The sun was coming down on this cool winter day. My breath curled up in a haze of mist. My eyes dart from person to person; each time my eyes lingered on their face in an attempt to peer into their thoughts. No one is watching me. No one cares. My heart is soothed as I continue to search.

My gaze stops on a tall man with black hair. His pale blue eyes are staring back. I hate it. I really, really, really hate it. I can tell he hates me too. Doesn’t that make us enemies? Yes, I think it does.

I smile at him. Can’t let him know. Does he know? I think he does but what if he doesn’t? He approaches me and I wait for him to come. Running now will only show weakness. I am not scared. I am not scared.

“Greetings friend.” He gives me a warm smile, his large features moving with the grin, as he offers me his hand. “I’m staying in town for a few days and I was wondering if I could get some directions. Friend, do you know any hotels I could stay at?”

Bloody eyes. His blue eyes tell a lie. He doesn’t know.

“Nowhere good.” I shake my head and spit to show my distaste. “Awful places those. Dirty, unsafe, and they’re a complete rip-off. How ‘bout you just stay with me and experience my hospitality?”

“That’s kind of you to offer.” His face twists into a wretched facsimile of smile. It is especially apparent now, moreso than before, that this man is a bastard. “Thank you, I’ll be sure to have packed my bags by morning. I don’t want to impose on your for too long.”

He agreed. I knew it. I always know it. He can’t resist. He wants my life and I will get him first. Not gonna let him out of my site. Absolutely not.

“Staying for a few days isn’t any trouble.” I shake my head and continue our charade. “Having good company is always a joy.”

“Hahaha, you sure about that?” The man lets out a boisterous laugh. “You hardly know me. It’s getting dangerous out there; for all you know I could be a serial killer!”

“Serial killer? You doubting my eye?” I snort at his mockery. “My vision is keen and if you were such a man then I know it. Your eyes tell my eye all I need to know.”

To be so flagrant in his intentions is absolutely unbearable, but even if it is unbearable, I shall still bear it. Yep, definitely. I’ll be sure to extract my vengeance upon him afterwards. He thinks he has me fooled but I shall be the last one to laugh.

“Aye, aye. You’re boasting quite a thing.” The man gives another good-natured smiled. “If you’re eyeing me so fiercely then I might feel a mite uncomfortable.”

“Apologies then. The fault is on me; from young I have enjoyed watching and thinking and pondering the meaning behind a man’s gaze.” I take off my green tweed hat. “It’s a bad habit of mine and one I feel sorry for, but I cannot help myself. My eye beholds and my eye sees and my mind cannot be turned away. It’s like murder on my mind when I think of the light within thine eye.”

“You’re certainly a funny man aren’t ya?” His face has slackened, and his smile is gone. “I feel like you have something more to say.”

“As I said I can see that which you hide, and you knew before haven’t you?” I turn my head to the side. His blood-soaked soul has stained his eyes crimson. How could I not know? “From the moment you’d laid eyes on me you’d planned what I had planned except you’re a sinful man for I had planned in response to your plan and my plan is my defense against your plan.”

“Great, I’m dealing with a lunatic, aren’t I?” The man sighs and places one large hand against his forehead. “How ‘bout I go my way and you go your way and we both forget the about the other?”

“I’m not a violent but rather genteel.” I hold myself to strict moral guidelines. “I don’t want to fight you and I don’t want trouble.”

Focus. My eyes flicker to other pedestrians in search of busybodies. I cannot and will not tolerate them snooping and sticking their noses into my business. My private life is not to be known because I have not given permission for such. If they were to know of my business when it was none of their business, then it will become my business to rectify this business. Wait, this is the opposite of focusing. My eyes snap back to my assailant.

“Well, it was nice meeting you…” I pause and wait for a name. He seems disinclined to answering as he just barks another laugh and, with a shake of his head, walks off elsewhere. I click my tongue at the insult. “As if I would let someone who’d looked at me with those eyes go on his merry way. Perish the thought.”

He also doesn’t plan on letting me go either but I shall not say that in case he be listening to me even from here. Mayhaps, he’s a magus and with his arcane methods he’d be able to… Maybe he’s reading my mind. I silence my thoughts on the subject.

It had been a long time since I’d had a job. I’d quit once my father had passed and I’d inherited his wealth. Like that my days had been spent looking for that which I was missing. I know someone has it somewhere and I feel myself getting closer with each interloper.

“So, please mister.” I look at the sky as I use the back alley to head home. “Please, entertain me.”

I wonder how he’ll find me. Does he have informants living in this town? Some form of arcane magic? Divination should not work since I have grandfather’s ring. I’d prepared some warding salt to prevent any foreign spirits from spying on me too. What if he can unravel my wards? I wish I knew true magic.

I enter my home through the backdoor and quickly make my way down into the basement. Tap, tap, tap. My foot hits the ground as I gaze through the crack in the wall. I halt my movements. What if he hears me? His ears could be keener than the common man’s.

This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

Nothing happens. He’s waiting for me to enter a false sense of security. He’s watching me. I can feel his gaze upon my back as he lurks in waiting. Soon he’ll come. When I’m tired and weak and unable to fight back is when he’ll come. Can’t let him know I’m wary of him.

I have food for a week. In that time, I shall wait. I head upstairs and enter my messy bed, I’d long rid myself of those snoopy maids, and tucked myself in. Always murmuring, always gossiping and revealing my secrets to others. Utterly untrustworthy.

My eyes crack open. Someone is looking at me, but I cannot see them. Where are they? What am I missing? He’s been here all along? Yes, I was followed but too foolish was I to notice. I’m being played with. If I let him know that I know that he’s here, then he will act. Yes, the game would be over.

I close my eyes completely. They serve no function. Slowly… Slowly, slower, smoothly, without disturbing the blanket, I reach, reach, and get up with my knife in hand. My trusty knife is always with me.

I swivel my head and remember to close my eyes. My ears are trustworthy. Muffled steps that border on the imaginary alert me to his presence as I lunge forward with my knife. The smell is off. Everything is off. He’s not here? Yes, he’s here. No, he isn’t. Yes, he is. I jump at the window as I slash at the screen.

I’m stuck. I have failed to completely cut my way through the screen in one go and now… I stab a few more times to prevent anyone from approaching me. I pull myself forward and cut the screen open as I grip the ledge of the roof and start pulling myself up. Someone grasps at meand I jerk my leg away and release my grip on the roof ledge. I fall.

My knife is held a backhand grip as I bring it down at the window. Ha, blood leaks down and stains me as my grip falters and I land on the ground. I grab a groove on the wall as my forehead bangs against it. I feel blood soak down from my fingertips as I pull myself up.

I look around for any witnesses and see… Him. The man from earlier is here and uninjured. Who was it in my room then? I don’t have a knife. I run as fast as I can in my escape, and he looks at me.

“Hey!” He calls after me as I blitz my way away. I’ve always been swift of foot. “What the hell is that?!”

I turn my way back and see a floating knife leaking blood. I look forward and continue my run but this time I soon hear footsteps following behind me. Crunch. Crunch. Crunch. The grass crunches with step and I jump as I grab a tree branch and throw myself up. My bloody fingers are chilled to the point they’ve lost much of their dexterity and I nearly slip a once or twice. It follows I can feel it.

I jump from branch to branch before one breaks, and I land rolling forward. I hop up and continue my run, this time with a bloody nose to complement my fingers. I fold my fingers into fists to warm their tips. That hurts. I smile in pain.

Laughter, I hear myself laugh as my heart pounds within my chest and warmth floods my shivering body. Finally, this is it. This is what I’ve been looking for! I’ve found myself!

I hear a thud as the sound of the frosted grass crunching begins again. So, what if I can’t see you? My ears are keen. But… What in the world is happening? Not even my gratitude can completely stifle my incredulity at this whole situation.

I enter the city as I run and see a car. I jump and land on top of it as… The driver is now pulling over. I spit a bloody loogie on his front window before pushing my bruised body up and continuing my run. I grab a lamppost and climb my way up as I survey my surroundings. Duck. A rock sails over my head and I drop down and run in the direction it had landed.

My eyes are sharp and they peer through the night with all precision that a man could hope for in a night as dark as this. Light shines from a building’s first story window and illuminates its status of being open. I run towards it and break the screen open with my head as I swiftly pull myself through.

“Back off!” A man has a shotgun. “Get out of my home.”

“No worries friend.” I raise my hands and smile. “But well…”

His hands grip harder as I speak. Five, four, three. I count down with my fingers.

“What’re yo-“

“OOH!” I drop to the floor as he fires, and the invisible thing screams. “Boo!”

Beautiful. I run past the man while he’s still distracted and make my way out of the room. I head out the backdoor as the creature starts following. If it had circled around the house, then I would be screwed.

With a jump and a hop I grab the top of the wooden fence and throw myself, back parallel to the top of the fence, over it. With a flip I land and take a few staggering steps to steady myself before turning and continuing my run. My lungs burn as if they were set on fire.

The lights of the surrounding houses flicker on as people glance out their window and the invisible thing continues its relentless pursuit.

“Stop!” A man in dark blue uniform calls out. “This is the police!”

I raise my hands as I continue my run, swerving my direction, to the fence at the officer’s left. The thing is slow to climb. Shots fired. The thing screams and I halt my steps. I turn around, hands still in the air, and look at what it was that had chased me so far.

There’s a naked man with light brown hair. A knife is sticking out of his chest and he’s covered in blood. He’s currently lying on the ground as he glares at me in hate.

“Derrick?” I tilt my head in confusion. “Why were you invisible?”

Why are you alive? That I leave unsaid as it would likely be impolite. It had been, what was it now, a year or two? I’d been brought in as a suspect during an investigation. Luckily, they’d found someone else to annoy so it ended up only eating up a month of my life.

“You know him?” The officer asks as he requests help. They’re going to need an ambulance and some more officers to restrain him.

“Not really.” I shake my head. “I met him at a murder trial.”

“You….” He looks at me with hate in his eyes. I resist the urge to smile. “You murdered my daughter!”

“No, I didn’t.” I shake my head. “That was Ozzy.”

“Why did you know then?”

“Yeah, yeah, yeah.” I roll my eyes. “I’m sure you have some justification for your madness but I’m not hearing it.” I turn to the officer and look him in the eye. “Officer, I’m deeply traumatized after being chased by a naked man across the neighborhood. I’m going to walk over there if you need me.”

“As long as you don’t go too far.” He nods his head. “I’ve got some questions I want to ask you.”

I head out of earshot to escape Derrick’s rambling. Truly I am grateful to the man. I don’t think I’ll press any charges, but he’ll still probably wind up in jail. I smile as I look up at the obscured moon. Its all full and beautiful tonight.

“It’s been a while since I felt so at peace.”

Someone approaches. It’s the man from earlier; I recognize his footsteps. I feel comfortable now that I’m so exhausted, so I smile. There’s no way anyone would attack in so public a place. The cops are ten feet away. If he were willing to be so public, assuming my paranoia is correct, then he would’ve acted sooner.

I turn to greet him, and I realize my mistake. His eyes have murder written upon them and his hands grab me as I try to take a step back. I’m pulled forward as he grabs my throat and squeezes. I fall to the ground with my trachea crushed as I gasp in a futile attempt to fill my lungs.

“It really was you.” The voice says as the cop shouts and fires a couple shots at him. He’s unmoving as they impact him. “Scum like you should just die.”

He raises his feet and brings it down. I roll and his foot leaves a groove in the ground. He retreats as he receives another round into him. He leaves without finishing me as I clutch my throat. Slow, ever so slow, my vision fades to black as time seems to come to a halt. My consciousness fades.