Being noticed was not what Jabar needed. The less people noticed him, the better off he was.
Jabar cursed when he had reached the wooded spot he had intended to leave Amy in. She must have fallen out when the tailgate had fallen at that red light. He wondered if the fall had killed her, or hurt Amy at all. Some passing car had probably seen her and stopped to help. Not knowing did complicate things. He had to find out somehow. He ditched his truck at a gas station and started walking, hoping to find some car that the driver had left the keys in. Jabar hit pay dirt when he saw a woman unloading groceries. She went in the house with a load, and left the keys in the car. Quickly he crossed the street and in one smooth move got in the driver’s seat. Throwing the car in gear, he sped away. No one seemed to notice.
~
Jabar was getting more desperate as the days went on; he had to get rid of Amy. He knew they were going to get him, she had seen his face when the hood had slipped, and if she had seen his face, then the police knew, because she had told them. He had been careful about staking out her apartment, but he drove by everyday, about the time that she went jogging, and usually saw her coming out of the complex. He would wait until she had run ahead of him then pull out on to the street, headed home, to his own lousy little apartment.
~
Amy had a hard time settling in back at home after the kidnapping. She found herself jumping at the smallest noise. She had even gotten so scared on night she ended up staying with Michelle after calling her in the middle of the night. Michelle had been terrified when she Amy had told her of being kidnapped, and had insisted that Amy stay that night with her. Neither of them slept much.
Jabar watched Amy as she headed out on her run. The fall hadn’t done anything for her appearance. A huge bruise covered her right cheek, if he was to guess, Jabar would say that was where she hit the road, when she fell from the truck. Amy was more cautious in the
26
weeks following her kidnapping. Even now as she ran, Amy was looking over her shoulder, and flinching at noises. He knew that he had her right were he wanted her. Jabar would be putting his plan in action soon, the plan to get rid of her for good. Not wanting anyone to catch on to him, Jabar pulled his car off the curb and headed for home. The time would come; all he had to do was wait for the right moment. Amy would soon be out of his way. This car had come in handy. No one even looked as he drove down the street. That truck had rattled, and smoked, making people take notice. Being noticed was not what Jabar needed. The less people noticed him, the better off he was.
Amy felt eyes burning her back during her run again. She veered off her usual route, hoping that if her stalker was following, she could lose him by changing her usual route. When she got home, Amy called Michelle to tell her that she thought she was being watched again. Michelle was alarmed and thought Amy should call the police. Amy reassured her, saying that she shouldn’t call the police unless she had more proof, because they might just start to think she was paranoid. Amy slept with her gun next to her that night.
Jabar waited for the cover of night to fall. He was sitting in the woods behind Amy’s apartment, a plan in mind, but he needed the darkness to fall before he made a move. He was only scouting tonight, and didn’t need to get caught in any case. When he thought there was enough cover, Jabar made his way up the fire escape, his eye on that second story window. The light in that room had just gone out about thirty minutes ago, so he knew it was the bedroom. When he reached his target, he took his knife and forced it under the edge of the window screen. He worked until he had freed 2 sides, making it where it would just slip off. He then made his way back down the fire escape.
Amy froze when she heard scraping noises outside her window. He was breaking in on her. Alarms went off in her head. She needed to act, or she would be a victim again, but this time, she might not survive. Grabbing the gun from her nightstand, she moved to the doorway of her bedroom. She peered closely at the window, but couldn’t see anything. After a moment, the scraping stopped. Amy thought maybe it was just a limb scraping on her window, or maybe just her imagination. She lay down again, but never went back to sleep, listening all night for noises, and coming out of her skin she heard something. When she got home, she opted not to run that afternoon, and stayed locked in her apartment, always keeping her gun nearby.
Michelle didn’t know what to do. Amy had become so petrified; she only left her apartment to go to work and grocery shop. She could also tell that Amy was barely sleeping. Dark circles hung under her eyes. The window scratching from last night hadn’t helped at all. The constant stress and threat was slowly chipping away at her best friend, and it hurt her to watch, and not be able to do anything. Something had to give, but Michelle hated to think what it would be.
Jabar had decided tonight was the night. Everything was ready, his plan would be put into motion. Once it was put in motion, there would be no going back, or stopping, Amy was no longer an innocent victim, she was a threat to his freedom.
Ohhh, this is getting GOOD! Can't wait until the next installment! Looking forward~ BTW, thank you for your kind words on my poem and stories; 'twas much appreciated! :) ((((HUGS)))) and love, your Texas friend, Karen Lynn. :) No, I am NOWHERE NEAR Hurricane Claudette, so DON'T worry; I am FINE, and the weather is bright and sunny out! :)
A poignant story about letting go of a narcissist in your life. Have you ever been attacked FULL force by a narcissist? It's the closest thing to being stabbed over and over in the back.
