(1088  words)

Wednesday, April 30, 2025

Alicia Bennett was sitting on a bench in front of her apartment building, watching the street.

The weather was changing.

For the first time in days, the air felt warmer.

The sky was pale blue, with thin clouds moving slowly above the rooftops. A bird was singing nearby. A child was laughing in the distance.

Everything looked peaceful. Normal. 

That was the problem.

Alicia held her phone in her hand, but the screen was dark.

No new message.

"I saw your son looking at me too."

She repeated the words in her mind.

Again.

And again.

Her fingers tightened around the phone.

Maybe it was nothing.

A stupid message.

Someone trying to scare her.

Someone who had seen her in a café.

Someone who had seen Leo outside.

That was all.

It had to be.

She forced herself to breathe slowly.

You are overthinking this.

But her body refused to listen.

Her body remembered the feeling.

The moment when Leo had told her about the man under the streetlamp.

Standing completely still.

Looking up.

Holding a phone.

Watching.

Alicia looked across the street.

A parked car.

A man walking his dog.

An older woman carrying shopping bags.

Nobody was looking at her.

And yet...

She could feel it.

That silent pressure.

As if someone was there.

Just outside her sight.

She stood up quickly.

Enough.

Sitting and thinking would not help.

She needed to move.

She needed to act.

Inside the building, the hallway smelled of dust and old paint.

The elevator was out of order again, so Alicia took the stairs.

On the second floor, a door opened.

"Good morning, Alicia!"

Mrs. Parker stepped into the hallway with a bright smile.

Alicia looked at her for a moment.

Her gray hair was neatly styled, and her heavy makeup made her stand out against her very small eyes.

She was carrying a plastic shopping bag.

She looked like the kind of person who saw more than she said.

And her small eyes were already fixed on Alicia's face.

Watching her.

Always watching her.

Mrs. Parker noticed everything.

And she told everyone.

That was her nature.

Perfect.

"Good morning," Alicia said quietly.

"You look tired," Mrs. Parker said immediately. "Did you sleep?"

Alicia hesitated.

Just for a second.

Then she looked down.

"A little," she replied.

Mrs. Parker stepped closer.

"How are things at home?"

Alicia sighed as if she did not want to answer.

Then she did.

"It's Mark," she said softly.

"He checks my phone. He asks where I go. Who I meet. He... watches everything."

Mrs. Parker's expression changed immediately.

Concern.

Interest.

Curiosity.

"That isn't good," she said.

Alicia nodded.

"I know. But what can I do?" she said with a tired smile. "It's been like this for years."

"Men..." Mrs. Parker sighed. "They think they control everything."

Alicia smiled politely.

"He doesn't work," she added. "So everything falls on me."

The words came naturally.

Because they were true.

That made them stronger.

Mrs. Parker leaned closer.

"You should be careful," she said.

"Men like him don't like losing control."

Alicia looked at her.

"I am careful."

For a moment, that was completely true.

"You can always talk to me," Mrs. Parker added.

"I know," Alicia said.

She turned around and continued up the stairs.

She could feel Mrs. Parker's eyes on her back.

Saving the information for later.

Alicia knew exactly how people worked.

Soon, people would start talking.

And once they started...

It would be very difficult to stop them.

When she reached her floor, she stopped in front of her apartment door.

She froze for a second.

The silence behind the door felt heavy.

Very heavy.

She unlocked the door and stepped inside.

Everything looked the same.

The kitchen.

The table.

The hallway.

Her bag.

Her shoes.

Nothing had changed.

She locked the door.

One lock.

Then the second.

Then the chain.

Only then did she breathe out.

She walked into the kitchen and placed her phone on the table.

It still showed nothing.

No message.

No unknown number.

Nothing.

That should have reassured her.

It didn't.

Silence could mean waiting.

Alicia opened a drawer and took out a small envelope.

She counted the money inside.

It wasn't much.

But it was enough.

Her movements were slow.

Controlled.

She was thinking.

Not reacting.

That was important.

Always think first.

Always stay calm.

Panic leads to mistakes.

She had learned that a long time ago.

Then she heard something from the hallway.

A soft sound.

A footstep.

Or maybe the building settling.

Alicia froze.

She listened.

Nothing.

She walked quietly to the door and looked through the peephole.

The hallway was empty.

Nobody was there.

Even so...

She did not open the door.

Not yet.

Instead, she stepped back and walked to the window.

Outside, everything looked normal.

Too normal.

A man crossed the street.

A car drove by.

A woman pushed a baby stroller.

Life continued as usual.

As if nothing had happened.

As if nobody was watching.

Alicia wrapped her arms around herself.

You are safe, she told herself.

You are in control.

Again.

And again.

Then she turned around and went back into the hallway.

There was one more thing she needed to do.

She opened the apartment door slowly and stepped outside.

At the end of the hallway, a row of mailboxes was attached to the wall.

Most of them contained nothing important.

Bills.

Advertisements.

Junk mail.

Alicia opened her mailbox.

At first, she saw nothing unusual.

Then...

A postcard.

No envelope.

Just a simple card with her name written on the back.

Alicia Bennett.

A knot formed in her stomach.

She pulled it out.

Then she turned it over.

The picture showed a narrow road between dark trees.

Wet pavement.

A gray sky.

Her breath caught.

It looked familiar.

Too familiar.

Her fingers went cold.

Slowly, she turned the card over again.

And read the message.

You left me on this road.

Alicia stopped breathing.