Page 126 of That Time I Accidentally Became A Serial Killer

This isn’t a random break-in, and it’s not some desperate pervert trying his luck.

This is a process. A plan.

This is a man who’s done this before.

A fucking predator.

A killer and he picked her.

I rewind further, knowing what I’m looking for before I find it.

The night I was stuck hiding in the linen closet like a goddamn drama queen.

Poppy got her bag returned—remember that? She was flustered, trying to play it cool. Dexter was barking. She took the bag and thanked the man at the door. Smiled. Said something polite.

I pause and zoom.

That motherfucker. It’s him.

Hat. Hoodie. Left-handed. Same build. Same posture. Same exact car. The fucking rideshare driver that picked her up from the vet’s office.

“He chose her the second she stepped into his car.”

Now I feel it, down to the marrow—he’s had her in his crosshairs since that first ride.

I pull up her cloned phone, but the answer’s already sitting heavy in my gut like a goddamn warning bell.

He’s been waiting.

He stayed close.

But she had that rental—she didn’t need a ride—he couldn’t get near her.

So, he got rid of it.

Called it in and had it picked up. Made it look like a clerical error or a personal cancellation. Nothing suspicious.

Just a woman with no car.

And today? She burned dinner. One stupid little accident and she needed a ride to the pet store.

I check the app, and it’s right fucking there. He accepted the fare.

And now?

Right now?

She’s at the pet store hunting for overpriced organic kibble and outside, in that car, a predator waiting to drive her home.

Home where he’s already planted rope, and a knife.

“He’s going to kill her.” The words scrape out of my throat like broken glass.

I don’t even realize I stood up, and I’m already grabbing my keys and reaching for the doorknob.

“Not if I can fucking help it.”

Ipush through the sliding glass doors of the pet store like I’m not actively spiraling. Cool. Casual. Just your average woman looking for gourmet dog food after surviving a week that deserves a documentary and an entire therapy team.

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