The 2:17 Buzz

Every night at 2:17 a.m., Daniel's phone buzzed. No notification. No missed call.

Just a vibration, exactly three seconds long. At first he blamed software bugs.

Then muscle memory. Then stress. He turned the phone off. At 2:17 a.m.,

it buzzed anyway. He tested everything. Airplane mode. Battery removed. Different room.

Different apartment. New phone, new number, new account. 2:17 a.m. Three

seconds. Always. On the seventh night, something changed. The phone didn't

just buzz. It lit up. A single notification appeared. Unknown contact.

You're almost ready. Daniel didn't sleep after that. He stayed awake, staring at the clock,