You Were Not Supposed to Wake Up

At exactly 2:17 a.m., every streetlight in the town flickered off at the same

time, plunging the neighborhood into total darkness. No one panicked—until phones began lighting

up with the same notification, sent from no contact anyone recognized. It read,

“You were not supposed to wake up.” Windows creaked open one by one as confused residents looked

outside, only to realize they weren’t alone. Figures stood motionless under the dead streetlights,

faces hidden, perfectly still. Then, just as suddenly as it began,

the lights snapped back on. The figures were gone, the message erased,

and by morning everyone convinced themselves it was a glitch. Everyone except the people who checked