1: Shadow Man

In a gloomy room of a duplex apartment. Two female voices were whispering to themselves in the dark, as if being scared of someone hearing them.

They are two close friends -- Ann Claire and Leah Smith.

"...Maybe because you're insecure. Then, what if you quickly get married? I don't think he would stalk you under someone else's watch. Trust me, he will let you be once he finds out you're married."

"That's a brilliant idea, Leah. Why didn't I think of that? Thank you so much for the advice," Ann was truly grateful.

As Leah began to wonder.

"But something is quite off. If he's someone who keeps claiming you, that means you might know him from somewhere, perhaps," said Leah, the visitor, who likely seemed most interested in their conversation.

"I have absolutely no idea of how he got to know me. Even till today, I didn't know who he was," Ann, who was quite scared, replied.

"But from his profile, can you recognise him, if you run into him someday?"

"Yes I can," Her voice was getting swivet, "His muscular, his voice is deeper and he had a very creepy tattoo on his chest,"

"His chest?" Leah asked, giving her an inquiring look.

Something in her look made her start, "I saw it the day he raped me. That was the first identification of his identity, I identify."

Leah was numb with shock as her eyes widened, that Ann can see her white eyeballs more visible in large size, even without the lights on.

"He raped you? My Gosh...this is even more serious and preposterous than I thought."

Leah lull for a moment, worried as she went on, "But why didn't you report to the police?"

"He threatened to kill me if I said a word to anyone and you're the first. But believe me he's watching me everywhere I go. I just pray he doesn't find out that you came to see me."

Leah began to stir up in anger. She was already thinking too fast.

"This man is a sociopath and needs to be thrown behind bars. Imagine what he had been doing to you? Not only he monitored your whereabouts and drugged you on your birthday party, but also raped you? Ann for Chris sake, this is beyond bounds. We need to involve the police!"

Her voice was getting loud as Ann quickly hushed her.

"No I can't. Leah, you don't know this young man. He's more dangerous than you think. Do you think I would have remained calm if I didn't notice these things? From the experience I had with him, he is not someone to mess with."

They abruptly fell into a gloomy silence as Leah was having a second thought of Ann's words.

Then, Ann impulsively broke the silence, "Leah you need to leave now. I don't want to put you in danger. Once you leave, never come back, okay. Pretend you heard nothing."

"Girl! Seriously. You're pushing me

away? Because of one stupid Shadow man or what do you call him?"

"Look, just report him to the police and be free. You don't even need to consider marriage. Period. I thought you told me that marriage is the last thing in your diary. Girl, you're still young to face all this,"

Leah gesticulated her anger.

Ann had nothing to say concerning that as she almost wanted to sob, being reminded of her own ordeal, but she refrained herself from doing that in the presence of her best friend.

"You should get going already before he finds out," She still insisted.

Leah hissed, "What nonsense? Now he has control over you or what, he tells you who to bring in your own house!" She spoke loudly and angrily, ranting out of furiousness, regardless of Ann trying to make her hush again.

"Leah please," Ann started shedding tears, pleading with Leah to be quiet.

"Fine, I'll leave," Leah became quiesce, haven seen how serious Ann was.

She gave up the debate and decided to leave, in provocation.

"But, no matter what, don't forget to invite me to your wedding, okay."

Leah's sour temper suddenly transformed into a broadened smile as she steeled herself up to leave.

"Why would I forget that, when you are my bridesmaids. You're the only true friend I ever had." Ann smiled at her acknowledgement.

"Uh," Leah was touched.

"But also don't forget to remind me of Grandma okay. And I hope she's already recovering,"

"Of course. Why not? When she has a very strong daughter like me to look after her."

They both laugh momentarily.

"Bye then, I'll be on my way now," Leah held up her arm bag on her right shoulder, setting to leave, "And yes, less I forgot."

She pressed her bag open and brought out a tear sheet paper, "Here. In case you still want to contact the matchmaker, put a call across."

Leah gave the paper to Ann as she left for the door.

"Leah, hold on. Let me see you out," Ann caught up with her at the door as they left together.

\*\*\*

After about a few minutes, Ann retired back inside, after seeing Leah off the gate.

It was another suspenseful night to deal with, whereby Leah's absence made her feel lonely and increasingly frightened by the long silent night, again.

Once inside her room, she locked the door and hid the keys inside the drawer.

Nothing was more scary than the usual night she had to stay alone, inside her dark room and wait for the night to be over, as if she was being haunted by a ghost.

Of course Ann was haunted, but the difference was, the phantom was a human, everywhere like a ghost, watching with those masked eyes, wherever she went.

Like usual at night, Ann went and sat up, alongside her bed, squeezed herself in her scant embrace, feeling restless and scared.

Rang!!!

Her smartphone on the bed rang out loudly, startling Ann to her feet.

Nothing must make such a loud noise in this place!

Quickly, she grabbed her smartphone with one hand and silenced it, but it was still buzzing and then, Ann glanced at the caller ID.

It was a shadow man.

Instantly, she dropped the smartphone on the ground, unwittingly.

Her heart was beating fast.

But, Ann also immediately picked it up and answered the call, because she dared not ignore his call after ringing for the second time. As often, she expected to hear his hoarse voice, but this time it was Leah's severe screeching.

Ann stood still, her heart thumping wildly.

"No, no, no. Don't do this, please," Ann burst into sobbing, pleading and pleading.

But, no one spoke from the other side of the phone, other than Leah's continuous screaming, at the top of her lungs.

"Please, don't do this to her, she'd done nothing?!"

BANG!!!

The sound of the gunshots over the phone was clear enough that the sound made a slight effect on Ann's hearing.

And then, Leah's voice faded and was replaced by his.

"I warned you,"

He said just a few words as usual and hung up.

Ann tries to stay collected and believe it was not true, likewise it never happened. But, deep down she can't fool herself. Leah is dead.

She loses stamina and falls on her feet, overwhelmed by bereavement.

By then, Ann's eyes were blinded by tears dripping down her jaw lines, uncontrollable, followed by shrieking, without caring that in order to stay alive, silence matters.

It was the damn words of Leah's killer -- Shadow Lover.

It was totally my fault! It's your fault, Ann! You killed me!

It kept reverberating and troubling her mind as though Leah was saying those words, while Ann started to picture the image of Leah's disembodied spirit at the door; a face white with rage, lips...white with the hue of death and covered in blood stained from the hole in her heart.

The images flooded her mind, they were about to burst her brain as she held her heavy ears with her hands, screaming and pleading to no one in the room to let go of her.

It turns into a short period of insanity as she continues to scream for a long while.

Almost dawn, Ann was still awake, with those bloodshot eyes of a viper, glistening in the darkness.

She sat there again, somewhat sang-froid than before, but was still panting and frightened of likely being haunted by another ghost.

Moreover, deep down in her heart there was still a gleam of thoughtfulness alive in her.

Ann was totally drained by her recent state of life. She never imagined to face traumatising stricken horror in her life. This was never the kind of life she had dreamt to live.

If only her father was still alive. If only it had not turned out to be, she was an orphan, abandoned by relatives. Would her life turn out like this?

Till now, she doesn't know her offence for being treated this way by her worst nightmare -- Shadow man.

It was what he claimed he was to her and had made her remember these words, even if she doesn't remember anything else on Earth. This name would always dwell with her as long as he existed.

She felt like she's dead, living among the living, going to work like everyone else, like her next apartment neighbour, but in the eyes of everyone, she's a spook and a sociopath.

Formerly, her neighbour was a close friend and they were cool, until he made her stay away from everyone.

Not only did he make her stay away, but turned her into a psycho freak.

However, when she started staying away from everyone, including her neighbour. But, her neighbour didn't stay away, because she was a good woman and had always cared a lot about Ann, even though she was doing everything possible to disassociate from her.

Helpfully, she turned into a freak and began to scream all night, scattering objects and running away from everyone like they were apparitions. Finally, the plump woman stayed away. By then, everyone already did.

They all stayed away and it only made it that she was left to face the terror alone.

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