Don't Call This Number

I never considered myself to be a big believer of the paranormal. I don’t bother reading Creepypasta stories or venture down the internet’s many rabbit holes. I am not gullible or naive and I tend to question everything, only believing something when it is proven through facts and evidence. So, when I was told about a phone number that no one was ever supposed to call, I predictably rolled my eyes.

“The internet is filled with trolls, don’t you know that?” I questioned my friend, Angie, intensely, clearly perturbed by the fact that she had ever even considered believing in such a stupid urban legend. “This was probably circulated by bored children, trying to prank their friends.” I went on, unrelentingly.

“I don’t know,” Angie shook her head, a look of worry wrinkling her forehead and tugging the corners of her lips drastically downward. “I just want answers, because… my brother called this number and then… you know.” Angie trailed off, but she did not need to say anything else. Her brother, Doug, had gone missing a few months ago and Angie had only just gathered the courage to search through his phone for missing pieces and more information.

“Do you really think this phone number has anything to do with that?” I asked, knowing the question sounded harsher than I had intended it to sound. When Angie looked up at me with a hurtful look on her face, I choked on my apology. “Sorry, I… I don’t mean… any disrespect.” My head hung and my gaze fell to the floor.

A long lull of silence spread over and between us. I sighed, then decided that being a good friend was not optional in this instance. “Okay, look, you can use my phone if it makes you feel better about it.” I offered, pulling my smart phone from the depths of my pocket, and held it out in an offer to Angie. My hand remained outstretched, still palming my phone for another several seconds as Angie seemed to consider her options, weighing them out.

“This phone number, if it’s real, it’ll trace your phone. And it might do something to you. I don’t know.” Angie was shaking slightly, as doubt began to swarm inside her head. But I had made up my mind, already. “If it’s really that important to you, and you feel like you really need this for some closure, then I’ll do it, okay?” I offered, withdrawing my offered phone.

“Are you sure?” Angie questioned, nervous energy radiating off her all of the sudden. “I’m sure.” I confirmed, typing the passcode into my phone and unlocking it. I didn’t believe in any of this and highly doubted that calling some phone number was going to make me go missing or ruin my life, or whatever the Reddit page about it likely said. “I’m not scared.” I confirmed with a shrug of my shoulder, my thumb hovering over the keypad. “What’s the phone number?”

Ring.

Ring.

I sat on the edge of my bed as Angie paced the floor a few feet away.

Ring. I looked to Angie, seeking out her gaze, as my own expression showcased the doubt that I always harbored for things like this.

Ring. I sighed and Angie stopped moving, holding her breath, and preparing for what was to come next.

“Hello.” A robotic, female voice suddenly started speaking. “We have your request and will be in touch with you shortly. Thank you for your time!”

I blinked absently at my phone, my brow perking as the phone call disconnected from the other end. Stifling a sigh, my skepticism written all over my face, I shook my head at Angie and set my phone down beside me on the bed. “It disconnected.” I shrugged a shoulder, still clearly not convinced that anything was off or wrong in the slightest.

Angie looked a little less certain. “That sounded really creepy, though.” Angie’s eyes were blinking rapidly, appearing glassy, as if she had been holding back tears. “I mean, what request are they talking about? And they are going to be in touch? What the hell does that mean?!”

I shook my head and waved a hand nonchalantly through the air. “It’s not real. Trust me on this. It’s really easy to purchase a phone number and assign some random voicemail to it. And if the point of it is just to freak people out, then all they have to do is make some robotic voice they find on the internet repeat whatever words they type out. Honestly, I was expecting it to be a lot worse.” At least, a lot creepier. Not necessarily any more believable, though.

Just as Angie parted her lips for a rebuttal, the phone beside me rang loudly, its abrupt noise making us both jump as it sliced through the otherwise still and quiet room.

RING! It was from the same random phone number I had just called a few seconds earlier.

“Don’t answer it,” Angie advised, shaking her head, and widening her eyes. “Don’t. I mean it.”

Ring!

“They’re just going to say the same thing as last time, it’s not a big deal,” I tried convincing Angie, smiling to ease her and to mask the fact that I was mildly scared. “It’ll be fine.” I prefaced to Angie while grabbing the phone. A moment later, I slid my thumb along the bottom and connected to the phone call.

At first, I didn’t say anything. Holding the phone up to my ear, I stilled my breathing and waited, pausing to listen to what ever sound may have been coming from the opposite side. I gulped when all I could hear was faint white noise in the background.

“Hello?” I asked, trying to sound confident.

“Hello, Marina.” The same robotic voice spoke, though her tone sounded ever so slightly more malicious now.

I felt chills swirling up and down my spine, shivers creeping along my legs and arms, all while I remained frozen, staring at the window leading outside.

“We’ve found you. We’re looking forward to meeting you soon.” The call ended and Marina dropped the phone. It fell with a thud to the ground, and then, so did Marina.