Chapter 5: The Unseen Eye Shape 

I did not go back to base.

The routine was like a leash that I had worn before, so I knew how it felt to be on one.

I decided to circle the district where I had felt him before, I did not take a path or go back the way I came.

I moved in a circle cutting across streets and slipping between buildings changing direction a lot like I did not care where I ended up.

But I did care.

Every step I took was precise, every time I stopped I checked my surroundings.

I let my shoulders relax, my hands hung loose at my sides and I walked at a slow pace.

To anyone watching me, I was another person walking around at night, but inside I was very alert.

I already knew that I was being watched before now, but I wanted to know if someone was still watching me.

It turned out that they were.

I felt it like you feel the air change before a storm comes, it was not loud or obvious, it just felt wrong.

I walked into an area of the street, the lighting was bad and there were a lot of shadows because the lamps were not working well.

There were people walking around and a couple was arguing near a bike that was parked, there were people around to hide in but not so many that I could disappear completely.

If someone wanted to keep an eye on me they would have to take a risk and get a little closer.

I slowed down my pace.

I tilted my head like I was looking at something, whereas in reality, I was not paying attention to anything.

I let my guard down a little enough to look like I was not being careful.

If I looked like I was trying to trap someone it would not work.

Nothing happened.

There was no movement, no one tried to get closer. Nothing changed.

That should have made me feel better. It did not.

It felt like someone was in control.

I started walking and I let my path take me toward a vendor stall that was closing up for the night.

The metal trays were. Someone was cursing under their breath.

The fabric of the canopy was rustling as it was being taken down.

There was a lot of noise and movement. It all seemed normal.

I stopped next to the stall. I pretended to check my phone.

The people around me adjusted to my presence.

It took a second to notice. It was too smooth to be a coincidence.

A conversation behind me got quieter like someone was trying not to be heard.

Someone who was walking toward me changed direction a little without hesitation.

A man who was walking past me moved a little to the side so he would not brush against me.

It was like ripples in water.

Everything moved around me like I was the center of something. They did not want to touch me.

It was not that they were trying to avoid me, it was like they were being guided.

Someone was not just watching me, they were controlling how close people got to me.

My fingers stopped moving on the screen of my phone.

I pushed off the stall and started walking.

Then I suddenly turned into an alley that I had already passed.

I did not hesitate, I did not give any warning.

I made a turn and it was a clean reversal.

Anyone who was following me from a distance would have gone far and missed me, If you are not careful your momentum will always give you away.

I slipped into the shadows halfway down the alley, I put my back against the wall.

I took steady breaths.

I started to count.

One.

Two.

Three.

I listened for footsteps rushing past the entrance of the alley or for a shadow to cross the mouth of the alley.

I listened for someone to realize their mistake and try to correct it.

There was nothing.

The street outside kept going like I had never left it.

That meant one of two things.

They did not fall for my trick or they never needed to follow me that closely, in the first place.

My jaw got tight.

That was even worse.

A tiny thing caught my attention. It was so small I almost missed it.

I did not ignore it though.

My head moved up slowly and on purpose.

I looked up at the rooftops, they were like lines against the dark sky.

There was nothing moving, no shapes, no people.

It was empty and still. It felt wrong.

This feeling stayed with me; it was like something was under my skin.

It was not like someone was looking at my body, it was more like they were watching how I moved.

They were watching the choices I made.

I pushed away from the wall and Stepped back into the street.

I thought to myself fine if they want to see patterns I will break them.

I started walking then I stopped suddenly like I had forgotten where I was going.

I turned corners without looking. I went back the way I came. I crossed the street in a very short time.

I was being crazy, but not random, every move was thought out.

I wanted to make them make a mistake and hesitate to show themselves.

But there was nothing, no stumble, no correction, no one was there.

It was like being followed by something that did not want to be seen.

I walked past a dark store window, I looked in just for a second.

The window showed the street behind me it was like a mirror.

I saw shapes and shadows and something was off. It was like a mistake.

It was gone before I could see it clearly.

My heart did not beat faster. It felt tighter like it was getting ready for something.

I did not need to see it, I just needed to know it was there.

I kept walking. I turned onto another street and I felt something was close.

It was not touching me but it was near, my body knew it before my mind knew it.

My hand wanted to go to the knife under my jacket but I stopped it.

No one was near me. The air felt like it was occupied like someone had just been there.

I changed direction and went into an area between buildings. People were everywhere.

It was good that crowds can hide mistakes.

I walked with the people for a bit then I watched, I was not looking for a face, I was looking for something that did not belong.

A man stopped for a second, a woman changed her path and two people almost ran into each other, but they did not.

It was like something was moving through the crowd but no one else noticed.

Except me.

I felt cold. It was like someone had poured water down my spine.

This was not someone who was careless; they were good too good.

They were not following me, they were learning how I moved.

I realized I was not being hunted, I was being understood.

I stepped out into the street. I stopped. I was still, I was waiting.

It was like a challenge of if you are there now show yourself.

The night was quiet, nothing changed, then something did. It was like a tiny shift.

I felt it, it was like attention, like someone was focusing on me.

I stood there, I let the silence go on, I let them know I knew they were there.

Then, I said it out loud "I know".

My voice was soft but it was enough, the pause that followed was not empty it was like they were listening.

The air changed; it was like a breath and it was enough to confirm everything.

I was not imagining it, someone was watching me. They knew I knew.

I did not look for them. I did not try to find them. I just started walking. I was, in control.

If this was a game I was not going to lose by running like a crazy person.

For the time I was not trying to finds omeone I was stepping into something that was hidden.

Something that was patient, something that was smart, something that was bold enough to let me feel it.

It was like they were saying, I see you too.