clenched my teeth, hissing. Grabbing his wist I managed to wrench the gun from his grasp. It skidded across the floor as he pushed me back. I could hear sirens approach, and judging by the horrified look on his face the robber could too. Standing up he tried to dash out the door. I grabbed his arm pulling him back. He spun, punching me in the gut. My breath was forced out of my lungs but I kept my grip on his arm. Suddenly the door was kicked open by the police, led by Officer Jones. "Hands up," he shouted. I let go of the robber as a few more officers entered the shop. Officer Jones turned to me, "Thank you for keeping him here. Otherwise we would have lost him." He looked up from his phone, "May I- Jackie?" I waved at him with my non shot arm, "hey." "Wha-," he looked confused. "All I wanted was a peppermint mocha, then this idiot appeared," I 'explained'. "Oh, okay," he nodded, "I'll come by to get a statement later on, probably tomorrow." "Got it," I sighed, arm burning. I'm not gonna tell him I got shot, I can deal with this easily once I get home. The cops left with the robber and I turned to head for the bus stop. A hand on my shoulder stopped me. Please don't let it be Jones. I turned around, it was the barista. They held out a cup to me, "Peppermint mocha?" I smiled, "thank you, you didn't have to." "I kinda did," they laughed, "I mean you already paid." "True," I nodded. I took the cup and headed out to the bus stop. The bus actually hadn't arrived yet. Setting my mocha on the bench I looked at my arm. Red was seeping through the tear in the fabric. Sighting I tied my bandana around the wound to slow the blood loss until I got home. The bus pulled up so I grabbed my drink and climbed aboard. The ride home was uneventful as well as the walk. Arriving home I walked upstairs to grab my med kit. Bringing it back downstairs I placed it on the kitchen table. Unwrapping the bandana I pulled off my jacket. My tee shirt was untouched, not even a drop of blood. I opened the med kid, pulling out a needle, thread, and rubbing alcohol. Should I take pain meds. Yeah. I took a pain pill and got everything set up to deal with my arm. I opened the curtains to get some extra light. Wiping off the excess blood I disinfected the wound. Grimacing slightly at the burn. I threaded the needle taking a deep breath before pushing though the skin. I flinched. I'm lucky it's just a graze. Still hurts like a bitch though. I sewed the wound closed wincing every time I pushed the needle through the skin. Finally I finished, tying the thread off tight. I washed the blood off my arm and wrapped a bandage over the stitches. I glanced over at the clock. I have a while before work. I'm hungry. I looked at the fridge, finally noticing the note taped to it. Fabulous I plucked the note from the fridge and began to read.
Dear подсолнечник (also called Jackie),
It's good to see you are recovering from your injuries and are getting back to normal life. It is also good to see you taking it easy. The yoga class was fun, however I didn't realize how not flexible I was. You were a good instructor, you made it seem so easy. Oh he was the one watching me do yoga. As for your question, it's hard to explain. Your imperfections make you perfect, kind of. I know your work is stressful, but now I am fearful. I am scared you will get seriously hurt again especially while you already injured. You will not have to worry about me causing problems. You guard the mall and I guard you. Plus I have been needing to shop. My question for you today is, have you had your first kiss?
Stay safe,
I (technically Stalker)
I guess he left this note before I got shot. Oh well. Can't wait to see his reaction. I sighed picking up a pen and paper to write a reply.
Dear I (definitely Stalker),
I am in no way perfect and my imperfections make me even less so. The yoga was fun, and a bit refreshing. I knew I felt somebody watching me. As for the work thing, well, if I'm keeping an eye out for you I won't be as focused on my job. Which could lead me to more injuries. However as I said before, I can't exactly ban you from the mall. As I don't know who the hell he is. To answer your question, Lie or truth. Truth or lie? Truth, I guess. I have had my first kiss. My question to you is, where did you first see me?
Later,
J
I stuck the note to the fridge before pulling out some food. After my lunch I headed upstairs to play some video games.
---piks-emit--time-skip-------------------
My phone beeped, warning me that I had to leave for work in half an hour.
I saved my game and turned off my computer. Grabbing my work bag I headed downstairs. My note was still on the fridge as I grabbed some dinner. Eating quickly, I placed my dishes in the sink. I carefully slid on my coat and grabbed my bag. Locking the door I jogged for the bus stop. Sadly Lucy drove a different route on Tuesday. I climbed on the bus and headed off to work. If he does come to my work he can't go to my house. If he follows me all work he can't get into my house so if he does come to my work he won't be there the whole time. Slight comfort. The bus pulled up to the mall and I headed inside. I'm glad my uniform is long sleeved so Grim won't ask questions. I waved hello to Grim as I walked into the lockers to change. "Food court," I asked Grim as I grabbed my gear. "Yeah," he nodded, "today's been quiet." I hummed, heading out to the food court. I scanned the space, no obvious stalkers. I wandered the food court for a good hour before hearing Grim's voice over my ear piece. "Hey Ghost, can you head over to the east third floor? We've got a group of suspicious teens," he said. "Got it," I replied heading for the stairs. (Are the longer chapters good or should I split it into parts?) I found the teens standing near a store closed for construction. I stood so that I could see them without it being obvious that I was watching them. One of the girls pointed to me and then motioned slightly to the store. A guy waved her off. I turned to 'scan' the area. They disappeared once I had turned back. "They went into the store," I said. "Yep," Grim agreed, "but be careful, we don't have cameras in there." "That is why we have the emergency body cams," I sighed, turning it on. The body cams were only used when we didn't have regular cameras. I walked into the store, pulling my flashlight off my belt but leaving it off. I could hear them further back. I moved toward them, avoiding construction equipment and debris. I found them just past a wall, a few phone light trained on a dude filming with his own phone. "Suh dudes," he smirked. "We back at it again, going places we shouldn't and fuckin shit up! Today we," he quickly scanned the phone over his friends, "are at the mall. Hopefully this goes well because a security guard was nearby when we ducked into this store. Now this store is currently abandoned due to construction, at least, that's what they say." He began to film his surroundings, "now this store has been under 'construction' for over a year. Why?" He turned his phone to the girl who had noticed me earlier. "Because," she giggled, "this part of the mall is haunted, and the ghost doesn't want another store built." "That is correct," the boy smirked again, "So that's why we brought a ouija board. And some spray paint to show the world we was here!" Time to end this. I stepped out of my hiding spot flicking on my flash light. "While that all sounds quite fun," I deadpanned, "I'm going to have to ask you to leave." "Oh god damn it! It's the security guard from earlier dudes," the cameraman moved closer to me, "oh scratch that. Security chick. What'cha doing working such a killjoy job, sweetie?" Murder is NOT a viable option. Why not? Dude sucks. I'd lose my job. True. "It pays bills and isn't as soul crushing as my old retail job," I shrugged. The guy moved to put his arm around my shoulder, and I stepped away. "Why don't you join the fun," he asked. "No, and y'all need to leave.," I said. "Come on," whined another boy, "can't you just, I dunno, leave and pretend you didn't see us?" "If I wanted to lose my job, yes. However I want to keep my job, so no. I can't," I rolled my eyes. "Nobody saw us enter, you won't get fired," said the filmer. I motioned toward the main part of the mall, "security cameras." They glanced at each other panicked. "RUN," one of them yelled and they darted past me. I snagged the arm of the leader, stopping him. I began pulling him though the mall. "A-aren't you going to go after the others," he seemed nervous. "Nah," I smiled, "I've already caught one of the group, the apparent leader at that. The rest were caught on camera. Speaking of camera, if you do post that footage I don't want my face to be shown. Okay?" "Got it," he muttered. We arrived at the security office and I placed him in the holding cell. "Yo how long I gotta stay here," he asked. "Until a mall manager arrives," I replied, "Grim, I'm going back to the food court right?" Grim nodded, "his friends all fled." I headed out, back to the food court. The rest of my shift passed without incident and once again I was alone on the bus. When I got home I was greeted by a bright green glow from the kitchen. So he was here recently. I locked and barred the front door. Slipping off my jacket I unwrapped the bandage from my arm to check on the wound. It had bled a bit, but the stitches held. I wiped it down with a damp cloth before wrapping a fresh bandage around it. I walked to the fridge to grab the note and some cake cubes to eat. I unfolded the note. The writing was shaky.
Dear подсолнечник,
What happened to your arm? I am so sorry I left you alone. It is my fault you were hurt. Who do I need to hurt? I guess I should answer your question, I first saw you at college. You took care of those stupid teens in the store. Good job. I hope I didn't miss anything dropping off this letter. I would like to ask, what's your favorite ice cream flavor?
I am so sorry,
I
He sounds so panicked. I could sugar coat it. Lie. No point. I pulled out a piece of paper, and a pencil.
Dear I,
I got shot, it was my fault. I went to get a peppermint mocha and ended up fighting a robber. He has been taken into police custody. It would only be your fault if you were the robber. No need to hurt anyone. Thanks for the compliment on me doing my job. My favorite ice cream flavor. Hmm. That's hard. I like many favors, but if I had to choose one; mint. Mint chocolate chip.
Can you get into my house with all the doors and windows barred?
-J
Pinning the note to the fridge I walked upstairs. Changing quickly into pajamas I flopped into bed. Falling asleep quickly.
