As I walked my dog Lucky back to our apartment I felt the cold puddle of water rise up into my sneakers. I quietly cursed myself for forgetting my rain boots this morning. We quickly crossed the street when I felt a chill come up my spine. It could just be the cool, wet weather but I feel like I’m being watched.
“Come on now, Lucky,” I say as we clear the curb onto the sidewalk. We’re nearly home and the feeling of being watched intensifies. I fight the urge to look over my shoulder as I unlock the main door to my apartment building.
I realize I’ve wound myself up so badly that I didn’t even close my umbrella. No way I’m opening the door so I quickly close it over the door mat while trying not to make so much of a mess. I notice Lucky staring out the window.
“Let’s go boy,” I tell him, gently tugging his leash. The elevator has been broken for months now so we make our way up the stairwell to the second floor. Apartment 203 is ours. I feel instantly relieved as we step foot inside the door.
I lock the door then remove Lucky’s leash and sit it on the table next to my key dish. At that moment my phone rings, nearly scaring me out of my skin. It’s probably my boss. Since I started working from home she usually calls this time of day to check in on my reports.
“Hello,” I say into the phone. I’m met with an unsettling silence. “Hello?,” I question. I know I should hang up but I can’t help but feel like someone is on the other end.
“This isn’t funny, you know?,” I say, trying to sound stern. “I… I see you,” someone says before I’m met with the sound of the dial tone.
Before I realize, the phone has hit the floor. I knew what I’d felt was real but it just seemed so outlandish and paranoid that I didn’t believe it.
“Shit…,” I mutter to myself. I return the phone to the hook and decided I should peek out the window. I gingerly pull back just enough curtain to see outside. I study each person on the sidewalks, each parked car. I don’t notice anyone paying particular attention to my apartment.
Maybe it’s my buddy Marcos playing a prank on me. Yeah.. that’s likely it. He loves scaring people, the asshole that he is. It’s fine. Everything’s fine.
I don’t know if I’m going to be able to eat lunch the way I’ve gotten worked up, but Lucky still has to eat. I fill his bowl with kibbles, and a mix in a little wet food just how he likes it. Usually Lucky is at my feet, ready for his meal, but today he’s at the front door.. staring.
All of his hairs on his neck and back are on end as he begins to growl. Lucky is a golden retriever and normally has a very sweet disposition. He becomes increasingly irritated now snarling and barking at the front door.
I slowly approached the door and looked into the peephole. No one was there. Against my better judgment I decided to open the door. That’s when Lucky bolted.
“Lucky!,” I shouted, chasing him down the hallway. I caught him before he made it to the stairwell. It was like as soon as I got my hands on him, he snapped out of it.
When we got back to the apartment I realized I’d left the door wide open. “Alright now Lucky let’s get in,” I said. The entire ordeal had been quite exhausting. It was to the point I nearly felt like I was coming down with a cold. I decided to go into the kitchen and make myself a cup of hot tea.
I was filling up my kettle when I thought I heard something. “Surely not…,” I mumbled to myself. As I placed the kettle on the stove in the lightest of whispers I heard, “I see you.”
As I stood there, paralyzed with fear I couldn’t help but think that I should’ve just stayed inside on this rainy day.