Green Emerald

The weather in Scotland, and more widely in the United Kingdom, is quite temperamental, it is a fact known to the whole world. The cold likes to arrive early each year and stay as long as possible. Without being surprising, winter had therefore started to settle in advance in the region, bringing its snow and its gusts of winds so strong that they could have made the stones take off. Day liked this kind of weather, mostly snow. He even loved it, winter has always been his favourite season. "Who likes to burn under the sun?" he replied whenever someone asked him why he didn't like summer. December had barely started, but the Christmas decorations were already out. All the main streets of the city of Inverness were decorated with glowing garlands, richly decorated firs adorned the roadsides, making the city brighter than usual. Nothing could be more mundane these days, yet something looked different for young Day this year.

An intuition, an impression at most, but the young man could not get rid of it.

This feeling of being watched had started to arise in him several weeks ago, mainly on the evening of National Day when he had to work overtime. The young man was terrified of being taken for a madman so, he had told no one about it and continued to walk home alone.

"Can you imagine we meeting someone suspicious? The streets are dark around here so, who knows if there's not a killer lurking?" one of the young people across the street spoke a little too loudly.

"Haha, you idiot! Old people say that to keep them busy! Watch out, we are going to get mugged, woo…Oh my, look at a shadow! He will mug us!"

Even though Day had his headset on, which he mainly wore to keep his ears warm, he couldn't ignore the teenager's joke. Quickly he tugged on his hood a little more and quickened his pace, keeping his hands in his pockets. The knife he carried under his jacket did not reassure him much but still gave him some protection. The group of teenagers walked away too quickly for his liking, continuing to joke about it as he began to panic inside.

"More overtime, Mr Evennin?"

If his cry of terror got stuck in his throat, Day's thrill did not go unnoticed by the neighbour who raised his hands. Slowly he exited his property, locked the gate and turned to the sweaty young man.

"Excuse me, I didn't want to scare you, this flashlight just let go. So, alert you without…" he awkwardly tried to explain himself and relax the atmosphere.

"It's nothing, don't worry… Lately, I've just been a little on edge, overreacted a bit."

"It shows. You should avoid working so much overtime."

"Don't worry I am handling this! You always start early. How do you get up so early and be in such a good mood already?"

"The habit, young man! More than twenty years of my career, my sleep pattern is now well regulated. You should go to sleep. I think that would do you good. Be very careful."

"As usual."

"Um, be more careful. I've heard people in the cafe say they saw someone suspicious in the area not long ago.

" Anyone suspicious? "

"Yes, they didn't say more. Except the person was wearing a long black coat and, because of darkness, they couldn't have seen the person's face."

"Maybe this is just a passer-by. There are still some National Day tourists. There are more arriving for the holiday season too."

"I think that too, but you know, even if the young people have been joking about it for a few days, it would be better to be a little more vigilant. At least for a few days, until the words fade away. You know, we are never too much careful. Well anyway. Unlike you, my dear Evennin, I have to go to work and I will be late. I wish you a good end of the night and a good day early! By the way, if that tells you to spend an afternoon for a cup of tea, it will be with great pleasure. "

The neighbour, whose good humour was almost contagious, got into his car and waved lightly before walking away, plunging Day into the heavy silence of the dark street. He felt his blood pressure rise, a drop. sweat running down his forehead as he walked up the street. More than one time, he turned to scan the environment behind him, the feeling of being followed and watched growing bigger and bigger. The cold passing through his clothes, his cheeks turned red, but Day felt like he was dying of heat. Perhaps he should have refused his overtime in the end. He would have come home earlier and, currently, he would be in his bed sleeping like a bear. Instead, he was alone in the dark, his cell phone kept vibrating in his back pocket.

"Who calls someone at four in the morning seriously. Who!" He exclaimed to himself before picking up the unknown number. "Hello, who is calling?"

"The streets are dangerous at night for someone like you. Someone so isolated. Maybe you like the danger lurking near your house?"

"Who are you ?"

"Beware of the trees they watching you relentlessly. Lurking in the shadow the night beings are not just an impression."

"I'll hang up."

"You should take the warning seriously. Trouble always comes faster than you think. You know how much people like you are their favourites prey. "It's only a matter of time before they come to assassinate you. You…"

Terrorized, Day hung up even before the caller had finished his underlying threat and ran to his house. With trembling hands, he struggled to open his gate and slammed the door to his house before locking it with his three bolts. Perhaps he was a little paranoid but blocking his locked door with a chair reassured Day a little more. Locked in his room with the police number ready to be called, the bartender went to take a shower. His senses were alert, his mind disturbed, but that didn't stop him from singing "What a wonderful world". Narrowly missing to ingurgitate a bit of shampoo when he continued to sing when he rinsed his hair, Day laughed until a muffled noise stopped him. As if one of the chairs in his kitchen had fallen.

Someone was in his locked house. The feet' sound on the tiled floor echoed throughout the house before being followed by a creaking floor. Not think twice, Day put on his bathrobe and grabbed the dagger under his pillow before clinging to the wall next to his door, ready to defend himself. Footsteps echoed in the hallway, closer and closer to his room. The handle of his door fell.

"Oh, my little darling, you know you can't escape your fate for so long," the same voice sounded like that of his call, a laugh following his sentence. "Get out of there, now. I want to talk to you, nothing more, my cute little darling. We will find a deal before things go wrong."

Day remained silent and tightened his grip on his dagger, his breathing becoming more and more choppy as his heartbeat quickened.

"You don't seem to decide to speak. Do you want to see me come back another day with other people? Perhaps with several vampires around you, you will agree to hear the agreement which one has to offer to you."

"I know what you want!" Day cried through clenched teeth. "I know what deal you want to offer me!"

"Oh. Well, so much better then. Open the door."

"I refuse to participate in anything. I'm a bartender. I live an ordinary life, leave me alone now and stop sending me all these messages!"

"Get out of there."

"Leave me alone! Leave my house! You are not welcome! You will never be, do not waste your time with me. I refuse to get involved in all of this; I live an ordinary life."

"What a pathetic illusion."

"You've been harassing me for weeks...You are the pathetic one!"

"Of course, and am I in denial too?"

"I am not in denial."

"Come on, don't try to turn the serious situation into a comic. You know it won't be long before things go wrong now. From what I've learned about you, you still stay tuned to the news."

"To find out if an assassin like you isn't going to come and kill me in my sleep. You're loud for an assassin anyway."

"Oh, don't worry, my little darling. If I had wanted to kill you tonight, I wouldn't have made a noise."

"I would still have heard you. Leave now before I call the police."

"Call them if you want. I'll be gone before the cops arrive at your home. Just know that you will have to choose a side one day and, sincerely, I hope you will join us. Otherwise, we would have to force you to do so."

"Get out of my house. Right now."

"Now that the message delivered, I can go. Have a good late-night, Day. Think carefully, little darling. The time pass."

A few minutes passed before he heard a car's engine start, the tires squeaking on the freshly resurfaced asphalt of Island Bank Street. The barman had just enough time to see the rear of the car in question in the distance before it turned right. Now that he had an idea of ​​what kind of car his stalker had, he might be able to take a little more care if he sees one car near him. Although he knew it would be impossible for him to sleep now, the young man went to bed anyway and closed his eyes. No more sound in his house, except that of his washing machine. No more footsteps.

The calm before the storm.