Something Unusual

"Ericka? Are you awake?"

Ericka stopped washing the dishes, hearing the knock on the door and someone calling.

She turned off the faucet and took off her gloves, spraying disinfectant on her palms as she walked to the door.

Liam handed her a white plastic bag as soon as the door opened. His face was serious. "Are you okay?"

Ericka stared at the white plastic bag, inhaled the sweet coconut pandan scent, then looked up at Liam.

"Yes, I'm fine, Liam, thank you," Ericka said. "What's this?"

"Here. I bought it on the way home. It looked delicious, so I bought two," Liam said.

Ericka looked at Liam. He was wearing a thick black jacket, a hat, and sunglasses, which were now tucked over the hat. His white mask had been pulled down below his chin.

"Are you from outside?" Ericka asked.

"Yes," Liam nodded. "I need to buy some kitchen supplies."

Ericka considered for a moment whether she should invite Liam inside, but he had already turned and started walking again.

"Lock the door properly, Ericka. I just have a few more repairs to finish on my unit. After that, I'll fix your door," Liam said as he walked.

"Y-you don't want to come in?" Ericka asked spontaneously, nervously.

"No, thank you," Liam said, the corners of his lips curling into a thin smile. "I still have some things to finish."

Ericka waited until Liam entered his unit, then slowly closed her own door. She leaned against the door and stared at the plastic bag in her hand.

What Liam had given her was a small, round cake. The cream was pink, scented with coconut pandan, and on top was a bright yellow smiley face.

Ericka smiled, returning the smile at the yellow face. Her heart felt warm.

She picked up her phone and typed a message.

"Beautiful cake. Thanks for the smile."

The message was sent, but it seemed Liam wasn't holding his phone, as there was no read check.

Ericka waited two minutes, then sighed and moved, putting the tart in the fridge. She would eat it later.

As she continued washing the dishes she'd cut, Ericka thought about Liam. She knew that for almost six nights in a row, Liam had been standing guard at her unit door.

Sometimes he sat in front of her unit. Sometimes he walked down the corridor two or three times, making no sound other than his light footsteps muffled by the old carpet.

The dreams about Daniel didn't come again, after that night Liam gave her spiced tea and sat with her in front of the door.

Ericka still often dreaded going to bed; it was too hard to close her eyes, even though she was very sleepy.

Usually, she would stand in front of her door, leaning patiently against the sleep, waiting for Liam to come out of his unit and come to her door, and stay there.

Knowing someone was always there for her calmed Ericka, and she was finally able to fall asleep.

Even if she woke up again, it wasn't because she was having dreams about Daniel, but simply because she felt an instinct to make sure Liam was still nearby.

Ericka's phone dinged with a message notification. She quickly dried her hands and ran to the dining table to grab her phone.

Liam sent her a photo of a cake identical to Ericka's, only his was light blue with a cute white wolf's face on top.

Ericka laughed.

"You don't look that cute when I see you," Ericka wrote.

"Yeah, I know. That's why I bought this cake. It's satire," Liam replied.

The exchange lasted about five minutes, and when Liam finally said he was going back to work, Ericka was surprised to see how many messages had been exchanged in five minutes.

Ericka put her phone on the table and thought, even when she was still with Daniel, they had never exchanged messages this intensely.

That night, Ericka looked up at the sky through her bedroom window. The moon was a thin crescent against a dark blue sky, dotted with faint stars.

It seemed like it would be a long time until the full moon. Ericka wondered what she would do when the full moon came, now that she knew who Liam really was.

When she learned that Liam was adding new steel to his door and soundproofing the walls, Ericka felt a strange sense of emotion. Liam had been so determined to make sure she was safe from him.

Ericka glanced at her phone's messaging app, which was open to her previous conversation with Liam.

"I need to buy some milk and orange juice to stock up. Would you accompany me to the convenience store down the block?" Ericka wrote.

The message was sent, but then Ericka quickly deleted it again. She sighed and stood up, leaving the room.

Ericka grabbed her shopping bags, put on a thick jacket and scarf, tucked her head into a hat, and put on a mask.

She looked exactly like Liam from earlier that afternoon. But that seemed like the safest way to avoid recognition, for someone who didn't want to show themselves to others.

Erica went out and down the stairs, walking as lightly as possible to avoid being heard.

She entered the elevator on the 24th floor, heading down to the ground floor.

The elevator walls were made of thick, now dull glass, but Ericka could still see out, counting how many units still had their lights on.

Most of the units were dark, as they were unoccupied. It looked eerie because the apartment complex was generally dimly lit on each floor. Only about four units, out of the 24 floors Ericka had passed, seemed relatively quiet.

Ericka pulled her jacket closer and pulled her hoodie over her head as she exited the apartment complex and headed around the side of the building to the back.

The convenience store was located behind the apartment building. It wasn't very large, but it was well-stocked. The items were packed tightly into the small space, but the owner had arranged them neatly from floor to ceiling.

Everyone who came into the convenience store simply had to tell him what they wanted, and the owner would easily find it among the many items, as if everything was mapped out in his mind, so he wouldn't have to worry about finding it.

Ericka gave the minimarket owner her shopping list and waited at the cashier. She looked at the key chains near the register and saw two cute cat-head plant-shaped ones.

Erica looked for another similar shape, but there were none. Only the cat head had two.

"Just pay for one," said the owner. "The other one is free."

Ericka thanked him and carried her groceries out. She stood in front of the minimarket, her eyes narrowed. Someone was standing under the dim streetlight.

Ericka felt her heart pounding. She was about to pass that way, and she suddenly felt scared. Who was that person, standing motionless in the shadows like that?

Erica reached into her shopping bag and found one of the key chains. She gripped it tightly.

If that person meant to bother her, she could use her fist to punch them with more force than if her fist were empty.

Ericka walked around to the other side of the person's standing.  She walked straight ahead without looking back, and the closer she got to the person, the faster her pace became.

The person moved as Ericka stood directly across from her. Cold sweat beaded on Ericka's forehead, and she quickened her pace, her fists clenched tightly.

The person walked behind Ericka, trailing behind her. Ericka's heart pounded, and she was about to run when...

"Ericka!"