{Mia}
As I arrived at home I felt someone watching me, I felt my stomach churn with uneese, and my palms start to get sweaty.
I looked around for anything unusual but found nothing . ' Maybe I could trick whoever was watching me ' I thought in amusement.
Then, I walked past my house, I continued walking only to stop and hide in a bush .
The bush felt scratchy I felt my skin start to tear .' just a few more minutes Mia ' I told myself .I searched through my backpack and took out a hologram gadget I had made myself.
It was shaped like chewed chewing gum. With a small chip inserted inside it , once a little pressure is applied, the holagram appears for a maximum of 20 minutes, which makes escaping any situation easier.
As I spotted someone I quickly threw the gum in their path , they stepped in it ' sorry ' muttered in a low tone , then suddenly a holagram of myself appeared. And walked away following the innocent soul .
I waited for 10 minutes making sure the coast was clear as I headed towards the house . I opened the door and entered only to hear Scarlett's soothing concerned voice ." Mia !! What happened ?!?! I couldn't contact you, I thought you were in trouble" she asked worriedly.
" What would've happened if you needed me , what if you died ." She scolded me .
At that moment all the emotions I was holding back bubbled to the surface and tears brimmed my eyes .
" Oh Mia it's going to be alright, don't worry."
I sobbed ." N-No it's not !"
Then her mechanical arms came down from the seeling and hugged me tightly, although it was strange, I found comfort in her embrace.
I smiled, " Scarlett. My watch broke . I couldn't contact you , it wasn't my fault. I promise." I pleaded.
Then I heard her sweet voice ." It's okay Mia we'll figure it out together. I'll help you fix your watch."
For some strange reason I felt comfort in her words ." Thanks, I needed that ."
" Not to alarm you or anything.." she began her tone hesitant." But...."
" Just spill already." I burst feeling tired.
" Fine, I'll show you ."
Then, suddenly, the power went out . "Scarlett?" I whispered, my voice barely audible.
But no response. I smacked myself on my head .' oh why oh why didn't I make her power supply independent from the one of the house .' I scolded myself, frustrated. Then the weight of the moment dawned on me . The lights were out, no one knew where I was, and most importantly Scarlett wasn't with me .
Then suddenly, I heard a loud urgent knock on the door, to say I was scared was an understatement, I felt my palms start to sweat,and I began to feel lightheaded. The knocking grew louder by the second. The color drained from my face as I quietly approached the window to check who was there. Sneakily I opened the curtain just enough for me to see the outside but not the other way around.
I saw a man dressed in an electrician's uniform, a bag behind him as he continued knocking. I felt the knot in my stomach slowly easing, I shouted." What do you want."
As I watched his expression through the window I could see him faintly smirking. I felt scared, ' who was he ?' ' what did he want '
" I'm here to check the power outage."
I lied " What are you talking about?" I chuckled nervously." The power is on " I said hoping he'd believe me .
This time he stuttered ." B-But , your neighbors called , and I'm going house to house to see what caused the problem."
' damn it !' I screamed inwardly, ' he didn't believe me !'
" Isn't the power circuit outside the house?" I asked raising my brows .
I could see panick in his eyes .
" Yes but the problem for this kind of issue is from the inside ."
Then, I shrugged.' I mean what could possibly go wrong ?' I muttered under my breath and opened the door peaking my head out .
I put on my most stern face and continued.
" Come back in two hours , check all the other houses in the neighborhood, then and only then if you don't find the problem,you can come back here ." I stated coldly .
But as I started to close the door, he put his leg in between, stopping the door from closing . My heart skipped a beat as I registered what was happening. My fight or flight kicked in .' why did I open the door !!' I thought. I wanted to run , but to no avail, it was as if my legs were glued to the ground below .
The man leaned in, his smirk twisting into something darker. His eyes, cold and calculating, never left mine. ''I don't think you understand. I need to come in now.'' My heart raced. There was something familiar about the way he spoke something sinister. My instincts screamed that this wasn't just about a power outage. He was here for something... or someone. But what? And why me?
My heart thundered in my chest, but I forced herself to stay calm. I gripped the edge of the door tighter, pretending to be unfazed. "And I don't think you understand," I shot back, my voice steady despite the fear clawing at my insides. "The police station is just two blocks away. If you don't remove your foot, I'll make a call. Your choice."
The man froze for a moment, his eyes narrowing as if calculating something. Then, slowly, he pulled his foot back, raising his hands in mock surrender. "Fine. I'll come back later."
I didn't trust him for a second. I locked the door the moment he stepped back, my fingers trembling as I turned the latch. Through the peephole, I watched him linger on the porch, glancing around the street as if waiting for something or someone.
My mind raced. Scarlett was offline, and I didn't have time to repair my watch. But I wasn't defenseless. Quietly, I moved to her room, pulling out another of my homemade gadgets a small EMP device I'd been working on for fun. It wasn't perfect, but it might just give me the upper hand if things went south.
Peeking out the window, I noticed the man hadn't left the property. He stood near the corner of the house, fiddling with his bag. Then, he took out a small black device and pointed it toward the house.
My stomach dropped. He's not just here to fix the power.
'If I can disable that gadget, maybe he'll back off.' I thought confidently.
I turned the EMP device in my hands. I had no time to waste. My fingers pressed the button.
A burst of energy shot through the air, targeting the man's electronics. I heard a faint clicking sound, and his device sparked, glitching and going dead. The man swore under his breath and looked down at his malfunctioning equipment.
I felt a small surge of hope. Now was my chance.
I opened my drawer got a knife and ran , I couldn't leave him near the house , I needed to escape and lead him away .
' oh how I wish Scarlett was here!'
The man immediately noticed me escaping and quickly ran after me .
We ran for almost 10 miles, I was breathless I could feel the pain in my legs growing , but I needed to continue, I didn't know what he'd do to me if he'd catch me .
Then he backed me up into a corner and said grinning ." Do you think you can escape me ?"
Suddenly I smirked " and do you think that I'm dumb?"
I raised my hand holding the knife and stabbed his shoulder. Not a fatal stab , but it was sure to hurt .
Then I found a bat lying around and I smacked his head hard ! He Yelped in pain but I didn't care , I was defending myself.
Once I knocked him out, I grabbed his backpack, my heart still racing. I didn't hesitate, sprinting home with the weight of both the backpack and the mystery pressing on my mind. Inside the bag, I could feel something hard , a device? A file? What was it that this man was willing to chase me for?
I needed to know what he wanted from me .