They say that curiosity killed the cat. It’s funny. That almost feels like a personal attack at this point.
I haven’t forgotten about that night. I mean, it’s not just something you can stop thinking about. What the hell was that last thing I saw? Strange thing is, it never even comes up in my nightmares. It’s always the other stuff. I swear, I can see that dude with no mouth every time I close my eyes. But… maybe it’s not so weird. My brain couldn’t comprehend it the first time, so how could my subconscious produce a recreation? Shit. I don’t want to think about it anymore. But I can’t.
You see, my problems aren’t just in my head anymore. I thought I was done with this shit after the men in black paid me a visit. I thought it was over. In retrospect, that was just wishful thinking. No, it was delusional. After what I saw? Guess it doesn’t work like that. I guess the world just isn’t that simple. Here’s what’s been happening:
WEDNESDAY
It’s been three days since I’ve gone back to work and I think I’m being followed. No. I’m sure I am. The thing is, the first time I didn’t really notice. Whoever the hell they are, they’ve been using different vehicles. Always the same routine. After work, I get into my car and start driving home. Another vehicle always tails me until I turn into my driveway, and they just drive past. Now, if it happens once, whatever. But three times? Under normal circumstances I could call it a coincidence. For obvious reasons, I can’t do that right now. I’m not really sure what the hell they want. Maybe they’re trying to monitor me. God, that’s all I hope they’re trying to do. If that’s the case, I’ll just lay low and ride it out. Just give them what they want.
THURSDAY
This time, I tried to get a glimpse of them in my rear-view. Windows were tinted. Great. Again, I pulled into my driveway and they kept going. Now, I know I said I was just going to ride it out, but this kind of shit really does take a toll on you. I don’t want to deal with whatever the hell this is anymore. I swear they’re following closer and closer each time.
FRIDAY
I did something different today. Took public transit instead of driving. I’ve never needed a drink more in my life, so I went to a bar after work. I guess this was more of an experiment. To see how closely they've been tracking me. If they’re bothered by the waiting, then they can go fuck themselves. I’m still living my life. Although, I couldn’t keep my eyes off the windows the whole time I was in there. After getting sufficiently wasted, I flagged a cab down. And surprise, surprise, there they were, right behind us. But here’s what I didn’t expect: It was the same car from yesterday. Looks like they gave up the incognito act. Not sure how to feel about that.
Damn it. Something else has changed. They didn’t just keep driving this time. After the cab dropped me off, I turned around to see that damn car parked, half a block away from my house. I just went inside. The hell was I supposed to do? Calling the cops didn’t even occur to me. But to be honest, I don’t think that would’ve helped.
It’s been three hours now and they’re still there. I haven’t been watching them the whole time, so I don’t know whether or not they’re actually in the car. Not fun to think about. There’s no way in hell I’m sleeping tonight.
It’s about 2:00 AM now. I just got a text message. Private number. Here’s what it said:
“Leave your house. Don’t use the front door, they’re still there. Come to the all-night diner about five blocks away. Don’t think about driving, they’ll know. Be quick, they’re coming in soon. Don’t get followed. Leave your lights on.”
I froze after reading this. They’re coming in? For what? Who the hell’s texting me? Now, I don’t know what you would have done in this situation, but I took the warning. I was paranoid as hell at this point.
Buzzed and tired, I put on a jacket, and went out my backdoor. I also took a backpack with my other laptop in it. Not sure why. But I felt like I needed to. I waited for a second before I climbed my own fence. When I was sure nobody had noticed, I started heading towards the diner. After about forty minutes, I finally got there. Would’ve been shorter, but I pretty much ducked into the bushes every time a car passed.
I scanned the patrons, a table of drunk college kids, a few truckers, and a dude in a hoodie typing away on a computer in the back. He didn’t look threatening. Actually, he was pretty scrawny. I made an educated guess. I walked up to his table and sat down.
He looked up at me. “Hi. What do you want?”
“You texted me.” There was a brief pause. I got worried for a second. What is not him? But he broke the silence.
“Right. They follow you?”
“No, I don’t think so.” He nodded. “Alright.” And then he laughed. Like this was supposed to be funny. “Man, you screwed up, didn’t you?” Hard to disagree with that. “What were you doing anyways, what were you trying to find?”
“Nothing, I swear. I just did it for the hell of it, I guess” He just stared at me in amused disbelief. “Oh, well that’s fucking lame. Would’ve been cool if you were a spy or something.” He chuckled again.
“Look, who are you? How did you know they were after me? Who are they, anyways?” I pelted him with questions.
“Alright, settle down there. I’m not going to tell who they are, I don’t know either. But I will tell you they don’t have good intentions.” Fantastic, I thought. “Well, how do you know about them?”
He paused. “They came after me. One second I’m reading about demons on the Moon, the next, I’m getting my door kicked down. This was months ago, I skipped town.”
I was confused “Wait, what do you mean?”
“They tried to kill me, dude.” I couldn’t believe this. “And you were just viewing the links? That was it? You teach other people how to get there or something?” He raised his eyebrow. “No. Why do you ask?”
I was floored. “They didn’t do that to me." I said. "They just came by, took my laptop and gave me a warning”. Now it was his turn to look shocked. “Really…” He seemed to think about something for a while.
He then proceeded to ask me what they looked like. “Just men in suits” I responded. “What did they ask you?” was his follow up question. Again, I just told him. But then I remembered the last thing they said to me. “They also asked me what my priorities were. Weird ass question.” His face went blank for a second.
“Yeah... yeah strange, ain’t it?” What followed was an uncomfortable silence. I finally asked him the thing that had been on my mind ever since that night: “That page with just the four links, what the hell is that supposed to be?”
He raised his eyebrow and told me he didn’t know what I was talking about. This is where things got strange. After I told him a rough explanation of what I had saw, his expression changed completely. I could make out a sudden flare in his demeanor.
“What did you type at the prompt?” He asked me. “What also seeks me.” I answered. I was thoroughly confused at this point. “Isn’t that what you did as well?”
He just shook his head. “No…” He then shut his laptop and stood up. “Well where the hell are you going?” I inquired. “We’ve been here too long. Look, I know you have questions, but I can’t answer them for you. Go to a motel tonight or something.” And just like that he was gone. What was I going to do, stop him? I still have no idea who the hell this guy is. The only thing I got out of him was his name – Jackson. And even that’s probably fake.
Tired as hell and still a little bit drunk, I left the diner and tried to stay hidden as I looked for a nearby motel. Obviously, this wasn't fun.
Now here I am, sitting in some sketchy motel at 4:30 AM. I can barely keep my eyes open, but I also can’t help but look over my shoulder every second I’m awake. This is the pinnacle of shitty situations. I guess I’ll try and get some sleep. Nothing else I can do. I’ll figure it out in the morning.
SATURDAY
Well, I guess it's been Saturday for a while, actually. It’s 8:00 AM now. Barely got any sleep. I have this creeping, ominous feeling in my gut that something just isn’t right. I turned on the TV. Anything to clear my mind for a bit. What I saw next did the opposite of that.
It was a news report. A man strangled to death in a KFC bathroom. But the person murdered... was one of the guys that came to my house and took my computer that night. No suspects. I just stared at the screen for the longest time. What the hell was going on?
My phone suddenly buzzed. A different message from a private number. This is what it said:
“Go to the swimming pool on Fifth Street. In the men’s locker room, go to locker 128. The combination is 12-27-33. Further instructions are in there. Do so before this text gets intercepted. Don’t bring your phone.”
Of course. How stupid was I? My phone was still on me. Surely whoever was after me would've been able to track me. This never even crossed my mind.
Out of curiosity I peeked outside my window. Sure enough, the car that’s been following me was now parked right there. Luckily for me, I caught my first glimpse of the driver and the passenger getting out. They were both wearing gloves and one was holding a briefcase. They're walking towards the entrance now.
After I've emailed this to myself and a friend, I'm going to need to think quick. I've already dropped my phone in the toilet and I'm going to need to get rid of this laptop next. But people need to know that this happened. If you hear from me again, looks like I found way out of this.
What a goddamn shit-show this has been.
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Credits
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