Stalking Kasey

Ch. 5 I Warned You

I was finishing cleaning the dishes from my breakfast when the knock came on the door. I dried off my hands and walked over to the door, checking the peephole before opening the door with a smile.

"Jackson, what are you doing up so early?"

He shrugged. "Couldn't sleep. Cole told me about the other day. How strange you were acting. You've got us all worried, Kase."

My smile dropped. I waved him inside and shut the door. "There's nothing to be worried about Jackson. I'm fine. I told Cole what happened and I'm sure he told you. Since there's apparently nothing you two can keep from each other."

He frowned. "Don't be snide, Kasey. We're just concerned."

"And I already told you there's nothing to be concerned about."

Jackson walked into the living area, stopping in front of the coffee table.

"Except for the fact you haven't gotten this fixed." He gestured to the broken window.

I sighed. "I've had a lot on my mind."

I went to return to the kitchen when there was another knock on my door.

It was Chase.

"Hey, Kasey." He scratched the back of his neck. "I just wanted to check in, make sure you were okay."

Jackson stepped into sight and Chase broke off.

"Check in? Did something happen?" Jackson pressed.

"No. Nothing happened, Jackson." I huffed, agitatedly gesturing Chase into my apartment.

"She just got a little sick after eating some bad fruit, is all." Chase covered for me. "I wanted to make sure she was feeling better."

Jackson eyed Chase suspiciously.

"And are you?" He asked me.

I nodded. "Never better. Now if you'll excuse me, I have to get to work."

"I'll walk you to your car." They both said at the same time, then glared at each other before laughing.

"I guess you'll have a double escort." Jackson chuckled, holding out his arm for me.

I rolled my eyes and walked past him, grabbing my bag off the hook by the door.

"You're an idiot, Jackson, you know that, right?"

He just grinned.

Chase and Jackson took up step beside me as I exited my apartment and walked down the stairs to the parking lot. The two boys teased each other over my head and I laughed at them.

But when I reached the bottom step and looked up towards my car, I froze cold. All the blood drained from my face and I found it suddenly hard to breathe.

"Oh my god." I exhaled.

"What?" Jackson turned as he grinned, but his grin quickly morphed into a look of horror.

Lying in the grass against a telephone pool was a bloody body, so slashed it was almost irrecognizable. There were cuts all across the body and blood stained every inch of the person's clothes. There were X's slashed though both of the eyes and the eyeballs were missing. Around the neck of the person hung a wooden sign carved with three words.

'I warned you.'

Jackson doubled over and threw up in the grass.

I took a cautious step forward, then another, and another until I was standing just in front of the body. Then I recognized him.