Chereads / The Painted / Chapter 14 - Prank

Chapter 14 - Prank

Taking a bite of my donut I looked up at the ticking clock on the wall while leaning on the counter.

It had been 15 minutes and the bastard had not given up and was still loudly banging on the door.

I really want to know where these useless neighbors are when you need them.

They always had something to say about the smallest noise I made and now they were dead when all this commotion was going on.

Finally deciding I had enough I unlocked the lock before I pulled the door open rather aggressively and there he was 'oh God his face makes me gag' I thought to myself cringing inwardly.

"Hi, how may I help you" I said not sounding as annoyed as I was feeling for sure.

"Wow!" he exclaimed "You look like shit". He remarked snidely as he forcefully entered my apartment as usual.

"Lord, please give me patience before I snap, I really don't deserve to rot in jail" I mumbled to myself.

"So, what brings you here today?" I said as I moved away from him creating the much-required distance between us.

"Why do you ask? Are you not happy to see me?" he said winking as he inched closer to me.

Not respecting personal boundaries was his thing and anytime I was in a room with him I had to make sure to locate a weapon nearby,

in this case it was the fork on the counter behind me which should do appropriate damage when stabbed hard enough.

"Are you scared?" he whispered as he inched closer in a predatory manner.

His breath smelled like rotten eggs mixed with cigarettes, the worst combination possible if you ask me. it made my stomach lurch and I leaned even further on the counter.

Wishing for the ground to open up and swallow either him or me immediately.

"You wish!" I replied mockingly rolling my eyes in order to mask the traces of fear that might be present on my face.

I had a few major reasons for feeling unsafe and unsettled around him, some personal and others just because of who he was as a person, a creep and criminal who had also been jailed quite a few times for assault and stalking.

Leaning forward he whispered, "don't try to scream… no one will help you".

As soon as that registered, alarm bells went off in my mind.

I immediately jumped to the side after I stomped on his foot.

Stumbling to the side he started laughing "you are so easy to mess with".

The look of mania along with the sadistic smile on his face was an image that would surely haunt me.

He seemed pleased with the discomfort and fear he caused in others.

Inflicting mental suffering and harm onto people especially women were euphoric to him.

As I tried to calm my breathing he spoke again "I just came to say goodbye,

seeing as though it will be a little harder to see you everyday now" he smirked.

I frowned as I had no idea what he was talking about because the last time I had seen him was two months ago when he caused a scene at my job by harassing me which resulted in me being fired for causing a disturbance of peace in the library or something.

The whole night was spent in me looking for a job and having mini crying sessions.

I didn't sleep a wink that night.

Fidgeting with my fingers I was deep in thought when the sound of vibrations broke the heavy silence.

Pulling his phone out he started listening attentively as the other person on the line screamed at him while he pulled at the hair on his balding head absentmindedly.

Not paying attention to him as he kept talking on the phone,

I partially zoned out but ensured to keep him at the corner of my eye at all times as he paced around.

"I'm going to miss you when you are gone" he grinned widely as I turned to face making me feel even more on edge as a shiver ran down my spine.

Still grinning he turned for the door and I exhaled a sigh of relieve which was short-lived since he stood at the door and looked back.

"I brought you a farewell gift" he fished an envelope from his pocket and held it in front of me as he stood and carefully observed my reaction.

"Thanks" I snatched the envelope being very careful to not touch his skin in the process.

"Bye" I uttered loudly and shut the door on his face.

I decided to throw the envelope away as I inspected it closely barely holding it as I was scared of what could be inside.

Last time there was a dead cat left at my door with a letter explaining what he did to the cat.

I was extremely scarred and depressed for a long time.

Walking past the trash can I dropped it in,

but it opened in the process and the contents fell out which immediately caught my attention and made me feel extremely alarmed.

They were photos, dozens of them, and they were all photos of me, sleeping.