Clara sat alone in the dim light of her apartment, the wind outside rattling the windows. The room was filled with the sound of her pen scratching paper while she struggled to focus on her essay. Her mind wandered, unsettled by the eerie quiet of the evening and a feeling that something wasn't quite right.
The sudden ringing of the phone startled Clara, causing her pen to fall. The screen displayed an unknown number. Hesitant but curious, she answered. The silence on the line was broken by distorted breathing, sending a chill down her spine.
"Hello?"
The breathing grew louder, followed by a whisper—"Come find me."
Clara hung up quickly, her heart racing, but the phone rang again almost immediately. The voice was clearer, more insistent.
"Come find me… before it’s too late."
Clara paced the small living room, her mind spiraling into paranoia. The cold air seemed to seep into her bones, and the wind outside grew louder, almost drowning out the persistent ringing of the phone. Should she leave? Call the police? The thought of stepping outside was terrifying, yet the feeling of being watched was unbearable.
The phone rang once more, but this time Clara didn't answer. The voice echoed in the room, not from the phone.
"Come… find… me."
Clara backed into a corner, her eyes darting around the room. The shadows seemed to close in on her, the air growing colder. Suddenly, footsteps echoed from the hallway, and the door handle turned slowly.
The door creaked open to an empty dark hallway, yet the feeling of wrongness persisted. A whisper, now chillingly familiar, came close to her ear.
"I've been waiting for you, Clara."
Clara turned to face the darkness, realizing the footsteps and voice had been with her all along. The lights flickered and went out, plunging her into total darkness.
In the suffocating darkness, Clara heard the soft, wet breathing right next to her. The voice, no longer distorted, was clear and familiar.
"I've been waiting for you, Clara."
She understood now—it wasn't just fear or isolation. The shadows that haunted her were real, a dark secret from her past now clawing its way into the present. And it was too late to run.