The room was quiet.
Besides the soft breath that whispered into my ear, I couldn’t hear or see a single thing.
The breath dulled my senses, yet sohow made them sharper, as if I were standing inches from soone I couldn’t see but could feel. The weight of the presence pressing against the dark.
I felt the pounding of my own heart, ringing inside my ears.
The call stretched every nerve in my body to its limit, like invisible threads pulling tight across my skin.
I sat frozen in my seat, thoughts emptied, letting the breath speak and the silence swallow everything else.
The silence felt as though it stretched on forever.
And just as my nerves pulled taut like an elastic band stretched to its limits, ready to snap...
—Hello...?
The breath turned into sothing else.
A voice.
Male? Female? I couldn’t quite tell. I could hardly focus on the voice. I wanted to reply, but held myself back.
’No, not yet. I need to understand the situation better.’
—Is anybody there?
The voice whispered again.
I chose to remain silent.
But...
—...I need your help. I... just barely managed to get the phone working. I can only call three tis for a minute each ti. Please help .
The voice whispered. This ti, it felt more desperate.
—I don’t know where I am. Concrete walls... I’m underground. I think. I hear water, but... it doesn’t drip right. It echoes too long.
There was a pause, filled by a noise I couldn’t place... Like at dragging across tile. The voice swallowed hard.
—I hear sothing moving. I’m crouching under a shelf... I hope it doesn’t hear .
The call paused.
All I could hear was the heavy sound of the caller’s breath.
It was rougher than it was before, and the darkness around suddenly seed to stretch. In that mont, it almost felt as though my surroundings had changed.
As if...
I was actually there.
—...It slls like copper.
My nose wrinkled instinctively.
It was faint at first, but then... Yes.
I slled it too.
I... also started to sll the copper.
—....Like blood left too long in the air. I need your help. G-et out of this place. I really need you to help !
I opened my mouth.
But just before I could get the words out.
CLANK!
A loud tallic sound echoed.
"....!?"
I flinched.
It seed to co from before as my head flicked up.
But all I saw was darkness.
My body tensed, and I slowly reached for the knife on the table.
—O-oh god. I... sothing is in front of . I can feel it. Please don’t find . Please...
The voice beca more hurried. I could hear the panic in the caller’s voice.
But then...
—....
The noise ceased.
Thump!
The single sound of a step.
Not from the phone, but from before .
I shivered.
’Footsteps? Is there soone in front of ? ...No, that can’t be. It must be from the call.’
My heartbeat, which I had managed to settle just before starting, started to race, and my body tensed involuntarily.
The darkness was dense. Thick enough to swallow even the outline of my own hands. I gripped the knife tighter, my knuckles aching, and instinctively began to crouch.
The space around felt like it was shrinking, walls bending inward, pressing down. I slid under my own desk.
My breathing slowed, falling into rhythm with the caller’s.
It was shallow, quiet, barely there.
I forced myself to stay as silent as possible.
’...I’m not imagining things. It’s really in front of . I know there’s sothing in front of .’
The darkness made it impossible for to see, but I could feel its presence. It stood right before . Looking in my general direction.
I clenched my teeth, feeling my stomach starting to churn.
’How long is this call going to last? What am I even supposed to do?’
I felt an endless number of questions in my mind, but I could only throw the questions away for later.
I held my position, breath steady, every muscle tense, waiting for the presence before to vanish.
...Or at least, for sothing to happen.
Every second felt agonizing.
But then—
BANG!
I heard the sound of sothing slamming above .
"....!?"
It suddenly felt as though my heart had given up on . Whatever figure was above , it had sensed !
My breathing continued to sync with the one on the phone as I could hear the panic and fear on the other end.
I was no different.
Holding onto the phone tightly, I held onto the knife with my other hand and pressed my back against the bottom of my desk.
BANG! BANG!
The banging continued.
It was louder than before.
Pieces started to fall on my face as I closed my eyes and tried my best to ignore it.
BANG!
I heard a crack, and the table shattered.
My expression changed drastically. I felt a shadow appear above , hovering its head over the hole above to stare at .
Unable to bear the pressure any longer, my body tensed and snapped into action. I lunged forward, knife aid blindly at the shifting shadow.
"Ha—!"
But just as I moved, the call cut off.
The line went dead.
Du. Du.
Everything turned quiet as I paused mid-motion.
Flick!
The light turned on, and I found myself sitting in my chair, hands clutched against the armrest, while the phone was positioned perfectly in front of .
"I..."
I blinked a couple of tis, unable to understand the situation.
’I could’ve sworn I had moved under the desk. I could’ve sworn that...! No, stop.’
The first thing I needed to do was calm my mind as I took several deep breaths before leaning against the chair. My back was drenched in sweat while my hand continued to tremble.
Staring at the phone in front of , the only thing that I was able to see was the [Unknown Caller] ID.
It was the only thing that was on the phone.
I thought back to the previous conversation that we had, and pressed my lips tightly.
I couldn’t focus then, but I could do so now.
’...He said that he can call only three tis, for one-minute intervals each.’
I looked at the ti.
One minute exactly had passed.
’This was the first call. He’s most likely going to call again since he has two tries.’
I closed my eyes and focused.
’...The goal is to help them get out of the place they’re in. They’ve already given a few clues. Underground... Concrete walls. Hears water that doesn’t drip...’
I thought long and deeply before a sudden thought ca to my mind, and my breath paused.
’If I’m right, they’re probably hiding deep within the cult’s base, the very place I’m supposed to uncover. The mission isn’t just about listening; it’s about using these calls to piece together clues, to track him down, and ultimately locate their headquarters.’
I bit my lips while staring at the phone in front of .
The more I looked at it, the more I was sure of my assumption.
And as the idea settled in my mind, an unknown feeling settled over .
...One that I couldn’t quite explain.
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