Where Am I? (Brayden's Birthday Story)

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 Where Am I?

B y: Ray Bush

It was a long day for Brayden so far, It wasn’t bad it was just a little off.  He wasn’t in a horrible mood, he was just not in his normal great mood. His friend JJ also noticed. Brayden worked here for over a year and JJ started about six months ago. The two had become very close very quickly. JJ was the kind of guy people automatically liked, so was Brayden. It was no wonder why they had become such good friends in a hurry. JJ would even bring Brayden to work when Brayden sold his car. On Saturdays when the detail shop was very slow the two would come in and have breakfast and lunch together then head home. Brayden finished vacuuming the driver’s side of a black SUV. He picked up the vacuum and walked around the back to the passenger side. 

Brayden screamed when he cleared the side of the car to the back. JJ was on one knee holding a turquoise ring that he found in a car earlier that day. “Will you marry me?” The detail shop roared with laughter including Brayden and JJ. These two were for sure the shop comedians. 

It was a joke of course. Brayden was gay and very happy with his boyfriend. JJ was straight. He had a happy life with his wife and kids. JJ always seemed to know when Brayden needed cheering up and he always knew the way to do it.

“You better say yes,” Caitlyn yelled from her office, making the shop explode with laughter again. 

Brayden did say yes of course and JJ slid the ring on Brayden’s ring finger. The shop clapped and laughed. Stacia whistled then screamed “woohoo”The rest of the day was great. Brayden went back to singing the classic country music that he loved so much. Brayden just turned twenty one. Ray always told him that he was way too young to know the music that he sang. Ray was twice Brayden’s age and the music he listened to was music that Ray’s mom and even grandma enjoyed. That was the last good moment that Brayden got for a week or so. 

That night after work he got a message from a number that you didn’t recognize. I can’t believe you said yes to JJ, the message read, that was a very bad idea. That was kinda creepy but it had to be someone from work. He scrolled his contacts to see if there was anyone from the shop that he didn’t have saved to his phone. It was only the two new guys he didn’t have programmed, and he didn’t think they had his number either. 

Of course I said yes lol, Brayden texted back, Who is this? Brayden was only a little concerned that he was being texted from a number he didn’t know and who knew what happened only hours earlier at work. 

The question isn’t who am I? The next message read, The question is Where am I? Brayden didn’t like the sound of that. But it was exactly what someone pulling a prank would say, but it still made Brayden a little uneasy. 

Whatever it’s too late for this shit, Brayden answered, I’m goin to bed I’ll see whoever you are at work tomorrow.

You can see me right now if you look at your bedroom window. The response was immediate and unsettling. Brayden walked to the window. There was a streetlight, which is why Brayden had the black curtains, next to the streetlight was a tree. Under the tree hidden almost entirely by the shadows was a nondescript man lingering outside his house. The man waved with his left hand and held a large knife in his right. Brayden closed the dark curtain quickly. Maybe there was a logical explanation, maybe it was a neighbor standing creepily outside at eleven PM. Maybe it was really just a coworker playing with him. The build and stance did look vaguely familiar, but how often does anyone really pay attention to the way someone stands. Brayden opened the curtain again but the man-shaped shadow was gone. Did he really even see that or was he just making shit up in his head?

He looked up and down the street, but it was a dark street and he could see no sign of anyone. Brayden unlocked his phone then opened the messages. Somehow the whole conversation was gone. He couldn’t comprehend what was happening. Did his mind glitch? He had never experienced anything like this before. He scrolled from top to bottom three times but the conversation disappeared. Now Brayden was wondering if he should call the cops. But with no messages and a guy that waved from the shadows of a tree was some pretty flimsy evidence.

The next two days were normal days, Brayden didn’t get a text and almost forgot that the other night even happened. But on day three he got a phone call that he hated very much. It was his day off and he was at his grandma’s house for her birthday. He did have a few drinks but nothing crazy. He was expecting a call so he needed to answer but he didn’t want to be rude so he answered it in the backyard. 

“Hello,” Brayden was naturally a happy person so his voice reflected that fact. 

“Brayden,” the voice sounded demonic, “How’s grandma? How old is she now? I know it’s her birthday.” Brayden realized the voice was not demonic, it was disguised by AI. 

“Who the hell are you?” Brayden was mad, it was one thing to mess with him but don’t fuck with grandma. 

The man laughed. “I already told you Brayden, it’s not who am I? It's where am I?”

Brayden was not happy, he couldn’t believe that grandma might be in danger. “Okay asshole,” Brayden snarled, “Where the hell are you?” He was very angry for obvious reasons.

“Now Now Brayden,” The man sounded amused not upset, “There’s no reason to get angry,” He laughed again, “Let’s just say I’m close enough to know that you are in grandma’s backyard and that you are still wearing that turquoise ring.” The man hung up.

Brayden called the police, he had a number this time but he still had no idea what the man looked like. They took his statement but as Brayden expected they really couldn’t do anything. There were no threats which made a big difference in the eyes of the police. But Brayden couldn’t even give a description and it easily could be a prank. Or he could even just be a creep, which unfortunately is not illegal.  The important thing was to get the situation documented, just in case something did happen. They would try to track the phone number, but from their experience they thought the number was most likely a burner phone.  

Brayden seemed mad at the police but he was just angry with the situation. He wished they could do something but they had very little information to go on. That night he quadruple checked his doors and even put the boards in the windows making them impossible to open. He knew he wasn’t going to sleep that night so he scrolled his phone and had a drink. The first one was good and went a long way to relax him so he had another. Now he was actually feeling good again. Despite his better judgment Brayden actually passed out. 

The next day at work Brayden was nervous and very jumpy. He spied everyone’s phone but none of them had a burner, it was driving him crazy not knowing who this was. Not to mention very terrifying. Nothing out of the ordinary happened that day but when Brayden got home that night his phone dinged almost immediately. Hello, Brayden read, Did anybody at work have a burner phone? Was this someone from work? There were some jokers but he didn’t think any normal person would pull a joke like this. 

I don’t have time for this tonight, Brayden texted back, I have to work in the morning. I’m goin to bed. I’ll cya tomorrow whoever you are.

Brayden got an immediate response. There was no text. It was a picture of the outside of his house time stamped three minutes ago. Brayden’s heart jumped. It leapt all the way  all the way to his throat choking out the scream coming from someone banging on his bedroom window. After a long moment of fear Brayden slowly walked to the window. The same man stood in the same shadows under the same tree holding the same knife waving at him with the same hand. He was built larger but not fat, again he thought the shape was familiar he just couldn’t put a finger on who it was. For some reason Brayden waved back, it had to be someone that he knew. But who could it be? Brayden ran back to his bed and grabbed his phone. When Brayden got back to the window the person was gone. 

The next day at work Brayden was a nervous wreck, he couldn’t concentrate and he jumped almost every time someone tried to talk to him. Stacia would have sent him home if Shawn hadn’t called out for the rest of the week. If Brayden went home it would leave only JJ detailing cars and they were very busy. That was good because Brayden didn’t want to go home, not early, not even really tonight when he got off work. While he was on lunch he got another phone call. 

“Hello Brayden,” The AI disguised voice said, “How’s your lunch break?” Then the man laughed. “I hope you like that burger.”

“What the he;l do you want from me?” Brayden was mad and terrified, “Just leave me alone.” 

“I want nothing from you,” The voice said, “Well I do want your fear. Now let me ask you this, Brayden. Where am I?” Brayden looked through the gate that separated the parking lot of the detail shop and the cemetery. A man dressed in all black stood waving, he was far enough back that Brayden couldn’t make out any details. Brayden hung up the phone and dialed 911. The operator answered as Brayden watched the man walk away until he turned the corner out of sight. Again the officers came, but again they had only a phone number and a shadow as evidence. Brayden was unrightfully frustrated with the cops. He wanted so badly for them to be able to help him. They couldn’t.

Stacia and Andrew felt horribly that they couldn’t send him home. But JJ would be there all night with him and JJ did know how to make Brayden feel better. Brayden didn’t think so but maybe JJ could pull off a miracle and keep Brayden’s mind occupied for tonight. Brayden asked Stacia where JJ was. She told him that he was at lunch which was weird because JJ always went to lunch before Brayden.

For the most part JJ did a good job of distracting Brayden but with this situation it was hard to completely forget. JJ felt bad and even bought Brayden dinner. He also sat with Brayden for an hour to let Brayden get everything off of his chest. JJ’s eyes were wide with disbelief and fear. He was clearly worried about Brayden, he told Brayden to keep his phone on 911 so he could just hit the call button. Brayden said he would. JJ offered to take Brayden to an after dinner dinner but Brayden already had plans with his boyfriend. The plan was for him to cook Brayden dinner and then watch a movie. JJ was ok as long as Brayden was not going to be alone.

They left work but Brayden didn’t go straight home. He didn’t want to keep his partner waiting but he also didn’t want to go home. He thought about having them go to his boyfriend’s house but the man seemed to know where Brayden was at all times. When he finally got home everything was wrong, he opened his door to smoke and an overpowering burning smell. There was a pan of spaghetti noodles burning on the stove, all the water had evaporated.Brayden turned off the burned and pushed the pan to the back burner. Then he noticed the kitchen sink was endlessly rinsing off bright red tomatoes. Brayden turned off the water and turned on the stove fan.  Two broken plates accompanied a wooden spoon on the floor. Brayden heard something from the bedroom. He moved quickly down the hall. 

Red rose petals were scattered all over the bed and there was a stuffed bear on his pillow. The tan bear was holding a red heart written on the heart in white it said “I Love You.” This would have been a romantic gesture except for the knife sticking out of the face of the bear all the way into Brayden’s pillow. The noises were coming from the closest. Brayden moved to the door quickly and opened it. His boyfriend was on his belly on the floor with tape over his mouth as well as binding his hands behind his back and binding his feet together. Brayden was horrified. Without thinking Brayden took the knife out of the bear’s face and cut his partner free. 

His boyfriend told the cops that he never saw the person, they must’ve already been in the house. He was well aware of what Brayden was going through so he made sure the door was locked. The cops investigated but didn’t find any evidence. They said they would try but right now there was very little they could do. This time Brayden was openly pissed off at the cops. He was in disbelief that nothing was going to get done, and that he and his boyfriend had to live in fear. The two decided to get a hotel for the night, and not a cheap hotel. They would find one that required a key card to even enter any of the hallways. 

The two showered and tried to relax, to Brayden’s surprise his boyfriend fell right to sleep. Not long after Brayden got a text. How was dinner? Did you enjoy my surprise? Brayden didn’t respond, he was not willing to entertain this shit anymore. Brayden got another message, Ignoring me is not a good idea. Brayden still didn’t answer. His phone dinged again. Ok then, I’ll see you tomorrow. About an hour later Brayden’s phone dinged one last time but it was not a text. For the first time the stalker made a mistake. He accidentally shared his location. 

Brayden looked up the address online and was completely shocked. The address was JJ’s house.

Brayden called the police, they said they would look into it but that was still some pretty flimsy evidence. The stalker could easily be standing on the sidewalk in front of JJ’s house. Brayden did understand but the news still pissed him off. On the other hand, there was no way that it could be JJ.

First thing the next day Brayden grabbed Stacia and the both went to Andrew’s office. After meeting for an hour and a half the three agreed that it couldn’t be JJ. But the location stayed in the back of Brayden’s mind and grew like a pearl in an oyster. When Brayden went back into the detail shop JJ watched with a smile that looked uncharacteristically creepy. DId he always smile like that? Brayden guessed he was just being paranoid. JJ waved and Brayden’s heart dropped, that wave was very familiar. Now that he thought about the shadow man he realized that the man was built just like JJ. 

Brayden pushed the thought out of his mind, it had to be a coincidence. JJ was his good friend. He hoped he would see nothing but Brayden did watch JJ closely. Nothing suspicious happened all day. It was not until 5:30, a half hour after everyone left that something happened. 

Brayden’s phone dinged while he was in the bathroom, he opened his messages. Everyone’s gone. Are you ready to play? Brayden couldn’t believe this was happening to him. 

Fuck you!!!!! Brayden texted back. I’m done, I will not answer another message.

His phone dinged as he walked out of the bathroom. The message that Brayden didn’t read said two words. Bad idea. Then the skull face emoji.

Brayden walked out of the hall into the detail shop. JJ saw Brayden and instantly shoved his phone into his pocket. Brayden did catch a glimpse, it was not JJ’s phone. It looked like a cheap burner phone. 

“That’s not your phone,” Brayden said suspiciously, “What happened to your phone?”

JJ laughed, “You’re just barely noticing. I dropped it in the toilet the day I proposed to you. I had to go get a burner phone on lunch that day. I have to wait for our bonus to get my new one.”

Brayden smiled and nodded, that was the night all this started. Brayden tried to think if he saw JJ’s normal phone in the last week, he thought that he had but he wasn’t sure. Brayden put his headphones in then continued vacuuming the popcorn out of this trunk. It seemed like there was more than when he went into the bathroom. He thought it was a weird place to have scattered popcorn. Who eats popcorn in the trunk? JJ snuck up behind Brayden, grabbed his sides, and screamed. Brayden almost jumped out of his skin. 

“Dammit JJ,” Brayden was pissed, “I’m not in the mood for your shit tonight.” Any other night Brayden would have been fine, but not after this last week. Especially with all the clues pointing to JJ being his stalker. 

JJ had a stunned look on his face. Brayden stormed off into the bathroom and slammed the door so hard that the door to Matt’s bay shook. Brayden splashed water on his face, took some deep breaths, then became enraged when his phone dinged. 

LOL you’re pretty jumpy tonight. Brayden peaked out of the door. He could see JJ on his burner phone. Are you ready for the fun? Brayden shut the door.

After a moment of thought, he walked out of the bathroom and down the very short hallway into the detail shop. JJ stood at the trunk of the car Brayden had been working on.

“Hey sorry buddy,” JJ said, and he did sound sincere, “I thought you seemed a little tense so I tried to lighten the mood.” The smile never left JJ’s face, Brayden didn’t trust that smile after everything that happened tonight. “Let me get this trunk, there’s popcorn everywhere.” JJ ducked behind the trunk lid.

Brayden walked silently to the tool box and pulled out a long flathead screwdriver. Then quietly snuck behind JJ, he wasn’t going to let JJ out of his sight. JJ reached his left hand out of the trunk and turned off the vacuum. 

“Holy shit,” JJ said, he always sounded like he was ready to laugh, “Did you see the knife in here?” Brayden knew that there was no knife in that trunk.

JJ moved to stand up, Brayden saw the gleam of light of the steel blade of the knife. He didn’t have time to think. He buried the screwdriver deep into JJ’s back. JJ shot to a standing position and banged his head on the trunk lid. JJ grabbed his head and Brayden shoved the screwdriver through the side of JJ’s neck then shoved him into the trunk and closed the lid. It was just like the commercial they filmed for the shop a month ago.  JJ fought weakly but thankfully not for very long. Brayden was very sad that his work bestie turned out to be a terrifying person. But on the other hand if that was how JJ was then Brayden really didn’t know him anyway. 

Brayden’s phone rang, it was his boyfriend calling. Brayden answered in a beaten voice, “Hello.”

“Hello Brayden,” it was the man disguising his voice with AI, “I’m here with your boyfriend again.” Brayden could hear the same muffled protests as the horrible night Brayden found him taped up in the closet. “What’s his name again? Haha it doesn’t matter. How’s JJ?” The man laughed into the phone.