A Stranger In Waiting

Miami, Florida: March 25

As Spring Breakers crowd the beaches and bars throughout South Beach and convertible cars cruise the strip on Ocean Drive, a group of friends gather at the Marriot Stanton South Beach Hotel lobby to make plans for the day. Among the small group of young women are Lyna, a stunning Latina with brown hair, brown eyes and a knockout body, and her best friend Shelley, a 20-something brunette with hazel eyes. Their friends Lexi and Nicole are local girls who are ready to show Lyna and Shelley a good time during their visit to “The Heat”. Lyna brings along her Schnauzer named Aurora as they head out the door and onto the beach for some fun in the sun.

“Can you please rub me down with some oil Shelley?” Lyna asks her friend.

“Only if you do me next!” she replies.

Lexi suggests that after they tan for an hour or so, that they get a bite to eat. She knew of a great place called Lario's On The Beach that had a delicious Turkey Picadillo dinner for only $16. All of the girls agreed as they continued bronzing their bikini-clad bodies. A shadow suddenly hung over Lyna, and as she looked up through her wide-rimmed sunglasses, she saw a person in a grey hoodie staring in her direction. The hood covered most of his face in shadow, so she wasn't able to recognize him, but it was really starting to creep her out. She turned to Shelley and tried to tell her about this creep, but when they turned their eyes back in the direction of this mystery man, he had disappeared.

“Don't worry about it babes. There are freaks on the beach all of the time.” Lexi said after overhearing what had happened. “Half of the time, they are taking pics with their phones.”

Nicole piped in and added that she thinks it's funny when guys try their corny pick-up lines on her. “They actually believe that crap works!” she expressed while laughing.

“At least I have my precious Aurora here to protect me,” Lyna mentioned while petting the head of her fur baby. “She lets me know which guys are good and which ones are worth staying away from.”

Ninety minutes had passed and the girls were beginning to get hungry, so they packed up all of their beach attire, slipped on their flip-flops and started walking up Ocean Drive towards the restaurant. As they walked, Lyna had the constant feeling that she was being watched, so she kept looking over her shoulder. At one point, she thought she saw the hooded stranger in a crowd walking along the sidewalk on the opposite side of the street and she picked up her pace slightly, grabbing onto Shelley's arm.

“What's up biotch?” Shelley exclaimed after Lyna squeezed her arm tightly.

“Sorry babe, but I thought I saw that creep from the beach again. I'm just a little freaked out,” she replied.

The ladies decided to grab a table on the outside patio, and after they ordered, they sat around gossiping about the men that they have been dating lately. Lyna however, wasn't in a very chatty mood. She still had that uneasy feeling haunting her and the hair on her arms stood on end as she looked across the street and saw the man in the hoodie leaning up against a palm tree that was swaying in the Southern wind.

“There he is again!” Lyna shouted, not taking her eyes off of him this time. As the other girls looked in the direction that she was pointing, a city bus drove past, and when it passed by, the stranger was gone again. Lyna was starting to feel like she was losing her mind. Was she just seeing things?

“If you girls don't mind, I would really like to get away from here for a while. 

Why don't we go to the mall?” Lyna suggested.

“Sure thing,” Lexi replied. “We can go to Shoppes of II Villaggio just up the road 

or we can grab an Uber and head over to Fifth and Alton mall.”

“I guess we can check out the one up the street first,” Lyna responded. “Is that good with you girls? I'm sorry; I'm so creeped out by this guy. He just makes my skin crawl.”

The ladies expressed their empathy and understanding towards Lyna and after they finished eating, they walked down to the end of Ocean Drive where the mall was located. Even though Lyna was excited when they arrived in Miami, she hadn't been able to fully enjoy her visit since they arrived at the beach.

“There aren't really many stores at this mall, but they sometimes have great deals on bikinis,” Nicole said.

“If we don't see anything here, we can check out the other mall,” Lexi replied.

Lyna wasn't really all that interested in shopping; she was only interested in getting away from the guy in the hoodie. They wandered around the different shops, and when they couldn't find any good deals, they decided to order an Uber and head to the other mall. The Uber driver was only 5 minutes away, so they stood out at Ocean Drive and waited for him to show up. Lyna was starting to get that eerie feeling again, so she began looking around. Her instincts were correct; he stood no more than 15 feet away and this time Lyna could make out a smirk on his face. This freaked her out even more. 

She started thinking that she should flag down one of the police officers on the beach, 

but there was no time since the driver would be there any moment. She heard a horn blow and turned around to see the Uber driver pull up, and when she looked back around, the creep was no longer there. They quickly hopped into the SUV and were off to the Fifth and Alton Mall, and Lyna felt that she would finally be free of the stranger.

At the entrance to the mall, the four ladies derived a game plan to make sure the hit all of the best stores. Lyna wanted to grab some snacks for Aurora, so they hit Petco first. The next 3 hours were spent at stores such as Dress For Less and TJ Maxx, and then Publix for a few groceries before finishing up with Total Wine & More for late-night celebrations back in the room. Lyna was starting to relax now and hadn't thought about Mr. Creepy for at least an hour. 

“Are you ready to head back to the hotel Biotches?” Shelley asked.

“Ready when you are.” “Sure Babes” “Let's go!” they each replied.

The Uber rolled up to their hotel around 5:45 pm and they were all starting to get hungry again. This time they decided to eat in their rooms so they ordered pizza and waited for it in the room. Around 6:30 pm, there came a knock at the door.

“I'll get it,” Lyna said as, he grabbed the cash for the pizza and stood up. When she answered the door, a man about 25 years old was standing there holding a pizza box from Pizza Rustica. He took the money and handed Lyna the pizza, but as he did, he formed a smirk on his face that reminded her of the creep on the beach. He went to get her change out of his pocket, but Lyna said “No, it's fine.” and shut the door. She looked out the peephole and he was still there staring at the door for a few seconds before deciding to leave. As he turned, Lyna saw a grey hood sticking out of the back of his shirt. She back slowly away from the door, locking the deadbolt as she did and nearly dropped the pizza on the floor. Shelley walked up to her and grabbed the box just as it started to slip out of Lyna's hand.

“You look like you've seen a ghost girl. What's up with you?” Shelley asked?

“Um...nothing. I mean, it can't be. He couldn't possibly know where I was staying.” Lyna mumbled and the other three girls looked at her strange. 

“Lyna babe, you need to have something to eat and get your mind off of what happened today. I'll put on some music. How about some Cardi B? Will that bring you out of it?”

“Alright babes. Thanks. Yeah, I'll have something to eat. It has to be my imagination, right?”

They listened to music and played on their phones and iPads after dinner. The plan was to check out a night club called LIV later that night. 

“We only have 3 hours to get ready for the club. Did you two need to go back home and get changed?” Shelley asked Nicole and Lexi.

“Yes, but we will be back here at 10 pm to pick you up. Got it?” Lexi replied.

“Got it. I'm going to go get in the shower now Lyna, okay?” Shelley said.

“That's fine honey. I will pick out an outfit to wear tonight while you are in there.”

Shelley headed into the shower and Lyna turned on the news while she searched through her luggage for an appropriate outfit. The reporter spoke of a pizza delivery guy that was found beaten in an alley along Ocean Drive. Lyna sat down and turned it up.

The reporter began to describe the incident: “The victim is in serious condition at the hospital but was able to give the police a partial description. The suspect is described as a white male in his mid-20's with blonde hair, green eyes and stands approximately 6 feet tall with a slender build.

Lyna dropped the TV remote, ran to the bathroom and banged on the door calling for Shelley. “It's unlocked.” She called back. Lyna opened the door and entered. She Told Her

lay about the story on the news. “It was him at the door! The pizza guy was the same guy that I have been seeing all day! He is dangerous Shelley! We need to call the police! I'm so scared!” 

“Calm down Lyna. If it will make you feel better, we can call the cops, but let's finish getting ready first because we still have plans for tonight.” Lyna agreed and after Shelley finished in the bathroom, she took her shower and finished getting ready.

It was now 9 pm and they phoned the police. Sergeant Hernandez took the call.

“Sergeant Hernandez speaking. How can I help you?”

Lyna told the officer about her experiences with the hooded stranger on and around the beach, and then about the pizza delivery guy and his description. The Sergeant asked Lyna for her contact information and asked her to be available in case they called for more information. She explained that she would be out clubbing with friends at LIV but her phone would still be on.

“That's fine miss. If you see anything out of the ordinary, please call me back. My extension is 4356. Have a good night.” 

“Okay, are you ready to go? Lexi and Nicole should be here in about 10 minutes.” Shelley stated. Just then, Lyna's cellphone beeped indicating a text message. It was Lexi.

They were waiting with the Uber in front of the hotel, so Shelley and Lyna grabbed what they needed and headed down to the lobby.

“What's up bitches?” Nicole said as the girls exited the front doors. “Let's get the party started!”

Lyna filled them in with the details about the news story and the call to the police as they were driving to the club. The entrance to LIV was lit up in purple spotlights and inside was a wonderland of neon lights, LED lights, spotlights and laser lights. The DJ was spinning the latest R&B and the dance floor was packed. Above the dance floor, hung a massive light display in the shape of what looked like an inverted flower. The girls grabbed a table near one of the bars and ordered Mimosas. The chilled citrus-filled champagne hit the spot and Lyna began to relax.

“This place is awesome Lexi. Thanks for suggesting it.” Lyna gleefully expressed.

“This is exactly what I needed right now.”

After another round of Mimosas, the girls hit the dance floor. All eyes seemed to be on them that night as they flirted, shook and twerked their way through the next 3 songs. When they returned, the table had already been claimed by someone else, so they stood by the bar instead. Lyna was sipping at her third Mimosa when she looked in the mirror behind the bar. Standing across the room in the shadows stood a blind man about 6 feet tall. As the lights flashed intermittently around the room, she was able to make out the features on his face...and his devilish smirk. She grabbed Shelley and told her where to look, but when Shelley looked over, he had once again disappeared.

“We need to go,” Lyna said to the other girls. “NOW!” she insisted.

The ladies ordered an Uber and made their way to the front of the club to wait. A few minutes later, it arrived and they headed back to the hotel.

“I'm sorry for ruining the night girls,” Lyna said with exasperation. “I'm just afraid that this guy is going to try something and I would feel safer at the hotel. Is that okay? I mean, we can still have drinks back there if you want and you can crash there for the night too.”

“It's all good.” they agreed. “Maybe you should call that Sergeant and let him know what you saw.”

“Good idea. I'll try him now.” Lyna said.

“Can I have extension 4356 please? Sergeant Hernandez.” She asked. “One moment please.” the operator replied.

“Sergeant Hernandez here. How can I help you?”

Lyna told him about seeing the same guy at the club. The Sergeant said that he would have units in the vicinity of the club keep an eye open for him. He also wanted to send someone over to get a more detailed description and do a sketch. Lyna agreed and they awaited the officer. Lexi and Nicole decided not to stick around and headed home. 

About 10 minutes after they left, there was a knock at the door.

“The police are here. I'll get it.” Shelley said and she walked towards the door. As she opened it, she was met with a fist across her chin, sending her crashing to the floor. 

A second later, the hooded stranger walked through the door and over Shelley's lifeless body, pointing a Glock 9mm pistol at Lyna's head. She stood paralyzed with fear; tears running down her face at the sight of her best friend lying motionless on the floor.

“Sit down and shut up!” the assailant ordered. “You and I are gonna have some fun. Did you get that? You're not going to avoid me anymore!”

Aurora started to bark fiercely, though the man didn't seem to notice.

“Please...don't shoot me.” Lyna stuttered through her tears. 

“Lay down on that bed and keep your mouth shut!” he demanded.

Lyna did as she was told. The man grabbed onto her shorts and attempted to pull them down, but then there was a sudden crash and the man fell down face first upon the bed and over Lyna's legs. She looked up and saw Shelley standing at the foot of the bed with the remains of a lamp that she used to knock out the would-be rapist. Her face was red and swollen, but she was smiling. Another knock came to the door and Lyna struggled out from under the man's torso and rushed to answer it. Officer MacKenzie introduced herself and then noticed the man on the bed and quickly pushed her way inside. After Lyna explained that he was the man they were looking for, the officer took out her handcuffs and cuffed the man behind his back. She then took zip ties and bounded his feet as well just in case he regained consciousness before back-up arrived.

The next day, Lyna told the tale of their night to Lexi and Nicole and described Shelley as her hero. The rest of the trip was enjoyed by all.

The End.