"What was standing behind me?"
My heart pounded so loudly I could hear it echo in my ears.
For a second…
I couldn't move.
I couldn't breathe.
I couldn't even think.
Slowly… I gathered the courage.
Just enough to turn.
Inch by inch.
My neck felt stiff, like something was holding me back.
Warning me.
Don't.
But I turned anyway.
Nothing.
The room was empty.
Exactly the same as before.
The bed.
The table.
The window.
No one.
No thing.
Relief rushed through me so suddenly I almost laughed.
"I'm just imagining things…" I whispered, trying to calm myself.
My hands were still shaking.
My heartbeat still uneven.
But maybe—
Maybe it was all in my head.
The phone buzzed again.
I flinched.
My eyes dropped to the screen.
Unknown: "You looked too late."
My breath hitched.
Too late?
A cold chill crept up my spine.
Slowly…
I turned back toward the mirror.
And that's when I saw it.
This time—
It didn't disappear.
It was standing right behind me.
Clearer now.
Taller than me.
Its face still hidden in shadow…
But those eyes—
Glowing.
Unblinking.
Locked onto mine.
My reflection trembled.
But I didn't.
I couldn't.
Because I wasn't in control anymore.
My body felt frozen.
Like something had taken over.
The phone buzzed again.
Unknown: "Don't move."
Tears filled my eyes.
"I don't want to play this game…" I whispered.
Another message appeared instantly.
Unknown: "It's not a game."
The thing behind me tilted its head slightly.
Like it was… curious.
Studying me.
Learning me.
My breathing turned shallow.
"Please…" I whispered. "What do you want?"
The typing dots appeared.
Stopped.
Appeared again.
Then—
Unknown: "You already gave it to me."
My heart stopped.
"What…?" I whispered.
The thing behind me slowly raised its hand.
My reflection showed it clearly—
Long.
Pale fingers.
Reaching.
Closer.
Closer to my shoulder.
The phone buzzed again.
Unknown: "Now it's your turn to remember."
A sharp pain shot through my head.
Sudden.
Blinding.
I gasped, clutching my head as flashes filled my mind.
Darkness.
A screen.
Messages.
Hundreds of them.
Names.
Different people.
All chatting.
All replying.
Until—
They stopped.
Just like the ones I saw.
My breath hitched.
"No…" I whispered.
This couldn't be real.
But the flashes didn't stop.
They showed me typing.
Replying.
Sending messages.
To strangers.
To unknown numbers.
To—
Them.
My hands started shaking violently.
"I didn't do this…" I said.
But deep down…
Something felt familiar.
The phone buzzed again.
Unknown: "Yes… you did."
My eyes widened in horror.
Because suddenly—
I realized something terrifying.
The chats I saw earlier…
They weren't random.
They weren't strangers.
They were all connected.
By one thing.
Me.
My hands went completely numb as the realization hit.
"No…" I whispered, shaking my head. "That's not possible."
But the phone in my hand felt heavier now.
Like it was holding the truth I didn't want to accept.
The chats.
The messages.
The patterns.
They all led back to me.
The screen flickered slightly.
Then—
A new message appeared.
Unknown: "You're starting to understand."
My breath turned uneven.
"I didn't do this," I typed quickly. "I would remember."
A pause.
Long.
Uncomfortable.
Then—
Unknown: "That's why you forgot."
A chill ran through my entire body.
Forgot?
"What do you mean?" my fingers trembled as I typed.
The typing dots appeared.
Slow.
Deliberate.
Almost like it was choosing its words carefully.
Unknown: "You weren't supposed to remember any of this."
My heart skipped a beat.
"Then why am I remembering now?" I asked.
For a moment—
No reply.
The silence stretched.
Heavy.
Then suddenly—
Unknown: "Because it's too late."
My throat went dry.
Too late for what?
Before I could type anything else—
The lights in my room flickered.
Once.
Twice.
Then—
Darkness.
Complete darkness.
I gasped, instinctively stepping back.
My phone was the only source of light now.
The only thing connecting me to whatever this was.
"Stop this…" I whispered, my voice shaking.
The phone buzzed again.
Unknown: "You started this."
Tears filled my eyes.
"I don't remember starting anything!" I said, my voice louder this time.
Almost desperate.
The air felt colder again.
That same unnatural cold.
Like something was getting closer.
Watching.
Waiting.
Unknown: "You sent the first message."
My mind went blank.
"No…" I shook my head. "No, I didn't."
But something inside me—
Something deep and buried—
Didn't feel so sure.
"What message?" I typed slowly.
The screen dimmed for a second.
Then brightened again.
And suddenly—
A chat opened on its own.
Not a new one.
An old one.
Very old.
The date at the top made my heart stop.
It was from weeks ago.
Maybe months.
But I didn't remember it at all.
My eyes scanned the messages.
And then—
I saw it.
The first message.
Sent from my number.
Me: "Are you there?"
My breath caught.
The reply came seconds later.
Unknown: "Yes."
Then me again—
Me: "Can you see me?"
My hands started shaking uncontrollably.
Why would I ask that?
Why would I send something like that?
The chat continued.
Short.
Simple.
And then—
The last message I had sent.
My heart pounded as I read it.
Me: "Take them instead of me."
The room went completely silent.
Even my breath felt too loud.
"What…" I whispered, my voice breaking. "What does that mean?"
The phone buzzed again.
Slow.
Heavy.
Like a heartbeat.
Unknown: "It means you made a deal."
A tear slipped down my cheek.
"No…" I whispered.
"I wouldn't do that…"
But the evidence was right in front of me.
My message.
My words.
My choice.
Another message appeared.
Unknown: "And now… it's time to finish it."
My heart dropped.
"Finish what?" I typed, barely able to breathe.
The typing dots appeared.
Paused.
Then—
Unknown: "The count isn't complete yet."
A cold dread filled my chest.
Count?
What count?
Before I could ask—
Another message came.
Short.
Simple.
Terrifying.
Unknown: "One more left."
My hands went still.
My breathing stopped.
Because deep down…
I already knew the answer.
The last one—
Was me.
"To be continued… Am I the last one left?"