Working From Home

9:47 PM

Sarah: Hey Danny, you up?

Danny: hey sis

Sarah: This is going to sound weird but I keep hearing these strange notification sounds from my phone. Not just notifications, but like…echoes... different?

9:49 PM

Danny: diff how? What’s an echo notification tbh, prob just the bldg settling

9:50 PM

Sarah: Like it's distorted or something. Almost like it's underwater. I put the phone in the bedroom so I could focus on this work project but I’m still freaking out.

Danny: ok, maybe your phone’s haunted or ur prob just tired tbh. how many hrs u been at that laptop? deadline?

9:51 PM

Sarah: Too many. But this is different. OK, now I'm hearing the typing sound. You know that little keyboard click? But I can see you're not typing.

Danny: maybe someones else msging u? check ur convos and

9:54 PM

Sarah: Wait, your last message broke up. What did the middle part say?

9:55 PM

Danny: just that maybe someone else msging u? 

9:56 PM

Sarah: Did you hear about what happened to Mrs. Kendrick's cat?

9:57 PM

Danny: moms old neighbor? nah what happened?

9:59 PM

Sarah: Nothing. I just wanted to check something. Danny, when did we last talk about Mom?

10:01 PM

Danny: talked bout her last week. her bday coming up n all

Sarah: Her birthday is in November.

10:02 PM

Danny: its april lol ur losing it sis

[Typing indicator appears and disappears three times]

10:05 PM

Danny: Did you refill that prescription?

Sarah: Yeah, few days ago. I keep forgetting to take them.

Danny: I thought the white pills helped u?

Sarah: They’re blue pills now. Changed months ago.

10:09 PM

Sarah: Danny?

Danny: sry bad signal rn. phones being weird

Sarah: That sound – going to check the bedroom.

Danny: Don’t

10:10 PM

Danny: remember how mom would check on us @ nite?

Danny: how shed stand in the doorway until we pretended 2 sleep?

Sarah: We were kids.

Danny: sorta still are. I feel frozen in my teens.

10:11 PM 

Sarah: The sound is getting louder. Creepy. But it's not just the notification tone anymore. It sounds like... 

Sarah: This is going to sound crazy – it's a voice. 

Sarah: It sounds like Mom's voice

10:13 PM

Danny: fr u need some sleep sarah. u need a break from the laptop.

10:14 PM 

Sarah: No, I need to figure this out. The sounds are definitely coming from my phone but they're all wrong. Like someone's playing them through a broken speaker.

Danny: ur working 2 hard fr fr. maybe go see ur doc?

Danny: Most pple doing work fm home r kicking back, but ur working 24/7 seems.

10:15 PM

Sarah: No, I'm fine. I know you worry about that.

Danny: ur the big sis I get it but u need to take better care of urself. u still seeing dr matthews?

10:17 PM

Sarah: Did I tell you about Dr. Matthews? 

Sarah: I started seeing her after your accident.

[Message marked as read - 10:18 PM] 

[No response for 3 minutes]

10:21 PM

Sarah: Oh god 

Sarah: Who am I talking to?

[Notification sound from bedroom]

10:26 PM

Sarah: Danny please answer 

10:28 PM

Sarah: I need to know it's you

Danny: chill sis ur freaking out over nothing

Sarah: Tell me something only you would know.

10:29 PM

Danny: srsly? ok remember when u crashed moms car n blamed it on me? 

Danny: i covered for u even tho i was like 14 lmao

10:33 PM

Sarah: That's not what happened. I took the blame for you.

10:35 PM

Danny: oh yeah mb im getting mixed up

10:37 PM

Sarah: The sound is getting worse. 

Sarah: I should check my phone.

Danny: no dont 

Danny: stay at ur laptop 

10:39 PM

Danny: we need 2 talk

Sarah: Why don't you want me to check my phone?

10:40 PM

Danny: its not safe

Sarah: What does that mean? 

10:45 PM

Sarah: Danny?

Danny: mother misses you sarah 

Danny: mother wants to talk

10:46 PM 

Sarah: You're not Danny.

Danny: we can all be together again 

Danny: just like before 

10:48 PM

Danny: before the accident 

Danny: before everything

10:49 PM

Sarah: I'm calling the police.

Danny: bad idea, anyway ur phones in the bedroom sarah 

Sarah: What? Why are all my windows open, it’s so cold??

10:50 PM

Danny: fresh air helps you think

10:51 PM

Danny: ur all alone sarah 

Danny: look at ur hands sarah

[Sarah looks down at her hands, notices they're covered in dried blood]

10:52 PM

Sarah: Oh god what's happening to me?

Danny: look behind u

[Sarah’s gaze falls on the wall behind her. It’s covered in handwritten notes, photos, and sticky notes, all detailing her neighbors’ lives and routines.]

11:01 PM

Sarah: The walls…oh god, the walls. What did I do?

[Notification sound from bedroom, louder now, distinctly like a woman's voice]

11:06 PM

Sarah: There's nothing behind me 

Sarah: There's nothing behind me 

Sarah: There's nothing behind me

11:07 PM

Danny: look at the walls sarah

[Sarah finally turns away from her laptop screen. Her phone's notification sound is now clearly her mother's voice, calling her name]

11:09 PM

Sarah: The walls 

Sarah: I didn't write this 

11:11 PM

Sarah: I COULDN'T HAVE WRITTEN THIS

Danny: but u did 

11:14 PM

Danny: look at ur hands again 

Danny: look what youve been doing all week 

11:15 PM

Danny: while u thought u were working

11:17 PM

Sarah: The neighbors 

Sarah: The photos on my phone 

11:18 PM

Danny: I told u not 2 look at ur phone

Sarah: All those pictures of people sleeping 

11:19 PM

Sarah: Was I there? 

Sarah: Did I go into their homes? 

11:21 PM

Sarah: They’re sleeping, right? This is just photos of them sleeping?

11:24 PM 

Danny: mother taught us to be quiet 

Danny: mother taught us to be still 

11:25 PM

Danny: remember? b4 she died & B4 i died

[In the reflection in the laptop screen, Sarah sees her mother standing behind her, a faint smile on her face.] 

11:26 PM

Danny: died – it sounds so much nicer than what really happened, right sis?

Danny: right sis?

11:38 PM

Sarah: MOTHER WANTS TO COME HOME.

Sarah: MOTHER WANTS TO COME HOME.

Sarah: MOTHER WANTS TO COME HOME.

11:44 PM

Sarah: MOTHER IS HOME.

[Message marked undeliverable] [All previous messages deleted] [Connection terminated]