The Stalker

Ginny panicked. Of course she panicked.

Her heart felt like it was trying to beat its way out of her chest, each thud so loud in her ears that it drowned out the soft hum of the library. Her breaths came shallow and quick, a sharp contrast to the steady calm that filled the room around her. There had only been a handful of times in her life when she'd truly been scared—really scared. Spooked? Sure. She'd had her share of late-night paranoia and jump-scares in poorly lit places. But the kind of fear that made her feel like her soul had been sucked clean out of her body? That was rare.

And this was it.

The phone slipped from her hand with a gasp, landing on the table with a soft thud that felt deafening in the quiet space. Her fingers trembled as she pushed herself back slightly, her chair creaking under her sudden movement.