Chapter 7
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She kept her face glued to her phone to keep herself distracted. To keep her thoughts at bay. To make time go faster. Oh, how she longed for the time to go by faster. Lila just wanted to be home already where it was warm and she felt safe.
Walking home late at night hadn't really bothered her before, but there was something in the night, something in the air that sent chills running up and down her spine. Her skin was tingling, it made her feel anxious.
It's just a 20 minute walk. I've done this plenty of times. Nothing to worry about.
That's what she kept telling herself. Though, there was a part of her that felt unable to believe it. The eerie feeling of being followed crept up on her and shook her internally.
"There's no one behind you Lila. No one's following you," she told herself out loud. Though, it crossed her mind, that if someone did happen to be behind her, would they think she was crazy?
She put her phone in her back pocket and let her mind wander to other things, the paranoia was making her feel sick to her stomach. It was all that talk of that stalker serial killer. And then, those messages. How could Ever have kept those a secret? What was she thinking? Did she think keeping it a secret was going to protect everybody?
Lila shook her head. So much for thinking about other things. I'll save these thoughts for when I'm home. Instead she'll think about that male instagram model she had shown Ever. Or, better yet, she'll think about Daniel. The thought of him made her feel safe. Picturing him next to her made her smile.
She heard a twig snap behind her, breaking her away from her thoughts. She stopped abruptly and looked back. All that she saw before her was an empty road and empty sidewalk. She felt relieved that she was alone, but at the same time, she felt terrified that she was alone.
She turned her head back around and began walking slightly faster. Her nerves had her skin crawling and she debated on whether or not to listen to the voice inside her head screaming, 'Run!' But something shook within the bushes stopping her in her tracks.
Every fiber in her bones was telling her to turn around and just go back to Ever's house.
I'll just make a fool out of myself, though, she thought. I'm already more than halfway home.
"Who's there?" Lila called out.
She waited motionlessly until the bushes began to rattle again. She grabbed a rock nearby, bigger than the size of her hand, preparing for self defense. But what from? They say ignorance is bliss, but the anticipation was killing her.
A little furry rabbit emerged from behind the bushes and ran across the street. Almost giving Lila a heart attack as she jumped back from the freight.
"Stupid rabbit," Lila called out as she tried to compose herself and brush it off. At least now she began to feel more at ease. She let the rock slide down her hand. Shaking her head, she let out a small laugh as she began telling herself how dark nights like these could have anyone paranoid.
She continued walking in the direction of her home. The only sound coming from her shoes making contact with the ground. Lila began to hum. Humming the tune of the song that always seemed to comfort her and make her feel more relaxed. She repeated the beautiful sound of the violin of that "Bittersweet Symphony". Her heart began to feel more at ease.
It was a late night, the sky was a blackish blue. Only a few houses seemed to have their lights on at this hour, most people were already tucked in bed asleep. Soon Lila would follow in pursuit, she couldn't wait to sleep in her bed. She looked up at the night sky, looking for the stars, but the streetlights that covered every corner seemed to block them out.
Just 15 more minutes to go, maybe even less, and she'll be home. When she gets there she'll laugh at how paranoid she had been. The thought comforted her.
All at once the streetlights went out without a warning. Lila slowed to a stop, looking behind her. Sure enough, darkness surrounded her. As far as her eyes could see, every streetlight had gone out. Her eyes struggled to adjust to the dark. She was seeing spots from the sudden change of lighting.
I'm almost home. No stopping now. She turned back around in the direction of her home, looking ahead of her she could see a tall dark shadow standing several feet away from her. She blinked a few times unsure if what she was seeing was really there or not. It didn't move. What on earth is that?
A mailbox? A tree? A man?
Slowly and cautiously she continued forward, towards whatever that thing was. It couldn't be a person, could it? Why would someone be standing there, watching her like that? But, the closer she walked, the more it began to look like the silhouette of a person. Of a man. Her heart rate quickened the moment that dark shadow standing before her took a step in her direction.
It was a person. It was definitely a person. Whoever it was continued walking closer to her, slowly, steadily. Their boots sounded heavy on the ground, making a loud thud every time they made contact with the floor. And as hard as Lila tried, she couldn't make out any facial features. He had a dark hood over his head.
I'll just make like that bunny earlier and cross the street.
Looking both ways before crossing, she made her way to the other side, where there were trees instead of houses. Where she knew there was a path that would lead to another neighborhood. Her neighborhood. Worst case scenario, she could take the short cut to her home through there.
Lila continued walking for a bit, but she couldn't resist the urge to look back across the street. Had he continued walking? Was she just being paranoid? There was nobody there when she looked. How could somebody with such heavy footsteps disappear like that?
She continued forward until she realized the loud footsteps she heard of that man earlier, sounded like they were coming from behind her this time. She looked back, and sure enough there he was. Standing there, darker than the night sky itself. He had stopped walking when she looked back.
What is this guy doing?
The second he began walking towards her, she whipped back around and quickened her pace towards her house. Not uh! Not today!
She looked back and he seemed to be closer. Every time she looked back, he was closer. How was he so fast? He walked with one hand behind his back. What weirdo walks with a hand behind his back?
It was as if he could read her mind because the moment she thought it, he brought his hand down to his side. She focused in on what he was holding and her question was answered when the blade reflected off of the light of a distant house. He was carrying a knife.
Not even a second later, he charged at her causing a scream to escape from her mouth as she turned around and booked it as fast as she could. His footsteps were sounding closer and closer with each step she made. She knew she wouldn't be able to outrun him, but she wasn't going to give up.
She screamed out loud again hoping that somebody, anybody, would hear her.
"Help! Somebody help me!"
Looks like it was time for that worst case scenario as she approached one of the entrances to the small woods and headed straight through. She was too scared to even think about the mistake she had made.
Now nobody will be able to hear her cries or screams for help.
After running for a couple minutes, but what felt like ages, her feet felt heavy beneath her. Soon enough the weight became too much to bear as she tripped over sticks and rocks. But, instinct had her up as fast as she could without giving pain the chance to try and stop her.
But Lila was swept off her feet as a hand grabbed her foot and yanked her back. She fell to the ground with a painful "Oomph." She screamed out loud in pain and in hopes that someone would hear her.
"What do you want from me?" Lila yelled as she kicked her legs for him to let go. He grabbed his knife and cut deep into her leg. An old trick he learned from the last murders he committed. Her screams echoed throughout the woods and echoed off the trees. There's no way anyone couldn't have heard them. Or so she thought.
"What do you want from me?" She asked again, this time her voice was barely over a whisper. The wind had been knocked out of her when she fell on her back.
"Where is my diamond?"
"I don't have your diamond," she cried. "Please! Let me go!"
"I know you don't have my diamond, Lila. But your death is going to help me get it."
Her eyes grew wide. "How do you know my name? Why are you going to kill me?" The tears streamed down her face as the realization set in that, soon, she was going to die.
"I know a lot of things, Lila. Watching you two from her bedroom window, listening to your conversations. And after I kill you maybe she'll get the hint and give me what I want." His voice was deep and raspy. He spoke slow and steady, giving a chance for his words to sink in. "You snoop, you lose," he whispered into her ear, sending her shivers. It was him! It was Ever's stalker.
"No! Please don't kill me! I'll do anything! Please!" she screamed. If he kills her, Ever for sure wasn't going to take those messages to the police. Would he have killed her anyways if she hadn't seen those messages?
He pulled out his knife from behind him and brought it up to her wrists. Lila tried fighting him, but he was too strong, she couldn't even budge. She screamed out as soon as he began to inflict pain on her arm. She looked to see what he was carving into her skin. It was a diamond.
"I've been itching to kill for a while. Thank you for looking at those messages," he taunted. "You know what they say, 'All good things come to those who wait'."
He had lowered his head to speak into Lila's ear. Lila took that opportunity to pull out of his grip and reach for his hood. She pulled it back, but it was too dark to get a good look at his face. All she could tell was that he was young and his hair was a light color. He threw dirt in her face and she screamed as she clasped her eyes shut from the pain.
He lowered himself back to her ear and whispered, "Shhh, shhh, shhh. Goodnight. Sleep tight."
Her screams would have carried out through the woods and the nearby neighborhoods if they weren't muffled by his murderous hands as her life escaped her beaten up body.
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