The Call From 1998

She woke to a missed call, a number from an era long past.

Public records claimed it had been disconnected in 1998, yet here it

was, a ghost on her screen. Calling back, she found no

one. Instead, an old, degraded recording began to play.

A panicked voice. Her own voice, but impossibly younger. If you’re hearing this,

they found me. Don’t go into the basement. He’s not dead. Shaken to her

core, the young woman moved through her house. Each step echoed

in the oppressive silence, punctuated by the unsettling flicker of the lights.