After leaving Kieran's, Jack's afternoon was spent in the library and filled with videos on sheep shearing. He couldn't see immaculately put together Kieran getting down and dirty with a wooly beast and a pair of blade shears. Although, he wouldn't mind seeing Kieran trussed up in some historical clothing.

Was there a market in the antiques world for historical costumes? And if so, how willing would Kieran be to model such costumes? With how suspiciously accommodating Kieran was, Jack was sure he would be more than happy to entertain the proposal.

It was a quarter past six when Jack remembered to check how much time he'd wasted. He glared at the clock on his phone; he was running out of daylight for his curfew.

He texted his complaints to Sam and packed up. All he got in return were a handful of smiling emojis, which came off as gloating. He genuinely loved the guy, but he could deal without the looming presence of a self-appointed babysitter. Another ping and a handful of clocks and watches told him Sam was going to be busy for a while. Unless the translation was supposed to be "Tick-tock, dumbass."

His walk home was uneventful, but a chilly reminder that he needed to get a proper coat. He wrote himself a reminder on his phone. The selfish part of him wished he'd kept Kieran's coat.

As Jack trudged up the stairs of his apartment, his nose scrunched up at the smell of cigarette smoke. The scent set him on edge with its familiarity, but he couldn't place why. He tried to shrug it off as one of his neighbors switching brands.

Slowly, he unlocked and opened his door and froze. One of his CD cases was out of alignment. He swallowed thickly as his eyes darted over the surfaces he could see from the doorway. His line of bottles was slightly off, and his stack of junk mail wasn't as he'd left it. There was also the tip of an unfamiliar shadow spilling across his floor.

He kept his grip tight on the door handle, ready to pull it shut at the first sign of movement. He opened the door a little wider as he turned his face to his bag, rummaging around as he kept his eyes on the shadow. "Where is… Ah, shit. God fucking damnit."

He huffed and stepped back into the hallway, pulling the door shut and locking it. He stomped angrily down the stairs as he pulled out his phone and tapped on the pig. His breath hitched when he heard a door open and the top of the stairs creak behind him. He resisted the urge to look.

"Fairchild. Leave a detailed message."

Jack's heart sank to the pit of his stomach. He waited a beat after the tone before speaking, doing his best to keep the tremor from his voice.

"Hey, did I leave my charger there?" he said as he exited the apartment building. He paused on the stoop as he weighed his options. He looked up the street in the direction of Kieran's shop. It was close and relatively safe.

"Damn. Maybe I left it at Kieran's. Shit. I probably did. Thanks anyway. Catch you tomorrow!"

He hung up and called Kieran next. He glanced at an angled storefront window as he passed by and almost froze when he recognized the man walking a few paces behind him.

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"Hello, Jack. Is—"

"Hey! I think I left my charger at your place."

"I don't believe—"

"Great. I'm on my way. I'll be about ten minutes." Ten minutes was too long. He needed an excuse to go faster. Anything, no matter how stupid.

"I see. The door will be unlocked. Would you like me to meet you?"

"Really? I'm great with cats! Don't spook it. I'll jog the rest of the way! I'll be right there!"

"I do hope you won't be hanging up."

"Ha, no way. It's a free cat! See you in a sec. Bye!"

Jack clutched his phone tightly as he began running, hoping it didn't come off as panicked. Almost getting hit by a car on the way might not have worked in his favor.

He reached the antique store and was grateful to see Kieran holding the door open for him.

"Lock it," he whispered harshly as he hurried inside. Even with the loud click of the deadbolt being set, Jack couldn't get himself to calm down.

"What's happening? What's wrong?" Kieran asked. His voice was calm even as he sent a worried glance out the window.

"Someone's following me," Jack replied, hugging himself tightly. He shook as he gasped for breath. "He was in my apartment, and he's after me."

Kieran looked from the empty street to Jack and back. "Are you certain?"

"He went through my mail! One of my CD cases was almost a foot out of place! Of course I'm fucking certain! Maintenance leaves a god damned fucking note right where I can see it if they touch my shit! They fucking know better!" Jack shouted as he gestured wildly. He wasn't crazy, he was cautious.

"The guy following me was sent! I saw him! I saw his reflection. He's gonna bring me back to…to…" He was losing track of his thoughts. He needed Kieran to understand before he completely lost it. A desperate whine escaped his throat as the fog threatened to take everything away. "I can't go back! I can't go back to that! Please don't let him get me!"

"My sweet, I need you to concentrate," Kieran said as he threw a glance at the window. "Who sent him to get you?"

Jack's voice left him as he began to answer. Just a moment ago, he'd been certain of who would be after him. Was someone after him? Who would want anything to do with him? He wasn't worth the trouble.

"Who what? I don't know! Someone's… I'm… I'm paranoid. I'm sorry. I don't…" Jack shook as he stared at the floor in confusion. He was certain he'd seen the man following him, but he couldn't recall any features. He must have seen someone walking down the same block as him and let his imagination carry him away.

"No, don't apologize. I believe you, but can you describe who is following you?" Kieran asked, his voice soothing and quiet.

Jack glanced up and swallowed under Kieran's intense stare. "I don't… M-maybe? He looks like…a guy. I don't remember. I'm sorry. I sound crazy."

He frowned as he went over what happened when he opened his apartment door. Things out of place, no note, a shadow that shouldn't be there… And on his way to Kieran's, he'd seen a man following him. But the moment he tried to remember a face, a build, clothing, anything, everything slipped and became muddy. He shook his head and shrugged. "I shouldn't have come," he whispered.

Jack was ready for pity or an argument, already tightly hugging himself and breathing raggedly from both his run and settling panic. This was all the proof Kieran needed that he should be committed. He shivered as a chill ran up his spine and Kieran shifted his gaze from Jack to the back wall.

"We'll go upstairs," Kieran said as he quickly strode to Jack and placed a guiding hand on Jack's shoulder.

"What? Why? I'm just para—"

Glass exploded inward in a deafening crash.

image [https://i.imgur.com/eZY0YUq.png]