The second I read the words scribbled on the paper, I didn't have to think twice to know who was it from.
I felt the air being sucked out of my lungs, ice spreading all over my veins, but it wasn't cold. All I could think of was how I needed someone to wrap their arms around me, telling me that it was going to be fine.
Miss me, miss me, Joe the runaway? xx
The words kept repeating over and over in my head, and in the dark side of my mind, I could hear his dark, rough voice saying it.
I had tried to ignore every sign to feel like I have actually escaped danger. But he knew.
It was him all along.
He was at the boxing place.
He knew where I was.
He sent me a message to my house.
He knew where I lived.
Every effort I had done, every day I had spent dreaming about the safe haven that could possibly exist in New York, every hour I had tried to convince myself that the little kid was no longer in danger, vanished so easily into thin air. It was like I tried and worked so hard, and he was leaving me feel a sheer of success, so he would blow over all of my hopes and efforts later.
There was sometimes when I wondered, how in hell was I still standing on my feet? How did I not give into the darkness and fall, finally finding some peace?
I felt Harry step closer to me, looking over my shoulder, "Joe the runaway?" he questioned. I crumbled the piece of paper in my hand. I wanted to scream now more than ever, to smash everything in front of me, to yell out loud, 'What did I do to deserve this?'
"Bebe," a small, squeaky voice called out.
I pressed my mouth into a thin line and closed the door, locking it with the three locks that were located on it, and took a step away from it.
"Josephine."
Ignoring him, I took fast steps to the windows around the house, making sure they were bolted shut and locked.
"Josephine," I heard him say again, both Zoella and him following me.
I ran a hand through my hair, repeating to myself, 'Don't show emotion, it's fine.'
'You are being watched, stop showing weakness.'
'You are telling everyone they are succeeding in breaking you down, that's not supposed to happen.'
My mind was like a battlefield. Thoughts commanding orders, that no matter what pressure I was put under, I had to stick to them. Thoughts that I knew so well would be the thing that ends my life, and not the animals that lives all around us.
So, I tried. Tried to move slowly, to slow my breathing, and to not show the struggle I was going through in order to stay calm while there was a psycho watching us and sending in threatening messages.
That should be easy.
"Josephine,"
What else was a possible entrance to the house? I racked my brain for anything but all I could think of was how he found us.
I felt the empty void in my chest expand and expand till I had nothing left inside. I had thousand of voices in my head asking questions and commanding orders. I never considered this house safe, I couldn't even call it home without flinching, but, it still was a shelter from the world outside. Now that I looked at it, all I could see was a mere reminder that I have failed in protecting her.
C'mon, think think think.
Backdoor.
I breathed and went to the door, opening it slowly. I didn't find anyone, so I stepped outside and looked around. No one.
"Stay here," I managed to murmur to Zoe.
It was like he had this planned all along, knew where to go, what to do and when to shoot. This wasn't his first visit here.
Stupid.
"Josephine."
I gave the place one last look before turning around. This was useless, and I knew that, he was already gone.
"Josephine."
"Stop calling me that, I told you it isn't my damn name," I yelled, sending him death glares.
"But it is." he raised his eyebrows.
"No, my name is Black, how many times do I have to say this for it to get into your thick skull?" I moved towards him, keeping a few footsteps between us.
He scoffed, "You know what? You're sick. Calling yourself Joe and Black, denying your name for the same sick reason. Sometimes I wonder if you actually are what you call a 'girl'."
Upon hearing this, I laughed, throwing my head back. I looked at the ground and then looked back at him again erasing the smile that was on my face.
He was clenching his jaw, his green eyes piercing mine.
"Sick? You think I'm sick? You are calling me sick? Yeah." I agreed, licking my lips. "I mean if walking on your whole family in a pool of their own freaking blood, murdered, when you're only sixteen, with your three year old baby sister draped over your shoulder makes you sick, then yeah, I'm sick, Styles. I'm sick," I said, the volume of my voice rising by each word, but it wasn't loud enough for anyone other than him to hear me.
He looked at me, furrowing his eyebrows as shock took place on his features.
I swallowed, realization dawning on me at what I just said. Unable to face this anymore, I walked away, bent down to carry Zoella from where she was standing and got into the house, shutting the backdoor behind me.
I leaned against the door, closing my eyes.
What have I done?
~
Dark nights.
When the stars covers the sky and darkness settles.
When people sleep, tired from the exhausting day they have went through.
It was when people relaxed and had a good, soundless sleep.
Except for Josephine Black.
Now Black didn't spend her nights binge watching a Netflix tv show till the sun rises, realizing only then that she didn't get any sleep. Nor did she spend it in a club, drinking her pain away. She spends her nights watching a window, too focused you would think she was watching Stranger things.
But tonight was different.
Tonight instead of sulking behind a thin sheet of glass, she was roaming the streets.
He noticed how hesitant she was when she left the house.
He noticed how she checked that the door was locked three times.
He noticed she only roamed the areas nearby the block, returning to the house every four minutes sharp, not more or less.
He always noticed the little things she does.
Always has been observant when it came to her.
He saw her reaction when she first read the note she received. The reaction she tried to cover, though to him it was nothing but a fail attempt. She was an open book to him.
She walked silently in her black attire and her hood on, head down. She was disappointed because she couldn't find any thing. He knew she was doubting herself by the way she checked one place more than once, roaming every inch. Just like he knew that she probably was blaming herself for not stopping this before it happened.
He knew that this night won't end for her. He knew that when she was done searching, she was going to get back to her post by the window till the next morning, thinking over of the events of the day.
To be precise in meaning, she was scared.
What she didn't know was that it was useless to be scared. It was the last thing she should be feeling right now, because he was always there.
He was always lurking in the shadows, looking out for them and ensuring they were safe.
~
AN// A bit of a short chapter, I'm sorry! What do you guys think so far?