I answer the phone at night. Don’t do it.

I don’t know how it started. I just remember the first time in vivid detail. I was fourteen and it was a typical Friday night. I had my friend Kev over and we were just hanging out doing nothing. Then the phone rang. It was strange because we never got many phone calls. My mom was the only one with a cell phone then, and my dad spent most of his time at the bar. So it was strange for the phone to ring randomly. But then again, I don’t think it was random. I think it was calling for me. Kev and I were sitting on the couch, watching tv, when the phone rang out from the kitchen. His eyes locked on to mine as he mouthed “you gonna get it?” I shook my head, and shrugged. I wasn’t going to get it. But something made me get up and walk into the kitchen to answer it. So, I did. I had no idea what I was getting myself into when I picked up the phone that night. “Hello?” I said. “Hello? Is your daddy there?” A woman’s voice moaned out on the other side. “Uh, yeah, my dad is here.” I said. “Henrietta please tell him to pick me up.” She said. “I think you have the wrong number, I’m not Henrietta.” I said. “Then where are you Henreitta, this isn’t very funny.” She moaned again. “I’m not fucking Henrietta, you have the wrong goddamn number” I reiterated, “wrong goddamn number you dumb bitch.” I thought. “Listen, this isn’t funny anymore. Stop messing around” She said. “I’m not fucking Henrietta, stop saying that. And… And I’m not your fucking father either, you dumb bitch. Wrong number, okay?” I said as I slammed the phone down. I shook my head as I looked over at Kev. He chuckled when he saw the look on my face. “Wrong number?” He asked. “Some bitch was looking for her dad, kept saying I was someone else.” I replied. “Henrietta?” He laughed. “Yeah, Henrietta, looking for her daddy, and some lady who sounded like she was dying or something.” I replied. “That’s weird.” He said. “Yeah, I know.” I replied. We dropped the subject and continued watching tv. We forgot about it. Until the next night. The phone rang again. I shouldn’t have answered it, I knew it in my heart. But something made me pick it up, something told me to answer it. “Hello?” I said. “Hello? Is your daddy there?” The same woman’s voice said on the other side. “Henrietta, I’m not fucking Henrietta! This is not her goddamn house you fucking idiot! Stop calling!” I yelled. I don’t know how, but I slammed the phone down so hard that it shattered into a million pieces. My dad had to replace it the next day. The next night it happened again. And the night after that. And the night after that. I couldn’t avoid it anymore, something inside of me made me pick up the phone every time. Lately I just let it ring, but something kept telling me to answer. So I did. I couldn’t resist it. It’s been months since the calls started, but she still calls. Every night. Even if I was at a friends house, she would call there too. I don’t know how she got all my friends numbers, but I think it was just for me to get the hint. The calls kept getting progressively worse too. Not only was she asking for her father, she started asking for more. She started asking if Henrietta was there, and then she would call me Henrietta. She started telling me that she needed to see me, that she had missed me for so long. Sometimes she would scream “Henrietta don’t you remember me? We were sisters, I’ve been looking for you” She would start wailing so loudly that my dad would have to come over and tell her to stop. But then something changed. One night she didn’t call. I don’t know if it was because my uncle answered the phone and pretended to be my dad and told her that “Henrietta” was dead, or what. But the calls just stopped. That was until tonight. I woke up to the sound of the phone ringing in my room. I looked at my clock, it was 3:30am. Who in their right mind would be calling me this late? So, I decided not to answer it. The phone kept ringing. And I didn’t answer. I didn’t wanna answer. So, I decided to do what any sane person would do and unplug the phone and give it a dirty look. But then my phone stopped ringing, and my TV flickered on. It was static at first, but then I started to see a figure. There was a woman standing in a dark house, and she was talking. “Henrietta, I know you’re there. I know you’re there, come outside so I can find you. Please Henrietta.” She said. I didn’t know what to do, I was frozen in terror. But then my PC flickered on and her face was plastered on my screen. She was talking at me from every direction. “Henrietta, I’m coming for you. I know your daddy’s house is up on that hill. Please don’t make me come find you.” She said. I watched on my PC screen as she ran to the door. She opened it and ran out, she started running. I didn’t know what to do, I was frozen in fear. So, I did the only thing I could think of. I grabbed my rifle. I walked outside and looked over at the hill. She was running towards me. When she got closer I could see that she wasn’t even human. Her skin was rotted and decaying, her eyes were black as coal. I pointed my rifle and shot once, and she fell to the ground. But she got back up. She was closer now, and I could hear what she was saying. “I’m coming for you Henrietta, and your daddy is going to let me take you. Because he knows that family protects family.” She said. Something in my heart broke. I pointed the rifle, and I shot her again. She fell to the ground. I walked over to her, and I kept shooting. She kept falling, but she wouldn’t die. I couldn’t stop her. I shot until I ran out of ammo, and she stood up. She put her hands on my face, and I started to scream. I’m still screaming. I can hear my dad coming down the stairs now. But I can’t stop screaming. I will admit, I’m not Henrietta, but if I don’t say I am, she won’t leave me alone. She won’t stop calling. So, I’m going to tell her tonight. “Daddy, I think I’m Henrietta.”

I answer the phone at night. Don’t do it.

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