Stranger h.s

VI

"I just wanted to apologize for my behavior yesterday. It was unappreciated, especially since you were so kind to me." You smiled at him and tried to look abashed. He stared at you for a moment and it was a struggle to remain in this position but it was not too long until you were pulled into a comfortable, almost loving, hug from him.

"It's okay, I understand. You were just in a mood and I should have let you walk away." You felt his lips come in contact with your hair, like that one night before.

"I wish we could talk more but I've got to go to that meeting."

"Oh of course, don't let me keep you." You gave one last smile and a short wave before you walked back to your door with a wide smile on your face.

You waited for him to leave before you went into your backyard and got over the wall separating both of the homes.

His backyard was large, rose bushes lining the perimeter of the yard. Large trees were placed around the expanse and you could hear the water roaring much more clearly and loudly from here then you could where you lived.

You walked over to his back door and tried the handle which surprisingly turned in your hand. You pulled it open and a loud creak emanated from it. You stood there for a moment before continuing on.

Your nerves were shot to hell and you could feel your heart beating loudly. All of the justification you had felt the previous night was gone and you were debating whether to turn around and go home.

"Just a quick look around," you reasoned aloud and walked into his home.

The entire decor screamed that he lived alone and he, alike your parents, had kept the old paintings. His depicted more grotesque images that made you shiver and the hair on your arms rise.

You quickly covered the ground floor in a sweep and you finally made your way up his stairs. They were rickety and you grasped the railing tightly as you ascended.

His hallway was long, like yours, and you went straight to the master bedroom. You did not want to waste time on the other rooms, you would find more answers in his anyway.

You pushed open his door and at a glance you found nothing of the odd sort. The room was neat, the bed was made.

There was nothing personal lying around or anything that a normal individual would have. A clock rested on the nightstand and a TV on the dresser but that was it.

You walked over to his window and drew the curtains back a bit and it was then that you felt shock course through you.

At a diagonal he could see straight into your room. With your curtains being wide open you could see your bed and everything.

You thought back to those moments when you have your curtains open at night and not think anything of it.

With this bit of knowledge factored away you put the curtains back the way they were and looked on the ground.

An old polaroid camera was left forgotten on the floor and you picked it up. You turned it around in your hand and ran your fingers over the surface. Etched on the side was a name that was engraved. The script was hard to make out but you were able to conclude that it was a first initial and a last name.

M. Gates. The name didn't jump out at you but you still stored the information away. You put the camera back where you found it and left his room.

You wanted out of his house as quickly as possible. You were able to leave the same way you had come in and you let out a loud sigh of relief as you ran back up to your room and closed the door.

You got down a journal from your shelf and wrote down what you had found. You put in bold the most important information and placed the journal back where it had been.

You settled onto your bed and closed you eyes, what you had bolded in your journal burring behind your eyelids.

M. Gates.

~~~

While she slept soundly for the night, a man stood next to the rapidly roaring and moving sound with a camera in hand.

He glanced in the direction of the neighborhood before looking back at the camera that lie in his hand.

He let out a laugh before he tossed it into the water. He let out a sigh of relief as you watched it hit the water and disappear into the dark depth.

No will ever know, he thought as he made the familiar path back to his cold and dark home.