"I've been watching you for quite some time."
Bill pulled the phone away from his ear and stared at it, not fully understanding what exactly was happening. He was about to hang up like he had done so many times, but his curiosity got the better of him.
"What do you mean?" He asked the caller as he pressed his phone against his ear once more; waiting for an answer.
"You know very well what I mean, Bill." The voice replied.
"N-N-No… I d-d-don't…"
The voice on the other end sighed deeply. It was one of those rare moments in time where Bill could sense what his harasser was doing and in this case; he was rolling his eyes at Bill's lack of ability to grasp the situation at hand. Bill merely stayed quiet, waiting for an answer, but mostly because he was speechless. Finally after a few minutes, the voice broke the silence.
"Let me tell you one more time then, Bill. I've been watching you…for a very long time." The voice started slowly, breathing after each sentence for a dramatic effect that was sure to scare Bill. "Where you go, what you where, what you do…who you do…"
Bill stared blankly at his wall, too paralyzed with fear to move. His eyes searched every visible square inch of his room in fear. He wasn't sure what to look for but he was sure that something wasn't quite right. While Bill was looking around his room with his eyes only, the only sounds he made were a few nearly inaudible deep breaths as he tried to calm himself down.
"I don't know who you are but I swear to God, if you don't stop I'm going to-"
"You're going to what, Bill? Tell me what you're going to do." The voice replied, suddenly getting an edge of seriousness.
"I-I'll c-call the cops if you don't s-stop this r-right n-n-now!" Bill stuttered out, pulling his legs up to his chest, his eyes wide with panic.
The stranger on the other end just laughed the same laugh that haunted all of Bill's dreams. To stop the laughing from reaching his ears for longer than he could take, he did one of the only things he had strength to do. Rising shakily on his own two feet, Bill headed to his window, opening it and throwing out his phone. He watched it tumble through the air and land in the road in pieces.
Bill slowly stuck his head out of the window, breathing deep, shaky breaths as he looked around, surveying the area for any callers. He knew it was a stupid idea but he was almost expecting the caller to be standing underneath his window, phone in hand, watching his every move.
He made his way out of the room he shared with Tom, searching for his brother. When he found Tom on the living room couch, he sat down next to him and buried his face in his twin's chest. Knowing all too well what happened, Tom locked his arms around Bill and pulled him into his lap, rocking him back and forth.
"H-He's watching me, Tom…He said he's watching everything I do…" Bill let loose a muffled whimper into Tom's shirt.
"This is getting serious, Bill. I think it's time we talk to the cops about this." Tom responded, kissing Bill's forehead, playing absently with his brother's hair.
"I don't think that's gonna work…"
"Why not?"
"It's just not gonna work, Tom." Bill sighed heavily, pulling away from Tom momentarily.
Releasing himself fully from Tom, Bill stood up, taking a deep breath. He went back to his room and collected his sweatshirt and his wallet. As he returned to the living room, Bill sighed, making his way over to his twin.
"I'm going out. I need some fresh air." Bill stated.
"Are you sure that's a good idea? Do you need me to come with you?" Tom asked, standing up next to Bill.
"I'll be fine, I think."
"You sure?"
Bill nodded quickly. Tom sighed and pulled his brother into a long hug. As he pulled away, he gave Bill a long kiss on the lips. Just being near Tom calmed Bill down like nothing else could. Bill smiled and kissed Tom's cheek once before heading out the door.
"On the plus side, though, if he is watching you, he can agree with me on how horrible that shirt looks on you!" Tom called out as Bill exited their apartment.
Bill closed the door behind him and headed on his way out of the building. A million thoughts were running through his mind. 'What if he really is watching me? What do I do? What's going to happen next?'
When Bill hit the fresh air of the outdoors, he looked up to the sky and groaned.
"Why do you hate me so much?" He complained to the sky.
Bill started his long hike around the city. He wasn't sure of where he was going, but he let his feet decide that for him. He didn't pay any attention to where he was going. He was too absorbed in his own thoughts to even realize it when he was standing in the middle of the street. The loud 'honk' of a car horn brought him back to his senses, immediately rushing to the side walk.
Taking one look around him, Bill was relieved when he realized that he was in a part of the city that he actually knew. Bill sighed and took a seat on the curb, marveling at the beauty of the city at night. He was always a city person. He found peace and a calming effect in the way the lights reflected in the night sky, creating a most beautiful contrast.
Bill just sat there for an hour or so, breathing in the cold air and looking around at the city lights. When Bill was finally relaxed, he decided to continue on walking. He got up and dusted himself off, letting his feet control his direction once more as he lost himself in his thoughts again.
Before he knew it, it was completely dark outside and when Bill looked up, he discovered himself in an old alleyway. When he looked around, the atmosphere of it all gave him chills. He needed to get out of there and fast. Once he was about to hit the main road, he stopped dead in his tracks.
"Hello, Bill."
Bill closed his eyes tightly. He was sure he was just hearing things but that voice…it was so familiar to him. The voice that visited his dreams every night and now he was hearing it without the static of the phone. Bill kept his eyes closed, too terrified to look behind him.
He started to fast walk back to his apartment. He was cursing himself for ending up so far away. With each noise that his feet made when they hit the pavement, an echo came behind him. Bill picked up speed and so did his follower. Bill was walking as fast as he could, saving his energy to run for when he was closer to his house.
His pursuer could was feeding off of the panic that Bill was emanating. With each time Bill sped up, the person following him let loose the same dreadful laugh. On the verge of tears, Bill started to run. He could feel that he was getting closer and closer to his apartment building. He couldn't see out of his eyes because of the tears of pure fear that were pouring from his eyes.
He was just about to reach the door when he was grabbed fiercely by the waist. He started kicking and screaming, trying his best to escape.
"NO! Let me go, please…" He pleaded, struggling to get away.
The arms around him only tightened. The only sound that was audible to Bill was the sound of his own screams and pleads with his capturer. He continued to struggle, hitting and kicking the figure that held him against his will. In an attempt to stop his struggling, the unknown form forced him down on the ground, pinning him tightly so he couldn't move.
"Please…" Bill sobbed out.
"Bill! What the hell is wrong with you?!" The figure yelled to him and Bill actually heard it.
That voice was so familiar to Bill. He had spent his entire life listening to that voice. Immediately, Bill maneuvered himself to look up, seeing a pair of eyes identical to his own, staring back at him with intense worry. Upon realizing who it was who was holding onto him, Bill broke down even harder.
"Tom! Oh God…I thought you were…I thought I was…" He sobbed out.
Tom pulled him into his arms like he had had to do a lot recently. He kissed the top of Bill's head. Bill continued to sob heavily. Tom had been waiting for Bill to get back from his walk. He knew he couldn't reach him because Bill continued to break every cell phone he had. Realizing that outside was no place for Bill to break down, Tom managed to stand up and hoist Bill onto his back, carrying him up to their apartment where Bill spilled everything about his close encounter to his twin.
Tom had listened intently, suggesting that next time Bill wanted to go anywhere, to have someone with him at all times. Someone who could defend not only themselves, but Bill as well. Tom managed to calm Bill down enough so that Bill could go to their room and get some sleep.
Bill slowly made his way to their room. Tom had said that he would be in bed a few minutes after Bill. The second he opened the door to their room, Bill's knees hit the floor as he let out a deafening scream upon seeing the scene before his eyes.
