AllFreeNovel
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Me
Creep much?
There’s no response. Not even any little dots. Though I can tell he’s read my text.
Me
Keep looking, psycho. I’m safe from you tonight.
He reads that one, too. Still no reply.
An hour later, there’sstillno reply, and I’m getting antsy pacing the dark hotel room while my friends snore drunkenly in thebackground. The concierge downstairs doesnothave a phone charger I can use. But apparently the rooftop bar at the hotel down the street is open late-late, and they probably have one.
Perfect.
This Montreal jaunt wasn’t exactly planned. So I don’t have anything to change into. But my dress from dinner and karaoke earlier seems okay for a ritzy late-night hotel bar.
The streets are fairly empty as I head down the block, around the corner, and into the hotel. An elevator brings me to the rooftop bar, which is packed with late-night partiers.
I spend the next two hours sipping a few cocktails, politely—and then not-so-politely—telling a group of finance douchebags to fuck off and leave me alone, even doing a little work for Kir on my now-charged phone.
Must be guilt from ignoring his texts earlier.
At last call I grab one more drink, settle up, and make my way downstairs.
The streets are even quieter and more desolate now. A chill ripples up my spine, but I tell myself it’s just the temperature. I mean, I am in Canada.
I start to walk back to our hotel. But at the corner, that same group of douchebags from the club is hanging out, smoking cigarettes.
Yeah, hard pass on that terrible situation waiting to happen.
I backtrack to the hotel with the rooftop bar and walk around the block in the other direction. A row of buildings is under heavy construction, with scaffolding covering the front and oneof those walkways they build near urban construction sites for pedestrians: basically a wooden hallway built around the metal poles of the lower scaffolding.
The temporary lights flicker as I step into the wooden hallway. I swallow nervously, glancing behind me and then to the entire block of covered walkway ahead of me.
It’s fine, I tell myself.You’re fine.
I start to walk, wishing I had my big set of keys with the little pepper spray can attached. But I left those back in New York.
I’m about a third of the way through the walkway when the lights flicker again.
Then I hear it—footsteps. Slow. Deliberate. Closing in behind me.
I spin around with a scream on my lips.
…There’s no one there.
Silence hangs like a shroud around me. The lights flicker and buzz again. My breath becomes short gasps, my mind racing.
Fuck this.
I turn and prepare to run. Except I’m in stupid fucking heels. So I start to power-walk, trying to get out of this enclosed hallway as fast as possible. I mean fuck, I’d even take the finance douchebags at this point.
I’m nearing the end when I hear it again—footsteps, louder this time. Closer. Then, a shadow moves in the corner of my vision.
I whirl.
The scream gets trapped in my throat.
