Chapter 14 – The Necklace on the Pillow
Emily’s pov
The first thing I noticed when I woke was the silence.
Not the kind of silence you get when you are alone, but the heavy, waiting kind... the kind that pressed on your chest like a weight. My eyes fluttered open to the dim light spilling through Sarah’s blinds, and for a moment, I forgot where I was. Then the stiffness in my body reminded me. The couch, The blanket Sarah had tossed over me, Her apartment.
Safety.
Or at least the illusion of it.
Sarah was already up, pacing, her phone in one hand, her brows drawn together like storm clouds. The tension in her shoulders told me she had not slept any better than I had.
“Morning,” I croaked, my voice rasping with exhaustion.
Her head jerked up, and she forced a small smile. “Hey.... Sorry, did I wake you?”
I shook my head, sitting up and rubbing at my eyes. “No. I… I do not think I really slept well.”
We did not mention the message I got last night, the one that carved fear into my bones .... I like Sarah. She’s sweet. Shame if she got hurt. I could not. If I said it aloud again, it would feel too real.
Sarah came closer, setting her phone down on the coffee table. “Listen. I think we should go to your place today. Grab some of your things. Some Clothes, your laptop, anything important.”
My stomach knotted instantly. The thought of stepping back inside that apartment made bile rise in my throat. “You want to go back there?..... Now?”
Her eyes softened. “I know it is scary. But you can not live out of a duffel bag here forever. And maybe… maybe if we look, we might find something useful.”
I swallowed hard, my chest tightening. She was right I could not hide forever. And part of me wanted to prove I was not crazy, that I had not imagined the man chasing me through the hallway of my own apartment.
“Okay,” I whispered. “Let us go.”
~
The ride to my building was suffocating. Every block we passed, I kept glancing at the sidewalks, convinced I had see him the shadow who had chased me... the ghost in my nightmares. Sarah kept her eyes on the road, jaw tight, her silence louder than any words.
When we finally pulled up in front of my building, I froze. The place looked so normal. Cars lined the street, neighbors came and went, and the morning sun painted everything in gold.
How could something so horrible have happened here, and yet the world kept turning?
Sarah touched my arm gently. “Are you ready?”
I was not. Not even close. But I nodded anyway.
~
The apartment door creaked open with a groan, the sound too loud in the quiet hallway. My breath caught as I stepped inside.
It looked… untouched.
The same shoes neatly by the door, the same pile of unopened mail on the counter. No broken locks, no overturned furniture. Nothing out of place.
I blinked, my chest tightening with confusion. “It’s… fine,” I whispered, almost to myself.
Sarah stepped in behind me, scanning the room with sharp eyes. “Are you sure you locked the door that night?”
“Yes.” My voice cracked. “I am not making this up, Sarah. I swear, I...”
“I did not say you were.” She held her hands up, then gave me a small nod. “Let us just take a look around, okay? Grab your things.”
I moved through the apartment slowly, every step echoing like thunder in my ears. My bedroom smelled faintly of lavender from the candle I had left half-burned days ago. My clothes were still draped over the chair, my books stacked haphazardly on the desk.
This place looked too normal.
Like nothing had happened a few nights ago.
But as I bent down to pick up my large bag from under the bed, something caught my eye.
Boot prints.
Dark, muddy smears across the hardwood floor near the window.
My breath snagged in my throat.
They were too large to be mine and it seemed that it was still fresh.
“Sarah,” I whispered, my voice breaking.
She was in the kitchen, rifling through drawers, but the moment she heard the panic in my tone, she hurried in. Her eyes followed mine to the floor, and her lips parted in shock.
“Jesus Christ,” she breathed, crouching down. She touched the edge of one print, then pulled her fingers back, stained with wet earth. “These are new. Emily… someone has been in here.”
The air rushed out of my lungs. My knees buckled, and I clutched the bedpost to stay upright.
So I was not crazy. I was not imagining it.
Someone had been inside.
\~~~
We moved carefully, our senses sharp. Sarah checked the window it was still locked. She cursed under her breath. “He is taunting us by coming and going without a trace.”
I felt sick. “Why?.... Why me?”
She did not answer.
We gathered my things quickly after that, shoving clothes, toiletries, and notebooks into the bag. But the whole time, I felt eyes on me, like someone stood just out of sight... waiting.
And then I saw it.
On my pillow.
A delicate chain, the pendant catching the sunlight just enough to gleam. My stomach dropped to the floor.
It was a necklace.
It was not mine.
Identical to the one Lisa used to wear.
The one she had on when they found her body.
My hand flew to my mouth, stifling a scream.
Sarah froze in the doorway, then followed my gaze. When she saw it, her face drained of all color.
“Emily,” she whispered.
I could not move if I wanted to. The necklace lay perfectly centered, as if placed there deliberately. A gift and a warning.
My blood turned to ice.
Because now there was no denying it.
The Rose Killer was not gone.
He was here.
And he wanted me to know that.