The Stalker

As the girl walks down the busy streets of her hometown, she feels a sense of familiarity and comfort. Samantha has been away studying psychology in a far-off city, and now she's back for a brief visit to see her family. Her childhood home is just a couple of blocks away, and she's excited to surprise her parents for her upcoming birthday.

But before she reaches her destination, she stops at her favorite café, Bristol. The scent of freshly brewed coffee and baked goods fills the air, and she can't resist indulging in her usual order of iced mocha and carrot cake. She savors each delicious bite, feeling grateful for the little pleasures in life.

As she sits and enjoys her meal, her mind drifts to a painful memory. A few months ago, she briefly dated a guy who loved rainbow-colored cotton candy. Seeing a child on the street with the same treat brings back the heartache of his sudden death. She quickly pushes the thought aside, choosing instead to focus on the joy of her surprise visit to her family.

She can't wait to see the look on her parents' faces when she walks through the door. Her heart swells with gratitude for the opportunity to be home, even for just a little while. As she finishes her meal, she gathers her things and heads back out into the world, eager to see what the rest of the day has in store.

Samantha’s surprise visit worked out perfectly. Her family was overjoyed to see her, and they spent the day catching up on each other's lives. She had brought gifts for everyone from her recent trip to Rome, and they eagerly opened them. For her little brother, she had gotten a miniature replica of the Colosseum, complete with gladiator figurines. Her sister was thrilled with her new stuffed animal, a cute little bear with a red bow. And for her parents, she had brought a beautiful bottle of Italian wine with some gourmet chocolates.

After a delicious dinner cooked by her mom, they all gather in the lounge for a game night, just like they used to do when she was younger. They start with a round of Sequence, a family favorite. The competition was friendly but fierce, and they laughed and cheered as they played. For a moment, it was as though nothing had changed, and they were all back together again, just like old times. It was the perfect way to spend the evening, and Samantha felt grateful for this precious time with her family.

The doorbell rings as they were wrapping up the game, causing everyone to perk up. Stella, Samantha’s mother, gets up to answer the door. To her surprise, it was a delivery guy with a package. The timing was odd, as deliveries usually came during the day, not at night. There was no sender name, only “For Samantha Adams” scrawled across the front. Stella’s heart raced as she accepts the package and brings it inside, deciding to keep the delivery to herself and placing it on the kitchen counter. When her husband asks who was at the door, she lies and says it was just the neighbor's kid. But his suspicion grows.

The family heads off to their respective rooms for the night. Stella asks Samantha to stay for a moment to show her the mysterious package. She asks her daughter if she was expecting a delivery today, but her answer was negative. Her mother had a nagging feeling about the parcel, and they decide to open it. Samantha follows her mother and watches as she carefully slices open the package. To their relief, the box was filled with birthday gifts! Samantha immediately knew that it was her best friend, Zeke, playing a prank on her.

Samantha makes her way to her room, clutching the mysterious parcel. She can't wait to see what was inside. Excited to thank Zeke for the thoughtful gift, Samantha calls him right away. But to her surprise, Zeke knew nothing about the gift or any prank. She starts to wonder who could have sent the gift.

Once inside her room, she eagerly opens the package and is surprised to see all her favorite things. A beautiful necklace with the letter S, a perfume from her favorite store that she wore daily, a frock that was just her style, and to top it all off, a delicious carrot cake from Bristol.

As she checks the cake, she realizes that whoever sent it must have known that it was her all-time favorite. But how can someone know all her favorites when she hasn't mentioned them to anyone on her campus or among her friends? She realizes the sender must be from her hometown.

Samantha's heart races as she sees a khaki envelope lying amid her gifts. She gets a nagging feeling that something isn’t right, and her fears are soon confirmed when she opens the envelope. Inside were dozens of candid pictures of her, taken without her knowledge. Samantha's mind races with questions - Who was taking these pictures? How long had they been watching her? Why were they doing this?

As she flips through the photos, her shock only grows. There were pictures of her in class, hanging out with friends, going to the mall, on a date and even sitting in her own room. She feels violated and exposed. And then, the final photos make her stomach drop - pictures of her walking, entering Cafe Bristol, eating her favorite carrot cake, and finally, entering her own house. Someone has been following her, watching her every move.

Samantha's mind races with panic and she immediately calls Zeke, hoping for some comfort and support. But as she was telling Zeke about the photos, she hears a blood-curdling scream from the other end of the line before it goes dead. Samantha's heart pounds in her chest as she realizes something is horribly wrong. She calls the police at Zeke's house, praying for her friend's safety.

To her horror, the police inform her that Zeke has been brutally murdered. Samantha's world was turned upside down in a matter of minutes - not only is she being stalked, but now her best friend is gone. She doesn't know who to turn to, or who to trust. The only thing she knows for sure is that her life will never be the same again.

Samantha was still reeling from the news of Zeke's murder when her phone rang. She hesitates before answering, but curiosity gets the better of her. A man's voice on the other end asks if she liked the gifts he sent. Samantha is too stunned to respond, too frozen to ask him who he was. The man seems to know that she is speechless, and he goes on to mention Zeke. Her heart sinks as he reveals that he knows what had happened to her friend. She demands to know who he is, but he doesn't answer. Instead, he says he hopes she likes the cake, and that he will bring another one on her birthday. The line goes dead.

The night was long and arduous for Samantha. She had to give a statement to the police, but the thought of her best friend's murder kept her up all night. She finally drifts off.

She wakes up to the sound of her doorbell. Much to her shock, there is another parcel at the doorstep, waiting for her. She hesitates before opening it, fearing what might be inside. With trembling hands, she tears open the package to reveal a custom-made t-shirt she had gifted to her ex.

Her heart skips a beat as she realized the stalker was now targeting people from her past. The note that accompanied the shirt was equally chilling. It read: "You gave this shirt to the wrong person. I deserved it, but you gave it to him. So, I took care of him."

The realization hits her like a ton of bricks. This stalker has been watching her for a long time, gathering information and following her every move. How could she have been so blind? Her mind races with fear and confusion as she struggles to make sense of it all.

Samantha was desperate for answers, but the stalker remains elusive. He taunts her over the phone, enjoying her fear and discomfort. She knew she has to take action before it is too late.

The whole night is spent tossing and turning, haunted by the images of her ex-flame's lifeless body and the knowledge that she is being watched. When she wakes up, the world seems even bleaker. She feels suffocated by the constant fear that has become a part of her life.

Samantha felt like she is living in a nightmare. The stalker's actions have become more aggressive and invasive, and she knows that she needs to take drastic action to protect herself. She knows that staying in her current situation is not an option, so she decides to do something that will give her some breathing room: she decides to move abroad.

It was a spur-of-the-moment decision, but she felt like it was the right one. She talks to her parents and explains the situation to them. They are understandably concerned but support her decision. Samantha applies for a semester exchange program, and to her surprise, her application gets accepted. She flies to France, leaving behind everything she knew.

Samantha's plan was to disappear. She doesn't tell anyone she was leaving, except for her parents and the people in charge of the exchange program. She doesn't want her stalker to find out where she is, and she doesn't want anyone else to know either. For two months, Samantha keeps her location a secret.

But it isn't easy at all. Living in a foreign country can be daunting, and Samantha struggles to adapt to her new surroundings. She misses her friends and family, and she finds it hard to make new connections. But as time goes on, she starts to settle in. She explored her new town, a quaint French village, and found that she loves the slower pace of life there. She even starts to make new friends, something she never thought was possible.

Samantha was starting to make a life for herself in France, but the memories of Zeke lingered in her mind. She misses her best friend dearly and would often find herself scrolling through old pictures and messages they had shared. However, every time she thought about Zeke, her mind would wander to the stalker who had taken him away from her. The fear and anxiety would grip her heart, causing her to push the thoughts aside and focus on the present. She has come to France to forget all of the trauma she had faced, and she is determined to do just that. Despite the occasional pang of sadness, Samantha was finally starting to feel at home in her new environment.

As Samantha completes her last semester of psychology, she begins to feel like her life is coming back to normal. She is finally able to focus on her studies and her own personal growth, without the constant threat of her stalker hanging over her head. The memories of her brief encounter with the stalker begin to fade, and she finds that she is starting to feel like herself again.

Almost a year goes by, and Samantha feels she has finally settled into her new life, leaving the stalker and his bizarre gifts far behind. Her birthday month arrives and she was excited to celebrate her birthday with her new friends. But as the day approaches, an uncomfortable feeling begins to creep up on her. Memories of last year's traumatic birthday flood back, and she can't help but feel a sense of dread.

Determined to have a good time, Samantha and her friends go out to a local diner, enjoying the ambience and each other's company. But as the night progresses, she can't shake off the feeling that someone is watching her every move. She tries to ignore it, thinking it was just her anxiety from last year, but the feeling persists.

As she was walking home after a night out, Samantha's mind starts to race with all sorts of possibilities. Was it just her imagination, or is someone actually following her? When she finally reaches her apartment building, she fumbles with her keys, her heart pounding in her chest. As she opens the door to her apartment, the scent of her favorite café hits her, and she freezes in terror.

A small box sat on her kitchen table, and as she slowly approaches it, she can feel her pulse quickening. She opens the box only to see her favorite carrot cake, a reminder of last year's terrifying encounter with the stalker. But this time, there is a chilling message attached: "Happy Birthday, Samantha. We finally meet."

Samantha's hands shake as she turns around, her eyes widening in terror. Standing in her apartment is a massive figure, grinning from ear to ear in a way that makes her skin crawl. She is trapped, alone, and terrified - and she has no idea what is going to happen next!