Chapter 1: The First Message
Amara’s phone buzzed at exactly 6:12 AM.
She groaned, turning over in bed and pulling the blanket tighter around herself. No one texted her this early unless it was spam, bad news, or her best friend Ada being dramatic again. None of those sounded appealing.
The phone buzzed again.
With a sigh, she grabbed it from the bedside table and squinted at the screen. The brightness stabbed her eyes, forcing her fully awake.
She froze.
The message was from her own number.
Same profile picture. Same name. Same everything.
Her heart skipped.
Unknown (You):
Don’t leave the house today.
Amara blinked. Once. Twice.
“Okay… that’s creepy,” she whispered.
She checked the number again. It was definitely hers. No extra digits. No strange formatting. Nothing.
Her fingers hovered over the screen. Maybe it was some weird glitch. Or someone spoofing her number. Or… she was still dreaming.
Then she noticed the timestamp.
7:12 AM.
Her stomach dropped.
It was only 6:12.
Another buzz.
Unknown (You):
Seriously, Amara. Stay inside. You’ll regret it.
She sat up instantly, her back pressed against the headboard. A chill crawled slowly down her spine.
“This isn’t funny,” she muttered, though she lived alone and no one could hear her.
Her thumb trembled as she typed.
Amara:
Who is this?
The reply came almost immediately.
Unknown (You):
It's you.
Her breath caught.
Unknown (You):
I'm texting from one hour ahead. I'm trying to save you.
Amara stared at the screen, her pulse hammering in her ears.
Outside, a car horn blared. A dog barked. The world continued like nothing strange was happening.
But inside her room, everything had changed.
Another message appeared.
Unknown (You):
You’re about to leave for the store in fifteen minutes. Don’t.
Her eyes widened.
Because she had planned exactly that.
She slowly looked at the clothes she had laid out on the chair the night before.
Jeans. White top. Sneakers.
Her “quick grocery run” outfit.
Her throat went dry.
Amara:
How do you know that?
Three dots appeared.
Then disappeared.
Then appeared again.
Her heart pounded harder with each second.
Finally, the reply came.
Unknown (You):
Because I already did it. And it didn’t end well.
Amara swallowed.
Another buzz.
Unknown (You):
If you step outside today… you won’t make it back.
The room suddenly felt too quiet.
Too still.
Too small.
For the first time in her life, Amara didn’t know whether to laugh… or lock her door.
And for some reason, her instinct told her ..
this wasn’t a prank.
