Urban Stalk

I want you. I lust after you.

I want that scent forever in my nasal passages. The feel of her skin beneath mine. The taste of her juices on my lips. The sound of her moans in my ear. These drive me forward, even as out-of-place in a mall as I feel.

I sigh, pushing those thoughts aside. There is no room for distractions on the hunt. It’s too easy to miss that little detail, that subtle hint of change of direction of the quarry. The fleeting glimpse of the prey. Sometimes as a hunter, all you get is one chance.

I follow K's trail, sniffing the air like a bloodhound, occasionally over-imbibing from my water bottle to splash some water on my nose, heightening the scent gathering ability lost so long ago to those of our species. I trail her past the electronics store and down past the food court.

I lost K's scent briefly as she wisely passes a Bath and Body Works, the perfumed scents roiling in my nose, causing me to sneeze violently. Her mistake is continuing on past rather than waiting inside and slipping past once I wandered away. I pick up her trail once I was past the flat, stale smell of the obese man who hadn’t bathed in a couple of days.

I nearly lost K once more outside the clothing boutique. She chooses wisely in her hiding spot. There are two that you could have entered, side by side. I pause there contemplating her choice.

That’s when K makes her fatal mistake. The one mistake prey cannot make when being hunted. She reveals herself.

I hear her voice and recognized it immediately. The lilt, accent and intonation haunt me in my dreams for years now. Though soft and faint, I know I’ve found my quarry. I slip into the store, glancing about.

The lights of the store were more subtle than the harsh fluorescents of the corridor. I pause to let my eyes adjust as my gaze drifted over the occupants of the store. Soccer moms, college women, and harried executives are scattered throughout the store, but I find no evidence of K. I close my eyes, shutting out the visual distractions to enhance the other senses.

I know you are here. I can smell her. I can feel it. I inhale deeply, trying to catch K's scent.

“Can I help you?” a voice calls.

Startled, I open my eyes. A petite young blonde stands in front of me. Her name tag reads “Marie”. I smile at her as I open my mouth.

“No, thank you. I’m just browsing.”

I move off before she can ask those all-too-helpful follow up questions, seeking the source of my desire. I pad around the perimeter of the store, searching. I feign interest in blouses and skirts, all while subtly sniffing.

I know K is close. That sixth sense that raises the hairs is tingling like a built-in spidey sense.

That’s when I see the dressing rooms. A feral grin splits my face. I slip over, silent as death on rubber soles.

I pause, carefully listening for sounds from within. Two are occupied, the occupants quietly rustling with fabrics. The one on the farthest end holds K's scent. I smile and glance about, noting that for the moment, no one is in sight. The dressing rooms are divided with thin walls and half doors, not the full-length doors found in other places.

I take two strides back and size it up. I launch forward in a blur, leg muscles driving forward. Forward and down, turning as I dive to slide under the door on my back. I come to rest against the back wall of the room, staring up at the ceiling lights. Ceiling lights…and fishnets. Fishnets attached to trim muscular legs propped in a chair.

I bounced up off the floor, landing on my feet. My eyes meet her familiar green eyes and the smirking grin that makes my heart bounce every time.

“What took you so long, Bear?”