The Whispering Call

1. The Midnight Call

2:00 a.m.

Outside the window, the city was buried in an eerie silence, broken only by the occasional gust of wind that stirred the wind chimes on the balcony, producing a faint, metallic jingle.

Jamie sat at her desk, the dim glow of her lamp casting warm yellow light over her notebook and scattered supernatural case files.

Then, her phone rang.

[Unknown Caller]

She frowned. A call at this hour?

Hesitating for a few seconds, she finally answered.

"Hello?"

Silence.

Jamie frowned deeper and was about to hang up when suddenly—

A voice, low and familiar, whispered into her ear:

"Don't turn around."

Her breath caught in her throat.

Because that voice—was her own.

2. Something Feels Wrong

Her body tensed. Instinctively, she turned around.

Nothing.

The room was empty, lit only by the soft glow of the desk lamp.

She turned to the window. Her reflection stared back at her from the glass—tired, puzzled, but alone.

Lips pressing into a thin line, she slowly brought the phone back to her ear.

"Who are you?" she asked, voice tighter now.

The "Jamie" on the other end let out a soft chuckle—her chuckle—except it carried a strange, distorted echo.

"I told you… don't turn around."

Click.

The line went dead.

Jamie stared at her phone, heart pounding.

She immediately tried to call back, but the screen only displayed—

[Number does not exist.]

A cold unease slithered down her spine. The air in her room felt… wrong. Colder.

She swallowed hard, shaking off the dread. Probably just a prank. A voice mimic.

But then—

Her phone screen lit up again, reflecting her face.

And behind her—a blurred shadow.

3. The Smiling Shadow

Jamie's mind went blank.

Her fingers trembled as she stared at the screen.

The shadow in the reflection was moving closer—its outline warped, unnatural.

But the worst part—

It was smiling.

Not her smile.

Something else.

Its lips stretched too wide, its teeth stark white against the darkness, its expression an exaggerated, grotesque mimicry of her own.

Panic surged. She whirled around.

Nothing.

Her room remained undisturbed, yet the cold air clung to her skin like an unseen presence.

She clenched her phone, forcing herself to take slow, steady breaths.

It wasn't her imagination. It wasn't just a prank.

This… thing had truly been there.

Grabbing her coat, she made a split-second decision—

She needed to get to Sandra's place. Now.

4. The Reflection in the Car Window

The streets were desolate at this hour, the dim glow of streetlights reflecting off the wet pavement.

Jamie drove in tense silence, the faint hum of jazz playing on the radio doing little to calm her nerves.

She kept glancing at the rearview mirror.

Empty.

She exhaled slowly. Maybe she was just exhausted. Maybe—

A red light.

The car rolled to a stop.

Bored, she turned to glance at the quiet street outside.

And then—

Her eyes flicked to the car window.

Her reflection stared back at her.

But she wasn't alone.

Someone was sitting in the backseat.

Jamie's heart nearly stopped.

She didn't move. Didn't blink.

She felt it—a presence behind her, staring at her.

The light turned green.

She floored the gas pedal.

Yet in the rearview mirror, the figure remained.

And it wasn't just a shadow anymore.

It was her own face.

But with its mouth stretched into an unnaturally wide, blood-red grin.

5. Sandra's Theory

Jamie burst into Sandra's apartment.

Sandra, who had been expecting her, took one look at Jamie's pale face and sighed. "I assume this is about that call?"

Jamie didn't waste time. She told her everything.

Sandra listened in silence, her expression unreadable.

Then, without a word, she picked up her phone, switched to video mode, and recorded Jamie for a few seconds.

She tapped the screen.

Playback.

Jamie watched as her recorded image stared blankly back at her.

And then—

Her reflection's lips curled into a grin.

The same eerie, stretched smile from before.

Jamie sucked in a sharp breath.

Sandra's eyes darkened. "It's not just mimicking you."

She met Jamie's gaze.

"It's trying to replace you."

6. "It's Here"

3:00 a.m.

The wind rattled against the windows. The room was unnervingly silent.

Jamie sat on the couch, gripping a protective charm in one hand. Sandra sat across from her, a talisman in her fingers, face calm but alert.

Then—

Jamie's phone rang.

They both turned toward it.

[Unknown Caller]

Jamie didn't answer.

The phone answered itself.

And then—the whisper returned.

"…Don't turn around…"

A loud pop—

The lights went out.

The room turned ice-cold.

Jamie's breath came in shallow gasps. And then—

Soft footsteps.

Close. Behind her.

Getting closer.

Sandra moved first. She threw the talisman—a burst of golden light illuminated the darkness.

The whispers screamed.

The presence in the room vanished.

And the phone—

Jamie's phone lay on the ground, screen still glowing. A final text message had appeared—

[Next time, you won't escape.]

7. The Hunt Begins

Dawn broke.

Jamie sat by the window, coffee cup in hand, exhaustion heavy in her bones.

Sandra stood beside her, arms crossed. "These things don't just stop."

Jamie exhaled, giving a dry chuckle. "How long do I have?"

Sandra's expression remained unreadable. "A month."

Jamie set down her cup, stretching her fingers.

"Then that gives us four weeks to figure out how to get rid of it."

Her eyes gleamed—not with fear, but with something else.

Not the look of prey.

The look of a hunter.