The Call That Came From My Old Number

I received a call from my own phone number three years after I changed it.

At first, I thought it was just a glitch.

My contact information had been messed up before, and sometimes unknown numbers showed up with weird names.

But this wasn't a similar number.

It was mine.

The exact same number I had used for almost a decade.

When I answered, nobody spoke.

I could only hear faint static.

I said hello several times.

Then I heard my own voice.

"Don't go home tonight."

I immediately hung up.

I stared at my phone for a few minutes, trying to convince myself it was some kind of prank.

The problem was, the voice wasn't just similar to mine.

It was exactly mine.

Same tone.

Same accent.

Same little pause before certain words.

I called the number back.

It said the number didn't exist.

I ignored it.

Until I got another call the next night.

Same number.

Same static.

This time, the voice sounded more desperate.

"You're not listening."

I asked who this was.

There was a long silence.

Then the voice answered.

"It's me."

I laughed because I thought whoever was doing this wanted a reaction.

Then the voice said something nobody else could have known.

It mentioned a conversation I had with my brother earlier that day.

A private conversation.

One that happened inside my locked car.

I stopped laughing.

I asked how they knew that.

The voice didn't answer.

Instead, it said:

"Check your bedroom."

I was standing outside my apartment at the time.

I almost went inside.

Almost.

Then I remembered the first call.

Don't go home tonight.

So I called the police.

They checked my apartment.

Nothing was missing.

No broken windows.

No signs anyone had entered.

They told me there was no reason to believe anyone had been inside.

Then one officer asked me something strange.

"Did you know your bedroom light was on?"

I told him it shouldn't have been.

I always turned it off before leaving.

He looked confused.

Because when they entered, the light was already on.

And someone had been sitting on my bed.

The blanket was still warm.

The police searched the apartment building but found nobody.

I didn't sleep at home for several days.

The calls continued every night.

But the voice changed.

At first, it was warning me.

Then it started asking questions.

"Did you remember to lock the door?"

"Did you check the closet?"

"Are you still alone?"

Finally, one night, I answered.

"Who are you?"

The static lasted almost a minute.

Then my voice whispered:

"I was you."

I asked what that meant.

The answer was quiet.

"You're the version that didn't listen."

The call ended.

The next morning, I checked my phone history.

The calls were gone.

Every single one.

Except for one entry.

A missed call from my own number.

The date was tomorrow.

The time was 3:17 AM.

I am writing this because that time is approaching.

And my phone just started ringing.