I never thought I’d be telling this story, but here I am, sitting alone in my room, staring at the phone that sits ominously on my nightstand. It’s been three days since it all started, and every time I look at that phone, I feel a chill run down my spine.
It began last Friday, right after dinner. My mom had just left for her night shift at the hospital, and I was alone in the house. The TV was on, playing some old reruns of The X-Files , but I wasn’t really watching. My mind was elsewhere, thinking about Alice—my best friend from high school. We hadn’t spoken in years, not since she moved away to college. I had her number, but we’d both let things drift over the years. I didn’t even know if she still had mine.
But something strange happened that night. The phone rang. It wasn’t the landline—it was my cell. I reached for it without thinking, my heart racing. The caller ID showed an unknown number. My first instinct was to ignore it, but something made me hesitate. Maybe it was the eerie silence that had settled over the house, or maybe it was the fact that I hadn’t expected a call at all. But as I stared at the screen, I felt a pull, like the phone was calling to me.
“Hello?” I answered, my voice trembling slightly.
There was a long pause on the other end, so long that I almost hung up. Then, finally, a soft, familiar voice spoke.
“Hey, it’s Alice.”
My breath caught in my throat. “Alice? Is that you?”
“Yes,” she replied, her voice distant, almost hollow. “It’s me.”
I couldn’t believe it. After all these years, she was calling. “Where have you been? Why didn’t you reach out sooner?”
“I’ve been busy,” she said, her tone flat, devoid of emotion. “Things have been… complicated.”
I could hear static in the background, a low hum that made me uneasy. “What’s going on, Alice? Are you okay?”
She hesitated again, and for a moment, I thought she might hang up. But then she spoke, her voice barely above a whisper. “I need your help.”
“What do you mean? What kind of help?”
“I can’t explain it over the phone,” she said, her voice strained. “But you have to come see me. Tonight.”
My heart pounded in my chest. “Tonight? Where are you?”
“Just come,” she said, her voice growing more urgent. “Please, Alice needs you.”
I frowned. “Wait, what did you say? Alice needs me? Who is—”
But before I could finish the question, the line went dead.
I sat there, staring at the phone, trying to process what had just happened. Alice needed me? Who was this new Alice? And why did she sound so different?
I tried calling her back, but the number was disconnected. Panic set in. What was going on? I grabbed my jacket and keys, deciding I had to find out what was happening. I didn’t know where Alice lived now, but I figured I could Google her address. If she was in trouble, I had to help her.
As I drove through the dark streets, my mind raced with possibilities. Maybe she had gotten into some kind of trouble. Maybe she had been involved in something dangerous. Or maybe… maybe this wasn’t Alice at all. Maybe someone was pretending to be her, using her name to lure me into some kind of trap.
I shook my head, trying to push those thoughts aside. No, that couldn’t be it. Alice wouldn’t do that. She was my best friend. We had shared everything.
When I arrived at the address she had given me, I found myself standing in front of an old, abandoned house on the outskirts of town. The windows were boarded up, and the front door hung crookedly from its hinges. There was no sign of life anywhere, but I knew I had to go inside.
With a deep breath, I pushed open the creaky door and stepped into the darkness. The air was thick with dust and the smell of decay. I could hear faint whispers coming from deeper within the house, but when I turned around, no one was there.
“Hello?” I called out, my voice echoing off the walls.
No answer.
I continued deeper into the house, my flashlight cutting through the shadows. The further I went, the colder it got, and the whispers grew louder. They sounded like they were coming from everywhere and nowhere at once, like a thousand voices speaking in unison.
Suddenly, I heard footsteps behind me. I spun around, but there was no one there. Just the empty hallway stretching out before me, bathed in the dim light of my flashlight.
“Alice?” I called out again, my voice trembling.
This time, I heard a soft laugh—a chilling, disembodied laugh that sent shivers down my spine. The hairs on the back of my neck stood on end as the laughter faded into silence.
I followed the sound of the laughter, moving deeper into the house. Eventually, I came to a room at the end of the hall. The door was slightly ajar, and I could see a figure standing inside, their back to me.
“Alice?” I asked, my voice shaky.
The figure didn’t turn around. Instead, they spoke in a voice that was eerily similar to Alice’s, but twisted, distorted. “You came.”
I swallowed hard, trying to steady my breathing. “Who are you? Where’s Alice?”
The figure slowly turned around, and I gasped. Standing there, staring back at me with hollow, soulless eyes, was a perfect replica of Alice. But it wasn’t her. Not really.
“You’re not Alice,” I whispered, backing away.
The doppelgänger smiled, revealing sharp, pointed teeth. “Oh, but I am. Or rather, I was.”
I stumbled backward, my heart pounding in my chest. “What are you talking about?”
“I’m what’s left of her,” the creature hissed, stepping closer. “When Alice died, something took over. Something dark. And now, it’s waiting for you.”
My blood ran cold. “Alice is dead?”
The doppelgänger nodded. “Yes. And now, it’s your turn.”
Before I could react, the creature lunged at me, its claws extended. I screamed and fell back, but I couldn’t escape. The room seemed to close in around me, the walls pressing in, the floor tilting beneath my feet.
And then, just as I thought I was done for, I heard a faint ringing.
My cell phone.
I fumbled for it, my hands shaking. The caller ID showed an unknown number again. Without thinking, I answered.
“Hello?” I managed to choke out.
There was a long pause, and then a soft, familiar voice spoke. “Hey, it’s Alice.”
I blinked, confused. “Alice? Is that you?”
“Yes,” she replied, her voice warm and comforting, just like I remembered. “It’s me.”
Relief washed over me. “Thank God. I thought—”
“Shh,” she interrupted gently. “You don’t need to think anymore. Just rest.”
And with that, the line went dead.
I stared at the phone, my mind reeling. What had just happened? Was it real? Had I imagined the whole thing? Or was I still trapped in that house, with the creature closing in?
I glanced around, but the room was empty. The door was still open, the hallway still dark. But something felt different. The air wasn’t as cold, and the whispers had stopped.
I stood up, my legs wobbly, and walked toward the door. As I stepped outside, I looked back at the house one last time. It was just an old, abandoned building, nothing more.
But deep down, I knew. Alice wasn’t safe. And neither was I.
Because sometimes, the people we love aren’t who we think they are.
And sometimes, the phone doesn’t just ring. It calls.
And when it does, you answer.
Even if you shouldn’t.
Even if you know better.
Even if it’s too late.
And that’s how it all began.
For me.
And for Alice.
And for whoever answers next.
The End… For Now.
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