“Agent Nakamoto, you’re going to have to go into hiding. I’m sorry, but you’re no longer safe here.” My boss said with a sigh.

I nodded my head, shattered by the fact that I would no longer be able to work my dream job as an FBI agent, but it was for the best.

“We have a safe house prepared for you. You will be transported there in the morning, so I’d recommend saying your goodbyes before then.” He said.

My boss was generally a stoic man who showed minimal emotion, but now I could see the fear and sadness in his eyes. He was worried for me.

“Thank you, sir. I’ll make sure to keep my location confidential…” I said, tears welling up in my eyes, though I hurriedly wiped them away.

“You will be missed, Agent Nakamoto, but this is for your safety.” He said, giving me a sad smile, the expression was one I quickly returned.

I let out a soft chuckle, a sorrowful one at that. As much as I wanted to continue working, I had no choice but to go into hiding. I had a target on my back, after all.

When I took my last case, I never expected to find what I did.

_Walking through the house where the last victim was found, I held my gun in hand, just in case the killer happened to be on the premises, but the killer was not what I found. No… I found something much more… ominous. Fear-inducing. Sickening._

_I walked into the bedroom of the victim. The coroner’s office had already been given the body, but the blood, brain, and gut stains still remained clearly visible. This would sicken most people to the core, but I had taken so many gruesome cases, things like blood and guts barely bothered me anymore. It was just the thought of how sick in the head people are that shook me._

_I looked around the room, searching for any clues or evidence that could be crucial to the case, and that’s when I saw it._

_A photo of me. On the wall._

_But that was not even the creepiest part… it shook me to my core when I saw a knife sticking out from the picture, and the words written above it… “kill Nakamoto… kill her…” it said._

_My hands trembled so horribly that I almost dropped my gun. My body shook with utter terror and disbelief._

_How did this person get a picture of me? How did they know my name? And why did they want to kill me?!?_

_Carefully, but speedily, I stepped out of the room and ran over to one of my fellow agents. _

_“Agent Nakamoto, what’s wrong?” She asked, giving me a concerned look, probably because of how much I was shaking._

_“J-just come with me… you’ll see.”_

_I led her to the bedroom where I had discovered the photo, and the moment she saw it, she let out a horrified gasp. I saw her face pale, just as mine had._

_“W-we need to report this to the boss!” She exclaimed. “What if you’re in danger?!?” Her speaking was rushed and panicky. She too was truly shaken up by the sight._

_“I know, I know! Let’s head back… we can tell him upon our arrival.” I said, trying to prevent my voice from wavering too much, but failing miserably._

_I could not stay strong, the fear was too much, the stakes were too high. This… this was life or death for me._

__

__

_With a heavy heart beating 10 miles per minute, we headed back to our headquarters. Upon our arrival, I swiftly walked to my boss’s office, knocking on the door the moment I got there._

__

_“Come in.” He said._

__

_So I did. My shaky hand grasped the door handle and pulled. The door flew open, and I jumped slightly at the sudden movement._

__

_“Agent Nakamoto,” he said, his tone both confused and concerned, “what seems to be the issue?”_

__

_I explained to him what I had found in the victim’s bedroom, my voice trembling, my body shaking. The color drained from his face and he shot up from his chair, beginning to pace back and forth behind his desk._

__

_“I’m sorry for disturbing you, sir, but I just don’t know what to do…” I said, my voice a shaky whisper._

__

_“It’s quite alright, you did not disturb me. This is an urgent matter, and I will make your safety my top priority. For now, let’s discuss our possible solutions.” He said._

__

__

And that’s how I got here. From an active FBI agent, to just a 30 year old woman hiding from a serial killer in a safe house with only a small pistol to defend myself.

In other words, I was absolutely, 100% screwed.

Each day I spent here brought me closer and closer to insanity.

I couldn’t leave the house, so I barely got any fresh air or sunlight. I had to cut off all contact with the outside world, so I was lonely. Really, really lonely. And if I even tried to listen to music or watch television, it had to be abnormally quiet! I could barely hear anything! But apparently this was all necessary to keep myself hidden… I just prayed that they would catch this asshole soon…

On what I believed to be day 15, I got a message from my boss. It said, “Agent Nakamoto, we are coming to retrieve you ASAP. Our main suspect has discovered your location, and you are in danger. Stay in the house and prepare to defend yourself. We’re sending backup now.”

Pure terror made my blood run cold.

“No,” I said to myself, panicking, “no, no, no!! This can’t be happening! How did he find me?!?”

I rushed to my bedroom and snatched my pistol from the nightstand. I loaded it, and that’s when I heard the door fly open.

_Shit,_ I thought. _He found me. He’s inside the house!_

I knew I had no choice but to face him, because I was on the second story of the house, and there was absolutely no way I could successfully land if I leapt from the window.

Then I saw it. A rope in the closet. Maybe I could escape after all…

Tiptoeing quickly and quietly, I grabbed the rope, tied it to my bedpost, and carefully lowered it out of the window and down to the ground below me.

Doing my best to make as little sound as possible, I stepped onto the windowsill and started descending down the rope. I stopped climbing every time I heard a noise from the house, in fear of the man finding me.

By the time I reached the ground, I realized that I had made a big mistake.

When I had grabbed the rope, I had set my pistol down, so now I had no weapon. No way to defend myself.

I knew I had to run, and I had to run fast. If that man got ahold of the pistol and I wasn’t already out of sight, I’d be dead where I stand. So that’s exactly what I did. I ran. I ran faster than ever before, adrenaline coursing through my veins.

I hopped over the low wire fence and ran into the woods, which I quickly realized was a stupid decision. Probably because I had no idea where the hell I was going.

I was already a good 300 feet into the woods, and with all the trees in my way, I couldn’t see the house… or the man.

I took a moment to catch my breath, and let out a sigh I didn’t know I had been holding.

Apparently I sighed too loud.

Because he found me.

In mere seconds, I was pinned to a tree with a gun held to my head, one of the man’s hands covering my mouth.

_I can’t scream for help. I can’t run. I can’t hide. Basically, I’m dead. _The thought terrified me, and my heart broke at the possibility of never getting to see my family and friends again, though no tears fell from my empty eyes.

“Hello Nakamoto…” the man said, “remember me? You arrested me 4 years ago, and my life has only spiraled downward from there. You took everything from me! Now… I’m going to take the life out of you! Karma’s a bitch!” Psychotic laughter escaped his pale, chapped lips.

I wanted to scream. I wanted to cry. But I didn’t. Instead, I simply glared at him with my empty, soulless eyes.

I felt no anger, only pity. I couldn’t imagine how bad the situation in this man’s head had to be to make him so… bloodthirsty.

And it saddened me.

His finger approached the trigger and his maniacal grin grew wider. My expression only softened in pity.

I didn’t try to fight back, I wanted to see if there was a little bit of humanity left in this man that would make him spare me.

Seeing the look on my face made his grin waver for a moment, then become a scowl.

“D-don’t look at me like that! Y-your pity m-means nothing!” He yelled ragefully, though I could hear him stutter, proving that he was indeed hesitating.

My expression grew softer.

His scowl grew angrier, but I could see the fear and sadness in his eyes.

The gun shook against my head, and I knew his hand was shaking. He was scared. He didn’t want to kill me. I just knew it.

“Gah!” He let out an exasperated sigh and pulled the gun away from my head. “I-I can’t kill you… at least, I can’t kill you now. But I’ll be back, that’s a promise…”

Without any further delay, the man sprinted off deeper into the forest, towards the setting sun. One thought lingered in my mind, and only one thought…

_Am I next?_