Stalked

The music adds to the experience, hope you'll listen as you read.

*****

Jen got up from the desk and glanced at the clock, 4:30 am. She yawned as she cracked her neck and stretched out the kink in her back. Before she got off she logged: keys, a necklace, and a knit sweater in the lost and found. She always found it odd that people could forget their clothes or expensive jewelry every night.

The small alleyway to her dorm echoed with each step on her way home. She felt the night's stress ease as she walked through the noisy gravel and breathed in the winter breeze. Another set of foot falls started behind her and Jen sped up wanting to get back quickly.

The steps sped up behind her. On alert now, Jen slowed down, hoping the person would pass.

They slowed with her.

Jen's legs bolted out from under her as she bee-lined to the emergency campus light. She could hear them running after her but refused to look back. She slammed the call button and gasped for breath.

A blaring alarm erupted from the pole "Campus police will be with you soon, stay where you are." When she turned around a figure had retreated behind the building.

She'd gotten to her room at around 6 am after talking to the police. She collapsed on her bed and threw her shoes off, frustrated that whoever had followed her had gotten away.

*****

After class the next morning her phone buzzed. She glanced down at the screen.

Randy Desk: I miss you

Wrong person? She thought

Randy Desk: Did you like the necklace?

Jen: ...What? Randy I think you have the wrong number

No response.

Jen walked to lunch to meet with a friend who worked with her. Ally and Jen started working the desk at the Oak dorms last year around the same time. They fumbled around learning the ropes together. 

Working a late shift one night the girls found out that they both love Star Trek over Star Wars. The spark carried outside of their work life and they became close friends. On the contrary, Randy had started two weeks ago when an upperclassman quit without notice.

"Randy sent me an odd text today, but it's probably nothing. Right?"

"You should go ask him, J, He's sitting by the window. Maybe he likes you-"

Jen's face scrunched in confusion, she turned around to see Randy sitting across the room. A cold shiver ran down her spine making the hair on her neck stand on end. She felt a stone sink into her stomach and start to do somersaults. Jen squirmed in her seat. I just need to face him. She got up and went over to his table.

"Let's go somewhere to talk," Jen said crossing her arms.

"Sure..." Randy replied.

*****

She followed behind Randy into his room against her better judgment. He held the door open for Jen to pass through and closed it behind them. Jen put her hand up to her mouth to stop from heaving. His room was almost a replica of Jen's.

"What the hell is all of this," Jen asked.

On Randy's desk, there were wrappers of Jen's favorite snacks, a doll on his bed of Jen in her work uniform, and a pair of shoes haphazardly thrown across the room. Perfectly reflecting Jen's fit of frustration last night.

"Leave me alone. I just thought you were acting weird but this is beyond too far. I'm calling campus police." Jen turned to call campus police, but an abrupt pain to the back of her head had her crumbling to the floor.

"You're such a flirt. You flash a smile at anything that comes to the desk don't you? You flirted with me and then ran away last night..."

"No" was the last thing she heard clearly. Her own voice, saying no.