He Follows

Tick. Tick. Tick.

Kaitlyn cringed as the loud sound echoed in her ears. She watched the clock above her, anxiety rising as the second hard ticked. Her leg jigged up and down as her eyes darted around the abandoned baggage claim area. Only her suitcase was missing. Just hers.

No planes had arrived since hers landed. Everyone aboard her flight had collected their luggage and left. She’d asked the staff multiple times where hers was, but she never got a straight answer.

The conveyor belt was still, silent. No bags were coming through and it lay dormant. She’d never seen one so motionless.

Tick. Tick. Tick.

She stood, hair on end. She felt as if she was being watched… dissected. She scanned her surroundings. No one was in sight. The terminal was quiet. Too quiet. Multiple planes had to be landing here. It was a popular destination and only 10:00. It made no sense.

Kaitlyn gripped her handbag tightly, urging her heart to slow. She knew something was wrong. She stepped towards the exit, frowning as she realised the door was closed. Doors were never shut inside airports. She never even realised there were doors in airports.

She flinched as the conveyor belt groaned, resuming a slow, jerky movement around the carousel. An item emerged from the depths of the airport and Kaitlyn’s heart pounded harder.

Tick. Tick. Tick.

Kaitlyn grabbed the wetsuit on the moving conveyor belt, gently caressing the cloth between her fingers. It slipped from her grasp, silently falling to the ground.

She couldn’t breathe as long-suppressed memories flooded her mind. The last time she saw a wetsuit was on her best friend, Amanda. Years ago. Amanda’s life ended when she was in her wetsuit. A wetsuit that looked identical to the one now laying abandoned on the ground.

She glanced up at the clock again, breath quickening as the second hand continued to slowly move. It was almost 10:01.

Tick. Tick. Tick.

She ran. Screw the luggage, it wasn’t worth it. The door to exit the baggage area was still shut. She tried to pry it open, but it wouldn’t budge. She yelled, trying to get the attention of anyone that could hear her. She didn’t understand why she was alone in the terminal or why everything was closed tight.

She darted back to the carousel, desperately trying to see if there was any way to leave. She didn’t know how, but she knew he found her. That was the only explanation.

She glanced at the clock again, terror consuming her. The second hand was nearly at 60 seconds. She had to make it to 10:01.

Tick. Tick. Tick.

Kaitlyn desperately scanned the area again, spotting a dark opening nearby. A way out of the airport! She ran towards it before skidding to a stop. A dark figure blocked her path. She stumbled backwards, unable to take her eyes off him.

How did he get in here? How did he manage to empty out an entire airport?

Terror consumed her. He had been hunting her. Her eyes darted to the clock once again. Almost 10:01.

Tick Tick Tick

His face came into the light. Dark hair framed his sharp jawline, shadowed in a slight beard. His dark brown eyes were bored into her, almost as if he was seeing into her very soul.

Tears dripped down Kaitlyn’s cheeks. “Please,” she whimpered. “I’ve kept quiet. I don’t want to die.”

Tick. Tick. Tick.

Blurred eyes looked up at the clock again. 10:01.

She saw him draw a gun and squeezed her eyes shut. She prayed it would be over quick and painlessly. Did a gunshot hurt? Would she die instantly, or would she be left to bleed out in this abandoned airport?

A gunshot rang out.