Obsessed

by Ashton Blackthorne

  9

  He awoke in a panic, drenched in sweat. It had been days since he’d seen Sarah, but he knew she was out there just watching him, waiting for her chance. He rolled over in the bed tossing the covers from his body.

  He thought of the nightmare he’d just had, a terrible memory from when he’d been shot. The way his fellow Marines had looked down at his broken body, shattered and bleeding. They’d been shaking their heads bemoaning his short life, saddened by what was sure to be his impending death.

  But he hadn’t died.

  Jax stood up and sauntered over to the window. He ensured it was locked as he looked out into the blackness of the night. No one was out there.

  It was such a strange feeling for him knowing that someone was supposed to be watching him and yet, she wasn’t at the moment. It was that knowing and not knowing that was driving him crazy.

  Insane even.

  Picking up his phone, he noted the time to be 3 AM. He’d always hated looking at the clock at night because knowing the time made him unable to go back to sleep.

  Besides, 3 AM was the witching hour or so they said. 3 AM was the devil’s hour to prey on weak minds, a mockery of the time that Christ was said to have died on the cross at 3 PM. It was the time that demons supposedly roamed around looking for people to inhabit. Well, he didn’t need any more demons. He laughed at the ludicrousness of his own thought and grabbed a pack of cigarettes from the night stand. He lit one up and exhaled the smoke.

  Motherfucker.

  He was supposed to quit smoking! Shaking his head, he crushed the cigarette into the ashtray. Jessica advised him that smoking would age him terribly before his time.

  Have to stay attractive for the ladies.

  Suddenly, a shadow fell across his wall. It moved in the shape of a person. Jax flew to the window and looked out.

  Still, nothing.

  It had to be his imagination. Sarah wouldn’t be out there at this hour, would she?

  No, she’d wait until morning at least to begin following him when he left the house.

  Right?

  Lying back down on the mattress, he pulled the covers back over his body.

  Fuck this, he thought. I’ve got to get some sleep.

  Sarah’s hands tensed as she sat behind the steering wheel of her black Volvo. She’d just purchased the car last week after seeing that bitch, Brooke driving one. The nerve of her moving in with Jax after they’d just gotten back together. She knew all about Brooke.

  The voices had told her.

  But right now they were telling her to watch Jax. She watched intently as Jax entered the restaurant holding the arm of a curvaceous redhead. The woman was young and stunning. Sarah glanced at her own reflection in the rearview mirror. Her long brown hair had been flat ironed straight as a rod and her makeup applied to perfection. Surely, Jax would notice how beautiful she was as well.

  Wouldn’t he?

  Sarah chuckled as she dabbed a bit of pink gloss to her full lips. She exited her car to enter the restaurant.

  “Good afternoon, Miss. Table for one?” The waiter was tall and good looking with baby blue eyes and dark brown hair. His muscles flexed beneath his tight shirt.

  “For now,” she replied with a teasing smile. His brows flashed upward at her as he sat her at a table a few seats away from Jax and the redhead.

  As he handed her a menu, she tossed it aside watching Jax and the redhead talk animatedly to each other. Silently, Sarah imitated the redhead’s quick movements.

  “Miss, are you all right?” The attractive waiter stared down at her. She snapped out of her reverie and looked up at him.

  “Of course.”

  “Are you ready to order? The special today is coq au vin and the soup is New England clam chowder.”

  “I’ll have the watercress and cucumber salad with mustard vinaigrette, poached salmon with lemon, and a Pellegrino.”

  “Yes, Miss. I will have that right out.”

  Sarah looked down at her the red tablecloth as she thought about the waiter. But still the waiter was nothing new. People were always giving her funny looks. It was like that time when she was nine years old and she began to see the Man.

  He was old and withered looking with long white hair. He made her skin crawl most of the time, but sometimes he made her laugh. Her parents had said she was crazy. Her brother had laughed at her.

  But he was real.

  Just like the voices.

  She’d been a fan of Jax Paulson since he’d published his first novel. Critics had derided him saying he was nothing more than a smut peddler, but Sarah knew better. Jax was special. He had real talent when he wasn’t masquerading as a cheap romance author.

  Mommy porn, they called his work.

  Sarah scoffed at that notion. She loathed reading erotica, but she loved Jax’s books. She thought he was a brilliant writer well on his way to hitting the top of the NYT, so when Jessica approached her about being his ‘stalker’ she leapt at the chance.

  Eagerly, she played the role of his stalker until the voices started.

  Again.

  They filled her head all hours of the night roaring about Jax telling her how evil he was. That she must follow him everywhere. It was her job to stop him.

  From what she didn’t know. All she knew was what they said.

  Follow him even unto the ends of the earth

  She shuddered as she knew the man she so admired was filled with an unknown evil. Sarah didn’t understand it, but she knew she must do what the voices said.

  Just like she’d done that night so long ago….

  Her brother, Tristan had been playing hide and seek with her and her best friend, Mollie when she first heard them. They tickled her ears with whispers as the wind began to howl. The cold air of autumn had begun to blast from the north as they played in the woods behind her house.

  “Sarah….Sarah,” they whispered.

  At first, she thought it was Tristan and Mollie playing a joke on her, but then as they continued talking to her she knew they weren’t the voices of her friend and brother.

  They were voices coming from some unknown place. Whether it was from deep inside her or from some other place she didn’t know.

  But they terrified her.

  They whispered about Mollie saying terrible, horrifying things about her. Mollie had been her very best friend since they were in kindergarten.

  But according to the voices, Mollie wasn’t what she seemed. She was bad, evil, in fact.

  So evil she would hurt Sarah if she didn’t hurt her first.

  The trio of children continued playing as Sarah struggled to ignore the horrible whispers in her ears. She tried to focus on her friend and brother.

  The sun started to set in the horizon as Sarah was proclaimed ‘It’. As she searched for Tristan and Mollie her gaze fell upon a large branch lying on the ground.

  Hit her.

  No, Sarah screamed aloud. I won’t do it!

  Do it!

  No!

  She’ll kill you if you don’t.

  No, she won’t! Sarah screamed back.

  Suddenly, she heard Mollie’s laughter behind her. The dry leaves crunched beneath her feet as Mollie crept up on her. Sarah snatched the heavy branch and swung it around to smash Mollie right in the face. Blood spurted from her nose as it broke upon impact. Mollie pitched forward crying hysterically.

  Do it, Sarah!

  Sarah held the huge branch in the air above Mollie as she crouched helplessly holding her hands above her head. Without another thought, Sarah brought the branch down onto Mollie’s head cringing as she heard the loud crack of her skull.

  Then a loud scream.

  Tristan stood watching her holding his hands over his mouth. His eyes were wide with fright.

  But Mollie hadn’t died that day. Sarah succeeded in giving her a skull fracture, but she lived.

  Sarah, however, had been sent away to live in a big, scary hospital for a few years.

&n
bsp; Now the voices were telling her that Jax was evil, that he had to be stopped.

  “How will I know how long to follow him?” She’d asked them.

  “When you find your replacement.”

  Sarah had thought a moment.

  “How do I find them?”

  “You will know when you find her.”

  “It’s a woman?”

  “Yes.”

  Sarah had struggled to understand. How would she possibly know who the woman was?

  “How will I know who she is?”

  “When you get the right answer to the question.”

  “What answer is that?”

  “Who lies beneath the shadow of the pyramid?”

  Sarah was confused.

  “Who?”

  “The correct answer is ‘you do’.”

  Sarah sighed. She had hoped that the voices would simply leave her alone. She didn’t want to be given any more special missions. After what happened to Mollie, she wasn’t sure she should follow their instructions. They had led to her being locked up in a mental hospital for several years.

  But this time she felt she could trust them. She knew that they were right.

  She’d seen it for herself. His hazel eyes betrayed his dark heart. No one else knew about him. She was the only one.

  Sarah pushed the frightening thoughts from her mind. She sipped her water as she watched Jax and the redhead. As soon as the redhead rose from her chair, Sarah jumped up to follow her.

  As she walked into the restroom, Sarah eyed the woman as she applied fresh lipstick. Sarah took a deep breath before she dared to ask her question.

  “Excuse me, that’s Jax Paulson you’re dining with, isn’t it?”

  The woman looked startled then smiled.

  “Yes, it is. Are you a fan?”

  Sarah nodded.

  “He’s the best. Follow me back to our table and I’ll ask him to autograph something for you.” She laughed.

  Sarah shook her head.

  “That won’t be necessary. I just need to know something.”

  The redhead furrowed her brow as she slipped her lipstick back into her bag.

  “What?”

  “Who lies beneath the shadow of the pyramid?”

  The woman stared at her her mouth agape. The soft whir of the bathroom fan echoed.

  “What are you talking about? What pyramid?”

  Sarah leaned towards her searching for recognition in her eyes. She whispered furtively.

  “You know, the pyramid.”

  “No, I don’t know the pyramid.”

  “Yes, you do. You must!” Sarah insisted.

  The woman began to back away towards the door.

  “Stay the hell away from me!” She pushed open the door and raced out.

  Sarah stood there a moment staring at herself in the mirror. She reached out to touch the place where the woman had placed her purse. It was warm.

  Surely, that meant something.

  But what?

  After all, the voices had been right about Mollie. She had been evil. Mollie had grown up to be a beautiful woman. So beautiful and beguiling she lured dozens of men, married men into her bed. Marriage after marriage had been devastated because of her.

  Sarah watched her from afar seeing all the innocent lives Mollie had wrecked. If she’d succeeded years ago when Mollie was young, she wouldn’t have been able to do those things. Still, Sarah attended college hearing the stories about slutty Mollie until one day Mollie did the ultimate evil.

  She’d become pregnant and had an abortion.

  Mollie had murdered her unborn baby! Sarah had been sickened by the news. She vowed then and there if the voices ever told her to do anything like what she’d done to Mollie again, she’d listen.

  And so she had.

  Walking back to her table, she noticed the redhead frantically speaking to Jax waving her hands. Jax turned around and he made eye contact with her. His hazel eyes stared into hers making her shiver.

  Watch out, Sarah. He’s onto you now.

  Sarah bolted from the restaurant racing back to her car.

  “Miss!” The waiter dashed after her. Sarah paid no mind as she roared off.

  10

  His fingers flew over the keyboard as he frantically typed out several more chapters for Disturbed. The scene at the restaurant a few weeks ago had been played out for each date he’d had. At first, it had been unnerving, but he’d grown accustomed to it and now it was working like magic to inspire him.

  He was nearly two thirds of the way through his latest novel and it was proving to be even darker than he’d imagined. He didn’t think Kristi was going to like it very much since it was light on the sexy romance scenes he was known for, but Jax was happier than he’d been in a very long time.

  Except for the nightmares.

  They were more like night terrors. Lately, he’d been waking up after falling asleep to find himself in odd places.

  Doing things he didn’t remember doing.

  Last night had been the worst. He’d awoke to find himself standing outside in the woods behind his house. His fingernails were caked with mud and his neck had deep scratches on it. He’d swiped his hand over his neck and it came away with blood on it.

  Terrified, he raced back into the house. Brooke was still there sleeping in his bed peacefully. He darted into the bathroom to wash the mud from his hands and to clean the scratches on his neck.

  Shaken, he crawled back into bed with her. Why had he been outside in the middle of the night? Who or what had scratched him?

  As soon as he woke up in the morning, he flushed his Haldol down the toilet. The sleeping pills must be what was making him sleepwalk and do all sorts of crazy things. He remembered years ago when he first started taking them that Brooke would tell him all the strange things he said and did while on them.

  But now he was beginning to think the drug’s side effects could be dangerous. What if he tried to drive while on them? Or worse?

  He wasn’t going to take any more chances. No more Haldol for him.

  Still, the night terrors and the stalking were doing wonders for his book. He could feel an inner rage seething within him pouring out onto the pages. Each line was filled with all the horror, rage, and terror he was currently feeling.

  And it was going to make him an icon in the writing world, he was sure of it. Enough of the flowery romantic bs. This was who Jax Paulson really was.

  It was time everyone met the real Jax, he thought smiling to himself.

  Punching her fist into her pillow, Sarah screamed her rage. That fucking bitch Jessica Pierce! Damn her to hell!

  I think you need to step up your activities in regards to stalking Jax. Remember this is supposed to be terrifying for him not merely an annoyance.

  So she wasn’t being extreme enough? Sarah shook her head. If Jessica wanted Jax to be scared, she’d show them!

  After all, she had her voices to guide her.

  11

  Jax flipped on the lights. He staggered backwards in horror as he saw the crimson fluid pooling on the floor. The heavy rich smell of iron nauseated him as clutched his hand to his face. White feathers stained with red were scattered all over the kitchen floor. Blood was smeared all over the refrigerator and the cabinets.

  As Jax backed away from the horrifying scene, he noticed something was painted on the refrigerator.

  It’s you.

  Those words were scrawled several times as well in blood as the shape of a triangle.

  What the fuck?

  It was Sarah. It had to be! But this was beyond any ‘stalker’ game she was supposed to be playing. This was…

  Disturbed.

  The same title as his current work in progress.

  Throwing aside his concerns, he dashed to his office and sat down at his desk frantically typing on his laptop. His fingers pounded the keyboard as he furiously typed out several chapters.

  Hours later, his fingers cramping, Jax stood up. His
writing had been so intense it was as if he’d been in a trance. He could barely make out the words on the screen as his mind swam with thoughts. Then he remembered the hideous mess in the kitchen.

  Sarah.

  Perhaps this was part of Jessica’s plan. It had certainly inspired him to write. Maybe this was why world renowned authors touted her as the ‘best of the best’.

  Walking back down the stairs, Jax turned the light on in the kitchen. The blood was still there lying in a congealed pool, the bloodied feathers wilted and sticky. Maybe the blood wasn’t even real just part of a staged act by Sarah and Jessica.

  He reached a tentative finger out to swipe across the blood on the floor. It was cold and sticky. Gingerly, he held it to his nose. Horrified, he drew back sharply realizing it was real. Maybe this wasn’t the plan.

  Turning on the faucet, he pumped soap into his hands and washed them thoroughly. He panicked thinking of how he would clean up this mess. Should he call the police? How had Sarah gotten inside anyway?

  But Jessica had specifically said not to call the police. He wondered if he should call his cleaning service instead.

  No, better to clean it himself, but not before taking several pictures of the scene with his phone.

  As Jax sat about cleaning up the disgusting mess, he stared at the image and the words painted on his refrigerator.

  It’s you.

  His finger traced over the dried blood trying to imagine what Sarah may have meant by those words.

  Jax raced through the house securing every door and window. He found a small pane of the French doors shattered on the back patio. The door had been unlocked. He quickly placed a piece of cardboard over the shattered pane and called Jessica.

  “This is Jessica.”

  “Jessica, it’s Jax. I think Sarah’s really gone crazy! I came home from Vegas tonight to find this mess in my kitchen.”

  “What mess?” Jessica’s smooth voice remained unperturbed.

  “Here, I’ll send you the pictures.”

  A few moments later, Jessica gasped.

  “Wow, you think Sarah did this?”