Page 64 of Make No Mistake

“Who knew three dollars could get you so much goodness.” I’d been suspicious about how cheap the food was, but I could get food poisoning later and not care. This was amazing.

“I’m glad you approve.”

I smiled back at him and finished my tacos before throwing away the wrappers. “Thanks for hanging out with me today.”

He tossed his trash over his shoulder and it somehow made it into the bin. He didn’t even turn around to check. “Anytime. You just need to call me when you’re free.”

“Yeah, since you have one of the most laid back bosses in the world.”

He laughed. “Yeah, Brandon’s pretty chill. As long as we get our work done and its quality, we can get away with a lot. So, how’s school going?”

“It’s busy, but good. I finally settled on my senior project topic, so now I’m working on that.”

“Oh, what is it?”

“Have you heard about the attacks on CU’s campus?”

He nodded. “Yeah, Carter told me you and Aubrey live in the same complex where the last attack was.”

I nodded. “That’s what I’ve been working on. I want to figure out who it is, but in the meantime, I’ve started a blog with the details of what’s happened and how to stay safe.”

“That’s awesome. Good for you.”

“Thanks.”

The sun was already starting to set, so I decided it was finally time to head home. I couldn’t ignore my responsibilities forever, unfortunately.

“I better get back.”

“Okay.”

When we got to the cars, he pulled me in for a hug which I happily returned.

“Don’t be a stranger.”

“You too. Phones work both ways.”

He laughed and stepped back. “Drive safe.”

I waved and slid into my car. This day was exactly what I needed. No stressing over homework or articles, no worrying about the attacks, no wondering whether or not he likes me. Just a perfect day at the beach with a friend.

It was dark when I finally parked and lifted my board out of my car. I should have brought a change of clothes, but all I could think about earlier was getting to the ocean as fast as possible. Now I felt a little strange walking around the parking lot in a bikini in the dark. I hurried and put my board back in our storage closet and went back to my car to grab my towel and lock it.

I was only a few steps away from my car when I heard something behind me. I turned around but didn’t see anything.

Great. All of the attacks were making me paranoid.

Granted, I was breaking my own important rule of being out alone at night.

I took a few more steps toward my apartment when I heard the noise again. I spun around in time to see a bat coming at me.

I ducked and rolled to the ground.

There he was.

In a dark hoodie with his face covered was the attacker.

Medium build, at least six feet tall, black hoodie with no logo. I told myself to memorize these things while I crab-walked away from him.