Chapter 1 — The Voice on the Radio
The rain started at exactly 7:43 p.m.
Daniel Adebayo knew because he had been staring at the clock on the wall of his small workshop when the first drop hit the window.
He looked up.
Another drop followed.
Then another.
Within seconds, the quiet tapping became a steady roar against the rusty roof.
Daniel smiled.
“Perfect.”
Most people hated storms. Daniel didn't.
A storm meant power problems, and power problems meant broken electronics.
And broken electronics meant something for him to fix.
He turned back to the wooden table in front of him.
On it sat an old radio.
It was the kind of radio his grandfather had probably used decades ago—large, dusty, covered with scratches, and fitted with a long metal antenna.
Daniel had found it earlier that afternoon inside an abandoned storage room behind his family's house.
He had no idea why he had brought it home.
Maybe curiosity.
Maybe boredom.
Or maybe something had simply told him not to leave it there.
He picked up a screwdriver.
“Let's see what you've got.”
Daniel removed the back panel carefully.
Inside were several old wires, a circuit board, a small speaker and components he couldn't immediately recognize.
“This thing is ancient.”
He reached for his phone to take a picture.
The lights suddenly flickered.
Daniel froze.
The workshop went dark.
“Ah, come on.”
He waited.
Nothing.
He sighed and reached for the rechargeable lamp beside him.
Before he could turn it on, the radio made a sound.
KRRRRRZZZZT.
Daniel turned.
The radio was still switched off.
He stared at it.
“Okay…”
Another burst of static came from the speaker.
KRRRRRZZZZT…
Daniel slowly walked toward it.
He pressed the power button.
Nothing happened.
He pressed it again.
Still nothing.
Then the radio suddenly came alive.
CLICK.
Daniel jumped backward.
The small display illuminated with a pale blue light.
He stared at it.
The radio was receiving a signal.
But there was no normal broadcast.
Only static.
KRRRRRZZZZT…
Daniel leaned closer.
Then he heard a voice.
“Daniel.”
He stopped breathing for a moment.
The voice was quiet.
Almost a whisper.
“Daniel Adebayo.”
His eyes widened.
Someone was calling his name.
He grabbed the radio.
“Hello?”
The static disappeared.
Silence.
Daniel looked toward the door.
Nobody was there.
“Hello?”
Nothing.
He checked the radio again.
The display showed a strange collection of numbers.
21:17:04
Daniel frowned.
“What does that mean?”
The radio crackled.
Then the voice returned.
This time it was clearer.
“Daniel… don't go to school tomorrow.”
Daniel stared at the speaker.
“What?”
The voice repeated itself.
“Don't go to school tomorrow.”
Then—
CLICK.
The radio went completely silent.
Daniel stood there for several seconds.
His mind raced.
Someone was playing a prank.
That had to be it.
But who?
Nobody else was supposed to know he was in the workshop.
He looked around.
The windows were closed.
The door was locked.
The only sound was the rain outside.
Daniel picked up his phone and checked the time.
8:01 p.m.
He looked back at the radio.
“Very funny.”
He turned it over.
There was no Bluetooth symbol.
No Wi-Fi module.
No modern communication system.
It was an old radio.
It shouldn't have been able to receive anything like that.
Daniel opened the back panel again.
His curiosity had completely replaced his fear.
He examined the circuit board carefully.
Then he noticed something.
A tiny component near the edge of the board had a marking that didn't look like anything he recognized.
He took a picture.
Zoomed in.
Nothing.
He searched the internet.
No useful result.
He tried another search.
Still nothing.
Daniel leaned back.
“Where did you come from?”
The radio suddenly turned itself off.
Daniel jumped.
The workshop fell silent.
He picked up his lamp and walked toward the door.
Then he stopped.
A strange thought entered his mind.
Tomorrow.
School.
What was supposed to happen tomorrow?
He tried to remember his schedule.
Mathematics.
Physics.
Computer studies.
Nothing unusual.
He almost laughed at himself.
“I'm not staying home because of a radio.”
He turned off the lamp and left the workshop.
The next morning, Daniel woke up late.
His alarm hadn't gone off.
He quickly dressed, grabbed his schoolbag and rushed outside.
“Daniel!”
He stopped.
His mother stood at the doorway.
“You're going to school without eating?”
“I'll eat later!”
“Daniel!”
But he was already running.
The sky was still dark with clouds from the previous night's storm.
He reached the road and joined the other students heading toward school.
Everything looked normal.
Cars moved along the road.
People opened their shops.
Students talked and laughed.
Nothing strange.
Daniel smiled.
“See? Nothing happened.”
Then he heard a loud horn.
BEEEEEP!
Daniel turned.
A large vehicle was approaching the intersection much faster than it should have.
Someone shouted.
People moved away from the road.
Daniel froze.
The vehicle suddenly swerved.
It missed the group of students by only a few meters before stopping against the roadside.
Everyone went silent.
Then people began shouting.
Daniel stood there, heart pounding.
He remembered the voice.
Don't go to school tomorrow.
His smile disappeared.
That wasn't a coincidence.
He pulled out his phone.
8:19 a.m.
The same time.
Almost exactly the same time the radio had warned him.
Daniel turned around.
He looked toward the road leading back home.
For the first time, he wondered whether the radio had actually known what was going to happen.
His phone vibrated.
A notification appeared.
UNKNOWN NUMBER
Daniel opened it.
There was only one message.
YOU HEARD THE FIRST ONE.
Daniel's hands went cold.
He looked around.
Hundreds of people were nearby.
Students.
Drivers.
Shop owners.
Nobody seemed to be watching him.
Another message arrived.
NOW LISTEN CAREFULLY.
Daniel stared at the screen.
A third message appeared.
THE RADIO MUST NOT LEAVE YOUR HOUSE.
He immediately looked back toward home.
Someone knew about the radio.
But who?
And how?
Daniel put his phone in his pocket.
He had to get home.
He started walking.
Then his phone vibrated again.
This time, the message was different.
Only four words.
THEY ARE ALREADY LOOKING.
Daniel stopped.
Across the street, a black car was parked beside a closed shop.
Its windows were dark.
He couldn't see who was inside.
For several seconds, Daniel stared at it.
Then the car slowly pulled away.
He watched it disappear around the corner.
His heart was beating faster.
The radio hadn't just predicted the future.
Someone was communicating with him.
And somehow, they knew exactly where he lived.
Daniel turned toward home.
He didn't know who was watching.
He didn't know why the radio had chosen him.
And he certainly didn't know what would happen next.
But one thing was certain.
His normal life had ended the moment he heard that voice.
And the strangest part was—
the radio hadn't finished talking to him yet.
To be continued…
