Episode 5: First Response

He was at my home.

He was standing under that tree.

He was looking at me.

And I was looking at him.

He was at my home.

The words were running in a loop. What was unsettling was the fact that things were getting real and serious. Until now, Archie was only receiving notes. The stalker was still a fiction in her head.

Now, he is real.

He was watching her. He knew her very closely. He knew she had woken up at 2 AM, stared out the window and had water as she did so. He probably watched her go to sleep at the chair by the window.

Nandan was speechless as he drove her to the apartment. The stalker’s behaviour was keeping him on the edge. The stalker had addressed him directly.

And he thanked me? Our girl?

Nandan dropped her with fresh threats to not venture outside and to not order food also. Archie was annoyed listening to the instructions.

“What! Now you want me to die hungry?”

Nandan gave her an exasperated expression and grunted his disapproval.

“What is it, Nandan? You’re more anxious than I am over this situation?”

Nandan killed the engine as he parked on the side. He breathed deeply as he closed his eyes for a minute as if going through a painful, old memory. Archie waited.

He was breathing deeply as he rubbed his forehead recollecting as he opened the box of memories

“My younger sister was similarly getting stalked by a guy – daily from college to home. He was not part of the college crowd. Some local gang member. She mentioned it at home and none of us took her seriously. We thought it was one of her attention-seeking pranks.”

Nandan opened his eyes and looked at Archie.

“One day, she didn’t come home. It was over three hours. Then we all panicked. She had consistently complained about the guy which we had not bothered about and now every conversation came back to us to haunt. We launched a massive manhunt. I called all her friends, college, teachers – she had left college at the correct time on her vehicle. After two desperate hours of searching, we got a call from Fort General hospital. She had been admitted and was in ICU.”

Nandan paused as Archie’s expression contorted into horror.

“The guy was chasing her on car as she rode back to home. But as she was not paying attention to his advances, he slammed his car into her and ran over her. Her phone and few of her belonging was shattered and that is why it took time for them to contact us. She was battling for breath in the first two hours.”

Nandan gulped at the memory and closed his eyes once more.

“I was an idiot. My sister was asking for help, and I thought she had behavioural issues. She got saved but we were so close to losing her. I am sorry if my behaviour is scaring you Archie, but I am worried luck might just not favour twice.”

Archie’s eyes softened at his words.

“I am scared I will not be able to save you. That’s why I am keeping you under my vigil.”

Archie nodded and her eyes teared up. This was not Nandan, her pestering, idiotic friend. This was Nandan, the brother. And to see his helplessness made her feel more helpless. She put out an arm and hugged him.

“I am sorry Nandan I have been a pain. I will follow every word you say.”

The two sat grinning now that the air had cleared between them. Archie and Nandan sat few minutes, spoke a bit more and then waving him bye, she opened the car door and stepped into the slow rain. Nandan watched as she reached the threshold, opened the gate and went in. Then he drove off.

***

The note, Nandan’s story and her own situation was playing in her head in a nonstop loop. She felt her brain in fog. Archie could not concentrate what was she doing and where was she going. It was beginning to irritate her, and it came to a head when her waist banged against the corner of the dining table and she yelped.

She looked around her house. Nothing looked different. No one seemed to have been here. Yet she felt that everything was having a mind of its own. Though nothing was out of place, she felt nothing was hers. Something had touched them all. They were no longer her things.

She made a cup of strong coffee. She didn’t feel like eating anything. Today, there were no shadows in her home. The streetlights had gone off. She went to the window and looked at the opposite curb. People were scurrying past even though the rain had now become a drizzle.

And there it was. The shadow.

The same shadow that was looking at her yesterday.

In a swift mindless action, Archie plonked her coffee cup on the table, put on her windcheater jacket, and was out on the street – walking towards the curb facing her apartment. She knew it was mindless, she knew it was stupid and she knew it could end terribly. But she was done staying scared. If he was going to run over her like that goon who had done to Nandan’s sister – he was getting it his way. She was done being scared and being closed inside boxes; be it her office or her apartment.

She reached the curb and was surprised. There was no shadow. Tins and containers were stacked precariously that were swaying slightly in the post-rain breeze. The garage and the tyre shop on the curb were closed. The yellow streetlamps were back on. Archie looked up and saw the clouds slowly flitting away. Stars were twinkling at places. A very small moon hung low in sky. The trees were mildly nodding their heads. She was alone on the street. There were no cars. There were no people. Just elements of nature and her.

Where are you, Mr. Stalker?

***

As expected, there was a note the next morning as she reached office. But it was not at her desk. It was on the glass door of the entrance to her office.

I love your spunk. But be careful, love. It was raining yesterday. Not a nice time to venture out.

Why did he put the note here? Doesn’t he normally put it on my desk? How is that nobody knows a stranger is walking through here?

Maybe he is not a stranger.

Who are the new people who joined our office recently?

But Archie was ready. She grabbed the note. And pasted hers own letter. And she cello-taped it on all four sides so that there was no way it was flying out.

Listen Moron. I am tired of these games. If you are so brave, why hide behind sticky notes? Meet me at Rivera on 17th. Saturday evening, 7 PM?

Amrita and Nandan saw what she was doing and scurried to her side. Amrita was dumbstruck looking at the contents of Archie’s Post-it.

“You’re instigating him?”

A woman in a dark shirt is placing a printed note on a glass door, expressing frustration and inviting someone to meet her at a specific place and time.

“Yes, I am.”

“You don’t like life?” said Amrita, slowly and ruefully, “What if he does something to you?”

“I don’t have much of a life right now Amrita. Let us get this over with, shall we?”

Archie expected Nandan to explode but he gave an understanding nod.

Suddenly, there was chaos and people could be seen walking out of the company adjacent to theirs. People were crying and some were trying to hold in their tears. Mostly they were sitting on the floor and packing up their bags.

Mira, their colleague walked up to them, “Layoffs. They were also acquired by the same company that bought us. It was almost a year ago. Now, they are letting go of some of the people. Guess soon it’s going to be us.”

Amrita, Archie and Nandan stood watching as slowly people walked out. A tall, surly-looking, well-built guy with chiselled face features, dark black eyes and thin, straight lips was looking around at everyone. He seemed to be having a sour expression though his eyes were soft.

“Who is he?” said Amrita.

“Must be the CEO’s security”, said Nandan, “No other way why he should be this unpleasant.”

“He doesn’t look so happy”, said Archie.

The lobby got soon crowded as their own colleagues stepped out to watch the mayhem. It was becoming difficult to stand and watch so the three turned to get back to their cubicles. Anyway, it was not going to be easy to see a fellow company’s people being disgracefully sent away. They knew some of them and used to share “Good Morning” and “Good Night” greetings in the lobby. The corporate was same in all companies.

And then the three saw.

Archie’s Post-it was no longer there. Someone had prised it off the shackles of the cello tape. The tape still stuck to the glass. The note was gone. Amrita gasped and clung to Nandan’s arm as Archie ran a hand over the torn cellotape.

“Call Rajat and let him know you have baited your stalker”, said Nandan in a worried tone.

Archie gulped visibly.

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Episode 6: Text Tuesday

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Post-it is an original work published as part of the Epistories series. All characters, events, and storylines are protected by copyright. Unauthorized reproduction, adaptation, distribution, or publication, in whole or in part, is strictly prohibited without prior written permission.