Thank You

by Tawny Molina



"Monday July 1st, 2024

Thank you for being there when no one else was there for me.

Sincerely, Em."

The note was left on Peter's doorstep. It was weird. He did not know anyone named 'Em.' Maybe they had left it on the wrong door. There were plenty of apartments in the building. Wait, was Em that old lady he had helped from her car with all those groceries? Could have also been the mailman he'd given a bottle of water to. Guy names started with Em as well. Eh... Whatever.

"Tuesday July 2nd, 2024

Thank you for always being such a dependable person.

Sincerely, Em."

Another letter. Now Peter was curious. He'd just moved here a few weeks ago. Maybe it was whoever had this apartment before he did. He should probably call management and see if they had gotten anything on the security cameras. Maybe the guard could tell whoever it was that they needed to find out their friend's new address.

"Wednesday July 3rd, 2024

It was great seeing you again.

Sincerely, Em."


Seeing this letter as soon as he came home was particularly weird for Peter. He'd stopped in the security office on the way to work and they had told him the former occupant hadn't had many guests. As for who was leaving the notes, they mentioned the person who always showed up after Peter left for work. She placed the note and departed the building. Beyond that, security never saw her do anything weird on the videos they watched.

"Thursday July 4th, 2024

Those fireworks were pretty amazing, weren't they? It was a pity we had to sit so far apart. Still, it was nice to see you even from a distance.

With love, Em."

Now Peter was extra confused. He'd certainly gone to see the fireworks at the local park. But he had sat with his girlfriend on a blanket, a few friendly waves to people he knew. Still, he certainly did not know anyone named Em, and even more so, no one aside from his girlfriend that he would have been close enough to exchange words such as 'love' Perhaps he should text her. Maybe this was all some kind of joke?

"Friday July 5th, 2024

Did you make a new friend? I saw a new car outside your place this morning.

With love, Em."

Yep, this was weird. There was a new car outside his place. His girlfriend’s. She'd come over the night before after he had texted her about the weird messages. They were supposed to go over to her place after, but the two had a few drinks, and neither had been in a condition to drive. But now that he knew someone was watching, he thought it was probably a fair idea to go just to her place for a while.

"Saturday, July 6th, 2024

I like your new curtains. I'd love to know where you got them.

Thank you, Em."

Curtains. Peter had never been so disturbed by someone liking his curtains. Whoever this Em person was, they sure were watching him closely. Those curtains had been a gift from his mother he'd just put up the evening before. Who was watching his windows... maybe if he looked out them, he could tell who was sitting out there every day. But he couldn't put his life on hold to stare out his window and take notes.

"Sunday July 14th, 2024

Where have you been?

Love, Em."

Peter found the note pinned to his door. He read it slowly, carefully several times. He had been gone. He'd stayed over at his girlfriend's house to try and avoid these, but he finally had to come back for clothing. He'd told the police, but they had basically laughed at him. What kind of guy was afraid of some unknown person? It was probably just some ex being weird or something they said. We'll keep an eye out, they said. We can't really do anything if you aren't being threatened, they said. Well, it wasn't a threat, but it was concerning. This person even watched when he left.

"Monday July 15th, 2024

I've been looking for you, Pete."

When he got home the next day from work and picked up the letter, he knew the mood had changed. Not only did the writer use his name, but they also had not signed it. Maybe he was reading too much into it, but he did not feel the sort of twisted whimsy that usually seemed to accompany the notes of his stalker. He crumpled up the letter and shoved it in his pocket as he fished for his keys in his jacket, finally pulling them out just as he heard someone walking down the hall.

He lifted his keys to the door, the steps growing close as he forced the key into the lock. The footsteps stopped behind him, and he whipped around, alarm evident on his face as he stared at his expected stalker. Instead, he found himself face to face with one of the security officers of the apartment.

"You ok, man?" The security guard asked.

"Yeah, sorry, got another letter." He said, showing the crumpled-up piece of paper to the guard.

The guard took the paper and uncrumpled it. "Tsk, man, you can't crumple up evidence like this. It makes it hard to read. Let's head down to the office and file a proper report on this."

It did not take long for the two to arrive at the security office. Peter had only been here a couple of times to discuss the strange notes. But constantly staffed security was one of the reasons he had chosen this apartment complex even if it had not worked to his benefit so far.

As they walked in, Peter looked up at the various monitors and screens of the security office, expecting to see cameras all tuned to entrances. His blood ran cold as he noticed each monitor was focused on him, his things, his home. His apartment door, the door he used to leave, his windows, his car. All displayed in full view. The door closed with a click of a lock behind him.

"My name's Emmit, by the way." The security guard said in a friendly tone.

Edit Text

Tawny Molina is a writer of various genres slowly inching toward middle age. Dyslexic, she learned early on that storytelling can be used to learn as much as entertainment. She lives with her husband and various furbabies in Florida, where she plots new stories to creep out and entertain.