We and Us

Chapter 19

I style my hair like this morning, a secured bun. He won't be able to grab it unless he's very close. The outfit I wear is a thick but small sweater and black legging. They're thick cause I'm feeling cold. I cover my hair with the hoodie and spray some perfume on. A small sling bag that has all of the safety gadget we just bought, I wear it over my sweater.

I swung the door open and go to the kitchen, where everyone usually gathers. There's only Steve drinking coffee while reading a big paper that seems like a drawn map.

"Hey, what are you doing?" I asked. He lift his head and took off his reading glasses.

"Just looking at the building's structure. Benji drew this just now. I can see that it's pretty detailed, your idea. Want coffee?" he stand to get a refill.

I shake my head, "No thanks, anyways, I'm ready to go." I take a juice box from the fridge. Alex and Benji come down to the living room. Me and Steve followed them.

" The stalker is moving slowly to the gym and Steve drives fast. We can go right now and you will stay in the gym's office with Alex while me and Steve cover the front door. A few of Steve's friends are around the neighbourhood. If we want to have enough time to surround the place and hide before the stalker arrive, we have to go now. "  Benji explained thoroughly to me.

I nodded. Steve pick his car key and starts the car. We followed behind him and I put my hand in Alex's. On the way, Steve said  "My friends are from the police department. You can trust them if you had to run their way. We prepared the ropes and cuff to tie him down. You might don't even have to use the items you bought. Just stay calm and if he try to come to talk to you, we'll knock his head. "

It really took just a few minutes before we arrived. Of course, we use my car to avoid any suspicion but we still had to park somewhere easy to move. Alex take out his phone and said  "He's just around the corner. Let's get in. Remember, proofs first. "

Steve point to Benji at the showers. Benji and Steve both wish me that it'll be just a quick and safe moment. They hide behind their designated place. The entire building is dark except the office. I sit on a chair in the dim lighted office while Alex's sit on the ground. Once in a while, he would look up from his phone to look at me. I'm not shivering from the cold that's caused by the broken windows, I'm trembling and fidgeting at the thoughts of the stalker.

"Hold on just for a bit longer. He hasn't enter the gym yet. Once we catch him, you don't have anything to be afraid."  he holds my hand tightly.

"Crazy isn't it? All of this happened in just a month. Yet the dark stills make me anxious, I feel his eyes on me and I could hear his laughter faintly." I look out the window. Before realising something.

"Why's this gym isolated?" I asked.

"The building is located at the end of the neighbourhood and the cost to keep it goes too high than the owner can pay. So they abandoned it." he replied.

"I noticed that stair lead up, is it 2 story building?" I point to the stair outside the office.

He take a quick look and said, "That leads to the roof. There are spaces for those who like to exercise in private other than that dividers. They can go up even using the stairs outside."

"Anyway, where is he now?" I shake my head and take a breath. He rubs my hand and look at his phone.

"He stopped moving, it says here that he's right outside. It's 8.15 pm now." he shows the tracker.

"What if he knows you hacked him? What if he knows you guys are here so he hides outside.. What if you guys got hurt because of him?" I start speaking faster. The anxious feeling of waiting for the bad person comes creeping into my skin. My palms become sweaty. Before I could say another word, Alex pull me to the ground.

"Relax, nobody will be harmed. Nobody will get hurt. They're armed polices, Steve is quite strong. Benji is fast. You have your safety bag, and I could do him some good kicking." he whispered into my ears and rubbed my back. The sudden hug make me more emotional, at the same time, comforted. Knowing that I'm surrounded by people who can keep me safe.

"I -" I spit out one word, when suddenly there's a loud noise.
'PING'  followed by a rolling sound.  I almost scream and flinched when the sound comes.
Alex close my mouth and he peek through the inside windows of the office.

"What is it?" I asked.

"There's a metal bat rolling on the ground. But from the sound of it, it seems like it fall from a direct 90° degree, which is, the roof..." he stopped describing and take out his phone, the tracker still stay at  the outside building.

"It's either he knew we're tracking him or his phone fell." a message vibrated at both our phones.

Steve texted Alex, saying they saw a figure right outside, the roof has window in the middle of the ceiling, and a black figure stands there.
While the message that I received was sent by Benji, saying I should be visible to him, they can't surround him when he's upstairs.

Slowly, I sit back on the chair, and the laughter could be heard once again. It echoes the gym, small steps becoming louder. He's coming down.

Another message vibrates Alex's phone. He shows it to me, "Take out your pepper spray and anything else, I've got the camera ready."  - Benji. I nodded and holds out a pepper spray and hides it in my hand. Alex had to hide between the fake wall we made, and I sit at the end of the table, there's a distance from the door to where I sat.  The closer the steps, the louder the laughter echoes.

A message vibrate my phone once again. Its from Steve. 'We're behind the walls.'  I read it quick enough to not let the lights visible. The walls that Steve said is connected to the wall that Alex is hiding behind. We made it easy to run out without even using the door. But that's only work if I can run there before him, and I'm terrible at running, except that one time.

The laughter stops. The silence fill the room. Behind the closed door, a shadow shows at the ground. I held the pepper spray firmly in my hand. A pin drop could be heard by this silence. Only a few seconds later, the door kick and hit open.