The Stalker

Walking Down the Street

The cold morning breeze left ice paintings on my windows. Fuzzy socks were the only way to preserve my feet from the harsh wood floor. The mountain of laundry dug into my conscious. That's a tomorrow problem. I stretched  away the drowsiness as a yawn escaped my lips. It's the weekend; I have the night shift tonight. At least I get to sleep in till noon. 

"Morning, Kitty" I smile at the furry critter that is rubbing against my legs. He responds with a soft purr.

The day goes by slowly: shower, eat, binge movies, and fight with my cat over the blanket. My eyes flutter slowly. Sweet sleep would've embraced me if a blast from my phone didn't strain my ears. The repeating sound caused me to jump. 

"All right, I get it." I rolled my eyes as I slammed my fingers on the dreaded noise maker.

My pet sent my a short glare, then returned to his nap. I muttered a sorry while changing into my uniform. I hopped towards the closet with one leg in my pants. When I reached the closet, my big toe slammed into the corner of a table. I groaned in pain. Why do tables even exist? I crouched down for a minute, waiting for the pain to subside. My hands blindly searched for my shoes as I sat on the floor.

"I just might get rid of that table. Should we give it one last chance?" I turned to my unamused companion. He curled up into a ball.

"Yeah, that's what I thought," him and I seem to agree on most home decisions. Probably because he can't talk, but still. 

The street lights lit up the dark pavement. Clouds stole the moon's spotlight. My pockets kept my hands from the freezing wind. If I could find a roommate then I wouldn't need to work as a barista on weekdays and a front desk clerk on weekends. Once I save enough for a few terms in college, I'll get my degree in social work. As long as customers are not demons to the staff, I'll keep my sanity for a few more years.

Each step I made caused a series of thuds. Puddles splashed beneath my boots. The cold wind nipped at my face. I was usually alone as I walked to my night shift. Or more like 2nd shift, it ended at midnight. A bright light caught my attention. It was shining through a window that was pitch black moments ago. The dark silhouette of a person relaxed me. Must be a neighbor who is having trouble sleeping. I smiled and gave a slight wave before continuing to the hotel. The hotel was close to the cafe I worked at since this was a small town and most businesses were by the highway. With everything so close together, I didn't need to waste money on a car.

Maybe the dark nighttime got on my nerves, but I thought a heard another pair of footsteps behind me. I dug in my purse for a taser while still walking at a steady pace. Once it was clutched in my hand, my nerves slightly settled.

"Ma'am I know it's late. We don't have anyone to fix your toilet at the moment." I clutched my fist to hold back the unfriendly tone I wished to use.

"This is outrageous! I payed for a room and I expect it to be in perfect condition," she snapped at me.

"The last guests didn't alert us of any problems. We had no way of knowing" I bit down on my tongue. This crazy chick has been yelling at me for 30 minutes.

"I want a refund." There are the magic words. She just might be lying to try and sucker me into giving her a free night.

"You'll have to wait until the manager arrives tomorrow," I said through a forced smile. It's a miracle I haven't quit yet.

She spit in my face. Then, the shrew stormed off to her room. She needs therapy. I aggressively wiped her saliva off my cheek. I'll need some napkins and a gallon of hand sanitizer. Hope that rat gets nightmares.

"Night, Reese." My red-haired co-worker briefly waved before continuing his task of cleaning. Hours of wanting to jump off a cliff, finally it's over. 

I happily skipped out the door. Hallelujah, the night shift is over. My the world have mercy on poor Reese who still has a few more hours. He will be in our thoughts and prayers.

The walk home started off bearable. The night was near it's end. My eyes felt heavy. The street ahead began to blur. There were only a couple kilometers left. My exhausted body needed to get home. I refuse to pass out on the sidewalk. That is just embarrassing. The ache in my feet grew as my front door became in visible range. Maybe it wasn't kilometers, it might have been meters. 

I rushed through the door and plopped on my bed. My darling cat was jolted awake. I kicked off my shoes. Then everything went black.

My cat sat on my face. That forced my body to awaken. I groaned and pushed him away. He started hissing.

"I should be the one hissing at you, drama queen!" He kept shrilling. That can't be directed at me.

I rolled to the other side of the bed and froze. I couldn't believe what I saw. Fear took over me. The shadowy silhouette of a person was in front of my window. They were staring at me. A lump formed in my throat. I tried to scream but no noise was made. My cat glared at the window. My breathing quickened. The sheets were pulled into my grasp.

The person ran off down the street. I remained still. Even when they were out of sight, I refuse to blink. This must be a prank. Some stupid kid wanted to bother a neighbor. I checked my alarm clock. They decided to pull a prank at 3:51 a.m. in the freezing cold. I grabbed my cat and pulled my knees up to protect the both of us. 

No one would be out this early. There was no reason to be that close to my window. This was too creepy.

The sunlight burned my eyes. They blinked multiple times before the sting went away. I snuggled with my cat. My lungs filled with the morning air. I curled my legs under the covers. Then, memories of last night slammed into my mind. Tears streamed down my face. I ran to the window and closed the blinds.

Stalkers are supposed to be shy. They need to hide in the shadows. I should be safe. Stalkers get scared away easily.