---
The stalking wasn't just a shadow anymore. It was a storm.
Every step I took, every breath I breathed felt monitored, controlled. My phone buzzed with strange numbers—calls that ended when I answered. Texts with cryptic messages. A photo of my front door, taken just minutes before I left for work. Sometimes, when I looked outside, I'd see a dark figure slipping away into the night.
The threats started too. Harsh words scribbled on my car windshield. Notes shoved under my door: *"I'm closer than you think."* *"You belong to me."*
I tried to keep it together. I tried to ignore the creeping panic twisting in my chest. But it became impossible. I stopped sleeping. I stopped eating.
I told Asher everything, and he begged me to go to the police.
I hated the idea. In my experience, the police often brushed off things like this—especially when there were no "real" injuries yet. But I was desperate. I needed help.
One afternoon, with trembling hands, I walked into the precinct, clutching the photos, the notes, my phone logs—everything.
The officer behind the counter barely looked up. "You say you're being stalked?" he asked, eyebrows raised.
"Yes. Please, someone is watching me, threatening me. Here are the photos, the texts."
He skimmed through the evidence, then sighed. "Without direct proof of a crime—no physical harm, no confirmed suspect—we can't do much."
My heart sank. "But I'm scared! What if it escalates?"
He shrugged, handing me a card. "If anything happens, call us."
I left feeling smaller than ever. I wasn't protected. Not by the law, not by anyone.
The nights grew darker, my breath shorter, my mind heavier.
Because the truth was clear: I was alone in this.
---
.
---*third person pov *
The night wrapped itself around the city like a heavy cloak, the kind that smothers hope and sharpens fear. Adeline hurried down the narrow streets, her breath visible in the chilly air. She'd been more careful lately — always looking over her shoulder, always alert — but tonight something felt different. The cold prickle at the nape of her neck was louder than usual, a warning she couldn't ignore.
She clutched her bag tighter, each step echoing through the empty alleyways. Her phone buzzed briefly — a message from her editor asking if she was alright after the celebrity incident. She didn't answer. What was the point? The threats, the shadows, the warnings—they'd only been escalating since that day.
She turned a corner and saw a dimly lit café where she used to meet friends before work, but tonight it was shuttered and dark. No one was around.
Her heart pounded.
Suddenly, a car slowed near the curb—a sleek black sedan with tinted windows. Its engine purred quietly as it idled.
Adeline's pulse quickened. Something about the way the car lingered, waiting, set her nerves on edge.
She took a quick glance down the street—empty.
Then, two figures stepped out of the shadows, moving fast and silent. They weren't just strangers; they had the air of professionals. The kind you see in news stories about kidnappings and organized crime. They were behind her one minute and the next they grabbed her .... Given how quiet the street was her screams was doing anything.
"Hey! Wait!" Adeline tried to back away, but her legs betrayed her and trembled.
One of the men lunged, grabbing her arm with brutal strength. The other moved to block her escape, his face hidden beneath a dark hoodie.
"Let me go!" Her voice cracked, desperation seeping in.
The first man tightened his grip. "Quiet," he hissed.
She struggled, but two against one was no match. They shoved her roughly into the backseat of the car. The door slammed shut behind her.
The world outside disappeared.
---
Inside the car, the air was thick and stale. Adeline's breaths came fast and shallow. The windows were tinted so dark she could barely see out. Her kidnappers said nothing, eyes fixed on the road as the car sped away from the city.
Adeline's mind raced, trying to piece together what was happening. She thought of the celebrity's threat. The cold warning to "watch her back." This was it. The nightmare had come alive.
Her phone was gone—likely taken during the abduction. No way to call for help. No way to escape.
She sat frozen, fighting panic that clawed at her chest.
Minutes stretched into agonizing eternity.
Finally, the car slowed and stopped in front of an old warehouse on the edge of the city. The men dragged her out roughly, their grip like iron shackles.
Adeline stumbled but didn't fall.
They pushed her inside the dark building where the faint smell of dust and mold filled the air. The warehouse was empty except for stacks of crates and broken machinery scattered around.
One of the men pulled off his hoodie, revealing sharp features and cold, calculating eyes.
"We're just here to deliver a message," he said flatly. "From someone who doesn't appreciate your... curiosity."
Adeline's stomach churned.
The man's voice echoed with menace.
"Tell her to stop. Or next time, it won't just be a warning."
---
They tied her hands tightly behind her back, the coarse rope biting into her wrists. The other man stood guard while the first paced slowly, watching her with a predator's gaze.
"Who are you?" Adeline demanded, fighting tears that blurred her vision.
The man's smile was a cruel twist. "Names don't matter. What matters is you listen—and you disappear."
Her throat tightened. "I won't."
He laughed, a low sound filled with dark amusement. "You think you have a choice?"
A heavy silence settled.
The cold realization sank deep: she was alone, truly alone, in the grip of people who answered to someone dangerous—someone who had already warned her.
Her thoughts turned to Asher, her only friend at work. Would he notice if she didn't show up? Would anyone come looking?
She swallowed hard, forcing herself to breathe.
---
Hours passed—or maybe it was days, time lost all meaning in that dark space. The kidnappers didn't speak much, but their presence was a constant, looming shadow. Every creak of the old warehouse made her flinch.
Sleep was impossible.
Memories of her life—her job, her family, even the robbery incident—flashed in her mind, a desperate attempt to hold on to normalcy.
The last thing she wanted was to lose herself here.
But the weight of fear was crushing.
Then, footsteps echoed from the entrance.
Her kidnappers stiffened.
A new figure stepped inside, tall and imposing, dressed in black. The air shifted.
Adeline's heart hammered wildly. There was something different about this person. A cold authority.
The newcomer's eyes locked onto hers—intense, unreadable.
"You're the one causing trouble," the voice said, smooth but hard.
The kidnappers nodded, stepping back respectfully.
Adeline tried to steady herself. "Who are you?"
The man approached slowly, his gaze never leaving her.
"I'm here on behalf of the one you exposed," he said. "The celebrity who doesn't want her secrets spilled."
She swallowed hard.
His presence was like ice in the room.
"Why are you doing this?" she whispered.
"Because people like you don't get to decide who lives and who falls," he said coldly. "You've crossed a line. Now you pay."
Adeline's heart twisted.
"You think threats will silence me?" she challenged, surprising even herself.
The man's lips curved into a thin smile. "We'll see."
---
Days turned into a blur of waiting, fear, and silence. The kidnappers monitored her closely, and every sound outside sent jolts of terror through her.
She thought of Asher again, and a flicker of hope burned. Someone would come. Someone had to.
But the celebrity's dark reach was vast, and the city's shadows deep.
---