I stared out the window, the city blurring by in streaks of gray and neon, and wiped the bead of sweat crawling down my forehead. The AC was on just fine — so why did I feel like my insides were overheating?
Sothing was wrong.
Not with the day. Not with the girls. Just... sowhere out there. Sothing unseen.
Like I had walked straight into a trap I couldn't see yet.
Elara kept driving like nothing was off. "So bam! Right in her face," she said proudly, gesturing wildly with one hand as she told Bella the whole gym story again. "I swear, it was like her muscles deflated the second my fist touched her. All that protein powder, wasted."
"Should've killed her, sis..." Bella muttered into her hands, elbows balanced on the center console. For a mont she looked like soone contemplating a grocery list — not murder. The casualness of it made a shiver spider down my spine.
Elara scoffed. "Trust , sis. I was seconds away from skinning her alive. But then I saw Noah's cute little face." She reached over and pinched my cheek like I was her emotional support plush toy. "Couldn't traumatize my baby like that."
She said it so lightly that anyone else would think it was a joke. But I knew her better than that.
The light turned red, and the car eased to a stop.
That's when I saw her.
A disheveled, wild-eyed holess woman stood on the dian, clutching a sign made from a torn pizza box. The words were shaky, written in black marker:
"NEED TH — WILL PAY"
I snorted before I could stop myself — partly because it was ridiculous, partly because it felt like if I didn't laugh, I'd just sink deeper into whatever paranoia was clawing at .
Bella and Elara both blinked at the sign for a mont before bursting into confused laughter too.
"Ay girl, if it works, then it works." Elara smirked, shaking her head.
"People really don't give a shit nowadays..." I muttered, trying not to stare too long at the woman's twitching hands... or the way her eyes locked on our car with a strange intensity. Like she recognized sohow.
Like she knew sothing about that I didn't.
The light turned green. Elara pressed the gas. The woman shrank into the distance behind us.
The uneasy feeling in my chest didn't.
As the big blue Best Buy sign ca into view, I forced myself to breathe slower. It was just nerves. Just anxiety. Just...
A shadow in my brain whispering:
"You are being watched."
Everything looked normal, yet everything felt wrong.
"Fucking hell..." I muttered under my breath, my leg bouncing like it had a mind of its own as we turned into the parking lot. The yellow parking lines blurred for a second, my pulse thudding in my ears.
Elara glanced over, eyes narrowing with that surgical focus she always had when she sensed sothing was off. She shut off the engine and the silence hit like a slap.
"What's wrong, Noah?" she asked, unclipping her seatbelt. Bella mirrored her, leaning forward slightly to look at .
I swallowed, forcing a weak smile. "Just feeling a bit anxious. I'll be fine though." Even I didn't believe the calm tone I tried to fake.
Elara reached over, warm fingers digging firmly into my thigh, grounding . "Don't worry," she murmured. "You'll be alright."
She leaned in, pressing her lips against mine. Soft. Warm. Familiar. I exhaled slowly as she pulled away, and for a mont the static inside my chest quieted.
We stepped out of the car, doors shutting in a staggered echo across the lot. The air outside slled like hot asphalt and distant fast food grease. I hesitated, just for a second, before following them. Sothing in my brain scread to turn around — to look behind — to check the cars, the rooftop sightlines, anything.
But I forced myself forward. I had Elara. I had Bella. Two dangerously strong won; I wasn't alone.
Everything was going to be fine.
Right?
"Oh! Look at the size of that TV!" Bella gasped the second we passed through the automatic doors, sprinting ahead like a kid who had never seen electronics before.
I couldn't help a small laugh and followed with Elara at my side. Fluorescent lights buzzed overhead, glaring off the polished floor so brightly it felt unreal, like a dream.
"This would look even better than the one at ho!" Bella declared, practically pressing her face to the screen.
"It's literally the sa TV, Bella," Elara deadpanned, dragging a hand down her face like she was physically pained.
Bella blinked, her grin faltering. "Oh... oops." She chuckled awkwardly, scratching her head.
I drifted toward the gaming section, letting the sounds of display speakers and demo ga explosions wash over . Rows of sleek hardware lined the walls—RGB-lit PC cases, curved monitors, chanical keyboards clicking like insects. It should've been comforting. Normal. Sothing familiar.
But the unease gnawed deeper.
Then I saw them—the consoles. Exactly what we ca for.
"Wow, a PlayStation Six for three hundo?" Elara whistled behind . "Not bad."
Bella didn't respond—she was still transfixed by the demo station TVs, bouncing foot to foot like she was about to start dancing.
I ran my hand across the smooth glass display case—my reflection warped in the surface. Sothing prickled down my spine.
Like soone was staring at .
Not from across the store.
Not from the doorway.
From behind .
Slow. Heavy. Intentional.
I froze, breath stuck halfway up my throat.
Don't turn around.
Don't look.
Don't confirm it's real.
The world around muffled, like I had dunked my head underwater.
Elara's voice snapped back.
"Noah? You good?"
I blinked hard, forcing air back into my lungs.
"Yeah," I lied, "just thinking about which one to get."
But I could still feel it.
Pressure on the back of my neck.
Eyes...
Watching.
"I–I think I'm getting the PlayStation Six," I managed to say, trying to keep my voice level. It ca out shaky, barely above a whisper.
"Alright," Elara said with a grin, brushing my arm with her fingers, "I'll go grab a worker to co get it out."
She turned to leave, but instinct jerked my hand forward and I grabbed her wrist. Harder than I ant to.
"Wait..." My voice cracked.
Elara stopped mid-step and looked back, eyes suddenly soft, worried but steady. "Baby, there's a worker on the other side of the aisle," she reassured, squeezing my hand gently. "You'll be okay, I promise. I think , you, and Bella are legitimately the only ones in this store right now."
Her tone was calm — too calm — like she knew exactly what was happening in my head.
I wanted to cry, to choke out don't leave , please don't leave , but I couldn't. I didn't want to be seen as a psycho or sothing by her. I swallowed the panic like broken glass and forced myself to nod.
"Okay," I breathed. My hand slipped from hers slowly, like letting go of a lifeline.
She turned and walked toward the next aisle, disappearing behind the tall shelves.
The second she left my sight, the buzzing from the store lights grew louder — a harsh ringing in my ears. My vision wavered, edges bending like heat waves. The air felt thick, almost sticky, like sothing was pressing against my chest.
I looked over my shoulder.
Nothing.
Just empty aisles. Empty polished floor. Empty space.
But the feeling didn't stop — it intensified. The back of my neck prickled, muscles locking tight like I'd been doused in ice water.
My heart hamred so hard it hurt.
Then—
I felt it.
Not a tap.
Not a brush of air.
Not imagination.
A hand.
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