Page 18 of In His Veins

THE STALKER

The girl is important to Callum. Again, he sits in his car, but he’s closer to the building this time. His windows are tinted, but I know he’s watching her. I’m watching her too. She’s a petite thing, with long dark hair. She moves gracefully even as she works. I can appreciate how she has managed to captivate him.

She smiles freely, and it’s a charming thing to see. Suddenly, she races to the back of the restaurant with a man close behind her. Callum peels out of his spot and takes a back way around the side of the building. I am not far behind and feel a phantom pain as he hits the man viciously. The girl cowers against the wall, watching Callum brutalize the man.

He sends her away, certainly anxious to continue his business in private. He looks left and right at the edge of the alley before tossing the man into his car, still idling on the curb. I know what is coming next, but I follow Callum anyway. His house is remote with no neighbors in sight.

I stay far behind, having memorized the route long ago.

His car is in the driveway when I pass by, but the car, and house for that matter, is dark. I think I hear screams as I drive away, but maybe those are my own, still echoing in my ears.

13

AVA

I rub at the crusty accumulation of dried tears in my swollen eyes as the rising sun peaks through the window. The time on my phone leaves me confused. My alarm hasn’t gone off yet, but something woke me up. Since I had gone to bed naked after my shower, I quickly throw on underwear and a t-shirt before tiptoeing from my room, searching each room for anything amiss.

The steady hum of my refrigerator fills the otherwise silent space. My living room blinds were left open, and I looked outside to see if an animal had crawled onto my porch, thinking that maybe that was what woke me up. Nothing.

I’m about to go back to bed when I see the simple brown box sitting on the floor in the entryway. Nothing else seems out of place; even the deadbolt is still locked. Forcing my legs to move, I shakily squat down to inspect the box, gingerly lifting the flaps and peering inside. It takes me a moment to process the sight, but when I do, I fall backward on my ass and scramble away from the sight.

A severed human finger sits on top of a mound of tissue paper, as if being presented as a gift. I gag before running to my room for my phone. I know I should call the police or my brothers. Instead, I call Paige, and she answers on the third ring.

“Hello?” Her voice is groggy from sleep, and I’m so relieved to hear it, I nearly cry.

“Paige?” I choke out.

“Ava? What’s wrong?” She’s suddenly alert.

“I need you at my apartment. Right now. It’s an emergency.” I hear the blankets rustling on the other line, and then, “I’ll be there in 10.” The line disconnects and I desperately wish she had stayed on the call while she drives. Eight minutes later, there’s a knock.

Throwing open the door without pausing to look in the peephole, I feel a moment of dread before I see my best friend on the other side of the threshold. She’s in a tank top and sweats, her hair covered by a gray New York baseball cap. She hugs me tight before ushering us inside and closing the door, locking the deadbolt.

“What’s going on? Are you hurt?” Her eyes narrow as she takes in my puffy face.

“It’s really bad, Paige. I think…” I trail off, suddenly coming to a horrible realization. “I think I’m being followed.” She tilts her head, clearly not expecting this answer, and then walks toward the living room, stopping when she sees the brown box.

“What’s this?” Her voice is unnaturally even, as if she’s forcing herself to sound calm.

“I found it inside my house this morning. Someone must have broken into my apartment and left it there for me to find.” Paige looks between me and the box warily.

“What’s in the box, Ava?” I take in a steadying breath.

“I think it’s a human finger.” There’s a long silence, and Paige closes her eyes with a deep inhale before she walks to the couch. “Start from the beginning.”

I sit across from her, and I tell her the truth. The whole truth. I tell her about the man who watched me in the parking lot of Brianne’s a few nights ago. I tell her about last night and the man who saved me. Finally, I tell her about Eliott.

“I was young. The one time in my life I had ever lied to my parents about where I went, and it went horribly wrong. I was with a group of girls that I cheered with.”

Paige snorts at that, but I ignore her as I continue.

“They wanted to go to a frat party. Apparently, a lot of seniors did it, and I didn’t want to miss out. There was a guy there that I really clicked with. He seemed nice, and he was a really great swimmer for the university. I thought maybe he’d get my number and we’d go out sometime. Instead, he told me he’d give me a tour of the house, but then he cornered me in a bedroom. I’m sure you can fill in the details from there.”

Paige listens in silence, and I see her rethink every conversation we’ve had about her opinions of my sex life. But before she can offer any kind of apology, I decide to continue.

“For years, I’ve felt like I see Eliott everywhere. Any tall man with blond hair could be him. At least that’s what my brain thinks. Last night, it really was him, and I have never been more terrified in my life. If this other guy is the one who’s following me, I guess I should at least be a little grateful for it, because he saved me. There’s no way I would have gotten away on my own.”

Paige looks out my living room window thoughtfully before responding. “Have you considered that the finger might belong to that Eliott guy?” I nod slowly.

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