The Shadow Stalker Around Her

Chapter 18

Skyla

(Past)

I took a deep breath and wiped my tears. I looked at her. Various possibilities were running in my mind. But I have no option left. She needed to know everything. Even if she decided to keep me with her, I was still going to leave her. I couldn't risk her life for taking comfort from her. I see her as my family. It wasn't in me to see her the way I saw them dead in my nightmare. My life could never be the same. I could never find peace even if I ran out of this planet. He is going to follow me everywhere I go. If he wants me to take away with him, then why didn't he do that? I closed my eyes. 

I started, "I told you before that I ran away from my foster family as my foster dad tried to take advantage of me. You remember, right?" She nodded. I remembered the day very carefully. I was in my room, studying after cleaning my foster home. When the time of my foster dad's return, I went inside my wardrobe to hide from him. My foster mother used to work in a small restaurant as a cleaner on the night shift. Sometimes she took me there and told me to wash those for her. I also worked in that restaurant on the day shift and also in a flower store to save money for my school. I decided to run away from that home, but I never imagined I had to see a horrific incident in front of me. 

Gulping my saliva, I said, "That's not the whole truth. That day, He did have tried, but before he could do anything, someone killed him." Her expression changed. 

Her body got tensed. She asked with a blank expression, "What do you mean, Skyla?"

 I began again, "He was about to tear up my clothes, but he stopped abruptly. I looked up and saw his eyes were lifeless." I remembered that incident and started shaking uncomfortably. My granny held my hand and gave me a reassuring squeeze.

 I hiccupped and said, "Someone murdered him, granny. I didn't see who that person was, but he has been following me everywhere I go." I didn't look at her for once. I was scared what if she judged me.

I continued, "When I saw my foster father's blood was all over my body, I ran away from there. I didn't look back for once and took a train and left that place. Then I climbed off at the last station. I thought that I could live in peace, but I was wrong, granny. I felt someone's gaze on me when I left the station. I took off running, not wanting to get caught by that person. Then I felt unconscious in front of your bakery." I am thankful to God to bring this elderly woman as my guardian angel. 

Taking a deep breath, I said, "A few days later, I went to the balcony at night for fresh air. I heard the sound of something fell on the balcony. I looked at the floor and saw a paper ball. That was a threatening note, granny." I felt her hands got cold. She frowned. I could tell she wanted me to inform her that earlier as I received those from that person.

I looked at her and said, "I looked toward the road and saw a shadow standing opposite side of the road. I saw something shining in his hand. I tried to see that thing clearly, and t-that was a knife." He showed me his knife that day and those warnings were messaged in red ink.

I needed to show her those chits. 

I stood up with stumbling a few times. I said, "You are not believing in me, right? Then let me show you those chits." I went to my desk. Under my desk, I kept a cupboard. I opened that and took out a file where I kept all notes one after another sequentially.

Keeping those in front of her, I said, "These are the threatening chits I got from him." She gasped, reading those threatening messages. She looked at me with a terrified and angry expression. 

I admitted, "The last one I got in the day, Carl came here for the first time in our home."

I held her hand and asked, "You remember I fainted in the garden?" She nodded. 

I said, "I got a note where I was written that he killed my foster parents and buried them in the backside of our home. Nobody knows where they are right now. He wrote to stay away from all the boys in our school. If I don't listen to him, he would kill that Mason guy and also you granny."

I continued, "That paper slipped away from my hand, and I fell on my knees in the garden. I was crying a mess, and I didn't know how to tell those things happening with me for months to you. At the moment, I looked up from the ground, I saw a shadow, behind our left side home's wall. Someone was standing there. As the street light fell on his hand, I saw something was shining in his hand. That was a knife. As a droplet fell on the ground from his knife, I knew that was blood."

Shaking my head, I said, "For a moment, I thought he killed you forever. My body felt cold, and I fell unconscious."

I burst into tears and said, "Granny, he has been following me from school to home every day. Even in school, I feel someone is watching me from somewhere in the classroom. When I follow that direction, I feel someone is watching me I see no one is there, granny. No one."

With a painful expression, I said, "You know what I saw in my nightmare not even half an hour ago? I saw Mason dragged me somewhere in an empty room. He tried to molest me. When I denied, he whipped me."

Tightening my grip around her hand, I said, "Then he was about to r**e me, the door opened, and there I saw my foster father. He was, in the same way, I saw him for the last time. Those lifeless round eyes, popping out from his eye socket and same bloodied clothes, with his cheapest wine bottle. His skin was greenish, and eyes were are black as coal."

Shutting my eyes, I said, "He came in front of Mason and Killed Mason by hitting his beer bottle on Mason's head. Then my foster mother came, and she was looking horrible. Her clothes were muddied. Her eyes- granny, I can't. I can't take this anymore. I am going to get insane if I see nightmares every time I close my eyes. I am seeing things which I shouldn't see, granny. Please do something and make my pain go away." I was helpless. I couldn't take that anymore. I wanted to escape and hide somewhere where no one can torment me this way. 

She pulled me in a hug and said, "Oh, my child. It is okay. Don't cry, please. I am here with you. No one can hurt you now. I will protect you, my child. You trust me, right?" She rubbed my back, but that didn't calm me down. I wanted to leave here. 

I stood up and said, "No, you can't. Maybe I should leave you, granny, you know. Then that psychopath will not hurt you. Yes, I should leave your home."

I went to pull down my baggage to pack my clothes and everything. But my granny stopped me. 

With a hard look, she said, "You aren't going anywhere, and I won't let you go, no matter what, Skyla. You need to stay here."

I tried to make her understand, "Please try to understand, granny. It is for your safety. You don't deserve this. I am in trouble. Wherever I go, people die. And I can't afford to lose you, granny. You are my only family in this world. I have no one, granny. I want to stay with you, but I can't. Please don't stop me, please." I was acted like a mad girl. I wasn't thinking about and listening to anyone. I thought whatever I was doing, was the right thing to do. 

Before I could reach to drop my clothes in my bag, granny turned me around and slapped me. I was shocked but didn't protest. It was like a weight lifted from my shoulder. I wasn't in me and didn't even know what I was doing at that moment. I acted like an insane girl, and I was losing myself in a dark abyss slowly. No one could bring me out of my misery. I was on verge of death. I don't want anyone.

My granny shook me and said in a hard tone, "Do you know what is the meaning of family? You call me family, but you have no idea how a family actually stick by each other in a good and bad time. You found yourself at your worst time, but it is not going to last long. I am your guardian now. Let me decide what would be good for you to do in the next step. Tell me, Skyla. For how long are you going to run away from your problem? Don't you want to face it with your back straight? Stop this, child. Even if you leave my home, your stalker is still going to follow you. I am with you now, Skyla. Don't think of yourself alone in your worst moment of your life. If you think that I am going to blame you of those horrible foster parents for your death, then you are mistaken." I looked at her with teary eyes. She is believing in me.

Nodding her head, she said, "I trust you, Skyla. This granny of yours is old enough to know what can be done by someone and what not. So be a good girl and come with me. Your granny is old, my dear. Please say again that you are going to leave me here alone. I need you here as much as you need me here. I see you as my daughter, Skyla." She was also crying when she said those things. I hugged her and she hugged me back. We both cried on each other's shoulders. We both have no one in this world. So we are bounded by an unknown bond that is unbreakable. I decided to stay with her. I am going to face my issues and from there has no going back. I am not going to cry anymore. If you let your fear win over you, you are calling your destruction with open arms. My granny is with me, and I have no more fear left within me. Let's face my stalker or a serial killer.