Chapter 4 - The Uninvited Guest
The Mustang screeched to a violent halt just inches away from the solid brick wall.
I sat frozen in the driver's seat, gasping for air as the tires smoked.
I slowly turned my head to look at the man who had just saved my life.
He was young, wearing a dirty hooded sweatshirt, and smelled heavily of stale cigarettes and damp wood.
"Who the hell are you?" I choked out, staring at the intruder.
"My name is Silas, and you need to drive away right now," he urged, looking out the back window.
I didn't argue.
I carefully shifted gears and navigated the damaged car out of the apartment complex using only the handbrake.
Once we were a few miles down the deserted road, I pulled over into an empty grocery store parking lot.
"How did you get into my car, and how did you know my brakes were cut?" I demanded angrily.
Silas pulled down his hood, revealing dark, heavily bruised eyes.
"Because Chloe paid me to cut them," he confessed quietly.
My blood ran completely cold as I gripped the scratched wooden shift knob Sarah had made for me.
"She hired you to kill me?" I asked, my voice trembling with fear.
Silas shook his head rapidly.
"No, she hired me to scare you, to make you think you were crazy."
"I was the one living in your attic for the past month."
"I took those photos of you sleeping, but Chloe kept the spare key to your room to check my work."
The terrifying pieces of the puzzle were finally slamming into place.
"Why are you telling me all of this now?" I asked him cautiously.
May you like
Silas reached into his dirty jacket pocket and pulled out a small black audio recorder.
"Because she refused to pay me, and now she is trying to frame me for your murder."
