Chapter 68 Tall Figure

KIA

It is currently 8 o'clock. Since I stayed at Miaree's place for a while, I already let Ares know that I would return home after a late meal tonight. I was forced to go with them because her uncle invited us to dinner and paid for it. I am walking alone. Miaree offers to drive me home when I inform her I'm leaving; however, I decline because the dinner isn't over and her uncle is there. I don't want to ruin their time together as a family.

I abruptly heard a voice calling my name, so I turned to face it. My heart started to beat more quickly as soon as I started to wonder who was calling my name. I proceeded directly to the main roadway because it was the only location with a traffic light. Unfortunately, I had forgotten to bring my earphones, and the darkness made my senses horrible. My nerves were shot by the wind's moaning and whistling through the trees. It was freezing.

It took me almost 15 minutes to get near the main road after I started walking more quickly. There were many shrubs along the road that led to the main road; it came to a dead end and a group of trees on the right, while the main road is on the left. In addition, a fence, an orchard, and a lack of lighting were present between the road and the main road. The small shed I noticed at the end of the orchard at the orchard's main entrance caught my attention as I walked toward the portion of the road closest to the orchard fence. I wondered who lived there. Then I once again heard my name being called.

“Ki… Kianna…”

I urged myself not to be afraid and to go as quickly as I could because the deep voice was making my body feel so cold. But as I noticed the main road was becoming longer than usual, I started to move more slowly. I turned and walked rather than going any further to look at the front of the house.

I catch a glimpse of a figure's shadow in the distance during a quick glance. It looks like a tall figure, and it seems like that figure is wearing a jacket with a hood. The road became silent as I quickly came to a halt so I could listen. However, after those brief peeks, the figure was gone, so I could not have been sure of what I had seen. To ensure that I could see anything if anything happened to reappear, I waited for at least five to ten minutes before moving on. However, nothing did. Even the person I could have sworn to be posed as a mystery to me as I considered all the possible outcomes. Having to rule out any other possibilities, I had to be certain.

I realized that it might also have been a figment of my imagination, a kind of hallucination that my mind was playing tricks on me. Being out there by myself was almost too much for me to bear. Consider the possibility of a second person traversing the world. I was already feeling nervous about the scenario, and I was made even more uneasy by the fact that I had no idea why they would have appeared in front of me in that way. I yet carried on forward. Not much more was left for me to do.

Suddenly, about 10 meters in front of me, I saw there was a woman. I immediately ran towards her.

“Please — Please, help me! There is someone following me, and I don't know what to do. Thank God I saw someone here…”

“Hija, calm down. Are you okay? Did you see that person who was following you?”

“No, I just — just saw him standing there,” I said while pointing in the direction where I saw the tall man.

“Maybe someone is stalking you. Why are you walking by yourself in this kind of place? It’s so late. How about you walk with me to the main road? My home is in the first subdivision there. You can join me for a walk if you want,” she offered.

Fortunately, our house is also in the first subdivision. Gladly, I have someone to accompany me while going home. “My house is also in the first subdivision that you passed on the main road. I will gladly accept your kind offer. Thank you so much.” I said as the shiver of fear lingered on my body.

While walking, she starts a conversation with me. She kept on asking questions, and I answered her precisely. “Don’t you know someone who might stalk you? In this generation, it is very dangerous to walk alone, especially for young ladies. You should have someone who will accompany you if you want to walk all the way to your home. What street do you live?”

“I live on Rose Street. We are just new here, so I am a bit unfamiliar with some places, like shortcuts.”

“Is that so? Do you live with your family? Do you have a brother? I suggest you ask him to accompany you when going home, especially at night.”

We have already arrived at the main road. There are no other people walking, and I can count on my fingers the number of cars that pass by. There were only the lady and me walking along the road.

“I don’t have any family anymore, but I have my husband with me—”

“You are married? — Oh, wait! Are you the new neighbors they were talking about? They said that there was a couple that had perfect features. They even said that your husband looks very handsome! They said that you look too young to get married. Are you still studying, hija?” she interjected.

“Yes, I am in college now.”

“Oh, I see. I would like to invite you and your husband to my house if you are free. I will cook delicious meals for the both of you.”

“That’s so lovely. Thank you. I will make sure to say that to him.”

The longer the talk went on, the more at ease I felt. I was no longer terrified. Her questions truly assisted me in calming down after what happened earlier. It took me twenty minutes to get to the house. I ran into Ares just as I was about to enter the house. Since I still hadn't shown up, he was preparing to leave the house and go look for me. I wonder why it followed me, whoever that is. And how did it know my name? Is it someone I know? Then, all of a sudden, I remembered something. The final remarks were made by Asteria. Does she have any connection to the earlier incident that happened to me? Did she hire someone to follow me?