Hide and Seek
Run Baby, Run
“Come on Victoria, we’ve got to go to the police now. ”Emily busted through the door of their bedroom.
“No Emily, he’s going to be there. I know it.” Her voice was still shaky.
“He’s not going to hurt us in broad daylight, he’s not that stupid.” She pushed Victoria out of the bedroom, locking the door afterwards.
“What if the police decide to do nothing?”
“They’re going to do something, trust me. With his background, they’ll find him and make sure he doesn’t enter Stanford anymore, at the very least. You should also get a restraining order.”
Victoria stopped and held Emily’s arm, making her stop too. “Then I’m going alone. I’m sure that if he sees you at the police station, he’s going to take revenge on you as well.”
Emily shook her head. “I’m not letting you go alone. I’m a grown woman, I can handle his threats.”
“And so am I and that’s why I’m going alone. You don’t need to be dragged to this mess.”
“Are you sure?”
Victoria nodded and walked away. Emily entered their room and placed herself at the window, watching Victoria walk down the street and disappear a few moments later. Hopefully, everything was going to be okay.
Zacky had lived in the shadows for a very long time, and he had grown so tired of hiding. He had grown tired of wanting things and not being able to have them. And now that Victoria knew the truth, he had to have her. He also had to deal with Emily, she was probably the cause to all this, but not right now. He had more important things to do.
He watched her leave the police station and, once she disappeared out of his sight, he entered his car a drove out of the campus. It was only a matter of time until they started searching for him.
“It’s okay. It’s okay.” Zacky whispered to himself. After all games were always more fun when you had a playmate.
*One Week Later*
The sky was clear and the day was sunny, despite the very cold weather. Emily had decided not to go to classes that day, a dull headache pounded inside her head, along with body aches and pains, and she had the feeling that she had caught the flu.
Victoria had left earlier that morning and would be back in about an hour.
On the other side of the campus, Victoria was now going to her last class before lunch break.
“Did you miss me?” The sound of his voice made her knees buckle. She knew Zacky’s voice too well and her first reaction was to run away, yet she turned around and decided to face him.
“What are you doing here?” She struggled to keep her voice tone strong. But under the anger Zacky had seen a glint of fear. He took one step towards her, standing almost six inches taller than her.
“Are you insane? Leave now, or I’ll call the cops.” She tried to take one step backwards, only to find that her back was already against the brick wall.
“You know; people say that we are not what we think we are, we are what we hide.” His eyes scanned her. He was pressed against her shaking body, his fingers skimming her pale skin, a crooked smile emerging, matching his daunting expression.
Zacky slowly backed away from her. He knew he couldn’t act like that at plain sight, but he couldn’t resist the way she unwittingly dared him, like if the simple fact of looking him in the eyes revealed a burning passion he knew it didn’t exist.
“Oh Victoria, why are you always so naïve?” His smile grew bigger as he watched her bewildered face, just like when a pray was released by its predator.
“Go hide until everybody goes home. Hide until everybody forgets about you. Hide until everybody dies. And in the end there will be no one left. Just you…and me. So let’s play hide and seek, shall we?”
Victoria swallowed hard, feeling the weakness taking over her body. The police didn’t matter to him. He liked games. And the longer he kept her talking, the longer she played whatever sick game he had planned.
“I need to go now Victoria, but don’t you worry because I will find you.” He traced a strand off her cheek with his thumb. “I always do.”
Zacky drove into an empty parking lot, his eyes still getting used to the dim lit area. As he got out of his car, a man appeared on the lip of the darkness. The man, shorter than Zacky, walked towards him and shook his hand.
He couldn’t say that Jonathan Seward was his friend, only because he didn’t want to have friends. He used to have them in the past and they only made things more difficult. However Zacky knew he could rely on him and that was why he had asked for his help.
“Did you get what I asked you for?” Zacky went straight to the point.
“Of course.” He gave him a set of keys.
“Thanks. I’ll bring it back by the end of the week.” Zacky shoved the keys into his pocket. Then Jonathan handed him a small glass bottle, in which Zacky could read the word Ketamine in small black letters and the dosage bellow in even smaller ones. “Are you sure this is going to work?”
“You can trust me, that shit is powerful. Why do you need it?”
Zacky’s eyes moved from the bottle to him and then back at the bottle. “It’s none of your business.”
Jonathan crossed his arms. “Okay, just make sure that whatever you sedate doesn’t eat at least two hours before. Or things will get messy.”
Zacky nodded and walked away without saying another word. Getting behind the wheel, he drove for a few minutes and then stopped again. He locked his car and, taking the set of keys Jonathan had given him, he unlocked the cab that was parked on the other side of the street.
“Wait…he appeared here today?” Emily still couldn’t believe after Victoria had told her twice what had happened earlier.
“That’s right. And I’m leaving right now.” Victoria packed everything as quickly as she could. “I can’t stay here anymore; he knows where I am all the time, Emily. Not even the police can stop him.” She sat on top of her suitcase, trying to close it. “I’ll catch a taxi to San Francisco and board the first flight home, but I’m not going to stay another day in here. Not until things calm down.” She stopped and tried to catch her breath. “I’m really sorry for leaving you Emily, but I just can’t stand it anymore.”
“Of course.” Emily nodded. “I totally understand you, now calm down and let me help you with the bags.”
“No, that’s okay.” She dragged two big suitcases towards the door. “You’re ill, you should stay in bed.”
“But at least call me once you arrive home, okay?”
“Of course.” She hugged Emily tightly. “I’ll see you on the next semester.”
She dragged her luggage to the street. It was late in the night and everything around seemed asleep. No people, no sound, no wind.
She stood under a lightbulb that spit out enough light to illuminate her but not to light the street. Darkness surrounded her, but she knew Zacky was out there. She could feel his gaze on her. Like a hunter staring at his prey.
She could almost see him reaching out from the darkness, taking her by the hand, and pulling her toward him.
A taxi appeared down the street and she felt a sudden rush of relief. She was going to make it. She was going to escape Zacky and never see him again.
Victoria signaled the cab to stop and it pulled over to the side.
“I’m going to need help with my bags.” She said between breaths. A hooded man got out of the cab, but she didn’t even pay attention, as she tried to lift one of the suitcases.
A needle pricked the side of her neck. Before fear could take root, her knees buckled and the road’s gravel asphalt dug into her bare knees.
Once again, her creature-of-habit ways had made her predictable.
“No Emily, he’s going to be there. I know it.” Her voice was still shaky.
“He’s not going to hurt us in broad daylight, he’s not that stupid.” She pushed Victoria out of the bedroom, locking the door afterwards.
“What if the police decide to do nothing?”
“They’re going to do something, trust me. With his background, they’ll find him and make sure he doesn’t enter Stanford anymore, at the very least. You should also get a restraining order.”
Victoria stopped and held Emily’s arm, making her stop too. “Then I’m going alone. I’m sure that if he sees you at the police station, he’s going to take revenge on you as well.”
Emily shook her head. “I’m not letting you go alone. I’m a grown woman, I can handle his threats.”
“And so am I and that’s why I’m going alone. You don’t need to be dragged to this mess.”
“Are you sure?”
Victoria nodded and walked away. Emily entered their room and placed herself at the window, watching Victoria walk down the street and disappear a few moments later. Hopefully, everything was going to be okay.
Zacky had lived in the shadows for a very long time, and he had grown so tired of hiding. He had grown tired of wanting things and not being able to have them. And now that Victoria knew the truth, he had to have her. He also had to deal with Emily, she was probably the cause to all this, but not right now. He had more important things to do.
He watched her leave the police station and, once she disappeared out of his sight, he entered his car a drove out of the campus. It was only a matter of time until they started searching for him.
“It’s okay. It’s okay.” Zacky whispered to himself. After all games were always more fun when you had a playmate.
*One Week Later*
The sky was clear and the day was sunny, despite the very cold weather. Emily had decided not to go to classes that day, a dull headache pounded inside her head, along with body aches and pains, and she had the feeling that she had caught the flu.
Victoria had left earlier that morning and would be back in about an hour.
On the other side of the campus, Victoria was now going to her last class before lunch break.
“Did you miss me?” The sound of his voice made her knees buckle. She knew Zacky’s voice too well and her first reaction was to run away, yet she turned around and decided to face him.
“What are you doing here?” She struggled to keep her voice tone strong. But under the anger Zacky had seen a glint of fear. He took one step towards her, standing almost six inches taller than her.
“Are you insane? Leave now, or I’ll call the cops.” She tried to take one step backwards, only to find that her back was already against the brick wall.
“You know; people say that we are not what we think we are, we are what we hide.” His eyes scanned her. He was pressed against her shaking body, his fingers skimming her pale skin, a crooked smile emerging, matching his daunting expression.
Zacky slowly backed away from her. He knew he couldn’t act like that at plain sight, but he couldn’t resist the way she unwittingly dared him, like if the simple fact of looking him in the eyes revealed a burning passion he knew it didn’t exist.
“Oh Victoria, why are you always so naïve?” His smile grew bigger as he watched her bewildered face, just like when a pray was released by its predator.
“Go hide until everybody goes home. Hide until everybody forgets about you. Hide until everybody dies. And in the end there will be no one left. Just you…and me. So let’s play hide and seek, shall we?”
Victoria swallowed hard, feeling the weakness taking over her body. The police didn’t matter to him. He liked games. And the longer he kept her talking, the longer she played whatever sick game he had planned.
“I need to go now Victoria, but don’t you worry because I will find you.” He traced a strand off her cheek with his thumb. “I always do.”
Zacky drove into an empty parking lot, his eyes still getting used to the dim lit area. As he got out of his car, a man appeared on the lip of the darkness. The man, shorter than Zacky, walked towards him and shook his hand.
He couldn’t say that Jonathan Seward was his friend, only because he didn’t want to have friends. He used to have them in the past and they only made things more difficult. However Zacky knew he could rely on him and that was why he had asked for his help.
“Did you get what I asked you for?” Zacky went straight to the point.
“Of course.” He gave him a set of keys.
“Thanks. I’ll bring it back by the end of the week.” Zacky shoved the keys into his pocket. Then Jonathan handed him a small glass bottle, in which Zacky could read the word Ketamine in small black letters and the dosage bellow in even smaller ones. “Are you sure this is going to work?”
“You can trust me, that shit is powerful. Why do you need it?”
Zacky’s eyes moved from the bottle to him and then back at the bottle. “It’s none of your business.”
Jonathan crossed his arms. “Okay, just make sure that whatever you sedate doesn’t eat at least two hours before. Or things will get messy.”
Zacky nodded and walked away without saying another word. Getting behind the wheel, he drove for a few minutes and then stopped again. He locked his car and, taking the set of keys Jonathan had given him, he unlocked the cab that was parked on the other side of the street.
“Wait…he appeared here today?” Emily still couldn’t believe after Victoria had told her twice what had happened earlier.
“That’s right. And I’m leaving right now.” Victoria packed everything as quickly as she could. “I can’t stay here anymore; he knows where I am all the time, Emily. Not even the police can stop him.” She sat on top of her suitcase, trying to close it. “I’ll catch a taxi to San Francisco and board the first flight home, but I’m not going to stay another day in here. Not until things calm down.” She stopped and tried to catch her breath. “I’m really sorry for leaving you Emily, but I just can’t stand it anymore.”
“Of course.” Emily nodded. “I totally understand you, now calm down and let me help you with the bags.”
“No, that’s okay.” She dragged two big suitcases towards the door. “You’re ill, you should stay in bed.”
“But at least call me once you arrive home, okay?”
“Of course.” She hugged Emily tightly. “I’ll see you on the next semester.”
She dragged her luggage to the street. It was late in the night and everything around seemed asleep. No people, no sound, no wind.
She stood under a lightbulb that spit out enough light to illuminate her but not to light the street. Darkness surrounded her, but she knew Zacky was out there. She could feel his gaze on her. Like a hunter staring at his prey.
She could almost see him reaching out from the darkness, taking her by the hand, and pulling her toward him.
A taxi appeared down the street and she felt a sudden rush of relief. She was going to make it. She was going to escape Zacky and never see him again.
Victoria signaled the cab to stop and it pulled over to the side.
“I’m going to need help with my bags.” She said between breaths. A hooded man got out of the cab, but she didn’t even pay attention, as she tried to lift one of the suitcases.
A needle pricked the side of her neck. Before fear could take root, her knees buckled and the road’s gravel asphalt dug into her bare knees.
Once again, her creature-of-habit ways had made her predictable.
Holy shit. That ending tho.
11/25/14