He Watches From The Corner

Amanda Briggs gently held her teacup, waves of warmth skimming through her veins. She gazed out the window at the magnificent forest stretching out from her house. In these moments, Amanda could think everything was right with the world.

The bean bag she sat in practically absorbed her, allowing for greater comfort. Not a care in the world was allowed to enter Amanda’s mind, and she accepted that for the moment. Work would call on her tomorrow, but she didn’t care. Sooner or later, the grief of losing her husband would show its ugly head, but she pushed that away taking a small sip from her jasmine tea.

Sleep had to come easy tonight since Amanda was expected to give a presentation online tomorrow. Working from home had helped her a bit, but she knew it was slowly causing loneliness to warp her mind. Taking in a few more minutes of comfort as the sun set, Amanda stood up and went to her kitchen.

It was time to finish up everything and get a snack. Amanda’s beautiful black hair hung low down her back, and her green eyes uncannily matched them in spirit.

“Hello?” Amanda spun around. Someone had been watching her. Scanning the living room behind her, Amanda tried to find the pair of eyes that pierced her through the dying light of the day. She always had a strangely prominent ability to tell when others gazed at her.

Maybe it was insanity and madness. Things like this had been happening ever since her husband died. Living out in the middle of the woods was hard when no one was there to greet you when they woke up or someone to share a meal with every now and then. Amanda desperately wished to be working in the nearby town more than ever. Sure it was an hour drive, but it was better than only seeing people on a computer screen a few times a week.

Shaking her head, Amanda tried to push it all away. No one had been watching her. No one was there; it was just Amanda. Rolling her eyes, Amanda pulled open the fridge, grabbing a bowl of grapes. Pulling away, Amanda screamed.

“WHO’S THERE!” She cried out, fear filling her bones and prickling her heart. The bowl shattered on the floor, causing a cacophony of sound to bounce and give way to a deafening silence.

Amanda stood there shaking for a moment as the quiet of her house seemed to press her cruelly. Breathing became hard, the resonation of nothingness louder than a thousand rock bands.

That time it wasn’t eyes. Something had touched Amanda, no doubt. She began to frantically pat her shoulder as if something clung to her threateningly. A few tears spilled forth from Amanda’s eyes, but she paid them no mind terror had gripped her tightly.

So many things had happened so quickly that Amanda hadn’t registered she dropped the bowl. Beginning to move, Amanda was met with her own shout as she fell in pain. A piece of glass had caught her skin. Doubling over in pain, Amanda took a moment to gasp in senseless pain, more tears assaulting her cheeks.

Blood began to pour from the wound, ironically staining the crisp white floor Amanda was so proud of. Seeing the blood caused Amanda’s head to spin with a frightful fit of disgust. Crawling away from the mess, she was groaning in such pain. It took all her willpower to not pass out. A trail of blood from the significant cut made Amanda look like a disgusting slug searching for its next meal.

“H-help…” The poor girl began to mindlessly whisper as she pulled herself up on the rough granite counter. Amanda’s foot was throbbing in pain, beating up her leg to her miserable head. She felt like vomiting up but couldn’t bring herself to do it.

Amanda reached for the phone on the cold cream-colored bar, unable to realize no one would get there for at least 30 minutes. Most drivers wouldn’t risk going fast on the back roads, not this late at night.

The pain continued to blind her as she desperately wanted for the phone. Getting inches from Amanda’s potential salvation, a horrible gurgling noise left her throat as a hand took the phone away into the darkness.

A few seconds passed as the terror of seeing nothing more than a hand in the darkness blocked the stimulation from her foot from being registered. Someone was here.

When she got a hold of herself, Amanda realized that even if someone was there, her foot would kill before they could. A pool of blood yawned out from Amanda’s foot, and she began swiftly searching through a nearby drawer for a towel or something.

Finding a bright white cloth, she didn’t hesitate to wrap it around her foot, tying it tight a grunt of pain confirmed she was still injured. It took mere seconds for the brilliant white to be stained with crimson tides unyielding.

Finally standing up, Amanda used the counter to balance on her good foot. She began to scan the room. It was now completely dark outside, and Amanda hadn’t turned any lights on except in the kitchen. This left her hopelessly looking into the ebony space for signs of an intruder.

Despite her initial thoughts, someone did show themselves. In the corner of the living room, Amanda first spotted his eyes. A stunning white abyss that seemed to swirl as Amanda watched him, she took a sharp breath and nearly fell over.

“W-WHO ARE YOU!” Amanda cried out. She wasn’t thinking clearly through the sheer panic and pain that overwhelmed her like the raging sea.

“I am he who watches. All who are lonely, fear is thy ally.” His lips appeared to Amanda in a cracked and crooked smile. He began to walk towards her taking his time, as Amanda felt herself slowly slipping into the darkness that embraced the evil stranger.