Chapter 10: The Stalker

“So, you say you have no idea what happened?" the detective asked
sleepily. The human had the look of someone who just climbed out of bed which
made sense given it was two in the morning. His clothes were wrinkled and
disheveled, and his hair was all over the place.

David nodded, his eyes glued to the floor. He felt like
vomiting, his tail wouldn't stop shaking, and his sweat was causing his t-shirt
to stick to his body. He wasn't truly listening to what the detective had asked
him. He couldn't even remember what the man's name was. The only thought
running through his mind was that he needed to deny any and all involvement. Despite
the role he played in tonight's events, he really had no idea what happened. He
didn't know why Clarissa would kill her husband after nearly 30 years of
marriage and shot herself afterwards. He answered all of the detectives
questions with the same scared response: “I don't know."

Even if he knew otherwise.

The whole situation felt unreal. David pinched himself
several times, trying to convince himself it was all a bad dream. He told
himself that he was just being paranoid, but what other explanation was there?
She shot him. Clarissa killed her husband, and for what? Some gambling
receipts? It didn't feel right; things couldn't have been that serious.

Maybe it wasn't his fault. For Clarissa to fly off the
handle like that, there had to be problems in their marriage no one else knew
about. The whole situation was nothing more than a powder keg waiting to
explode.

"That may be so, but
you're still the one who lit the match," his conscience argued.

David grabbed his ears and squeezed as hard as he could. The
pain was nothing compared to how he felt now, but he needed something to distract him.

The detective either was too tired to notice David's odd
behavior, or he didn't care. He just made a note of David's responses, made a
half-hearted comment about how “helpful" he was (although David knew he was
being sarcastic), and left.

The moment the door was locked, David headed straight for
his bedroom and snatched the phone off the nightstand.

The first person he thought of calling was Michael. The cops
would've found the photos and receipts he slipped under Otto's door, and he
didn't bother to wear gloves. Once they checked it for prints, they would be at
his door.

But instead of calling the lawyer, he dialed Rob's number.
Rob was the one who gave him the flash drive. Although his friend couldn't have
known how Clarissa would react, Rob just happening to give him a flash drive
with damning evidence on it when he needed it most was too convenient. David
knew he should've questioned it the moment he saw the pictures, but he was too
busy dreaming of revenge to pay it any real attention. Now someone was dead
because he couldn't think beyond his own selfish reasons.

All he heard was Rob's answering machine. David hung up and
dialed Rob's number again. He wasn't about to leave a message. Even if it took
all night, he was getting his friend on the phone.

After the third attempt, his stomach knotted. After the eighth,
he began to feel sick. It was pretty late, but it wasn't like Rob to ignore his
calls. He continued calling and calling, but still received no answer. After
looking at the time and seeing he had been trying for nearly two hours, he gave
up. While he really wanted to find out what Rob had gotten him into, there were
other things to worry about.

He needed to get his story straight. Regardless of Rob's
role in things, David couldn't drag his friend into this. Rob didn't make him
use the flash drive. Rob didn't make him print the pictures and take them
downstairs to Otto's apartment. The fault was his, and he wasn't going to get
anyone else involved.

But David couldn't focus on what he knew he needed to do.
All he could think of was Clarissa standing in the middle of her living room
with a gun in her hands, feeling rage and betrayal toward her husband. He tried
to close his eyes, but instead he could see Clarissa's tear-soaked, pain-ridden
face staring at her dead husband's body. He decided to keep his eyes open for
the rest of the night.

He sighed and started pacing around the room, unable to even
begin sorting through his emotions. He needed to talk to someone; thinking
things through on his own wasn't working. But it was near four in the morning,
who was he going to talk to, and what would he say to them? Rob wasn't
answering, Michael was only going to tell him to keep his mouth shut, and after
his conversation with Stephanie, the last thing he wanted was for her to find
out.

There was one person he could talk to. Someone who always
listened to what he had to say without judgment. He went to the computer and
logged into Chatline, not caring how
early in the morning it was. Just like every time before, he knew Eric would be
there waiting for him.

Eric: Hey,
how's it going?

CH27: I
did something real stupid and I don't know where to go next.

Eric: What?
What are you talking about.

CH27: I
killed them. They're dead and it's my fault.

Eric:
Hold on. Chill. What happened?

David told Eric everything that happened after he came home.
The mysterious flash drive, how he used it to reveal Otto's secrets, how it got
the landlord and his wife killed, how the police are investigating and would
soon come for him, and the unbearable guilt he would spend the rest of his life
dealing with. He kept out Rob's involvement, saying that he asked for the flash
drive himself, nor the time with Stephanie. For some reason he didn't want to
share that with Eric. David did share the details of the last time he and
Stephanie got together, but now he felt strange telling Eric about it.

Eric's response was the furthest from what David expected.

Eric:
That's funny. That is some grade-A comedy stuff right there.

David stared at the screen in shock. He just mentioned how
two people died because he slipped a few pictures under a door. What the fuck
could be funny about that?

CH27: Did
you not hear what I said? People are dead.

Eric: So?

David fought the urge to end the chat then and there. Eric
couldn't be serious. He wasn't expecting Eric to break down over it, but Eric
had to understand why he was upset at least.

CH27: What
the fuck is your problem? The guy was being a dick, but I don't think he needed
to die for it.

Eric: Get
over yourself. You really think this wouldn't have happened if you hadn't done
anything? That ship was doomed to sink David. You just sped up the process.

David started to type a response and froze. He read Eric's
response again. His entire system locked up as if he jumped into a freezing
cold lake. He re-read the line again and again, but the result was always the
same: Eric knew his real name. But how? He knew for a fact he never used any
identifying information, he couldn't have. He was very careful not to.

His first instinct was to end the chat immediately. He moved
the cursor to the red x in the top right corner of his browser. He had no idea
how Eric found out who he was, but there was no way he could continue talking
to him.

Just before he could press down on the mouse, Eric sent
another message.

Eric: I
wouldn't do that, David.

David froze. Could Eric see him? Impossible. He didn't have
a webcam connected to his computer. But instead of comfort, that thought sent a
chill up his spine. That would mean there were cameras in the apartment. But
where? As small as the place was, if there were cameras stashed somewhere he
would have seen at least one by now.

Another message from Eric appeared on the screen, and David
did not want to read it. But his eyes were drawn to it. His eyes moved slowly
over each word, feeling his heart drop another inch each time.

Eric:
David, don't think of closing the browser or canceling your account. That would
be a very bad move.  After all we're just
talking. You wouldn't think of doing to me what others have done to you, right?

David stared at the screen in horror. He couldn't believe
what was happening right now. He was being held hostage by some random person
on an online chat room. Why was this happening to him? When did Eric become
involved in his life? How much did Eric know about him?

Unfortunately David had no time to think about it. He needed
to respond to the message or else.  With
shaking fingers, he typed a response.

CH27:
Yeah. Of course I wouldn't.

Eric: Oh
good. You had me worried for a minute. Now tell me who else is bothering you.

David cocked his head in confusion. Up until now, Eric never
asked for a name. Of course he also never mentioned David's real name. What was
the point in mentioning anyone by name anyway? If Eric was stalking him, he
already knew who everyone was. David's tail ducked under his seat as the
realization of why Eric wanted a name hit him like a punch to the gut.

CH27: It
was you. You killed them.

It seemed outrageous, but David felt it in his gut. Eric
somehow killed Samson Thomas and drove Pepper to kill her brother.

Eric:
Whoa! That's a pretty outrageous accusation. How can you say that? Those people
simply got what they deserved.

CH27: Bullshit.

Eric:
That's harsh. Although, this is more your fault than mine. This whole thing was
your idea.

CH27: It
was not! I didn't do a damn thing.

Eric: That's
where you're wrong, David. You wanted
those people to suffer. You  wanted them to feel the pain and anger at
being betrayed by those closest to them.

David wanted to type in a counterargument, to tell Eric that
he was wrong. He wanted to say it, but he couldn't. His mind couldn't figure
out how to phrase it, and his hands were frozen on the keyboard. No matter how
he looked at it, wasn't that what he wanted? Wasn't that the reason for
slipping the envelope into Otto's apartment.

Eric: I
didn't think so. If it makes you feel any better, I wasn't trying to kill
anyone. Things just ended up that way.

CH27: Don't
give me that shit! Was this all part of the “plan" you came up with?

Eric: Careful,
Davey. I don't care if you're upset. Don't call me a liar. As for my plan, no
comment. Just know that everything will be okay.

CH27: No
it won't. I'm calling off the plan.

Eric: Don't
do that David.

CH27: Or
what? It's my life. If I want to live in misery, I can.

Eric: I
won't let you destroy yourself, David. I'm not the enemy here, they are.  

CH27: I
don't care. I'm done.

Eric: I
don't need your permission. But you have a point. Not being in the loop gives
you plausible deniability. Good idea.

David cupped his mouth to keep from screaming. His tail ran
under the chair, quivering like a scared child. There was no way out. Eric
already had a list, and he wouldn't be talked out of scratching off every name
on it. But why tell? If Eric really didn't need permission, why bother
contacting him in the first place?

But again, David didn't have time to speculate. If he wanted
answers, if there was to be any hope of stopping Eric's spree. there was only
one option. He typed his response, fighting back the bile building in his
throat.

CH27:
Wait. I want to be in the loop. I want to know which one of those bastards is
next.

He hated writing the message. It left a twisted feeling in
his gut that made him want to vomit. But he needed to stay on the inside so he
could tell the police. If he knew who was next on Eric's hit list, they could
be warned, and the cops could set up some kind of operation to catch Eric in
the act.

All he had to do was figure out how to tip off the cops without
Eric catching on.

Eric:
Sweet! I knew you wouldn't let me down. So who do you want to go after next?

David grabbed his ears again, squeezing so hard, he started
to hear ringing. He needed a name. If he didn't give one, Eric would pick his
own. David came up with the idea of getting back into the fold,  but he couldn't shake the thought that he was
basically dangling someone like a piece of meat in front of a hungry beast. The
plan was flimsy at best. What if the police didn't believe him? Someone would
die if he couldn't convince anyone there was a psycho stalking them. Then there
was the threat of jail time.

Flimsy or not, the plan was all David had. He swallowed and
forced his fingers to type a response, praying that this crazy idea wouldn't
come back to bite him.

CH27: Brent
Caldwell.

Eric: That's
the prick who picked a fight with you so he could fire you right? That's one
for the record books. I've seen some asshole bosses before, but that guy makes
number one. I'm surprised karma hasn't kicked him in the ass yet.That'll change soon.

David didn't respond. His body refused to do anything he
told it. He still wrapping his mind around idea that for the last several weeks,
he'd been ordering hits on people and didn't know it. There was no telling how
many lives have ended because he complained to someone on the internet. People
he knew, hung out with, once called his friends. Even now, knowing the cost of
his actions, he had no choice but to keep sentencing others. All in the hopes
that he might be able to put an end
to it before someone else was hurt.

David vomited onto the floor.