Chapter 20 I am watching
VICTORIA
I dropped to the ground, gasping for breath while crushing the note in my hand. The words on the note rang in my head like a deadly warning.
Who was watching me? Who sent this note?
The only one my mind clicked to was the killer I had met. Fear clutched my heart at the thought of me being the next victim of the murder case.
I swung my head around in fear and managed to get up.
I needed to protect myself if I wanted to live to take revenge on Simon.
I didn't know where the strength came from, but I rushed to the windows in the house and pulled them shut, then ran to the door and checked it multiple times to confirm that it was locked.
My hand clutched my belly, which seemed to be in chaos as I staggered into the hallway to my room. When I walked into my room, I rushed into the bed and covered myself with the duvet, trembling in fear and covered in perspiration.
“I need to tell someone," I whispered to myself as I struggled to keep calm.
Mr Thompson’s name popped into my head, and I quickly grabbed my phone and tapped the message button to send him a message.
But as I scrolled through the contacts for his own, a message flashed across the top of my screen. I paused and stared at the unknown number that flashed before my eyes.
My shaking finger tapped on the message, and I felt my throat knot in despair.
“Tell no one. If you do, the forbidden trinity will find you. I am watching."
I gasped, and my phone dropped from my hand.
Tears formed in my eyes, and I sank my teeth into my lower lip, clutching my chest as my heart threatened to burst open.
The clutches of fear gripped me so hard that I wished I could go down into the ground and be free from whatever was watching me.
Even though I was alone in the room, I could feel eyes on me. Dark, piercing, soulless eyes glaring hard without blinking away for a second. Mouths spreading to the ears, black teeth grinning at me, gloved hands clenching a bloodstained blade, and that word echoing over me.
I am watching. I am watching.
“Stop!" I screamed and gripped my head, cursing at the disturbing imaginary figures in my mind.
“Stop, please," I whispered in a quivering voice while tears rolled down my cheeks.
After drowning in fear and constantly getting up to take a look at the house, tiredness finally overpowered the fear and began to lead me into what I needed the most at the moment. Sleep!
I slowly fell asleep but kept jerking up from nightmares of my death all through the night until dawn broke.
I got up from the bed at the first sight of the sunlight and walked into the bathroom to wash up. Dark circles were under my eyes, and tiredness filled my eyes. I sighed and touched my puffy face and trembling lips before picking up my toothbrush.
After washing and dressing up in casual clothes, I made myself a coffee and shuffled to my terrace, which overlooked the old woman's apartment.
I picked up a book to keep me busy from the ordeal I had faced last night.
Just when the blurry lines of the book cleared and I began to absorb myself into the true crime stories book, a noise coming from the woman's apartment distracted me.
Her window was just a few distance away from me, and it was open in a way that I could peek in and see what was going on.
I was tempted to look through the window, but I stopped myself, knowing well enough that that was trespassing.
I leaned back into my seat and sipped the coffee with my eyes fixed on the book.
My face scrunched up, and I groaned loudly at the cold coffee.
I dropped the book on the table, then trudged into my house to fill up my cup again.
After filling up my cup with fresh hot coffee, I walked out and locked the door again before heading into the terrace. My eyes dimmed in confusion as I walked to where I sat and saw that the book was gone.
My head swung around, and my eyes darted to all corners of the terrace, but I found nothing.
“Where… where was it?” I whispered in confusion.
My heart began to race when the eyes of the killer flashed in my mind. It couldn't be him, could it?
I had nosy neighbors, but I doubted if they would do this to me. There was no one else I could blame, if not the killer.
I growled loudly and smashed the cup on the ground, ruffling my hair in anger.
"Why? Why won't you let me be?!” I growled loudly, heaving.
I was sure he was still around and could hear me.
"Leave me alone, you bastard!” I growled again.
"Who are you talking to?” Mr Thompson's voice hit me, and I froze.
My eyes slammed shut as embarrassment engulfed me.
I slowly turned around, my eyes darting everywhere aside from his face.
“Who were you talking to?" He asked again as he stepped closer. He stopped walking when he saw the shattered cup on the ground. His brows raised in confusion as his eyes ran over my trembling body.
“What's going on with you? Why are you acting weird?" He asked as he took a step closer to me.
I staggered back and crashed down into the chair, panicking in embarrassment.
“I…I… I thought someone was here… I mean…” I stammered and cursed.
Mr Thompson, who had been staring at me, suddenly broke into laughter.
My eyes widened in surprise as I stared at him, filled with amusement.
That was the first time I saw him laugh that loud, and it looked amazing.
“That looks good on you," I blurted out before I could think twice.
My heart skipped when he stopped laughing and pulled up a straight face again.
“What?" He asked as he tilted his head to the side.
“The smile, it looks on you,” I muttered.
His eyes darkened, and he returned to his cold countenance. I regretted saying what I had said. Because of my chatter, that smile left his face.
"Why are you here?” I asked.
He sighed and sank his hand into his pants pocket, straightening up.
"We didn't finish our discussion last time—”
A loud crash coming from the woman's house forced him to stop and look across to the woman's apartment.
“What's that?" He muttered.
Fear gripped me when a chilling thought crossed my mind.
“The… the killer,” I whispered and didn't waste a second before dashing off to the woman's house.