THE CALL FROM MY OWN NUMBER. - by Reuben Esther Chidera

At exactly 1:13 a.m., my phone rang. I was half asleep when I reached for it. 37 missed calls. I frowned. All of them were from my own number. I stared at the screen, trying to understand what I was seeing. How could my phone be calling itself? Before I could think of an explanation, it rang again. Incoming call: Me I almost laughed. Maybe it was some strange network error. I answered. Hello? For a few seconds, there was nothing. Then I heard breathing. Slow. Heavy. And then a whisper. “Whatever you do, do not open your front door.” My entire body went cold. Who is this? The voice whispered again. Listen to me. You have exactly ten minutes. Ten minutes for what? The call ended. I stared at my phone. Then KNOCK. KNOCK. KNOCK. Someone was at my door. I stopped breathing. Another knock. This time, louder. Please open the door. It was my mother's voice. My mother was supposed to be in another city. I slowly walked toward the door. My hand reached for the handle. Then my phone rang again. Incoming call: Me I answered immediately. “What is happening?” The voice on the other end sounded terrified. I told you not to open the door! There is someone outside! “I know.” “They sound like my mother!” There was silence. Then the voice whispered, Because she is the reason you are in danger. I stepped away from the door. My heart was pounding. What are you talking about? Before the voice could answer, someone outside started crying. Please… It sounded exactly like my mother. Open the door. I'm scared. I covered my mouth. Then I heard another voice behind me. Very close. Almost touching my ear. Don't listen to her. I turned around. Nobody was there. My phone slipped from my hand. The call was still connected. I picked it up. Who are you?” The voice answered: I'm you. I froze. “What?” I am you. “That doesn't make sense.” It will. There was a pause. Then the voice said: “Look at the clock.” I looked. 1:13 a.m. Exactly the same time. “But it's still 1:13.” “I know.” The voice began to tremble. “Because you haven't opened the door yet.” My stomach dropped. “What happens if I do?” The voice was silent for a moment. Then: “You die.” The knocking suddenly stopped. Everything became quiet. I waited. One minute. Two minutes. Nothing. I slowly moved toward the window. I pulled the curtain aside. There was nobody outside. The street was empty. I turned back. My phone screen had gone black. Then it lit up. A new message appeared. You have 60 seconds. I stared at it. Then another message appeared. Run to your bedroom. I did not understand why, but I ran. I locked the door behind me. Thirty seconds. Then I heard the front door open. Someone had entered the house. Footsteps moved slowly across the floor. I covered my mouth to keep myself from screaming. The footsteps came closer. Closer. Then stopped outside my bedroom. I heard the doorknob turn. Locked. The person on the other side whispered: I know you're in there. I grabbed my phone. The screen lit up again. One final message. Now look under your bed. I stared at the floor. My hands were shaking. Slowly, I knelt down. I looked underneath. And my blood ran cold. There was someone hiding under my bed. It was me. Same face. Same clothes. Same phone in her hand. She looked at me and whispered: “You finally answered the call.” I couldn't move. Then she smiled. “Now it's my turn to wake up.” THE END. 🖤

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