Unseen Eyes

(My first story published! SO excited! Please provide feedback! As a thirteen year old writer, it means a lot!!)

TW: Weaponry, language

I shuddered as that all-too-familiar sensation enveloped me once more. The unsettling feeling of being watched—by someone or something—slithered through my thoughts for the fourth time this week. 

“Come on, Kaylee, get it together,” I whispered to myself, rolling onto my left side in an attempt to ease the tingling that had settled in my neck. 

As a child, I often cried myself to sleep, haunted by the same gnawing fear that now lurked at the edges of my mind. It seemed that this fear had clung to me like a shadow, refusing to let go as I grew older.

But tonight was different; this time, the feelings wrapped around me with an unsettling sharpness, a chill that spoke of reality rather than mere imagination.

With a surge of determination, I tossed the blankets aside and sat up, glancing at the digital clock my sister had gifted me last Christmas. The blinking numbers glared back at me: 3:04 AM. 

Fantastic. I had work in less than three hours.

As I picked up my phone, the screen’s brightness stung my eyes, and my heart raced when I noticed a message notification from an unfamiliar number. 

With trepidation, I tapped on it, and the instant I opened the message, ice coursed through my veins.

“Hello, Kaylee.” 

My stomach plummeted, and a wave of icy dread washed over me. Goosebumps erupted along my arms and legs as a whimper escaped my lips. Who was this, and how did they know my name?

“Who the heck are you?” I typed frantically, my fingers trembling over the screen. 

After a tense moment, my phone vibrated in my hands. “I think it’s better if we keep that part a secret for now.”

“If you don’t tell me who you are, I’m calling the police.” I dropped the phone onto my lap, my anxiety mounting as I began to bite my nails.

“I wouldn’t do that.”

I quickly dialed 911, but when the call failed to connect, desperation surged, and I hurled my phone across the room in frustration.

It buzzed again, drawing my attention back. 

“I told you. You look so cute when you’re scared, Kaylee.”

A scream tore from my throat as I kicked my phone across the floor. How did they know what I looked like?

Panic ignited within me as I flung open my closet, grabbing my coat and shoes in a frenzied rush. I dashed out the front door, the chilling realization hitting me like a punch: if they knew what I looked like, they were already inside my house.

I flung open the car door, leaped inside, and thrust the key into the ignition with urgency. The engine roared to life, causing the vehicle to shudder beneath me as I slammed my foot down on the accelerator, racing down the street toward my sister Kassidy’s house.

Although it was over ten minutes away, I couldn’t think of a better refuge.

Glancing in my rearview mirror, I half-expected to see a figure pursuing me. But there was nothing—just an empty road, which momentarily eased my tension. However, that sense of relief quickly dissipated.

My heart sank as I spotted a black Prius careening around the corner I had just left, tires screeching against the pavement as it regained control. It was gaining on me.

I pressed the gas pedal even harder, feeling the tires roar in defiance against the asphalt as the car seemed to lift slightly, propelled by adrenaline. I was driving faster than I had ever dared before.

The man in the front seat of the car rolled his window down, and suddenly a hand emerged, gripping a pistol tightly. 

“Shit,” I muttered under my breath, panic surging through me as I jerked the steering wheel to the right, my hands trembling uncontrollably. My heart raced, the reality of the situation sinking in. This was a moment I had never prepared for—undefined fear coursing through my veins as I tried to regain control of the chaos unfolding around me.

As I approached Kassidy’s house, an icy dread settled in my stomach. Every step felt like a countdown to disaster, and I braced myself for a bullet that could pierce through my chest or skull at any moment. The echo of gunfire rang in my ears, a haunting reminder of the danger lurking behind me.

I skidded into Kassidy’s driveway and flung open my car door, sprinting toward her front porch. I pounded on the door with every ounce of strength I had, my heart racing. When Kassidy finally opened it, I rushed past her, locked the door behind me, and plunged the house into darkness, flicking off every light.

“What the hell is wrong with you, Kaylee?” Kassidy exclaimed, her eyes wide with bewilderment.

I gasped for breath, the words tumbling out as I recounted the chilling messages that had haunted me just moments ago.

Without hesitation, she snatched her phone and dialed 911, her face a mask of concern.

She methodically responded to the dispatcher’s questions, addressing each one with a trembling composure: where we were, what had transpired, and whether we had any knowledge of the man’s motive. 

Once she hung up, a wave of shock and fear washed over her features as she turned to me. “They’re on their way,” she whispered, her voice barely above a murmur.

Kassidy cautiously peeked through the window, and at that very moment, a series of loud bangs resounded from the door. 

Rap, rap, rap.

My heart raced as my eyes widened. I quickly gripped Kassidy's arm, pulling her upstairs in a desperate attempt to escape through the back window of her daughter’s room. Thank goodness her daughter was at a friend's house tonight.

We could hear the door being forcefully breached, and the piercing alarm blared in our ears, heightening our panic.

The unseen eyes had found me, and now they were ready to target my sister as well.