The Killer (Chapter 1)

"Please Zeel just this once, I swear I'll never ask for half day ever again." Dev said from the beside her.

Even though Dev is grown-up bulky man but now as he stood beside her in his apron with that puppy dog eyes made a smile to appear on her face. He's cute.

"Fine!" She said in a fake angry voice but a squeal followed by a giggle escaped her lips when he enveloped her in a bear hug.

"Thank you so much. I promise. I'll be on time tomorrow." Dev said while still hugging her.

"C-can't b- breath!" She spoke in a claustrophobic voice, and he immediately let her go with a small 'Sorry.' She breathed and gave him a happy glare, if that's even a thing.

"Say my hello to Jasmine." Zeel said with a smile.

"Aye. Aye captain!" Dev said while saluting in her way. Removing his apron, he gave her a thumbs up and left the bakery.

Zeel sighed, she has opened this bakery of hers two years ago. She's 21 now and doing a master's in psychology. In the morning, she'll go to university and in the afternoon she'll open her bakery. Her parents died in a car accident when she was 17, she stayed with her aunt in London for a year, and when she turned 18 she came back to her hometown California and is now staying at a small rented apartment with her best friend Naira.

Naira's Parents live in Malaysia, but she's here for her studies, they became best friend during the first week of university. Before Naira, Zeel has to stay alone and it was difficult for her to make the ends meet but now as Naira shifted in her apartment, it's easy for them to pay the bills and rent. Naira receives monthly fees and pocket money from her parents but still she works part-time as librarian at a nearby library.

For Zeel, it was easy to run bakery in the first new months because there were barely any buyers or orders but soon her baking got famous, and she started getting more orders. It became difficult to handle everything on her own. That was when Naira introduced De to her. Dev is one of Naira's friends and was in need of part-time job and when he met Zeel he was all ready to work in the bakery, he once said it was his childhood dream to work in a bakery.

Now Zeel started at the tons of work in front of her. Dev was going on a date with his GF Jasmine and just last night they got a massive order to deliver hundreds of cupcakes, pastries, muffins, pie and what not by the early morning.

Dev was gone now and all the work load is on Zeel now. Sighing she started preparing the dough when her phone started ringing.

She hurriedly removed her glove and picked her phone. A smile appeared on her face looking at the caller ID. Vatsal was calling her. Moving the icon towards green, she placed the phone in between her ear and shoulder.

"What's up babe?" Came the smooth voice of her man.

"A lot of work on my plate." She replied in a baby sad voice and got a chuckle from Vatsal.

"So, I'm disturbing you?" He asked, and she immediately shook her head but then laughed at her own stupidity, he cannot see her.

"You never disturbs me honey. Tell me what you are doing? She asked while giving a final stir to the dough with her hands and then covered it while putting aside.

"Missing my babe." He spoke softly and she feels butterflies in her stomach. "But I'm not missing you, now if you're done. I've work to do." She spoke in a mischievous voice and got an annoyed grunt from his side.

"Say all this when I'll be in front of you." He warned her and she laughed at his grumpy mood.

"Naira will be at Dijesh place for tonight." Zeel said soflty. Naira has a BF named Dijesh and Zeel hates him because he's an asshole, flirting with all the girls when he's already committed, but Naira is blindly in love with him.

"I'll be at your place darling. Movie night it is." Vatsal declared with excitement in his voice and Daisy let out a soft chuckle. "Of course, now if you'll excuse me mister, I've a lot of work to do." She spoke sternly.

"Bye, babe." With that said he cut the call after hearing her bye. She'll be hella tired tonight, but she literally didn't have the heart to say not to him. It's been a week since they met, so meeting tonight sounds good.

Zeel got engrossed in her work and just like that hours flew and it got late at night. The streets were almost empty, and she was alone, 50 sets of pastries were left to do.

Washing her hands Zeel went to her glass door and turned the close sign towards the glass/ She put curtains down on the large glass window but didn't cover the door.

Walking back in she sipped her coffee and texted Vatsal. "I'll be at home in an hour." With that sent she started working again on the pastries.

She plugged in her earphones and started listening to her favorite song. She was swaying with the song and doing her work while enjoying herself.

A harsh slamming of bloodied hands on her shop's door went unnoticed by her, because the volume was full, and she was deeply engrossed in her work.

The man outside her shop cried for her help. He again slammed his bloody palms on her glass door tainting it with his blood but the girl was oblivion to anything happening outside.

"Please save me! Help me!" The man in his late 50s cried out and his hand unknowingly landed on her door knob and it was unlocked. The man hastily opened the door and got stumbling inside.

That is when Zeel's eyes landed on the intruder, and they widened in shock and panic.

She removed her earplugs and her hands tried to grab her phone to call the cops but that man shut the door harshly and then locked it.

There was a long counter between Zeel and that man. "Please mam, c-call the cops. S-save me p-please. He'll kill me!'' He cried out as he hastily looked at the door and then at her.

Zeel tried to cover her panic and started at the gashes of knives on his back. He was bleeding and needs help.

"W-who w-wants to kill you?" she asked softly, filing a glass with water for that man. She handed him the water, but he was shaking his head in utmost fear.

The man then abruptly fall down with a loud chilling scream. Zeel let out a scared breath as her eyes followed his gaze and her heart stopped beating in her chest.

Fear struck her form with full force!

There at her glass door stood a man un Black jeans and black leather jacket, but what got chills to run down her spine was him wearing a frightening, smiling mask and a large bloody knife was in his hand with which he was poking the glass again and again.

His hand abruptly holds the knob, and he started twisting it like crazy.

TO BE CONTINUED...........