Afraid in the Dark (Stalker Series Book One) Read online

  Afraid in the Dark

  Rita Hestand

  Afraid in the Dark

  Stalker Book One

  Rita Hestand

  Smashwords Edition

  Copyright© 2016 by Rita Hestand

  All Rights Reserved

  ISBN # 9781370682068

  Cover art by: Dora Gonzalez (PremadeCovers4U.com)

  License Note

  This book, Afraid in the Dark is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. It may not be copied or reproduced in any manner without express written permission of the author. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy or copies. If you did not purchase this book or it was not purchased for your use, please go to Smashwords.com to purchase your personal copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.

  Afraid in the Dark is a work of fiction. Though some of the cities and towns exist they are used in a fictitious manner for purposes of this work. All characters are works of fiction and any names or characteristics similar to any person past, present or future are coincidental.

  Dedication

  When we strike out on our own, with our education behind us and our career in front of us, it can be scary at first. Everything is new, and being on your own is new. One must learn how to take care of a house or apartment, how to keep their car up, how to strive to do better in their jobs. None of it is easy. There is no pamphlet that will guide you how to live your life. Schools don't always prepare you for come next. So, you are on your own. I know it might sound silly, but one of the best things you can do, is ask your parents, or grandparents or people you respect and admire for advice.

  Unlike some may tell you it isn't weak to ask someone who knows more than you do, so don't hesitate to do so. It means you are striving to learn all you can about your future.

  Be bold, be careful and learn to listen. We've all been there, and most of us are eager to share a few wisdoms along the way. Most of all, good luck and have a wonderful, eye-opening future.

  God Bless

  Rita Hestand

  Table of Contents

  Chapter One

  Chapter Two

  Chapter Three

  Chapter Four

  Chapter Five

  Chapter Six

  Chapter Seven

  Chapter Eight

  Chapter Nine

  Chapter Ten

  Chapter Eleven

  Chapter Twelve

  Chapter Thirteen

  Chapter Fourteen

  Chapter Fifteen

  Chapter Sixteen

  Chapter Seventeen

  Chapter Eighteen

  Chapter Nineteen

  Chapter Twenty

  Chapter Twenty-One

  Chapter Twenty-Two

  Chapter Twenty-Three

  Chapter Twenty-Four

  Chapter Twenty-Five

  Chapter Twenty-Six

  Chapter Twenty-Seven

  Chapter Twenty-Eight

  Chapter Twenty-Nine

  Chapter Thirty

  About the Author

  Rita's Other Books

  Chapter One

  "I like it!" Melanie George checked the apartment carefully. The smell of fresh paint assailed her, wafting through the newly painted apartment. The carpet sank against her feet as she walked about. She liked the dark and light brown shag. She kicked off a shoe and ran her toes through it. It tickled, she smiled. The man watched her as though she'd lost her mind.

  "Never could resist running my toes through new carpet."

  He feigned a smile, as he looked sharply at her.

  Sure, she was as interesting as a dying washing machine that coughed and spewed a quick death, she grinned and slipped her shoe back on. Despite his obvious lack of enthusiasm, she was determined to enjoy this moment.

  This was a big decision for her. Excitement, fear of the unknown and a tinge of self-doubt ran through her all at once. The day had finally come, she was now a real adult. The impact of her joy was lost in his impatient glance. There had been so many things going on in her life, lately. What with graduating, applying for a job, and finding an apartment. But this man didn't know it, he stood with relaxed impatience.

  She'd acquired a nursing job at Mercy General last week, and she needed a place close enough so if she had to, she could walk to work, especially since her old Ford was on the blink half the time.

  She walked into the kitchen. It sparkled, with recently used cleaning fluids. There were plenty of cabinets and she liked the black appliances. There was a wood floor but she'd buy some rugs to go around the sink and stove. The bathroom was small but it would hold her things easily. The bathtub was small too, but she could manage with that. There was a sink and a vanity to the side. She liked that, as the mirror extended across both. Her bedroom was fairly roomy and she could easily fit a desk in here later, she thought to herself.

  A million new plans for herself flirted with her imagination.

  His ironic smile narrowed on her now, as her cheeks blossom with color.

  Obviously, the apartment must have just come up for rent not long ago as it was in very good order.

  She glanced out the blinds to the patio, and smiled. She was on the third floor, of this beautiful brownstone apartment complex. She'd have a good view around her. She liked that. She could see the traffic but the exhaust wouldn’t blow inside up here.

  "Is this your first apartment?" The manager asked, his voice indulging. Obviously, he decided that conversation would make the time go better for him. He stared at her strangely as his thick black eyebrows flew up a notch, waiting for her reply. He rubbed his goatee as though it itched, or he wanted to draw attention to it. His slicked black hair made him look like something from a gangster movie. He slouched against the wall, one hand in his pocket, jingling his change. He dressed in camouflage pants and a black skin tight t-shirt. He was not the kind of guy you would want to meet on a dark street, Melanie contemplated, and yet compared to the maintenance man at the dorm, she liked him. Evidently, he liked role playing. He was memorable in many ways, if nothing else.

  He smelled like an old bottle of Jade East that had long outlived its usefulness. However, he seemed to indulge her glee at finding a place so close to her work. She guessed she amused him, in some strange way.

  She licked her bottom lip, tasting the waxy texture of lipstick that needed retouching. She glanced at him, realizing he was waiting for her answer.

  "Yes, well, I mean, I lived in a dorm at college, but this is the first apartment of my very own. I just got a job at Mercy General, and it's close. I can walk it if I need to." She smiled nervously. Wondering why she was telling him all this because it was obvious he wasn't a bit interested. He wanted to rent the apartment and get out of here, she could tell just by the way he kept jingling the change in his pocket, like a nervous tic.

  She glanced at him and smiled.

  His glance slid up and down her slender form for a moment, lingering on points of interest before meeting her gaze. He did have long lashes and pretty eyes, but he certainly wasn't her type, that is, if she had a type. "We got a couple of college girls downstairs. Are you a nurse or something?" He asked.

  "Yes, I am. My first job too." She explained proudly.

  "Lots of firsts for you, huh?" The man grinned, presenting ultra-white teeth that glared at her. That didn't seem to fit his gangster like persona. She figured his teeth would be yellow and in need of care. Instead they flashed at her like a beam of light. He was a contrast of himself, surprising in many ways. A lesson in judging a person too quickly.

  "Yes," she glanced at the man again. He was le
an and looked to be in his thirties. But her parents had taught her not to judge a person on their looks entirely, something she forgot momentarily. Some people were automatic role players and this fella looked the part. Perhaps he liked the tough look. Perhaps on the inside he was a teddy bear. She couldn't be sure, she hadn't known him long enough, or well enough to judge, of that she was sure now.

  No, a teddy bear wouldn't begin to describe him.

  "Is it safe here?" She asked not bothering with his strange facial expression as she asked the question.

  Again, he indulged her foolish questions.

  "Safe?" He looked at her as though no one had ever asked him that question. His glance shot upward, "We got water sprinklers, if that is what you mean."

  "No I mean, I might be doing shift work, is the neighborhood safe to like walk in at night?" She explained.

  "Oh," he rolled his eyes to the ceiling once more and nodded. He gave her a once over glance, "Never had no complaints that I know of. But if you are gonna be working shift work, it might not be a good idea. I can't guarantee the streets all hours of the night, you know."

  "Yeah, I guess no one can. I hope I didn't offend, it's just I'm not used to being on my own." She tried to explain why she even asked that question. "It's a question I had to ask."

  He nodded, his eyes sweeping her. His eyelashes swept down on his cheek like a broom sweeping a cement floor. They were so long. She didn't know why she stared at them so, except it was his nicest feature. Although he seemed to enjoy looking at her, he wasn't hip to her line of questions. "Well what do you think?" His impatience was growing thin with her multi-layered questions.

  "I like it. I'd only have to walk about nine blocks. That's reasonable, I guess. How much?"

  "Nine hundred, you pay all utilities." He informed her. The way he clipped that off, made her think he'd been waiting for the opportunity.

  Being a dreamer, she often wished the world could see things through her eyes.

  "Oh yes, of course." She nodded. "I'm glad you have blinds"

  "Why's that?" His brows knitted as he tried his best to figure her out. Her mind was flitting about like a butterfly trying to find a place to land.

  "Because I don't have curtains to put up yet." She explained.

  He shrugged, obviously not his problem. "Some never put any up."

  He took the toothpick out of the side of his mouth as he stared at her. "There's a deposit of two hundred dollars, unless you have a pet, then it's four hundred."

  "That's reasonable. A couple of other places wanted twice that much. And no pet, at least not yet." She smiled and reached into her purse to take out her checkbook. She filled it out for the rent and deposit and made a note on the check what it was for, and handed it to him. "Any other rules I should know about?"

  "Naw…they aren't too strict about what you do, unless a neighbor complains. Just be considerate of your neighbors, don't make a lot of loud noises especially late at night, and if you want to swim in the pool come by the office and get a pool pass. It's fifty a year to swim in the pool. When you get ready to move out, you need to notify us two months before or you will be charged for it."

  He looked at the check, "Your name is Melanie?"

  "Yes"

  "My name's Earl."

  "Alright, thank you. So, who do I call for Maintenance?"

  "Me, I'm the weekend manager, and the full-time maintenance man." He cracked a smile.

  "Oh, good." Maybe that explained his appearance. "Well, I sure appreciate it, thanks."

  He handed her the keys which he dug from his pockets. "They'll assign you a parking space in a couple of days. Mailbox is by the elevators downstairs, they'll slip all information in your box. Need to get your power in your name and set up your utilities. There's phone, and TV hook ups on both sides of the living room and bedroom. Here's a card with our phone number on it. Anything else you can check with the office on Monday."

  "Thanks Earl. You've been very helpful, and patient," she said with a smile.

  He smirked, "We aim to please. Hope you like it here."

  "I'm sure I will, thanks again."

  When he finally left, she checked the thermostat and set it at a comfortable temperature. She went into the kitchen to check out the refrigerator and cabinets. She was so thrilled to find something this close to the hospital. It wasn't fancy, but it had everything she needed. He'd left the keys on the kitchen counter as he walked out, she put them in her purse. The counter was a speckled combination of browns, blacks and tans. She liked that it wouldn't show dirt as easily. Very attractive she thought with the black appliances. She made note of the cabinet space, not many apartments had this much. Not that she had that much to store, but here she could expand on what she had and there was room for that expansion.

  She had plenty of room in the kitchen, she went into the bathroom and was pleased that it was big enough to hold most of her stuff. She had a storage area on the patio, which would sure come in handy too, she thought as she opened the cabinets and checked the tub. She'd need to buy a shower curtain. She needed so many of the little things to complete the place, but she didn't have to buy everything now. She needed a few paychecks under her belt before she went on a real spending spree. Her mind whirled at things she needed to do before she started work.

  Coming from a rich, affluent family in Lone Oak, she could have lived off her folks all her life if she wanted to, but Melanie chose a different path. At twenty-one she inherited a great deal of money from her grandparents who were multi rich. It was more than she could imagine and she really didn't want to become dependent on that money. She invested half of it and decided she'd learn to live on the rest after paying off her student loans. Instead of her family paying for her college, she'd worked hard and earned a reasonable scholarship so that she wouldn't go into immediate debt. When she'd turned sixteen she'd gone to work at a local restaurant and put that money toward college. She knew what she wanted to be at a young age. Nursing was all she was ever interested in, aside from boys.

  Melanie went out on the patio now and looked out. It was fall and the leaves on the trees were turning gold and brown. The air was cooler now, but not unpleasant yet.

  She could see the hospital from here. The giant gray building stood out like a huge monster with wings on both sides. She always wondered why hospitals looked so drab on the outside. To keep the spirits up of the patient, shouldn't it be bright and cheery?

  She leaned on the railing of her patio. But part of the railing was loose and she'd have to report that immediately, it could be dangerous. She backed up and went inside.

  She glanced around her apartment and smiled. She could have found a bigger even nicer apartment with the money she'd saved, but that wasn't what interested her. She wanted to live her life, not be given it.

  At least there was a drive-in parking lot in the back. She'd even have a numbered place to park. That made it easy and it was covered.

  She whirled around in the living room, her very first apartment. Her first job too! It was hard to believe. Silently she wished she had someone to celebrate with. And that thought brought Brad front and center in her thinking. Four years she'd wasted with Brad. She should have known it wouldn't work. Brad was a rich kid who didn't mind flaunting the fact. Despite his vanity, he was fun to be with and they enjoyed most of the social life at college. Still, there were things about Brad she hadn't known before and she was glad she broke up with him when he got a job in Chicago. It was the perfect reason to break it off, and he didn't seem to mind that much. Obviously the relationship wasn't going either fast enough or in the right direction.

  She preferred Houston. And she certainly preferred not being abused by a man that said he loved her. He wasn't really that bad, but one slap was enough for her. That had made her mind up quickly.

  She shrugged, she didn't need anyone to celebrate with. She was finally on her own, and she was elated and a bit scared.

  Starting from scratch she realized she'
d have to get some furniture. All she had at the dorm was her bed, a small table for a night lamp, her television, and her stereo, and all the bathroom stuff..

  She'd pick a few things up, gradually.

  She phoned her mother, but she couldn't hear. She couldn't get a good reception in the apartment, so she stepped out on the balcony and she heard her mother's voice. "Mom," She said as she leaned against the door frame. "I got it. I got the job, and I just got an apartment, just a few blocks from the hospital. Can you believe it?"

  "That's wonderful dear. I can't wait to see it. I'm so proud of you, wait until I tell your father about this, he'll be so happy for you. He's still bragging about how well you did at college, making the A honor roll like you did."

  "I guess all that studying paid off for me. I'm so excited. But it's kind of scary too. A lot of firsts for me."

  "When will you move in?"

  "As soon as possible. I start work next week, so I've got this week to get moved in and settled." She laughed into the phone. "I've got to buy a couple of furniture items. A coffee pot and toaster, a shower curtain and a few little things. I also need to get some groceries. But then I'll be good to go. I've still got a few dishes, enough to get me by for a while, I just don't have a lot and if I have company I'll have to take them out to eat until I've picked up a few things. I do have a lot of cabinet space in the kitchen and a little in the bathroom, and I have plenty of bathroom stuff. At the dorm, I was the one to furnish the bathroom stuff so I have plenty of towels and such, but of course I need a new shower curtain, but it's mainly kitchen stuff I need right now."

  "Go through your gadgets for your kitchen, you never know how many little things you need, until you need them dear. You can pick things like that up at a second-hand place. And I guess you'll be needing some furniture too. Your father and I were thinking we could buy you some furniture sort of as a Graduation gift."