Chapter 2: The Walls Closing In
Eliza tried to rationalize her fear. Was she imagining it? Was she overreacting? Perhaps he was harmless, a lonely man with a harmless fixation. But the rationalizations crumbled under the weight of the fear that was consuming her.
She started keeping a detailed log of his appearances: dates, times, locations, any detail she could remember. She showed it to the police, but they were dismissive. "We need more than this, ma'am. He hasn't broken any laws. He's just…standing there."
The feeling of helplessness was crushing. She felt like a fly caught in a web, slowly being ensnared. The city, once a source of comfort, now felt like a prison. Every corner held the potential for a confrontation, every shadow concealed a threat.
She confided in her best friend, Sarah, who urged her to move, to get out of the city. Eliza considered it, but the thought of uprooting her life, of surrendering to this nameless, faceless threat, filled her with a defiant anger. She wouldn't let him win.
She began taking self-defense classes, learning to strike, to defend herself. She carried pepper spray, clutching it tightly in her hand whenever she left the house. But even these measures offered little comfort. She knew, deep down, that this was a game she couldn't win. He was patient, persistent, and she had a terrifying sense that he knew her better than she knew herself.
One rainy morning, as she waited for the train, she saw him standing across the platform. He wasn't looking at her. He was staring at the tracks, a strange, almost serene expression on his face. A shiver went down her spine. This wasn't just about watching anymore. This was something else, something darker.