Маленький календулы (Little Marigold)

Должен спрятаться (Gotta hide)

I step back from my desktop, staring at the message in shock and fear. I looked around anxiously, hoping not to see that something was out of place. I quickly shut off my computer and unplug it, my breath getting ragged with dread. I take one more look around before I meet the eye of my webcam. I stare at it, feeling the same awkwardness I had with it before. I ripped it off unconsciously and tossed it in the small trash can nearby.

I go to sit on my bed, hugging myself for comfort as I reread the message in my head. I start to remember what I was doing this for: It was for a stupid paper because I wanted a promotion. Now here I was, talking to a whistleblowing Bratva member and being stalked by whoever doesn't want me knowing anything about what happened in Portugal.

"What did I get myself into?" I whisper to myself before laying down on my bed. It took me an entire hour to go to sleep until the next morning. I woke up, exhausted as I went through my morning routine of getting ready for work. I didn't speak to anyone at work. The feeling of being watched still plagued my senses as I would file papers. About half an hour into my shift, I received a text message. I opened it and saw it was from Mrs. Baker, an elderly neighbor of mine in the apartment building. What she text me sent a chill down my spine.

"Harper, This is Miss Baker. I wanted to let you know that a couple of well-dressed men who said were your cousins from Europe are visiting but found you weren't home (they found your spare key in a plant down the hall). One of them told me that they didn't have your number. They wanted me to tell you they will come back when you do. You have such a sweet family, dear."

I looked up from my phone and almost felt my body freeze over. I don't have cousins from Europe, and no cousin of mine would drop by without warning. I stood up abruptly, packing my things up quickly. I start for the door, Mary staring in concern. "Harp, you alright?" She asks. I didn't answer as I rushed out the door. I took no time as I ran down the sidewalk, not caring what cars came close to hitting me. On the way, I strip off my heels as they were getting in the way.

I arrived at the apartment building and rushed up the stairs. I get to my room to find the front door opened a crack. My shaky hand grabs onto the handle as I pushed it open. To my horror, I found my apartment got turned upside down. Clothes and other things were pulled out and kitchen cabinet doors left open. I look at my computer to see it plugged in and turned on. It was the first thing I went after. Turning on the monitor, I saw that my online notes were either erased or corrupted. The spare key laid on the desk.

"What? Who the?" I ask aloud as I look around. Looking back at my screen, I saw my reflection. Jumping at my face, I looked up to see my webcam. It was placed pristinely back on top of my computer. It was as if I never threw it away. If my anxiety wasn't any worse, I got a message from my hangouts again. As the pop notification shows up in the corner, I could feel my heart racing.

I see you, Marigold. -E.V.

Knocking off the camera, I run to close and lock my door. My chest heaves as my lungs desperately cry for air. My thumping ears pick up the sound of footsteps coming up the stairs quickly. "I need to hide," I mutter as I look around my room for possible places. Not finding one in my bedroom, I run towards my bathroom and close the door. I look around to see the cabinet under the sink. It would take a squeeze to fit in, but it could be the last place they search. Quickly, I turn off the lights and squeeze my way under the sink. I shut the doors and try to control my breathing.

My eyes widen as I hear the footsteps stop at my door. The lock jiggles as they try to come in. There was muffled speech behind the door before a clinking sound. There was a moment of silence before hearing the creaking of my door as it opened. I try and contain my panic as I hear three voices conversing as they move around the room. A pair of footsteps heads toward the bathroom door. I cover my mouth and hold my breath as the door opened and light from the bedroom window shined through.

From the crack of the cabinet, I caught sight of black slacks and dress shoes stop in front of the sink. The man muttered what I felt was Russian before heading towards my shower. I noticed this man was blond. I watched him rip open the curtains and curse when he doesn't find a cowering redhead behind it. He then makes his way to the laundry basket. He kicks it over to see if something will squeal or squirm. The impact nearly made me jump out of my skin as it lands below my view. I was able to see his face then. His eyes were a dull and deep brown, almost a shade of black. His face contorted to frustration as he looks starts looking through my bathroom closet.

He stops and looks around, quietly scanning around for any possible place I could be. His eyes land at the sink, studying my hiding spot. My heart rate started to speed up as I feel his stare trying to stab through the wood of the doors. After a second, he turns to leave the room. I could hear them talking in their mother tongue for a bit before there was silence again. I could hear their footsteps moving to the door, seemingly about to leave. As I try to get out, I hear a random shout from the hallway.

"Ложись(1)!" It shouts before I hear a clank of metal as it rolls towards the junction between my room and the bathroom. I caught a glimpse of a canister before it released white smoke. I could feel my eyes water, and the urge to cough became unbearable. My body went into a violent coughing fit as I shut my eyes tightly from the burning. I hear rapid footsteps head to the bathroom again. I could feel my consciousness slipping away as the last things I saw were bright lights and a gas mask.

"Хорошая попытка(2)." A muffled voice says before they pull my body out of the cabinet. It was then that I passed out.

Translations:

1: Fire in the hole!

2: Nice try.