Obsessed With You

Episode Three: The Voice in the Static

Morning felt different.

The city still moved as it always did---sirens in the distance, engines groaning down the

street--but something in the air had shifted. I couldn't explain it. It was as if the world had

grown quieter, waiting fro something I couldn't see.

I didn't tell anyone about the envelope. How could I? WHo would believe me if I said

someone had left a note outside my door that simply said Sleep? My roomate was gone

for the weekened, visiting her family. That left me alone with too many thoughts and not

enough silence.

So I got ready, like any normal morning. Coffee. Jacket. Bag. Pretend everything is fine.

But even as I stepped outside, I could feel it--eyes.

That same presence.

At the bus stop, the wind cut through my coat, sharp and cold. I wrapped my arms around

myself and looked around. People scrolled on their phones, headphones in, lost in their

own worlds. But someone stood at the far end of the street, half-hidden behind a lamppost.

A man in a dark coat. Still. Unmoving.

I blinked, and he was gone.

The bus pulled up a moment later, and I climbed aboard with shaking hands.

Campus looked the same, but I wasn't the same. Every sound felt amplified---the closing of

lockers, the chatter of students, the rustle of books. It was like living inside a song I no

longer recgonized.

By the time I reached the library, my nerves were frayed. I dropped my bag onto the table,

sat down, and buried myself in work. Pages bluured. Words turned meaningless. All I could

think about was the feeling of being watched.

Then my phone buzzed.

Unknown: You didn't sleep.

My heart stopped. I stared at the message, unable to move.

How did he know?

I typed back before I could stop myself.

Me: Who is this?

No reply.

Seconds passed. Then minutes.

FInally, another message.

Unknown: You don't have to be afraid.

I wanted to believe that. I really did. But fear wasn't something I could switch off. it had

already rooted itself deep inside me, twisting through every breath I took.

That night, I went home early. I double-locked the door, checked every window twice, even

left the light on in the hallway. I tried to study, but my concentration broke every few

minutes.

By midnight, the city outside was quiet. Only the low hum of traffic far away. I sat on my

bed, scrolling through my phone, half expecting another message.

Imstead, the screen flickered---once, twice---and went black.

The lamp flickered too.

Then the lights went out.

A soft sound echoed through the apartment. Not loud. Just a faint, rhythmic tapping.

From the hallway.

I didn't want to look. I told myself not to. But I moved anyway, one step at a time, until I

reached the door.

The tapping stopped.

Silence.

I waited. Breath shallow. Then, faintly, came a low buzz---my phone lighting up again, just

enough to see a new message appear on the screen.

Unknown: I told you. The city isn't safe. But I'll keep you safe.

I froze, the phone shaking in my hand.

Was that a promise... or a warning?

For a long time, I stood there, the glow from the phone the only light in the room. I should

have felt fear. And I did---sharp, cold, all-consuming. But beneath it, something else began

to stir.

A strange sense of safety.

Like somewhere in the dark, someone was watching---and woud never let anything harm

me.

Maybe I was losing my mind.

Or maybe I was finally beginning to see the truth.

Because whoever he was... he wasn't leaving.

And for reasons I couldn't explain, I wasn't sure I wanted him to.