Page 28 of Haunt Me

As I wait for the bartender, two guys beside me engage in a conversation that catches my attention. “Yeah, they found his body not too far from here, and get this—his organs were missing,” one of them reveals, causing a wave of nausea to rise within me. Swallowing hard, I turn back to Chloe, overwhelmed by the desire to leave. I don’t want to be here anymore, but I refuse to ruin her night.

“Hey Chlo, I think I’m gonna head home,” I yell over the blaring music.

“Wait, let me grab my things—” she begins, but I cut her off.

“No, you stay and have fun. Seriously, I’ll be fine. Besides, I don’t want to spoil your fun,” I insist, gesturing towards the guy she’s dancing with. She chuckles, planting a kiss on my cheek before I make my exit.

Stepping outside, the sudden silence is deafening. The pounding beats of the music still reverberate inmy ears.

Slowly making my way home, I can’t help but think about Argent. I kept looking around the wave of people tonight, desperately hoping to catch a glimpse of him lurking in a shadowy corner—but he wasn’t there.

Am I losing my mind?

Who in their right mind falls for someone who has been stalking them? Someone who has violated my privacy numerous times and even carved into my leg. He used to terrify me, but now I’m not so sure anymore.

He is undeniably someone to be afraid of, yet, I feel safe when he’s near. His constant watching can be unnerving on some days, but it also gives me a sense of invulnerability, as if no harm could come to me while he’s around.

He’s my own personal guard dog.

I chuckle to myself at the thought of his reaction if I were to call him a dog, however, my thoughts are abruptly interrupted by the sound of footsteps trailing behind me.

Slowly turning around, I come face to face with a mysterious figure dressed entirely in black, their faceconcealed beneath a hood. It reminds me of the first time I spotted Argent outside my window.

“Argent?” I slur, taking a step towards the figure, “I’ve been wondering where you were tonight.” A sloppy smile spreads across my face. Suddenly, my phone buzzes in my hand, halting my movements as I see Argent’s name flashing on the screen. I had saved his number as ‘Mr. Creep’ in my phone, which pulled a chuckle out of him when I told him.

As I look up, my eyes widen in surprise as the stranger pulls down their hood.

It’s not Argent.

“Oh, uh... sorry, I thought you were someone else,” I stammer, retreating backward.

“No worries, sweetheart,” the stranger taunts in a low, chilling tone, “I can be whoever you want me to be.”

Glancing around, I realize there is not a single soul in sight except for a stray cat rummaging through the garbage bins. I stare at it with a flicker of hope, as if willing it to come to my rescue. Taking a deep breath, I swiftly turn and sprint down the desolate sidewalk.The stranger’s heavy footsteps echo behind me, and my phone begins to ring again.

I just knew it was Argent and without even glancing, I urgently answered the phone, “Help.” As I spoke, my breath hitched in my chest before the line abruptly went dead.

The searing pain in my lungs and the weakness in my legs urged me to keep moving.

Fuck, Argent where are you?

Just as I was about to dart across the connecting alleyway, a car screeched to a halt in front of me. The driver’s door swung open, and I sucked in a deep breath as Argent’s towering figure emerged.

“Get in,” he commanded through clenched teeth, and I don’t hesitate to do as he says.

Sliding into the passenger seat, I watched as Argent vanished into the shadowy depths of the alley and the man that was chasing me was nowhere in sight. Leaning my head back against the headrest, I focused on inhaling deeply, desperate to fill my oxygen-deprived lungs.

I think I’m gonna throw up.

I yelp when the driver’s door swings open. Argent climbed in, and I couldn’t help but notice the blood staining his hands.

“Did you kill him?” I blurted out, my eyes widening in shock.

“Define kill,” he muttered, and we sped away. I remained silent, my gaze fixed on the passing streetlights outside the window, which was probably a bad idea because now I’m getting car sick.

Breaking the silence, he spoke softly, “No, I didn’t kill him—yet.” I turned my head towards him, studying his focused driving.

“Why didn’t you stay with Chloe? I assume she was with you—or why didn’t you call me?” he ranted, but his words barely registered in my mind. Instead, I found myself captivated by his hand on the steering wheel and the other resting on his thigh—the same hand that had been wrapped around my throat.

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