Haunting-Adeline

I li my hand and flip him the bird.
Fuck you, asshole.
In response, his thumb starts moving, his smile growing wider.
UNKNOWN: I plan to.
I growl at his audacity. Like hell, he’ll fuck me.
ME: You come near me, I will stab you. I’m calling the police if you
don’t leave right now.
UNKNOWN: So do it, little mouse.
I can’t tell if he’s telling me to stab him or call. I’d be happy to do both. I
don’t like his insinua on that I’m the mouse and he’s the cat. That would
mean he’s hun ng me. The last thing I want to be is hunted.
Fuck. I hesitate. I need to call the police. I have to. But I can’t convince
my fingers to move. He’s challenging me, and I hate that I’m scared to find
out what he’s going to do if I do. I hate that I want to.
Heart pounding, I dial the numbers. He watches me closely as I press the
call bu on and bring the phone to my ear.
“911, what’s your emergency?”
I breathe in deep.
“There’s a man that’s been stalking me. He broke into my house a week
ago. And now he’s standing outside watching me.”
“He’s standing outside right now?” the operator asks. I hear typing in the
background, accompanied by the smack of her gum.
“Yes,” I whisper.
“Ma’am, is he doing anything? Does he have any weapons on him?” she
asks.
“Not that I know of. Can you send someone out?”
More typing. “What’s your address, ma’am?”
I recite the address to her. She asks a few more pointless ques ons and
informs me a cruiser is about five minutes out. She asks me to stay on the
phone, but I don’t.
I click the phone off. My li le shadow isn’t going to s ck around long
enough for the police to show up and catch him. He’ll disappear off into
the woods he came out of, and never be found. I know this.
I can’t see his eyes, but I meet his gaze anyway. With one last smile, he
types out a quick message. My phone buzzes, but I don’t look right away.
I’m too scared to.