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Shadow Stalker (1) - You're walking in the dark and soon hear the sound of footsteps following behind you. Every time you turn around, nothing is there. If you try to quicken your pace, the footsteps start running right along with you. No matter how you try to see behind you--if you use your phone camera or if you look in window reflections, you can't see anything...but you know it's getting closer. If you don't run fast enough, you can almost feel a hand on your arm, a breath on your neck...

You need to get out of here, fast. If you can.

Once you reach your destination and are safely inside, there might be a banging on the doors or windows. The air is heavy, but after a few moments it seems to lift. You have the distinct sensation that something is still out there, though. You just don’t know what.



In retrospect, maybe Tochi should have just canceled stream for the day and taken the time off.

After the weird situation with the tv, which she had chalked up to some kind of bug or something that occurred from hooking it up to her streaming computer, Tochi had made a last minute change of plans. Instead of watching a scary movie, she’d be playing Parasocial instead… aka, that game where a streamer (much like herself!) has her identity leaked and gets stalked by a parasocial fan of hers. Actually, her weakness to scary things aside, maybe it would have been ok… if she hadn’t needed a new hdmi cable for connecting the tv to her streaming computer. Okay sure, maybe she didn’t need one right away, but after that weird event with the strange voice it seemed like a good idea, and she didn’t really want to wait around for one to come in the mail if she ordered online, and the store didn’t offer doordash, so-

There really was just only one choice, wasn’t there?

Also maybe she just wanted to go out for a breath of fresh air? Maybe pick up some snacks from the convenience store, maybe also power up and get a little dance practice in if she finished up her errands quickly enough… That part technically was unnecessary and just Tochi looking for excuses to get out and perform, but still important, in her eyes. In any case, the wannabe idol who failed to become an actual idol, who now turned to vtubing to fulfill her dreams had gone out at night to go pick up a few things, something that ordinarily didn't pose a problem. Well, at least, it wasn't normally a problem so as long as there wasn't some sort of youma or nega or whatever that someone could use her assistance with, but, well...

A stalker problem? That hit a little too close to home after the game she had just played.

Tochi didn't think much about it at first, because maybe they were just going the same way she was. A little skeeved out, sure, maybe! After all, one had to think about the contents of the game she had just played a couple of hours ago. But to immediately jump to thinking she was being stalked? That was past the point of plain coincidence, and more into the realm of being just downright creepy, right? And as terrible as she was at opsec at times, it was hard to believe that a random viewer of hers would know where she lived and would want to play a prank on her...

Quickening her pace (but trying to seem nonchalant about it, as if she simply was in a hurry and not trying to shake her supposed stalker, Tochi found that the footsteps never ceased, and in fact continued to keep up with her pace, no matter how fast she walked or jogged. What was weirder still was how when she tried using her phone camera to try to catch sight of her 'shadow'... there was nobody there! Or at least, nobody she could see. Now thoroughly weirded out, Tochi rushed home as fast as her feet would take her, being sure to shut and lock the door behind her once at her destination. Whoever (or whatever) it was out there didn't seem to take a hint, as there was briefly some banging at the door and windows, and even after it quieted down, the pale-haired woman just couldn't shake off the feeling that they were still out there... whoever they were.

... Maybe she should text Rune and ask her to come hang out with her? It seemed like the best course of action, anyway.