SIX

I IMAGINED THE SHADOW figure watching me as I rushed to the front door and pressed my back against it, ready to bolt outside if it came to that.

Even with the power out, the setting sun provided enough light for me to see past the aura on the floor around me, across my living room. I kept my eyes fixed on the window, the spot where the ghostly man had last appeared. I struggled to quiet my breathing.

Seconds passed, maybe a couple of minutes, and I saw nothing. More time ticked by —still nothing there. It crossed my mind that maybe the power had simply gone out in my apartment without any supernatural cause. But my phone had died too.

I loosened my grip on the doorknob but didn’t let go. My other hand pressed against my heart, as if I could calm it. I kept scanning the living room —until a voice called to me from the dark hallway across from me.

His voice.

I’d had enough. I rushed outside and slammed the door, sucking in the crisp spring air.

“You okay?” A female voice spoke from the bottom of the stairwell. Veronica, of all people.

“I’m fine.” I tried to sound convincing.

She began climbing the steps, playfully sliding her open hands along the metal banisters. “You sure?”

“Yeah.” I was in no mood for this. “Just getting some fresh air.”

She kept climbing until she arrived at the bottom step of the third-story stairwell. From where she stood, grinning up at me, there was an easy vantage point down the front of her blouse, and I think she knew it. I struggled to keep my eyes where they belonged.

“You know I’m here for you, right?”

I gave a halfhearted nod, trying to decide which was worse: dealing with her or the power-sucking prowler in my apartment.

Her brow furrowed. “Something happened in there, didn’t it?” Her gaze darted back and forth between my front door and me.

“No.” My vow of honesty was officially a thing of the past.

“All right.” Her playful tone hinted that she didn’t believe me. “Can I give you some advice, Owen?”

I didn’t respond, but she did it anyway.

“Don’t be afraid of new experiences.” She gestured to herself. “Or new people.”

I shook my head. “I’m not.”

She puckered her lips. “If you say so.” Finally, she went clanking back down the stairs. “Nothing’s a coincidence,” she said over her shoulder.

Whatever.

I stood on my balcony, staring out past the parked cars into the grassy open field behind my apartment complex, assessing my situation. Had I really let this mystery man scare me out of my home?

Veronica made it to the parking lot, then turned and looked up at me. I know this sounds crazy beyond belief, but when she and I made eye contact, I felt like I heard her speak to me, only not with my ears. Inside my head.

Go back inside, Owen.

Did you just . . . talk to me? All I did was think it.

She grinned, then walked away.

I paced my small balcony for a while, until the sun had set, thoroughly confused and weirded out by what had just happened. But I forced myself to let it go for now. I had to deal with the situation inside my apartment. I needed to confront it head-on, like a man.

I stepped inside, willing myself to stare my fears in the face. I even shut the door.

I peered into the hallway, squinting, anxious for my eyes to adjust to the dark. Sure enough, there stood the shadowy figure, his form even darker than the black space around him.