109. There He Was

Continued...

A jolt of terror electrified my body. My breathing became erratic as I took in my surroundings, the wooden planks beneath me, the faint rustling of leaves in the wind.

I was sitting on the patio. The same patio that, not too long ago, I had been so desperate to avoid at night.

How the hell?

I scrambled to my feet, my legs weak, knees wobbling beneath me. My head spun as I tried to process what was happening.

My sleepwalking—Goddammit, my sleepwalking. It was back. After all these years of it been gone, it sure choosing the worst possible times of creeping up on me again.

This is far horrible than the time I woke up in the middle of the road with a lumber truck barreling toward me.

At least then, I would have had the luxury of a quick, painless death.

What if *he* had been lurking nearby while I was unconscious out in the open, who knows what he could have done? What if he had been standing over me, watching me, touching me?

I spun toward the glass doors, my breath hitching. My last memory of standing here resurfaced—the locked door, the presence behind me, the tattooed hand reaching forward.

My pulse thundered in my ears as I grabbed the handle, twisting it, half-expecting it to be locked again.

Click.

It gave way easily, the door swinging open without resistance. Relief hit me like a crashing wave.

And yet, despite my overwhelming fear, something beyond logic made me glance back—toward the trees.

I shouldn't have.

There he was

The breath caught in my throat, my body freezing in place. He stood at the edge of the tree line, just far enough to remain untouchable, yet close enough to let me know he was still watching.

His hood was up, shrouding his features, but his golden eyes gleamed like embers in the dark.

They burned through the distance between us, sharp and unwavering, locking onto mine with an intensity that made my skin crawl.

He was leaning lazily against a tree, arms folded across his chest, as if he had all the time in the world. As if he had been waiting.

A sickening realization dawned on me. How long had he been standing there?

Had he seen me sleeping on the patio? Did he move closer? Did he whisper things in my ear while I was unconscious like a maniac he undoubtedly is?

I stumbled inside, my heart still hammering in my chest, my hands trembling as I grabbed the door and slammed it shut behind me.

My fingers fumbled over the lock, twisting it until I heard the reassuring clink of security.

I inhaled deeply, my body sagging against the door as the weight of my own idiocy settled in.

I need to stop this. I need to stop sleepwalking before it gets me killed.