The Call Came From Inside the House Part1

The phone rang at exactly 2:17 AM.

It wasn’t supposed to.

Claire stared at the screen, her eyes still half-closed from sleep. Unknown number.

She let it ring.

Once.

Twice.

Three times.

Then it stopped.

Silence returned.

Heavy.

Unnatural.

Claire exhaled slowly and turned over in bed.

Just a wrong number, she thought.

It happens.

The phone rang again.

This time louder.

Closer.

Claire sat up.

Something felt… wrong.

Not the call.

The sound.

It wasn’t coming from her phone.

It was coming from somewhere else.

Inside the house.

Her breath caught in her throat.

Slowly, she looked toward the bedroom door.

The hallway beyond was dark.

Still.

Empty.

The ringing stopped.

Claire didn’t move.

She listened.

Waiting.

Counting the seconds.

Nothing.

Then—

It started again.

Clear.

Sharp.

Unmistakable.

From downstairs.

Claire grabbed her phone.

No missed call.

No number.

Nothing.

But the ringing continued.

Echoing through the house.

She stood up.

Every instinct telling her not to move.

Not to check.

Not to follow the sound.

But she did.

Step by step, she moved toward the door.

The floor creaked softly beneath her feet.

The sound of the ringing grew louder.

Stronger.

Waiting for her.

She reached the hallway.

Looked down the stairs.

Darkness.

The ringing stopped.

And then—

A voice.

Soft.

Close.

Right behind her.

“Why didn’t you answer?”

Claire froze.

The phone in her hand lit up.

Incoming call.

From…

her own number.