Chapter 0362
Chapter 0362
Abby
After I hang up the phone with Karl, I finally slip off to sleep, feeling more relaxed now than I have in
days. I fall into a pleasant slumber, one that’s deep and uninterrupted by the lights and sounds coming
from outside.
But then it happens.
The sound of glass shattering suddenly wakes me from my sleep. I jolt upright in bed, my heart
pounding. That was real; I’m sure of it.
Quietly, I swing my legs over the side of the bed and reach for my phone with one hand and the
baseball bat I keep behind the nightstand with the other. With the baseball bat raised just in case, I
tiptoe out of my bedroom.
The sound of the news reporter vans idling outside is louder now, with no shield from the window. I
furrow my brow, my heart pounding as I slowly and silently tiptoe down the hall and round the corner
where the sound came from.
And then I see it.
What I see freezes me in my tracks, my fear momentarily replaced by shock. The back window of my
living room, facing the alleyway behind my apartment, has shattered. And below the window, laying on
my carpet amidst the mess of shattered glass, is a red brick.
“Hello?” I call out in a shaky voice. Of course, there’s no answer. But I’m certain I’m alone. My house is
quiet now, aside from the glass shattering just a few moments ago.
Carefully, I tiptoe over to the mess and peer out the window. There’s no one there, and I allow myself to
relax just a little. I bend down and pick up the brick, flipping it over in my hand to see a piece of paper
taped to it.
And on the paper is a handwritten message.
“ABBY IS A LYING WHORE!”
My hands tremble as I read the awful words. Who would have written something like this? And why
throw the brick through the window? I knew that people would be angry, but I didn’t think that anyone
would go this far; and certainly not with a police car sitting right outside.
Speaking of the police officer…
Cursing under my breath, I put the brick back on the floor and approach the door. I pull the slats of the
blinds apart to peer out, and just as I suspected, he’s still sleeping. His head is still lolled back on his
seat, his mouth open.
“Dammit,” I hiss. Without a second thought this time, I fling the door open and rush outside in my bare
feet and pajamas.
I rush up to the car, my baseball bat still in hand, and take a moment to look down at the sleeping
officer. The sounds of his snores emanate through the window, and it only makes me even more angry.
Rage surges inside of me, and I slam my palm against the glass. Startled, the officer jerks awake, his
eyes widening as he meets my furious gaze.
I grip the baseball bat tightly, ready to confront him for his failure to protect me. “Wake up!” I shout, my
brows knit together with frustration. “And get out here!”
The officer, his eyes wide, slowly cracks the window. “Ma’am—” he begins, reaching for the gun on his
belt, but I interrupt him.
“What the hell do you think you’re doing?!” I hiss, my voice quivering with anger. “While you were
sleeping on the job, someone threw a damn brick through my window!”
The officer’s eyes widen even further. I step back, allowing him to swing his door open and step out. “A
brick?” he asks.
I nod. “See for yourself.”
Without another word, I lead the officer up to my back door, where I let him in and point at the mess
beneath my window. “You see this?” I growl. “Right in front of your face, and you were too busy dozing
off to see it!”
For a few moments, the officer just stares down at the mess with a red face. He fumbles for his words,
guilt and embarrassment evident in his eyes. “I… I’m sorry, ma’am,” he stammers. “I didn’t see
anything.”
“Yeah, to hell you didn’t,” I berate him. “I’m lucky it was just a fucking brick.”
His face goes a little more red, and he runs a hand through his disheveled hair. “Okay, um… Let me
check my dash cam footage. The perpetrator was likely caught on there.” Upstodatee from Novel(D)ra/m/a.O(r)g
“Oh, you’ll do more than just check your dash cam footage,” I snarl, still too angry and frustrated to let it
go. “I want a new officer sent here to replace you immediately.”
The officer nods. “I understand, ma’am. I’ll take care of it. I apologize for this lapse in security.”
Turning on his heel, he heads back to his patrol car to radio for backup. As I watch him go, a mixture of
anger and fear churns inside me.
The violation of my home, the hateful message left behind—it’s all too much to bear. The baseball bat
slips from my hand and falls onto the floor, and it’s all I can do to not sob outwardly right here and now.
Once the officer finishes his call a few minutes later, he returns to me. “Backup is on the way,” he says,
his tone more composed now. “We’ll investigate this thoroughly, and I promise we’ll do everything we
can to find the person responsible.”
I nod, still trembling from the adrenaline coursing through my veins, although I feel a little less angry
right now. “Thank you,” I reply, my voice slightly softer. “Just... please make sure this doesn’t happen
again.”
He gives me a reassuring nod before heading back to his car to await the arrival of his replacement.
Left alone in the dimly lit living room, I sink down onto the couch, the brick glaring at me from its spot
on the floor.
As I sit there, the events of the night replay in my mind, and I can’t help but think about Karl’s
proposition once more. Coոtent оf
And yet, I can’t help but wonder if it’s simply too unsafe here.
My phone glares at me from the coffee table, and suddenly, it feels all too tempting to call Karl and tell
him that I’ve changed my mind.