Forever Watching

May had no clear direction anymore. Her feet were numb from running, her body drenched from the relentless rain, and yet, she didn't stop. She couldn't stop. Not until she was far enough away—away from him, away from the suffocating grip that Will had on her life. She ran through the streets, not caring about the cold or the darkness that enveloped her. It was as though everything in her world had been reduced to a single, driving force: escape.

Her breath came in shallow gasps, her heart hammering against her ribs. Each step felt like it could be her last, but she couldn't slow down. Every second was precious. Every second was one where Will wasn't holding her, wasn't whispering those terrifying, twisted things to her.

She didn't know how much time had passed or how far she had gone when she finally slowed, her legs threatening to give out beneath her. She found herself in a park—empty, silent, save for the occasional rustling of leaves in the wind. The streetlights barely cut through the darkness, and the world seemed far too still. It was too quiet.

She couldn't think anymore. The anxiety had numbed her mind, leaving her adrift, lost in the terror of what she had just fled. Her phone buzzed again. The same unknown number.

"You can't run, May. You're mine. I'll always find you."

Her stomach churned. He was close. Too close. Her hands were shaking so badly she could barely hold the phone, but she felt the desperate need to respond. To scream, to demand that he leave her alone, to tell him that he couldn't have her.

But what good would it do?

Her fingers hovered over the screen, trembling, before she closed her eyes and shoved the phone back into her pocket. She couldn't do this. Not this way.

She turned away from the park, her mind still spinning as she tried to make sense of everything. It was as though a cloud had descended over her, a thick fog of panic and confusion. She was lost, not just in the city, but in her own life. She had no idea what to do, or where to go.

The sound of footsteps broke her from her thoughts. She froze.

For a moment, she thought it might be someone else—another pedestrian, maybe a passerby who had no reason to notice her. But the footsteps were too deliberate, too familiar. Too slow, too steady.

Will.

Her pulse quickened, and her instincts screamed at her to run, to get as far away as possible. But her legs were too heavy, her body too exhausted. She was trapped. She wasn't fast enough this time.

She turned, half-expecting him to be right there, towering over her. But instead, he stood just a few yards away, watching her, his dark eyes gleaming with an unsettling calm.

He hadn't changed. He never did. His smile, the same sickly, patient expression, was in place as if nothing had happened. As if he wasn't the very thing she feared most.

"You can't hide from me, May," he said, his voice steady, almost soothing. "I've been looking for you."

May's body froze. She opened her mouth to scream, to shout for help, but the words caught in her throat. There was no one around. No one to hear her.

"I didn't want to do this, you know," he continued, taking a slow step toward her. "But you've made me chase you for so long. I just wanted you to understand. To see that we belong together. You and me, May. No one else. No one can protect you the way I can."

"Please," May whispered, her voice trembling with fear, her eyes welling with tears. "Please, leave me alone."

Will ignored her plea. His steps were deliberate, slow, each one bringing him closer to her, until there was barely any space between them. He reached out, brushing a lock of wet hair away from her face. His fingers felt cold against her skin, and his touch made her stomach twist.

"Why do you keep fighting this?" he asked softly, as though they were having a normal conversation. "I'll take care of you, May. I've always been here. You just don't see it."

The words were poison. Every syllable felt like a weight pressing down on her chest, suffocating her.

"Please, Will," she begged again, shaking her head, trying to step back. "I don't want this. I don't want you in my life. Please."

His smile never wavered, but there was something colder behind it now, a sense of finality. "I've been patient with you," he said, almost regretfully. "But I'm tired of waiting."

Without warning, he reached for her wrist again, his fingers closing around it with a vice-like grip. She tried to pull away, but he was too strong. Her pulse raced, her breath quickening. This was it. He had her.

But as he pulled her toward him, May's desperation flared. She couldn't let him take her again. She wouldn't let him control her life any longer.

With every ounce of strength left in her, she jerked her arm away, using the momentum to step back. In the same movement, she swung her elbow backward, hitting him in the ribs with a force she didn't know she had left. Will staggered back slightly, more surprised than hurt, but it was enough.

In that brief moment of distraction, May turned and ran—no hesitation this time. She didn't think, didn't question. She just ran.

Her feet pounded against the wet ground, her heart racing faster than her legs could carry her. She had no idea where she was going, but she knew she couldn't stop.

And then, just as quickly as the panic had flared, a sudden, sharp pain shot through her ankle. She stumbled, falling to the ground with a harsh cry. Her hands scraped against the rough pavement, but she didn't have time to recover. Will was already on her, his grip tightening around her ankle, dragging her back toward him.

"No!" she screamed, kicking out with her other foot, but it was useless. He was too strong.

Will's face was inches from hers now, his eyes cold, unblinking. He wasn't angry, wasn't violent. He was calm, almost serene in the face of her terror. "It's over, May," he whispered, his voice almost tender. "You can't run anymore."

Tears streamed down her face, her body shaking as he lifted her up effortlessly. She didn't know what was going to happen next. She didn't know what he would do to her. But in that moment, she knew—she had no way out.

No way to escape.

No way to survive.

And for the first time in what felt like forever, May realized that Will had won.