Falling for the Stalker

Michael Woods

•JULIE POV•

I unlocked the front door, and placed my school bag in the kitchen chair. I put away my keys, and started to wind down.

My adrenaline kept me awake after John kept caressing my thighs the whole night.

I took off my school clothes and put of a short crop top and short booty shorts. No A.C. means I have to improvise.

Night time was the only time I got to watch TV. Honestly the whole Lucas 50,000 reward has been spinning around my mind all week. That money could really help me with college.

A part of me knew it was useless. There was no murderer living amongst me. But another part had hope. As if everything was falling into place.

A grabbed some leftover Chinese food from the the fridge, and turn on Local news 5 as it was eating up in the microwave.

"For tomorrow's forecast, expect rainy showers and thunderstorms through tonight all day tomorrow."

"Really? Crappy ass weather again," I mumbled. "I haven't seen sun in weeks. I'm feeling like a vampire over here."

The microwave beeped as the rice was finished heating up. I grabbed a plate, and sat down on my bed continuing to listen to the news.

"Micheal Woods was killed today at 9:25 am. His body was found in the woods, suspected to be an animal attack."

I froze. I knew Michael. He went to school with me. A small town like Oakwood isn't used to people winding up dead.

"Holy shit."

I tried to keep down my dinner without feeling sick to my stomach. Animal attacks? There hasn't been any that I know of. 

"Oh - HOLY SHIT."

This wasn't an animal attack. Something else happened Micheal Woods.

I began looking through the local news past articles about any animal attacks. I had access to all of the news records because my aunt used to work there. I started from the early 1920s all the way to 2018.

Not one article about animal attacks. Not. One.

"Okay, okay maybe I'm overlooking this."

Was I? Or is my gut telling me something I just don't want to admit is happening right under my nose.

At that point I couldn't think. My gut was literally punching inside of me, telling me to go to the police station.

So I fucking did just that.

I grabbed my keys and ran out the door. I turned on my car and sped all the way down the highway, trying to get there as fast as I could.

Once I reached the station, I parked my car up front and bolted. I pushed through the front doors and made it to a cop. I was out of breath from running up all of those stupid stairs.

"Miss, ah- are you all right?"

"M- Mi," I paused trying to suck in any oxygen I could get, "Micheal Woods? Animal attack guy?"

"Yes ma'am, Michael Woods was confirmed dead at approximately 9:25 am this morning. We are suspected an animal attack after finding his body drained of blood in the woods."

"Sir, I know I'm going to sound insane, but when was the last time we have had an animal attack?"

"Well, now that I think about it, this is the first."

"Don't you think it's strange that Oakwood is surrounded by forests, yet no one since the beginning of the news articles tracking back to 1920 has died from an animal attack?"

"Yes ma'am, now that I think about it. It is offsetting."

"Have you done an autopsy result?"

"We are in the process of it ma'am, yes."

"I think that Michael Woods was murdered sir."

I froze. The words just slipped right through my moth. But I couldn't keep in it. My gut was telling me that I was doing the right thing.

The cop stared at me. A part of him was starting to believe me. His eyes tried to read me until-

The doors thwacked open. A doctor approached me and the cop.

"The autopsy results sir. It's, um-," the doctor hesitated.

The cop looked back at me and back at the doctor. Was I right? Did I literally just solve some wacked
up mystery?

"Sir, the autopsy results show wounds on his neck, they were deliberate. Someone stabbed him in the throat sir," the doctor let it all out in one breath.

"Oh my god," I mumbled.

"I'm guessing whoever did such a cruel thing put his body in the woods hoping maybe the animals would finish it off. Sir, there is a murderer living amongst us."