When Kristy pulled into work on Monday morning, she noticed a beige pickup truck in the parking lot. It reminded her of Logan and she made a mental note to look for more pictures in Alex’s things. She hadn’t gotten much work done over the last two days. Her boss knew what she was going through and told her to take as much time as she needed, but she still felt a little guilty for not being there. She would work late tonight to make up for the lost time.

Plus it would keep Alex off of her mind for a few more hours.

That night, Kristy sat in her recliner next to the living room window and opened her laptop. It was late, but she still had some catching up to do at work. She was reading up on a local story about a string of break-ins when a pair of headlights caught her eye. She watched the car park in a spot not far from her window. The driver turned the headlights off, but no one got out of the car. It struck her as odd, so she watched a while longer.

The car was a gray Ford sedan. From where she sat, it looked like the hood was a little discolored and the driver’s side had some damage. She eventually went back to her work, but looked up every few minutes for the next hour. When she finally closed her laptop and was ready for bed, the car hadn’t moved and the driver still sat inside. Was he watching? Waiting for someone? Kristy wondered if he knew how creepy he looked just sitting there. The same uneasy feeling that had washed over her the other night was back. She tried to write it off again as her own paranoia, but when she lay down to sleep, she tossed and turned all night.

Kristy was more tired than usual when she sat in traffic the next morning. Jordan sent her a text telling her he would bring her coffee. The gray car was gone when she woke up, but the knot in her stomach was still with her.

Waiting for the light to change, Kristy absentmindedly looked out her windows and glanced up into her rear view mirror, and was instantly more alert when she spotted it. Three cars back and one lane over, a beige pickup crept along. She couldn’t see the person behind the wheel, but wondered what the odds were of seeing such a similar vehicle that many days in a row? She studied the truck while she sat at the light. Its side mirrors and bumpers were chrome, there was a crack along the bottom of the windshield, and it had Montana plates. She tried to think back and remember if Logan’s truck had Montana plates, but she couldn’t remember. When the light changed, Kristy drove slower than usual hoping the truck in the next lane would pass her, but the truck slowed down too. It never passed her even though there was plenty of room. She kept her eye on it all the way to work. When she turned into the parking lot, the truck sped out of sight.

Kristy could hardly focus on any of the work that lay on her desk that day. The uneasy feeling never left. Even Jordan noticed she was a little off.

He sat down in Kristy’s office around lunch time. “How’s your grandmother holding up?”

“Fine.”

“Did you have a good time with Ariana the other night?”

“Mm hm.” Kristy’s eyes never left her computer screen.

Jordan let his ankle rest on his knee and studied her for a moment. “I’m picking up on something here. What’s wrong?”

Kristy’s eyes dropped before she looked up at Jordan. “I think I’m going crazy.” She forced a smile and tried to make light of how she was feeling.

He raised his eyebrows and turned his head slightly. Kristy filled him in about the strange man at her door seeking long lost pictures Alex may have had.

“I took his number and told him I’d call if I found anything. I’ve looked everywhere.”

Jordan could see the stress Kristy was feeling. “I’m sure it’s nothing. You’ve had a lot going on and sometimes our minds play tricks when we’re really stressed out. Let’s go get some lunch.”

“No. I really need to get this done,”

“My treat.”

“You drive a hard bargain.” Kristy took in a deep breath. “Alright. Let’s go.”

* * *

When Kristy got home early that evening she poured a glass of wine. Her paranoia had drained her and she desperately needed to calm her nerves. Leaving her phone in her purse, she headed straight for the tub.

She’d been in the hot, soothing bath for almost an hour when she decided it had been long enough. With pruned fingers, she slid into her pajama pants and a t-shirt and towel dried her hair. She had to admit she felt a whole lot better. The sun was beginning to set, so she turned on the light and made herself a sandwich. She wrapped it in a paper towel and walked to the office of her apartments to pick up her mail. She shuffled through her pile of mail as she ambled back, stopped at the dumpster to toss the junk, and rounded the corner of her building just in time to see a beige pickup pull out of the parking lot and drive away.

Once back inside her apartment, she locked the door behind her. She had to be imagining all of this. Was she really being followed?

She couldn’t think of any reason anyone would be watching her. She sat back and let out a small laugh at herself. She couldn’t believe she was being so paranoid.

“You’re such a spaz.” She admonished herself out loud.

She settled into her recliner and turned on the TV. She was flipping through the channels trying to find something worth watching when headlights came shining through her window making her shift her attention. She turned her head slightly and waited for the car to pass when the panic set in again. It was the same gray car she had seen the night before. She watched it slow to a stop, and then the lights went out the same as they had the previous night.

She pulled her eyes away and realized she had been holding her breath.

Kristy reached for her phone and dialed Jordan’s number. She looked back out the window as the phone rang. The people in the car weren’t even talking to each other. They were just watching.

Waiting.

But for what?

The phone rang and rang and eventually went to Jordan’s voicemail. Kristy hung up and called Ariana.

“Hey, girl.” Ariana’s voice startled Kristy. She’d been studying the strangers outside her window while she waited for Ariana to answer.

“This is going to sound weird, but I think someone is watching me. Ever since that guy was at my door I’ve seen his truck everywhere, and now there’s these guys that sit in their car outside my apartment at night.” Kristy was frantic. The words all came out too fast. “Have I lost my mind?”

“Definitely.” She could hear Ariana’s smile though the phone. Then, “You need to call the cops.”

“And tell them what? That I keep seeing the same people in the same cars everywhere I go and it’s creeping me out?”

“Yes. That’s exactly what you tell them. Even if they can’t do anything right now, at least you’ll have made a report.”

That sounded reasonable enough. They hung up and Kristy looked up the non-emergency number for the local police department.

“Hi… I think I’m being followed… and watched.” Kristy voice was shaky as she tried to explain the reason she was calling. After answering a series of questions about when and where and could she describe the vehicles, Kristy looked out the window and gasped.

“Ma’am? Are you alright?” asked the dispatcher.

“Yes, I’m… it’s just… now the car’s gone.” She let out a frustrated sigh. “I’m sorry.” Great, now the police probably thought she was crazy. Did whoever was in the car know she had called? She dismissed the thought immediately.

“It’s okay, ma’am. We have record of your call. If this continues to happen, just call back. You did the right thing by reporting it. Now we have a record of the incident.”

“Okay, thank you.” Kristy rubbed her forehead in frustration and hung up. Trying to turn her thoughts elsewhere, Kristy sat back in her recliner and started flipping through the channels. She left it on My Cousin Vinny, Alex’s favorite movie. She brought her feet up and sunk into the chair, and finally began to relax.

Kristy woke up with a stiff neck. She had fallen asleep in her recliner. She sat up slowly and stretched her stiff muscles. The TV was still on and the credits had just started rolling. She had only slept for an hour or so. A hot shower came to her mind, but the thought vanished when she turned her head and looked out the window. Not only was the gray car back in its usual spot, but parked next to it was the beige pickup. Between the two vehicles were three men. She recognized one as Logan, but she had never seen the other two. She thought from their buzzed haircuts that they may be in the Army too. She looked from the men back to the truck. It had Montana plates. It had been Logan following her around this whole time. The thought made her start to shake. Her head was spinning with questions. Is this really about pictures? He mentioned a video. What could possibly be on it? Did they know she had called the police that night? She thought of going outside to convince them she didn’t have what they were looking for. Was it safe to go talk to them? Would they hurt her? She grabbed her phone and ran to her bedroom. There was one person she could call that might know what to do.

In her room, she grabbed her purse and pulled it to the floor. She rummaged through it until she found the wadded up napkin she had dismissed weeks earlier. She dialed the number and waited. As she listened to the phone ring, she backed up against the wall as if she could blend into it. It felt like forever, but finally there was an answer.

“Hello?”

“Cam? It’s Kristy. I need your help…”