She knew she wasn't crazy. She was definitely being followed. Although (Y/n) couldn't see who it was or where they hid, she could sense it. This occurrence had been present for nearly 3 weeks at this point. When would they finally realize that she had nothing to give? She wasn't filthy rich, didn't have a nice car and didn't have any valuables. Maybe those true crime shows and being super interested in how murderers get away with it were paying off, after all. At this point she hated the fact that she got out of work in the early hours of the morning. For all of her grocery shopping either had to wait for her day off, or she had to simply get it over with. (Y/n) decided to do the latter so she wouldn't run out of toilet paper. So here she was, at 2 in the morning fast walking to her car in the dead of night. It was relatively windy outside, but the breeze felt nice against the warm summer night. The only noise that could be heard was her cart against the pavement; the rest was still within the silence of the night. As (Y/n) looked up at the marvelous sky, she witnessed a full moon surrounded by beautiful stars and constellations. A deep breath was taken as (Y/n) marveled at how lucky she truly was to live the life she had.
She looked back down and hummed in satisfaction at how calm she was. Flashbacks flooded (Y/n)'s mind of when she was still a teenager, with her and her parents on the rooftop of their old apartment gazing at the sunset's beauty. The very last memory she had with them. (Y/n) had always wondered what was above and beyond their little universe; after all, how likely was it that humans on earth were the only forms of life? Not very. (Y/n) and her parents had bonded over various theories of the universe, religion, other forms of life, and the purpose of life all the time. They were three pees in a pod, inseparable. All three loved to think deeply about life and to make the most out of every situation. In fact, this is where (Y/n) got her charitable and caring side of human nature. She loved her parents more than anything and anyone. So, how could they leave her when they did? (Y/n) found herself back in the present, eyes welling with tears. She simply shook it off and continued on her way to her vehicle. I shouldn't be thinking about this right now. It was a long time ago and I need to move on.
Caught and caged inside her own head, the girl forgot to observe her surroundings more in-depth. As she reached her vehicle and unlocked the doors in order to put the groceries inside, she had almost completely forgotten about her alleged stalker. Reaching up to unlock the car door, (Y/n) looked up at the reflection in her window, only to find a hooded figure with a mask standing very closely behind her. Quivering with absolute terror, (Y/n) shut her eyes and slowly turned around, hoping it to be a figment of her imagination. With a shaky breath, (Y/n) finally built up the courage to open her eyes. Upon seeing nothing there, (Y/n)'s racing heart slowed down a bit to a more reasonable pace. (Y/n) rubbed her head in confusion. She was certain that there had been a person there. Wiping the sweat off her forehead, she shook her head and laughed out loud at her own foolishness. How could I have imagined such a thing? Nobody actually looks like that. This is what thinking about the past does to me, I suppose. As (Y/n) went to turn around and open the car door, the same figure was in the reflection once again, right over her shoulder just as last time. (Y/n) laughed prematurely and began to turn around.
"I have to lay off the caffeine, I think I may be experiencing adverse side effects..." Before she could finish talking to herself, she gazed at the very real hooded figure standing before her. Hyperventilating took over (Y/n)'s system as she respired heavily, blurry vision taking over. The last thing she saw before everything went black, were the black tear-filled eyes peeping through the mask of her intruder.
Grogginess filled (Y/n)'s body as she stretched her limbs with her eyes closed. What happened? The last thing I remember was... Before she could even finish her thought process, she felt a tug on her right leg as she extended her sore limbs. Opening her eyes in a rushed manor, she touched the chain wrapping around her bruised ankle in a panic. Once again, (Y/n) felt herself hyperventilating at the situation she found herself in. All she could observe around her was black. She was tied to a pole nonetheless, in what looked like a basement. Scratching and clawing at the cuff wrapped around her ankle, she began crying and screaming for help. She felt blurriness begin to overcome her once again, and quickly found herself gagging because of how hard she was crying.
"You need to settle down. Take deep breaths in and out. If you don't, you'll pass out again." (Y/n) bawled even harder and began shivering at the cold presence before her. Although she couldn't see the figure due to the blackness and lack of lighting surrounding her, (Y/n) could think of nothing worse than knowing that her perpetrator was very likely standing before her.
With a quivering voice, (Y/n) responded, "Please, please don't hurt me. I can give you money. I don't have much and I don't know what else you want from me. Please, show mercy. I'll do anything. I'm so scared right now, so scared." Crying and screaming filled Jack's ears as he simply stood there before her. He knew she couldn't see him, as it was purposeful. He knew that if she could see him, she would likely pass out again. Therefore, the most likely solution would be to simply talk to her through the darkness.
"I refuse to listen to anything you say until you settle down. Do as I say." (Y/n) continued to breathe heavily and shortly- a bad combination for trying to calm down. The culprit continued to speak. "Follow my lead: breathe in and out as slowly as you can." She could hear his slow breaths and decided that probably following his orders would lead to a better outcome than refusing. She began to follow his lead. Before she knew it, she had successfully managed to follow his instructions. She could hear that he had returned to a normal breathing pattern, deeming her stable enough to stop the exercise. She could feel that her tears were dried on her face, resulting in an uncomfortable sticky feeling. Her (h/c) was sticking to her face, as she slowly lifted shaky hands to wipe the strands away gently before wiping her runny nose on her pants. She knew she looked as terrible as she felt. How could this happen, and why me of all people? What did I do to deserve this? She finally lifted her eyes and focused more on her surroundings. Very slightly could the girl see a silhouette in the dark, a slimmer figure in a hoodie that was crossing his arms, it seemed. Unable to make out any features or any identifying information, the girl suddenly tore herself from the gaze she hadn't realized they were sharing. Rubbing her arms, (Y/n) hadn't realized just how chilly it had been in the alleged basement. Additionally, she hadn't gathered that her shoes and socks were gone as well. Maybe just in case I escape, so I can't run as easily? Closing her tired eyes, (Y/n) knew she had to summon the courage to try to find a way out of here. Licking her chapped lips, the (h/c) woman finally spoke while staring at the man.
"Now that I'm calm, can you please tell me what you want with me? As I said before, I can get you my entire savings if that's what you desire. I just, I don't want anyone to worry and report me missing. My boyfriend was supposed to come over, so if you don't bring me back, he'll know that something's wrong." (Y/n) stated her lie effortlessly, and it may have worked had Jack not stalked the girl for weeks and educated himself on her social life, or lack thereof. Jack snickered smoothly and quietly. There was no way this woman had any sort of significant other. He often witnessed a floppy haired male accompanying (Y/n) to her car at night from work, but they had never shared a kiss or a hug, merely ensuring that she was safe to leave at night. Despite this, Jack found himself wondering if there was maybe something more there than met the eye. He saw the way the male laughed at (Y/n)'s jokes, and it sparked something new and unique within Jack. There was no current romantic relationship between him and (Y/n), however, and that was enough for Jack to calm down. (Y/n)'s eyebrows furrowed in puzzlement as she stared at the laughing outline of her perpetrator. As she opened her mouth to say something, he responded first.
"I know you don't have a significant other, (Y/n). I've been watching you for quite some time." In absolute surprise, (Y/n)'s eyes widened significantly. This means... so I wasn't crazy, after all. Unable to stop herself from further questioning the man, she stood up and attempted to walk towards him, finding herself irrationally curious. However, the chain only went approximately five feet from the pole, resulting in her being incapable of reaching her destination.
"How do you know my name? Why were you following me?" (Y/n) knew from all of her favorite true crime shows that getting the most information possible out of him was her best chance at getting out. The girl was able to stop herself from hyperventilating further, much to her own amazement. Thus, she stood in front of him trembling with fear, attempting to show him that she was not going to back down. She witnessed the man tilt his head to the side, almost as if he were a dog hearing a peculiar sound. He unfolded his arms and began walking towards (Y/n) in an excruciatingly slow manner. Deciding that there was a limit to her fake bravery, (Y/n) rapidly walked back to the pole in which she was bound without turning her back. Once reaching it, the man did not stop walking towards her. (Y/n) crouched onto the ground in absolute defeat, covered her head and shut her eyes. This is not what she had asked for, and she felt she didn't deserve anything to deserve this. Petrified was an understatement. Is this it? Is this the end of my life? God I don't want to die here. Gritting her eyes shut tighter, she mumbled against her arms simple words that Jack could still hear. "Whatever I can do that is in my power to survive this, I will. If you've truly been following me, then you know that there is no one that will come looking besides my place of work. I'm sorry I lied, I'm just very afraid of what you'll do to me. I don't want to die here. If I've done anything wrong to you or have upset you in any way, then I am so sorry. Truly, I am." Silence embraced the air surrounding the two. His footsteps had clearly halted, (Y/n) knew this. Opening up her optics, the woman stared at the ground while still holding her head within her arms. Tears fell to the bitter, filthy ground as she lifted her head from her arms. Almost as if time stopped entirely, she came face to face with her intruder at last. Above her, staring right back at her, was the masked man that looked almost as inquisitive as she.
Author's Note: Aaaah! So they finally meet. What will happen next? ;) I will be going on my wedding and honeymoon for 3 weeks starting Saturday, so this will be my last update for about 3-4 weeks.