Welcome to Gaia! ::

Red Light, Green Light

Mia lifted a hand to part the curtains separating her kitchen from the main living space of her apartment, heading for her comfy couch lined with its poofy cushions and pillows. Gripping the warmth of a fresh mug of cocoa and inhaling slowly, she dropped carefully into a comfortable seat. The gentle scent of her drink mingled with that of her candles, providing a cozy atmosphere and a reminder that the colder months were really moving in. It was usually the historian’s favorite time of year, and now that a bit of normality was creeping back into her life, she allowed herself to relax just a little. It was safe.

Right on time, the laptop on her coffee table glowed, chirping the alert of an incoming VOIP call. That would be Sam and Meg. Likely chomping at the bit to see how their companion was faring in the big city. Caring, in one sense. Nosy was likely more apt, but in a congenial way.

“Hey!” Mia greeted after leaning forward to tap a few keys, opening the line and smiling as her friends popped into view on-screen.

“Hey yourself,” Meg responded, managing to look incredible even in just an oversized t-shirt and pajama bottoms.

It was like her superpower. No matter what she wore or how carelessly she tossed her hair together, Meg always looked like she’d come straight from a supermodel’s personal boutique.

“’Sup nerds?” Sam interjected in his deep baritone. “That your new place Mia?”

His shaved head bobbed around in-frame to try and get a better look at the antiquarian’s apartment. The large man looked as though he’d just returned from working out, dressed in a jersey and gym shorts. There was a pang of regret. Mia had loved going to the fitness center with Sam.

“Man, that is swAAaaAAAAA-NKY!” came his assessment, breaking into the woman’s thoughts.

“I do alright,” Mia teased back, glowing inwardly at the compliment.

She’d worked hard for her job, and while the pay wasn’t her focus the raise had definitely been welcome. It turned out Destiny City had some very nice studio apartments if one knew where to look.

“Yes yes, we’re all very impressed with Mia’s new lodgings,” Meg sniffed in mildest disdain. “But come, tell me. What’s the shopping like? I’ve always dreamed of shopping in that big city.”

To be fair, Meg’s pale eyes did seem a bit misty with longing at the thought. Spending money came as easily as breathing to that girl.

“It’s er… fine,” Mia answered carefully, noting Meg’s immediately predatory gaze. “I’ve gotten everything I needed anyway. I don’t have quite the stamina for shopping sprees that you do.”

Sprees? More like shopping marathons. Shopping expeditions. Meg was a pedigree born and bred to scour sales racks for the best deal.

“An’ whaddaboutchu?” Sam prodded, jabbing at the camera with an extended fingertip while munching noisily on a handful of cornchips.

Even on the other end of a computer screen Mia was impressed by her friend’s huge stature. His pointing hand alone nearly eclipsed his video feed.

“Been better,” she sighed, taking a sip of her cooling cocoa. “Seems like the stories about this place aren’t all exaggerated.”

Two pairs of digital eyebrows lifted in unison, prompting further explanation.

“I’m ok!” she added in a placating tone. “Now, anyway.”

“Aaaand?” Sam and Meg queried together.

“Well, I told you I needed a replacement phone. I’m going into some harsher areas on my trips and the last one was busted. Too much grit and sand. Really, it got weird when I went to pick up the new one…”

**********************One Week Earlier******************************

“So what’re you needing from your new phone?” chirped the gangly teenaged store associate that was assisting Mia. “Social media integration? Lots of memory for like puzzle games?”

“Nothing fancy,” the newly-arrived museum worker responded. “It’s for fieldwork. Needs to be rugged, something that won’t stop in the face of a little dirt and water. I suppose a decent camera would be useful too for quick shots.”

“Sounds like you need one of those old bricks,” the teen grumbled, scratching his cheek. “Could set you up with something way better, but it’s your choice lady.”

He rummaged through some stock behind the counter, muttering darkly to himself as though Mia not wanting the newest and fanciest product was some kind of personal offense. It wasn’t as if she didn’t appreciate those features, but the antiquarian had a laptop for all of those other things. Latest and greatest phones tended to be fragile pieces of hardware, and her last one had recently died an inglorious death from exposure. Rugged would do just fine.

“Uh… You okay with a refurb?” the employee droned, rising from the depths of drawers with a box in hand. “Returned after a few days but nothing wrong with it. I’m sure somebody ran diagnostics and cleared all the data and apps or something. Probably.”

He hefted it out of its container.

“Aw man that’s like super heavy. Looks like a good camera though. Sticker says it was one of those outdoor sports phones… like two years ago.”

He snorted derisively, but Mia wasn’t particularly picky about phones. They served their purpose and could be fun, but she wasn’t one to spend copious amounts of time playing on them. She reached forward to pluck the device from the snobby boy’s hands and give it a once over. Solid, no visible damage. Booted fine. All she needed really.

“I’ll take it.”

Walking back toward her apartment, Mia stopped for lunch at a small café. Due to the midday rush the inside was packed, but she didn’t mind. The parasol tables outside were more to her liking anyway. They were charming. A cool breeze teased her long hair as she picked out a seat, settling in to people watch. On a whim, she took out her new phone.

She’d only added two contacts during the walk over: Sam and Meg. She had their numbers memorized. The rest could wait until she got home to her previous SIM card and the paperweight that had once been her other phone. Mia decided to test out the camera and share some images of her new home. She’d promised to do so after all.

A quick glance around revealed the grandiose entrance to one of Destiny City’s many shopping centers nearby. Meg at least would appreciate that, and the throngs of people in the foreground would show off the bustling nature of the metropolis. Centering her shot in the phone’s frame, Mia exhaled slowly to steady her hand then took the shot. Habit, obviously phones would account for a little shaking.

Opening the media file she’d just created, the blonde blinked. The photo quality was insane! How many pixels was this thing? The sharpness of the image seemed to surpass even her professional camera she carted out for expeditions. If you looked long enough you wouldn’t believe you were staring at a screen at all. With a smile, the would-be shutterbug tapped a few times to forward the photo to her friend.

The response was quick in coming, as usual. Meg was never far from her phone.

“OMG, is that the Ivory Street Centre? Why are you OUTSIDE it?” the message read in an accusatory tone. “Also, who’s that really creepy guy? You know him? He’s like… staring right at you.”

What? Who was? Mia blinked and looked up and around in confusion. No one across the street was even glancing in her direction. They were too busy with their own lives, bustling about as they’d been before. What was Meg talking about?

Looking to the photo she’d sent, she peered more closely at the crowd of people. Surprisingly, there really was someone that seemed to be staring directly into the camera. He (it looked like a he anyway) wore a wide sort of bush hat, the brim pulled low and obscuring most of his features. A long, dark-brown duster dominated the rest of his figure, the tails tugging slightly in the breeze at the time of the snapshot. It was hard to really define anything about the man, aside from his apparent penchant for knowing exactly when someone was photographing him. It was likely just Mia’s imagination, but the stranger seemed to be wearing a mirthless smile in the shadow cast by his hat.

“That really is creepy,” she responded in text. “I guess the big city has its share of weirdos. I’ll send more pics soon.”

The rest of the lunch passed uneventfully, and it turned out the café made a delicious chef’s salad. Mia thoroughly enjoyed herself. Every now and again she would cast her gaze at her surroundings, searching. The strange man from the photo, however, was gone. A passing oddity it seemed.

Later that afternoon, the antiquarian emerged from the as-of-yet unfamiliar surroundings of her office and locked the door behind her. She’d popped into the museum to help with some cataloguing and organization. After all, she had a fair bit of down-time when she wasn’t off on trips and while day-to-day work at the campus wasn’t expressly part of her job description she knew the assistance was appreciated. Besides, it kept her busy. Engaged. Not only that, she had been able to snap what she knew were some great photos of the museum exhibits and the visitors.

Sam hadn’t gotten anything yet, and Mia didn’t want him to feel left out. With a smile, she sent the photos in bulk. This phone’s camera was addictive. All of the images had come out great when she took them. Her friend’s response wasn’t as immediate as Meg’s, and the historian had nearly made it out of the building before she was pinged back.

“Gurl u know i luv u & i know u love rocks & tiki idols & stuff, but unless u got sum old world b-balls in there or sumthin it just not doin it 4 me.” Mia could just imagine the smirk on his face, Sam knew she hated l337 sp34k and sometimes did it just to try for a rise out her despite his being rather well-spoken. “That dude looks like he’s gonna steal something though. Were you standing in front of something cool? Surprised they let him in looking like that.”

A small twinge of uneasiness nibbled at Mia. It couldn’t be, right? She opened her phone’s gallery, flipping through the series of images she’d sent Sam. Nothing, nothing… what was he talking about? The pictures all looked normal until one of the first ones she’d taken in the largest exhibit hall. It was a massive room full of the museum’s dinosaur skeletons and other such eye-catching displays to draw in crowds. Across the room was the man in the coat from lunch. Again, despite his covered features, he was looking directly at the camera. At Mia.

A chill went through the historian. She wracked her memory. Despite brushing off the lunch incident as a weird one-off, she’d caught herself stealing glances at her surroundings throughout the day. Not once had she spied the lurking stranger. And yet here he was, plain as day in the capture. Without a word she threw open the front doors and let herself out into the city for an early day home.

Wandering aimlessly along the paths of the inner city, Mia felt a little more secure while surrounded by urbanites out and about in the early evening. Whatever this weird stalker (as she’d started to refer to him in her mind) wanted it’d be hard to single her out in the crowds of Destiny City’s citizens. How had he found her again without her noticing? Had he followed from the café? She thought about turning around and going to speak with the museum’s security guard but just as quickly dismissed the notion. The stalker knew where she worked now.

Another feeling bubbled to the surface of her consciousness: indignation. Why was she running around like some fearful schoolgirl being chased by a monster? This man, despite his creepy behaviour, was just that: a man. Obviously he could have ill intent, but that was nothing new now was it? The adventurer had been on the wrong end of a meeting with local natives gone sour more than once, and had been threatened with anything from rocks and clubs to slings to firearms. Maybe it was the more personal nature of what was happening now versus a disagreement over exploring possible holy sites or removing relics, but the simmering anger didn’t fade.

Who did this guy think he was? Mia wasn’t about to let some jerk frighten her into running about like some field mouse. With a frustrated jerk, she dug her phone from her jeans pocket. After all, her aggravated wandering had led her near some of the more noteworthy shops in the district and she was determined to keep her promise to her friends. It would take her mind off things.

Stopping in front of a particularly lavish and impressive window display, the woman sternly lifted her phone and thumbed open the camera function. While getting the main gleaming mannequin centered in the frame while showing the racks of clothing and outfits inside the actual shop, she paused for a moment to look in every nook and cranny she could see from the window. Several customers milled about while rifling through the product, but no stalker. She peeked around her lifted phone just to verify with her own two eyes, then huffed at her own insecure behaviour and took the shot. A few more followed just to make sure she’d gotten everything.

Lowering the screen and opening the gallery, Mia started flicking through to review before sending them off. As before, the quality of the pictures almost surreal. She only made it to the third image before she gasped. There he was. The stalker. Just at the other side of the window display mannequin near the first row of clothing racks, staring directly back.

That was impossible! The other times he’d been across a large street or room, enough that missing him would have been plausible. But barely fifteen feet away on the other side of some glass? No. She wouldn’t have failed to notice him. A white-hot spike of fury burned away any other rational thought, and she stepped to the door of the shop and wrenched it open to storm inside.

He had to be in there, after all. She’d been standing right next to the entryway, and there was no other way out unless he’d gone through a fire door. The alarms would’ve been blaring then. So he was there. Quickly Mia marched from department to department, searching. The store was bigger than it had looked from the outside, but there weren’t really any places to hide either.

Nothing. No man in a large hat and long coat. How in the hell had he gotten out of the shop? She hadn’t overlooked him, she was sure of that. He simply wasn’t there. Baffled, the explorer strode over to a young lady working to fold clothing at one of the front tables near the door.

“Excuse me, but have you seen a large man in a long dark coat in here?” Mia asked hopefully.

“I’m sorry ma’am, I haven’t,” the associate answered, her bright hair bobbing in its tail as she shook her head. “Perhaps he took his coat off once inside. What does he look like?”

“Nevermind, thank you,” Mia interrupted brusquely, turning on her heel and stepping back through the entrance and out into the cool evening air.

It didn’t make any sense. How had the guy gotten away? Had he hidden in some clothing and slipped out? That still didn’t explain how the girl at the front had missed him. No sense whatsoever.

Frustrated, Mia jabbed through her phone gallery again. There he was, plain as day at the front rack. At that distance, she could see more features. He wore gloves and heavy boots. His face was still strangely overly shadowed by the brim of his hat, but she could eke out deep-set eyes and long stringy hair. She hadn’t been imagining it before, the man wore the faintest of unsettling smiles.

It gave her a shiver of discomfort. If she could just confront the man it would have been easier. But no, he leered at her from unreachable place, taunting her. She could just feel the amusement in his eyes, taunting her. Mia lifted her phone again like it was some sort of traitor.

“How is it that you can see him, huh?” she grumbled, as though the device would magically answer her. “A little warning would be nice.”

Irritated, the historian began heading homeward to her apartment. Some sleep would do her good, clear her head. After all, her building had a security guard and everything. Sure the stalker guy had gotten into the museum, but it wasn’t like the doorman there would stop someone just on account of looking a little off. Her complex was another story… hopefully.

Walking briskly, Mia now openly stole glances over her shoulder and down the side streets. Nothing but chattering passerby. Of course. It was obvious this man was following her, but some sense of stubborn pride and determination kept her from going to the authorities. Even with photographic evidence, she wasn’t sure they’d believe her. No one else seemed to notice the guy, not even her. Just the lens on her phone.

A strange train of thought wormed its way to the front of her mind. She wasn’t overly superstitious, but she’d heard strange things happened in autumn in this city. To be fair, Destiny City had more than its fair share of rumors and goings-on in the first place. But these were the sorts of off-the-wall hearsay that just had to be fake. Now the smallest seed of doubt was taking root.

It wasn’t that the antiquarian didn’t believe in magic. Quite the opposite, really. More than one relic she’d retrieved on expeditions had possessed weird qualities that just couldn’t be explained by natural laws. She’d met a witch doctor once who could perform some veeeeeeery unsettling feats. But hauntings, devils? This wasn’t some small village out in the countryside. She now lived in a megalopolis. It was a little hard to imagine.

Then again, imagining and experiencing were two rather different things. Whoever her stalker was, he was real. She could open her phone at any time and he’d be right there in the gallery. The geeky boy at the shop had said the handheld had been returned after a mere few days. Had the same thing happened to the previous owner? Had her harrier somehow placed a tracking chip in the thing and got his kicks following them around being menacing?

Sounded like something a mentally-disturbed sociopath might do, actually. But that didn’t explain why Mia hadn’t seen him in the shop front window. He’d been in the picture. She would’ve noticed, the floorspace was wide open where he’d been standing. That brought back the supernatural line of reasoning tingling at the back of her brain.

With a frown and more to prove her traitorous superstitious thoughts wrong, the woman lifted the electronic reminder of all her current woes: the phone. Open camera. Flicking her eyes back and forth between the screen and her surroundings, there was no stranger in a coat poised to pounce. A few pedestrians wandered about, but that was it. Distant alleyways, nothing. Store windows, zilch. Far end of the street, nada.

With a triumphant smirk, she moved to close the application and stuff the phone back in her pocket. At least the spooky unnatural theory had been put to rest. While sliding her thumb to open her app list, Mia fumbled the capture button. Due to the autoflash function there was a brief burst of light, and the image appeared in a thumbnail at the corner of the screen. Easy enough to delete, just open it up and THERE HE WAS.

The stalker stared menacingly up from the phone, staring from the stoop of a door just two buildings away. Heart pounding, Mia whirled to look directly at the spot where her accidental photo showed her antagonist to be standing. No one was there. Impossible! Slightly trembling hands lifted her phone again, taking aim with the still-glowing screen. There was a long moment’s hesitation before the previously smug historian tapped capture again.

He was even closer than before, just in front of the closed eatery that sat beside the realty office where Mia currently stood. Fifteen feet away at best. There was a dark glimmer in his shaded eyes now, the look one might see on a nature documentary when the predator corners its prey. The fear threatening to overtake the adventurer was uncharacteristic, but then again she’d never been directly hunted by something she couldn’t see or avoid.

With a short stumble that broke into a run, she turned and bore full-tilt down the sidewalk while eliciting a mixture of curious and disgruntled looks from anyone nearby. Not that she cared. They didn’t have some invisible hunter after them. It struck her then that she couldn’t hear any sounds of pursuit. Mia was fast, but without keeping tabs on her foe she could easily lose track of him. Then he could be anywhere, making an ambush easier.

Pointing her camera down the sidewalk along which she’d run, chest heaving, she snapped a quick picture while focusing on where she’d last seen the stalker. There. He was definitely following, lurching forward in what looked like a brisk walk a few storefronts down. Why wouldn’t he appear until after the photo was already taken?! And why couldn’t she hear him? Was this some kind of sick trick from the electronics store nerd for wanting an older phone, and no one was really there at all? A joke camera app?

Fine. Fine. Placing threatening image stills was one thing. But doing so to a video feed would be much harder. Mia doubted whomever had done this would have gone quite that far. Tapping the video option, she hit record. As if materializing from thin air, the stalker appeared on-screen in the same position he’d taken in the last photo. His eyes never left hers as he started forward at a quick pace, one of his boots clipping the bottom of a trash can as he moved. The same trash can clanged in real time, precisely how the antiquarian might imagine the tip of a heavy boot thunking into it might sound.

Her thoughts went wild with panic. He was real, he was moving now. Recording somehow let him interact. Mia frantically mashed the record button again, but the outdated firmware chose that very moment to hitch. The app wouldn’t close, the phone was still recording. Backing away from the approaching man in the coat, she could now hear the precise click of his boots upon the pavement.

The rational part of her mind started churning again, prompting her to look for a way to rip the battery out. To her dismay the phone’s casing was sealed tight and needed a special tool to open. Sports phone, of course it’d be tightly sealed. Mia was beginning to think maybe mobile geek had been right all along about her choice, it was certainly working against her now in more ways than one.

Opting to hold onto the phone so she could at least see her pursuer, the woman took off at a sprint once more. Every few seconds she would hold the phone over her shoulder, waving it around to locate the stalker. He was always there, despite his seemingly slower pace. Great, of course he had magical haunted speed too. So focused was she on keeping ahead that Mia quickly lost track of where she was going. She’d only lived in Destiny City for two weeks after all, and soon she found herself in a much darker and empty warehouse district.

On top of every other emotion competing for dominance, frustration with herself was added to the mix. She was making every rookie mistake she possibly could. Now she was alone in an unfamiliar environment. Not unusual for her, but definitely unfavorable in this situation. A quick glance to the still recording phone showed the stalker entering the shipping yard through the arch she’d passed through moments ago. She had some distance, maybe a ten second lead. Enough to hide.

Dashing through a thin corridor between a pair of storage buildings, Mia was quickly blanketed in darkness. She sparse industrial lighting from the main yard didn’t reach in here. Desperately trying to keep as quiet as possible, she rounded a sharp corner and found the passage led much further on behind many of the facilities. To one side, nestled against one of the brick walls, was a large pile of transport containers. It wasn’t much, but it was the only place in sight.

Moving with practiced steps, Mia clambered quickly up the stack of crates. They were large and solid, easily supporting her weight, and she was quite used to climbing. In moments she had reached the top, sitting a good twenty feet off the ground. She laid flat on her stomach on the top crate, keeping as out of sight as possible while lifting the phone. Despite the terrible visibility conditions, it apparently had a low light compensation mode that was working despite the unresponsive haptics. It was enough to see back along the alley.

A shadow cast by the glow of the spotlights in the shipping yard grew long against the far building backing, and soon after the dreaded coated figure rounded the corner. He paused then, regarding the long stretch before him and tugging the brim of his wide hat more securely into place. Mia couldn’t make out his features in this light, but she has a prickly feeling that the maddening smile was still firmly on his lips. He started forward slowly, as though somehow sure that his victim was near.

Trying as best she could to quiet her labored breathing, Mia slid the phone under her stomach to stifle its pale glow while lying as flat as possible. Clack. Clack. Clack. The sound of boots on concrete echoed hollowly all around, making it hard to discern just how close the stalker was without viewing the recording. Louder and louder. A knot was forming in the historian’s stomach.
All at once the staccato rhythm cut off and the air stilled. Straining her ears, Mia listened for something, anything, that would clue her into her opponent’s location. Creak. The stack of crates groaned as something heavy hefted itself onto them. The sound repeated, closer this time. He was definitely climbing.

The explorer cursed under her breath. She wasn’t a fighter! She was quick and agile, but she had nowhere to go up here. Could she make it to the top of one of the buildings? She cast a sideways glance. No, they were too high. She was trapped, the warehouses forming the impassive walls of her tomb. She’d just have to keep running down the corridor.

The moment she’d decided to roll away and down the crates, the stalker seemed to cover the remaining distance between them in an instance. There was a resounding thump against the stack just below her, and the collar of her jacket tugged taut against the back of Mia’s neck. With a cry she was pulled forward and over the edge of her box, lifted out to dangle helplessly in the thin air beside her hiding place. Supported in the emptiness by nothing.

Flailing, her knee struck against something solid. It yielded slightly. Definitely not a crate.

“Let go!” the woman shouted, gasping for air against the makeshift noose of her jacket.

In one of her more impressive feats of acrobatics to date, she coiled her knees to her chest and braced. With as much explosive power as she could muster Mia lashed forward with both feet at where she imagined her attacker’s chest to be. She struck true, and the force of her blow pushed her back and away into the air. The grip on her clothing broke and it sounded as if the unseen man crashed into the pile of crates, rattling them forcefully and sending the abandoned phone tumbling earthbound. Mia herself had just enough momentum from her risky maneuver to hit the far wall of the passage, bunching her body and kicking off to translate some of her momentum forward instead of down. She crashed messily to the ground, barely managing a roll in an attempt to cushion the fall.

It hurt, a lot. She could move, but only at a crawl. She didn’t think she’d broken anything, but the shock of the impact had effectively stunned her. As if to keep her company, the phone clattered to a stop next to its owners limp form. Great, at least she could see her assault coming. With an effort, Mia raised the screen just in time to see her assailant step to the pavement from the lowest level of boxes and reach forward a gloved hand.

There weren’t many choices. She didn’t have the strength to fight back, and at least one of her ankles was sprained. With a herculean effort, Mia took aim at the stalker’s head and threw the phone as hard as she could. She missed. The device clattered harmlessly against the opposite wall as she was lifted from the ground once more. Invisible, extremely strong, just what was this guy?!

Feebly, she dug her nails into the arm that held her suspended. She couldn’t manage her kicking trick again, he’d expect it and she could barely move anyway. As a reward she was flung like a ragdoll, smashing into a snarl of piping and even knocking several free from their mounts. Hissing steam filled the air, spraying wildly with ear-piercing whistles. Amazingly, the spouts also highlighted the outline of the stalker in heated mist. One particularly strong stream of air blew off the hat as he passed, sending his long tangle of hair into a snakelike mass of whipping strands as various detritus and discarded packing materials flew about in a contained maelstrom.

It was admittedly one of the more terrifying things Mia had ever seen as the shimmery outline of his hand reached forward one final time. She knew she wouldn’t get away, not again. Whatever malefic vendetta this haunted man held against her would be completed. She’d die, or be taken to some hellish realm. Who knew.

“Time to go,” a gravelly voice emanated from the man, spirit, whatever it was.

Mia was determined to keep her eyes open to the last second, defying her fate as best she could. She wouldn’t go down cowering. A mere inch from her face and the hand stopped, wavering like a heat mirage. The featureless outline of the stalker froze completely, looking like a statue made of steam. All at once its form began to drift away, carried on the steam until nothing was left but the keening streams of pressurized air and moisture. Not long after those too died down to quiet gurgles, and the woman seemed to be alone in the alleyway.

Where? Was he really gone? A feeble spark and crackle caught the corner of her eye. The phone. Its screen flickered weakly, long jagged cracks running through the glass. As she watched, the display went dark completely. It must have broken when she’d thrown it.

Was that it? Had her ridiculous superstition been right all along and the phone had been haunted, somehow giving form to its supernatural resident when the camera was accessed? This place really was insane around the holidays. With a small whimper, Mia gathered herself and stood slowly. She had almost shuffled past the phone when she stopped to stare down out its broken form. A moment’s thought and she’d painfully stooped to retrieve it. Better to keep an eye on something like that than leave it for whomever might happen across it.

She began the long walk home. What had the spirit wanted? Her life? Her soul? It all sounded a bit melodramatic, but the bright sparks of pain all along her body reminded her that the threat had been very real. In the end, she figured that was what scared her the most. She enjoyed explaining mysterious things. Perhaps the motive here just couldn't be explained, not by her. The walk was uneventful, but she could swear the shadows looked just a bit deeper and longer than they had before.

******************Present Day********************

“And that’s what happened,” Mia finished, rolling her now-empty cup of cocoa through her hands as she wrapped up her tale.

There was a beat of silence where Meg and Sam just regarded her through their respective feeds. Then they burst into laughter.

“Wow Mia, I thought we’d outgrown ghost stories years ago!” Meg chided with a poorly-covered gigglesnort.

“Yeah, I mean it was cool and all but c’mon girl it’s got some glarin’ plotholes,” Sam added, nodding thoughtfully. “Where’d ya find the guy in the photos ya sent us last week anyway? Co-worker in all the junk from lost n’ found?”

Mia sighed. She hadn’t really expected them to believe her, they never did when she told them stories about her more supernatural artifacts she’d recovered either. Had she not lived it, she probably wouldn’t have believed herself either. Her attention was drawn to simultaneous tones filtering through the audio of the call. Both of her friends glanced off-screen.

“Okay now see, that’s a nice touch,” Sam commented, holding up his phone and jangling it in front of his webcam. “Sending us a pre-written SMS to deliver right after your story. Nice timing, I’ll give ya that.”

A media message? From her? Confusion was plain on Mia’s features. She still hadn’t replaced her phone yet...

“Red Light Green Light? Come now dear, you could have at least tried a bit harder with the video file name if you’d really wanted to scare us,” Meg added, thumbing through her own message.

An icy needle of fear touched Mia’s heart.

“Wait… WAIT!”

“Man, this dude is dedicated to helpin’ ya out!” Sam chortled, obviously watching the file.

“Indeed, did you actually pay this man to assist you on behalf of frightening us?” Meg added, looking down at her own device. “His demeanor is at least very convincing. One might truly believe the look of malice on his face.”

The same look on the same face that was quickly coalescing into existence on-screen behind Sam. There was the wide-brimmed hat, pulled low. The long hair. The off-kilter smile. The all-enveloping dark brown coat. A gloved hand clapped onto his shoulder and squeezed.

“Yo man, what?” Sam exclaimed.

Her tall friend, who had always made Mia feel miniscule in comparison, was lifted as though he weighed nothing and flung out of sight like a toy. His feed went dark, with only distant crashes and shouts coming through. The sounds cut off quickly, and Sam’s connection dropped completely.

“Wh-what?” Meg whispered, looking terrified.

“TURN OFF THE PHONE!!” Mia shouted desperately at her laptop, dropping her empty cup to the carpet as she lunged forward from the couch and clutched the edges of her screen.

“Yes, I think I’ll-”

She gasped as a massive hand came down over hers, pinning the woman’s arm to her desk. The stalker came into view as he stepped to stand behind Meg, sliding his grip up and over her shoulder to wind his gloved fingers through her short hair and tug firmly. His eyes, however, never left Mia’s while his captive squirmed and sobbed in fear.

“See you soon, Mia,” came that ravaged voice, like sheet metal dragged over jagged rock.

His free hand reached forward to the camera, covering it completely. The video feed died.

***********************************

Several pedestrians saw Mia that night. The girl in the shop, those she passed on the street whilst fleeing, even the mobile shop guy. To most, they viewed her as rather eccentric and didn't think anything of it. But some are more in-tune with the stranger goings-on of Destiny City, and have even been victim to one or more of its oddities during this time of year.

Those who paid close attention to the sprinting woman might have noticed debris being flung to the side, following her closely. Those with even sharper eyes would have noticed that the effects grew in intensity each time Mia pointed the phone over her shoulder. Was she recording some unseen localized weather effect that was chasing her? Was the phone itself somehow causing it? It was hard to miss an entire bike being flung to the side and into the street.

The more gossipy folk shared the story of the girl who was chased by the world's smallest tornado. Few others might have likened the harrowing event to one of their own, maybe the rabid dogs that had infested the city as of late had been in pursuit? They mingled with stories of those who lived in the suburbs and nearby towns, where confused reports told tale of sounds and signs of struggle in not one but two homes. The damage was extremely similar, hinting at either a single assailant or a synchronized assault. Neighbors hadn't seen anyone in or out, and there was no sign of forced entry, but the residents were missing: a young man and woman.