Autumn stood frozen in the middle of the room, her heart pounding so hard it could be felt in her ears. The walls of the small room were lined with photographs. Autumn's hand trembled as she reached out to touch one of the photos.
"Is this... me?" she whispered to herself, her voice sounding strange in the quiet room.
Her eyes scanned the walls with growing horror. Dozens, maybe hundreds of photos of herself were displayed there.
"Oh my God," she breathed, taking a step back. "How long ago?"
Some of the photos seemed older, maybe taken months ago. There was even a photo of her wearing a winter jacket she hadn't worn since last year.
The reality hit her hard. Jacob had been watching her, following her, taking pictures of her without her knowledge. And now, she was living in his house. The house Jacob had offered her at a rent too cheap to pass up.
"He planned all of this," Autumn whispered, swallowing hard.
On the old wooden table in the center of the room, a leather-bound journal sat open. Autumn approached it hesitantly, her eyes narrowing at the neat handwriting.
"She wore a blue dress today. Her hair fell like the sunset on her shoulders. I want to touch it, feel its softness between my fingers. Someday."
Autumn covered her mouth with her hand, fear and dread mingling in her chest. But strangely, there was something else she felt. Something that made her cheeks heat and her heart pound with more than just fear.
"What's wrong with me?" she muttered, shaking her head.
That's when Autumn saw it a gap in the back wall of the closet that was slightly ajar. She stepped closer and saw that it was another hidden door.
"There's more?" Autumn asked into the silence.
Though all her rationality was screaming to run, to get out of this house as soon as possible, there was another part of her that was curious. The part that wanted to know more about Jacob, about his obsession, about the other secrets that might be hidden behind that door.
Autumn swallowed and took a deep breath. “I must be going crazy,” she whispered to herself as she pushed open the hidden door.
The door creaked open, revealing a narrow, dimly lit corridor. The air felt colder, older.
“Jacob,” she called softly, knowing there would be no answer. “What are you hiding?”
With hands still shaking and heart pounding, Autumn stepped through the doorway, into the darkness before her. A deep sense of dread gripped her, but what made her even more terrified was the corridor before her.
The narrow hallway felt eerie, with the old stone walls seeming to absorb light. Autumn turned on her phone’s flashlight, its dim light dancing across the damp walls.
“What is this place?” she muttered, her voice echoing faintly.
Dust flew as her steps brushed the creaking wooden floor. Cobwebs caught in her hair, making Autumn shudder. But curiosity drove her forward.
After a few meters, the hallway turned sharply, leading down a spiral staircase that looked worn. Autumn paused for a moment, weighing her decision.
“I could turn around now,” she whispered to herself. “Leave this house and never come back.”
But the image of Jacob’s face appeared in her mind. His deep dark brown eyes, his mysterious smile…
“Oh Damn,” Autumn cursed under her breath. “Why am I still thinking about him after all this?”
With renewed determination, Autumn descended the stairs. The faint sound of dripping water could be heard in the distance. The air grew colder, and Autumn hugged herself, regretting not bringing a jacket.
At the bottom of the stairs, she found another room, larger than the previous photo room. The light from her phone swept across the room, revealing a sight that made her gasp.
The room looked like a combination of an art studio and a laboratory.
“This is crazy,” she whispered, approaching one of the paintings, which showed her in a long white dress on a beach she had never been to.
On the other side of the room was a workbench with various chemical apparatus, bottles of colorful liquids, and thick, ancient-looking books.
“What are you doing here, Jacob?” she asked the empty room.
Autumn noticed an open notebook on the table. It was the same handwriting as the one she had seen before, but strange formulas and diagrams adorned the pages.
Autumn frowned. “What kind of experiment?”
Her eyes then fell on a small bottle with a shimmering pink liquid inside.
Suddenly, footsteps were heard coming from the stairs. Autumn froze, her heart stopping. The lights came on, illuminating the room and making Autumn blink in shock.
"You shouldn't be here."
Jacob's voice. Calm but dangerous. Autumn turned slowly to see him standing in the doorway, his face a mixture of anger and... worry?
"Jacob," Autumn managed to say, her voice barely a whisper. "What is all this?"
Jacob stepped inside, his tall frame graceful despite the tension. His eyes never left Autumn, as if afraid she would disappear if he blinked.
"You shouldn't see this," he replied. "Not yet."
Autumn stepped back slowly, her hands fumbling on the table behind her, searching for something to use as a weapon if necessary.
"Not yet?" she repeated in disbelief. "You... you took pictures of me. Painted me. You followed me for months, and you're telling me it's not yet time for me to know?"
Jacob took a deep breath, running a hand through his messy black hair. "I know it looks bad."
"Bad?" Autumn laughed bitterly. "It's not just bad, Jacob. It's horrible. It's illegal. It's—"
"It's because I love you," Jacob interrupted, his voice deep and confident.
The words hung in the air like a thick fog. Autumn felt her blood tingle strangely in her veins.
"You don't even know me," she argued weakly.
Jacob smiled sadly. "I know you better than you think, Autumn. I know you wake up early to watch the sunrise. I know you always order your coffee with extra caramel. I know you write poetry in that purple notebook you keep under your mattress."
Every detail Jacob mentioned made Autumn paler. "How did you?"
"Because we're connected," Jacob stepped closer. "Ever since I first saw you in that old library. You were crying, remember?"
Autumn remembered that day, three years ago. She had cried over that tragic love story, but she was sure she was alone in the corner of the library.
"Have you been following me ever since?" she asked in horror.
Jacob nodded slowly. "At first, I just wanted to get to know you. But you were too... charming. And then, I found the formula."