The Watcher (a flash fiction story)

 

He watched her from the other side of the road, as he had done almost religiously for the last three weeks, and stared in amazement at her beauty.

He stood in the dark entrance of the alleyway opposite her house, so she had no chance of seeing him as she approached.

She was wearing her waitress uniform, as was usual for this time of night, and was eating the last few M&M’s from their yellow packet as she walked. She was tall, thin and had long brown hair with a fringe that sometimes fell a bit too far across her eyes, and she would have to flick it away with her hand from time to time.He had spent a great deal of time observing her, so he had come to know a great deal about her.

She lived alone in that big old house of hers and worked at the American-style diner on Ackerman Road, about a mile away from here. The old, rusty Ford that occupied her driveway had died some time ago, and now she would walk to and from work every day. She worked mostly from late afternoon until the diner closed at eleven each night and sometimes he could see the weariness on her face; although she was usually smiling, he noticed that it did little to hide her tiredness.

She took another couple of chocolates from the packet and came to the path that ran up to her front door.He leaned forward slightly in anticipation, as the right moment was drawing near.

He had decided, after a few days of spying on her, that she would be his next victim. He always watched them first, making sure that they would be right for him - and they nearly always were. He had a special talent, one that he shared with others of his kind, and it was both terrifying and amazing: he could absorb the life energy from anybody as they slept - a skill that was essential for his survival. Some people had stronger energy than others, which meant that he could absorb a little of it over several weeks, sometimes even months, until they became too weak - they would eventually die from the process, and he would then have to move on.

His plan was as simple as ever: he would get to know her, so he could become part of her life and then, as she slept beside him, he would breathe in the wonderful, electric energy that coursed through her body. The first part of this plan, however, was sometimes the most awkward; he would have to approach her and introduce himself.

She pushed open the garden gate, which squeaked slightly as it moved on its hinges, and he seized his chance.

He darted across the road, feeling the hard tarmac under his quickly moving feet and reached the other side so that he was standing behind her as she stepped through the gate.

He opened his mouth to say hello.Hearing a noise, she spun around on her heels and saw the bedraggled looking cat standing on the pavement, looking at her with wide, yellow eyes.

“Hey,” she said gently, bending down slowly on her haunches. “Look at you.”

The cat meowed again and moved forward to wipe his face against her leg. She could see the cat was extremely thin and its fur wasn't in the best condition. The cat's eyes, however, were bright and shiny; they looked so wide that she found them almost hypnotic.

“I'll bet your hungry,” she whispered as she leaned forward and slowly picked up her feline visitor.

She held him close to her and turned towards the house, listening as he began to purr contently.

He had chosen his victim well.