Harold was tied to one of the beams in his home and his forehead was covered in dried blood. His eyes slowly moved and within seconds, he was blinking fast at her.
"What the fuck?" Harold said. "Fuck!"
"So you're my stalker, huh?" Ginny said.
"Your stalker? What the fuck are you going on about?"
"Stop pretending. You said we were meant to be."
"Why the fuck am I tied? You - You tried - You hit me over the head! I'm bleeding!"
"What do you want?"
"Fuck, you beautiful women. You're all crazy!"
"What do you want, you fucking stalker!"
"I'm not fucking stalking you, you crazy woman!"
Ginny removed her phone and flashed the chat window to him. "This is obviously you."
He read it slowly, blinking through the blood. "Fuck, you retard! Your stalker framed me! I'm not him!"
"Stop lying, you asshole!"
"Look," Harold said. "My phone is over there. Take it. The password is '69withsluts'."
Ginny scoffed but did as she was told. She unlocked his phone. "What crap are you going to show me? You bugged my room?"
"Go into my facebook," Harold said and she did that. "Do you see the latest post? It was dated during your dinner. I am there in the photo, it couldn't have been me. I was at a party."
Ginny stared at the photo. It was unmistakably him in the photo. There was also a timestamp. He was right. "You fucker, you could have an accomplice."
"Bitch, I want to fuck you, not get into jail."
She sent a slap flying across his cheek. "You're just as depraved as this fucking stalker."
"So now you believe me? I'm not him!"
"I'm still not sure."
"Then go check my photo gallery or whatever crap. Check all my messages. Check my laptop. I've been really busy with work, I can hardly meet up with friends. I don't have time to stalk a girl."
"And yet you went to a party and met me," Ginny said.
Harold smiled through bloody teeth. "Well, there is always time to fuck sluts."
"I can't believe Gemma is your friend," Ginny said in disgust.
"Oh trust me, Ginny. You know nothing about Gemma. Now, if you'll untie me."
Ginny considered for a moment. She looked into his eyes, and saw that he was innocent of what she was accusing him of. Besides, she did have proof. She quickly untied him and carried him to the couch.
"I'm sorry, Harold," Ginny said. "I shouldn't have jumped to conclusions. But Gemma just committed suicide and I got that message. I didn't know what to think. I was so angry."
"What?" Harold said as he pressed a hand into his wound. Pain bloomed in his eyes. "Gemma is dead?" Ginny could hear the hurt in his voice.
"Yes, she is," Ginny said.
"No, no, no," Harold said, tears streaming down his cheeks. He collapsed to his side and within seconds, he was sleeping in his tears.
An hour passed, and another passed. Ginny texted her parents to tell them she was safe and they almost blew up her phone. Another hour passed before she went over to Harold to wake him up.
"Harold, wake up," Ginny said, shaking him.
He didn't respond.
Cold heat inched up her back slowly as sweat poured down her temples. She shook him again, but he did not move. Holding a finger under his nose, she waited.
Harold was dead.
❃❃❃
Ginny knocked on Bale's door repeatedly, her hand not stopping. She had escaped from Harold's home after trying her best to wipe every surface she might have touched and now, she was at the most comfortable place she could find.
Bale opened the door and his eyes took a while to accustom themselves to her state before he stepped aside without a word, as if in understanding. She walked in and slumped down on his couch.
"Bale, I fucked up," she said. "I fucked up big time."
"Wait here," he said, going to his kitchen. He filled a glass of water and took some tissues before returning to her. He wet the tissues with the glass of water and brought it to her hands to wipe them free of blood. "What's wrong?"
"I k-killed a man," Ginny said as she trembled. "I thought he was my stalker. And I thought he killed Gemma!"
"Gemma died from hanging herself, so how could she have been murdered?" Bale said.
But that sent a chill down her spine. How did Bale know that Gemma had hung herself?