One shot
The Unknown Number Connection
It’s been a few days since it happened. I was tired after a long day at that hellish job, my eyes were stinging and my skin was extremely dry, sometimes I get like that when I get too stressed.
My idiot boss had asked me to deliver the orders to table 5, but I had already done that and he had to go and check to realize that he was the one who was wrong after all. Anyway, in the meantime I received a call, I didn’t recognize the number and neither did my cell phone, but somehow the photo that appeared in the contacts was my husband’s, so I decided to answer it, only to be even more confused than I already was, but this time, scared too.
I don’t know how to explain it, it was almost instantaneous when I clicked and said “hello?“, a chill ran through my whole body, I got goose bumps and I couldn’t tell you the reason behind it, just remembering the voice that was identical to mine but a little childish saying things like “help, please listen to me”, I was completely floored, if it even crossed my mind that it could be a prank or something, there are times when somehow we just make sure that something isn’t a lie, and in my case, that’s exactly what happened.
I’m not a woman who is easily frightened, nor am I intimidated, because I grew up in somewhat complicated suburban areas, I know what it’s like to have to struggle in life for small things and I’ve seen it all, I’m not easily impressed, but my instincts told me non-stop that I had to worry about it one way or another.
I walked over to the desk where my boss was waiting and told him that my workday was over and that he should let me go as soon as possible, and luckily that asshole did just that, for once he acted like a human being.
I focused on the caller, who incredibly hadn’t hung up yet, so I plucked up the courage and asked “what’s going on?“, but again a voice that sounded identical to mine asked for help, it wasn’t a recording, because she always changed her tone and the way she spoke. It was always “please, can someone hear me, I’m down here, it’s very dark, I can still see the light”.
I realized that it wouldn’t be appropriate to try to end this situation inside the restaurant, so I went out to my car and decided to resolve it right there, because I wanted to know how that voice was identical to mine, and how the photo that appeared there was my husband’s photo. In the process I asked “Can you please say your name?” and my surprise was even greater when, after a silence of about 12 seconds, a voice answered in a calmer but still ballad-like way, saying “Maria Gonçalves de Souza”, and that was incredibly my full name.
I think that if it was a prank or something, I should have known, but I’m sure it wasn’t. At that moment I just wanted to be able to call my husband, but I also knew that I couldn’t, because I was already on a call, and I needed to be quick to get as much information as possible, so that I could unmask this mystery, these people who were doing this to me would be unmasked somehow, so I decided to play along.
“I see, could you give me a clue as to where you are?” I said, as I drove to the nearest police station, which luckily I could still use the gps locator to find my way around, the idea was to go there, report what was happening and then take the best possible action to solve the problem, but on the way I the call started to fail, with me answering and every time I was answered back I heard the sound of my voice with a lot of static, not being able to discern what was being said.
Being a country town, it was normal for the signal to be a little weaker at times and in certain places, but I stayed on the line anyway, and there were only another 600 meters to go to the police station, and then, stopped at the last remaining traffic light, I heard a loud static sound that seemed to be coming from all directions. I can’t tell you how a cell phone was able to make such a deafening sound, or when it all started, I just know that it was able to make me let go of the wheel, and see the car window rattle with the noise.
And just as it started, it stopped, suddenly, and then I realized that I was alone in the street with my car, not that there had been any cars there before, but only now did I notice that I hadn’t come across any other vehicles since I left the restaurant, and that started to scare me, until a voice came on and answered the call, a male voice that said “no, she’s not here anymore”.
And then the call simply ended, and before I could even go to the police to report all the madness I had witnessed in the hope of being heard, something hit my car from behind while I was making a slightly risky turn. I didn’t understand for sure because it all happened so quickly.
My car must have crashed and plummeted down a ravine, I woke up hours later, I’m not sure, my leg and spine hurt a lot, as if they had been squeezed, my cell phone had a cracked screen and was still next to my body, I don’t know if I was upside down or not, but I still managed to stretch my fingers and try to call the ambulance, but in the process the blood dripping from my forehead got in the way of everything and I selected my husband’s contact and put him on live voice.
What a surprised expression I made as soon as I realized that the phone had slipped out of my hand and fallen into a random corner that I could no longer see, it was all so difficult for me to think much, but... I still remember the geography of the place, there should have been a river where I fell, the car should have been flooded with water, why didn’t that happen?
I shouted “please, someone answer”, I think I was too dizzy to remember, I don’t even know if I actually called my husband, I was shouting for help for a long time, but I had no idea of the time, I just heard someone, it sounded like a doctor, she asked my name and I said “Maria Gonçalves de Souza”, but the doctor didn’t answer.
I also heard footsteps, there was a man coming with a flashlight, he picked something up off the ground and said “no, she’s not here”, and I could hear the sound of the cell phone going off.
End of story.
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