“The whole thing with secret santa is really freaking me out. Things have happened in my life that I have left behind me. But the presents have, they have been,” I said. “It’s complicated but they have had information from that time in my life.” She looked at me puzzled.

“I don’t understand? What happened to you that makes this situation so difficult?”

“I was a different person back then,” I took a deep breath and looked into Maelisas eyes. “My real name is Alex.” The doorbell rang. I got up and checked. Noone was there. I cracked open the door and on the other side a package was laying. I wanted to scream.

“What’s going on?” Melisa asked behind me. I picked up the package and looked inside. “6 Marcham Road” and the key to my apartment. It fell to the floor. I got my suitcase out and started packing. Melisa looked in the package.

“What do these people want with you?” She asked.

“You have to leave and you can’t contact me anymore,” I said, throwing clothes into the bag.

“I need to know what’s going on. I can help.” She said, I shock my head.

“It’s better for you if you pretend that we never met.” I pushed her out the door and ran down the stairs before she had a chance to grab me.


I drove for two hours before I stopped at a motel. The room was dirty and had just a bed and a desk. I went out and got myself a burner phone, new clothes, hair color and some food. In the room I changed my hair and clothes. Melisa had kept trying to reach me, I wrote one last message to her, “Thank you for these four years. It has been great having a friend like you. You really gave me hope for the future but now I have to say goodbye. You have a bright future in front of you and I’m sure you will find happiness.” before throwing it away.

I got up early the next morning, planning to hit the road again, but I was stopped in my tracks by a mask hanging on the door, “Six days to hide.” I felt my blood freeze. The mask was the same one I had been wearing for fifteen years of my life. I took it from the door and threw it on the ground. I no longer had any doubt about who was behind it.

I got in my car and drove to the airport. It was crowded inside, it made me relax.

“Hi, I'm looking to buy a ticket,” I said. The woman looked at me.

“Hi, where are you planning to travel?” She asked.

“Anywhere really. I just broke up with my boyfriend, so I have nothing planned for the holiday. I thought I would buy a ticket and just travel,” I said with a smile.

“Let me check,” She looked over at her computer. “I’m sorry, we don’t seem to have any sets left for today. But we do have one for tomorrow at seven am, to Germany.”

“I will take it,” I said, giving her my passport and credit card.


I went back to my car to get a few hours of sleep. The next morning my alarm woke me at four. I opened my eyes, and on the car window a note was placed. “Four years of lies.” I looked around me but the car park was empty. I opened the glove box and took out a handgun. I opened the car door slowly with my left hand, holding the gun in the right. The car to my side shielded my hand from the camera. No sound could be heard so I put the gun in my pocket, still holding it. I removed the note. On the back of it, an envelope was attached. Inside was a picture taken of me smiling, from the window of my apartment. I turned it around. My legs collapsed under me. The other side showed a picture of me at eight years old holding a knife in one hand and an arm in the other one. I had a big smile on my lips, I had been so proud of my first kill.

A sound echoed through the car park. I got to my feet, moving between the cars, careful not to be seen. Two people were walking, chatting loudly. I got a good look at them, it was just two people coming back from their flight. I breathed out, leaning against the closest car. An alarm broke through the car park. The two people walking stopped abruptly and looked over at the car.

“Sorry, I accidentally walked into the car on the way to my own,” I said, raising my hands and walking out. They looked at me with frowned eyebrows before continuing to their own car in silence. I didn’t move again until they had driven away. I ran back to my car, exchanging the gun for my suitcase. 

There were more people at the airport than I had expected. I placed myself in the check in line, behind a woman loudly speaking on the phone. She had her bag dangling from her arm, with both her passport and ticket almost falling out. I took my hand and slowly removed her ticket. We stood there for another twenty minutes before it was her turn.

“Excuse me for a moment, I’m just going to check in,” she said, removing her phone from her ear. She put her bag on the counter and took out her passport.

“I will need to see your ticket too, ma'am”, the check in clerk said.

“Just a second,” she said, rummaging through her bag. “It was here just a moment ago,” she poured the contents of her bag onto the desk. When she couldn’t find it there, she turned around and started searching on the floor. The clerk exchanged a glance with a security guard that was standing close by.

“I can help the next one,” the clerk said.

“No!” The woman screamed. “I need to get on this flight, my family is waiting for me.”

“But I can’t help you without a ticket,” the clerk said.

“I do have a ticket,” she said desperately.

“The moment you find it, I will help you.”

“But the plane leaves in twenty minutes, so you need to help me now.”

The security guard put his hand on her shoulder. “I need you to come with me and we will resolve this.”

I gave my passport and original ticket to the clerk and my bag was taken, leaving me with just my wallet and phone.

Once I was past the check in, I made my way to her plane, to spain.

The flight took around fifteen hours. I spent the time looking out the window. I had decided not to stay in Spain, in case they had seen me board the plane. I would take the first flight out of there.


There weren’t any seats on a plane until nine am the next morning. I walked back and forth all evening, checking each arriving plane to make sure they weren't following. My stomach started aching in the evening giving me no other choice but to get something to eat. I just got a sandwich and went right back to pasting.