The Journal 5 (Patreon)

Something is buzzing in my subconscious. These poems, they are telling a story, but I can't put it together.  Something in me is telling me to turn away, that I don't want to know. Something is telling me to leave my partner to his fate, that to walk down this path will have fearsome consequences that may just change me forever.

But no. I must continue. I read the next poem:

Shark eyed men stare

I tug on an earring, smile

No more hunter, prey

I close the journal. This can't be my partner. It's something else. A red herring. A ruse. Someone wants to lead me astray. What I am reading makes no sense. No. I throw the journal across the room, satisfied as it slams against the wall. It's all bullshit. Crap. This whole thing has been--

The impact of the journal. It shook the wall, and the grate over the vent has slipped, dangling now from one screw. Someone opened it, and every instinct tells me there is something hidden there, something I need to see.

But that terror I have been feeling-- it grows. I feel trapped, threatened by invisible forces I can't fight or control. I look to the door.  Once more, something is telling me-- leave. Run. Forget all about this before it is too late.