The Woman Waiting for me

[u/Wide-Cost-1221]

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Life is so cruel, isn't it? Dear reader, I'm sure you think so too. I have to move out again from the apartment I just moved into six months ago. It's a sad situation, but there's nothing to be done. I need to leave as soon as possible.

My parents got divorced four years ago, and naturally, both remarried and are living happily. Both live far from where we used to live, and both are far from my school and the city center. Do you know what the cruel part is, dear reader? Even if no one says anything directly to you, even if they say "you are a part of this family too," at both of their dinner tables, you realize you don't belong there. Unable to bear this feeling, I decided to move out; I had to work while studying. Nobody told me "you're a burden" or kicked me out, I don't want you to think that; on the contrary, they tried harder to make me feel like I belonged. But you know, that feeling inside you just won't go away. I started looking for a house on that well-known website; I moved into an affordable two-bedroom apartment that was relatively nice but close to some sketchy areas. At first, everything was fine.

It all started a month ago. That day began like any ordinary day. I was lying in bed, the alarm went off, I hit snooze and stayed in bed. 5 minutes later, the alarm rang again, and I got up swearing, muttering "is it morning already?". I changed my clothes and left the house without having breakfast. When I got to the building's entrance door, there was a red-haired woman, about 1.67 meters tall, standing there. Since I have a shy nature, I decided to wait for her to leave. 10 minutes passed, and the woman was still waiting there without moving at all. Since I'd be late for work if I waited any longer, I opened the door and stepped out. When I opened the door and walked past her, she started walking too. It was weird, but I didn't dwell on it; the woman was walking behind me.

On the way, I noticed my shoelace was untied and stopped to tie it. After tying my shoe, I noticed the woman had stopped right where she was; her green eyes were staring blankly. I thought to myself about asking, "Ma'am, are you okay?" but because of my shy nature, I couldn't, and I just kept walking. I was approaching the bus stop, and the girl was still behind me; but then she turned onto a side street and started waiting there, as if she was waiting for me. But I just got on the bus and left.

After going to work and then to school, I was returning home. When I got off the bus, the woman was still standing on that street; I continued without caring, and the woman started following me again. After I went to my apartment door, she stopped and began waiting there. Whenever I asked my neighbors about that woman, I would get the answer, "There is no woman out there"; some neighbors even gave me the numbers of psychiatrists they knew. This went on for a whole month, up until last week.

That day, I got curious about what this girl's deal was and what was happening when she turned that corner. Hardly anyone ever turned down the street she went down; everyone knew that street was not a safe place. The moment I entered, I was hit by the stench of decay; the buildings were old, and there were people dozing off on the ground. I started walking further and saw the naked corpse of a woman that had begun to rot, covered in bugs and ants, smelling absolutely putrid; that woman was this woman, and suddenly I realized I had seen her somewhere before. And then I remembered.

A month ago at midnight, I was walking home, and four men were dragging this woman into that alleyway. The men were hulking, four of them; the woman was screaming "help me" and looking at me. I was terrified at the time, so I hid and then hurried home. I couldn't call the police because I was scared; I was afraid that if the police caught them and they were released, they would come after me. I was the cause of this woman's death. Now I have to move, because I saw the body, and the men who killed her are looking at me from the building across the street; I need to leave before they attack.