010

010

Cassian
The pub was practically empty as I aimlessly made my way to the counter. I really didn't want to be here, but with that anonymous message I'd received earlier today, I just couldn't bring myself to stay home. I'd tried distracting myself, pretending like none of it had happened, but the harder I tried, the more the thought crawled to the back of my mind.

Someone wanted to hurt me. Or more specifically, someone wanted me, and if it got out of control, then I could get hurt, or worse. Dead.

Call me scared or whatever, but I actually valued my life more than anything. That, and the fact that I'd watched too many crime documentaries to see it as something small. It didn't help that my past had tiny bit efficient ways of getting to me, what if this one was just one of them?

The pub wasn't exactly my scene,but I'd deliberately picked out this location. Why? Because it'd make it harder for the stalker to get away with anything, if they tried anything that is. The bar was downtown and really open to the public, so if anything were to happen at least it'd be in the open. And the organization has assured me that nothing would happen, so long as I gave them tabs on my location.

I ordered a beer and glanced at the TV propped high up against the wall. A football match was currently going on and I lazily scanned for players I recognized. My eyes were still trained on the TV, when a ding from my phone caught my attention. I'd barely glanced at the text, but I felt the next beat my heart skipped.

“Looking good tonight.” I read the anonymous message. “Mind if I join you?”

I felt my heart drop to my feet. I glanced left and right in an attempt to figure out who could be texting me but got nothing as basically everyone was focused on the football match or the empty bottles of beer in front of them.

“You can't see me hun.” Another message. “But I can.”

The worst part of it all was I couldn't even reply to the message. Like the sender had totally switched off all ways for me to reply if I wanted to. Muttering a quick prayer, I texted my coordinates to the private investigator I'd contacted. If there was anyone who could help me out of this, then it was definitely them.

“If you want to know who I am so bad.” My fingers were trembling so hard, as I read the next text. “Step outside.”

This was a bad idea. Deep down, I knew it was but at the same time I wanted to get to the bottom of this. Maybe if I could meet with whoever was stalking me, we could reach an agreement and my life would go back to normal again. Just maybe.

“Are you coming or not?” My phone chimed again. “I don't have all night.”

Exhaling loudly, I nodded to no one in particular, hoping that the stalker would see me, and it worked.

“Great.” Another message. “Just step outside and I'll meet you on one of the benches in the park opposite here. Don't try anything funny either.”

Paying excessively for my beer and even adding some tips, I trudged back outside, my heart thumping loudly in my head. A cold chilly wind whipped through my hair, the moment I stepped outside, leaving the warm atmosphere in the pub. I adjusted my eyesight to the dim lighting provided by street lamps scattered around the block.

From where I was standing I could see the park very closely. It was really dark and my paranoia was beginning to settle in. What if I was meeting up with him or her so they could kill me?

I weighed my options again, and I hated how I didn't have another alternative. Double checking if the private investigator had gotten my location, I crossed the street and made my way to the park.

Settling on one of the benches,I whipped out my phone to cross check if I'd gotten any new messages and there was.

“Hold still.” I read out loud, like that was going to help my case in any way. “I'll soon be over there.

I dropped my phone beside me, like the very device burned. Without thinking, I tugged on the roots of my hair as I let out a sigh of frustration. It always helped calm my nerves, but I'd barely gotten to the best part when my phone rang.

The caller ID was supposed to bring me a moment of peace, but all it did was make my stomach coil in dread. It was my private investigator's ID flashing, so why the fuck was I suddenly feeling everything but safe?

"We're in position sir." Blared from the other side the moment I clicked on the answer button. “We're moving in, so sit tight."

"Actually." I drawled. “Maybe you and your crew or whoever's with you could back down a little. He might not mean any harm tonight."

"Too late sir." I whipped my head towards the direction the voice came from, and my face paled at the sight in front of me. "We're here already."

"You can't be here." I tried to keep calm, my eyes darting around for a glimpse of someone else. “I agreed to be alone. What if he tries something dangerous?"

"That's why we're here." My eyes found their way to a pistol by his side. I was supposed to feel at ease with the weapon glistening under the moonlight and the golden hue his badge was giving off, but I just couldn't shake off my anxiety. "Relax sir..."

He never got to complete his statement as an ear deafening shot pierced the night sky. With my heart threatening to burst through my ribcage, I fell to the ground immediately, adrenaline coursing through my veins. Still caught up in the moment, I felt my hand drip with something warm and sticky and a chilly sensation washed over me, my life blackening before my very eyes.

Blood. That was the last thing I felt before I went completely under.