Page 77 of Creep

I hoped.

I was throwing a Hail Mary, praying the villain in my story would be my hero.

The man unabashedly followed me into the apartment building. I glanced back at him incredulously, and he looked back at me without shame.

My heart beat furiously in my chest, my palms growing sweaty from the fear, and I felt lightheaded.

I was taking a gamble.

We got to my front door. I snuck a peek back at him, still standing casually close to me, his arms down by his side, looking relaxed. He grinned when he caught my eye. I quickly looked away and unlocked my door, even as a small part of me started to doubt myself. What if I was wrong?

What if this was the one night my stalker wasn’t here?

But I hadn’t been home the past few days, which meant he hadn’t seen me in a while.

Surely he missed me?

I knew something was wrong with me when I started wishing my stalker had missed me.

I pushed open the door, and the man drew closer, his body pressed up against me. I shuddered, trying to keep the nausea at bay, especially when I caught a whiff of his BO mingling with the stench of alcohol and something else. Something pungent and strong.

I gagged when he wrapped his arms around my waist.

“Go ahead and scream,” he said softly, close to my ear. “I like it when they scream.”

So I did as he asked. I screamed as he pushed me into my dark apartment.

For a moment, nothing happened, and I was afraid I might have made a mistake, and now I was trapped inside my apartment with the man.

But then, my bedroom door slammed open, and my stalker stood there, his shadow a formidable sight, especially in the dark. He was deadly calm as he took in the scene. The man who had followed me froze, and I knew without looking back that he was afraid. Even without a clear view, it was obvious that my stalker was bigger than him, meaner than him, and that was all that counted.

“You have five seconds to let her go,” he said, menace dripping from every word.

“What the fuck?—”

The man never got a chance to say anything else. My stalker pounced. He pulled the man away from me, silencing his scream with his palm. I jumped when the man was thrown against my hallway wall. He let out a groan and fell to the ground. My stalker grabbed him by the nape of his neck and pulled him up, then turned to me.

For a long second, we didn’t move. Didn’t say anything. I knew my stalker was looking at me, his eyes a soft caress moving over my skin, warming me.

My heart thudded, but this time, it wasn’t in fear or disgust but something else. Something much more dangerous.

Then my stalker pushed the man out of my apartment, closing the door behind him and encasing my space in utter silence. I fell to the ground on shaky legs, looking around.

What was happening to me?

22

MAEL

I pushedthe stupid fucker down on the dirty concrete ground at the back of the apartment building. He shook, trying to make himself as small as he could.

“You think that’s going to help you?” I asked. What would he think if he knew the sight of him like this did nothing but disgust me? My fists clenched.

“I’m s-sorry. I didn’t know. I didn’t know.”

“Didn’t know what?” I asked, walking closer to him and kicking an empty soda can away with my foot. “That she’s mine? What did you say to her when you pushed her into the apartment?Go ahead and scream?That you like it when they scream?”

I pulled on his hair until he was facing me. He screamed, his hand coming up and trying to lessen my grip. I pulled harder.

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