A conversation between me and myself

A conversation between me and myself 

*Introduction*  

2:22 AM. Every single night. Not a second early, not a second late.

My phone screen flashes in the dark with a number I don’t recognize: +000. No name shows up. No country code. No contact info. Just two zeros staring back at me.

The first night I ignored the call and went back to sleep. The second night curiosity took over, so I swiped “Answer”.

That was my biggest mistake. The voice on the other end was mine. Exact same tone. Exact same breathing pattern. Even the tiny pause I always make before saying “Hello”. But I hadn’t spoken yet. I heard myself talk through the speaker before my own lips could move.

I convinced myself it was just a glitch. Maybe sleep deprivation. Maybe someone prank calling me. I powered the phone off and forced myself back to bed.

*Chapter 1 - Night One*  

2:22 AM the next night. It rang again. Same number. +000. I answered. Same voice. “Hello?” it said quietly. But this time the sound wasn’t only coming from the phone speaker. It was also coming from the far wall across the room. Faint at first. Distant. Like an echo that arrived before the original sound was even made.

*Chapter 2 - Night Two*  

That was 7 nights ago, and it hasn’t stopped since. Every single night at 2:22 AM the phone calls me. Night 2: The voice came from the far wall across the room. Clearer than before, like someone was standing there in the dark watching me sleep.

*Chapter 3 - Night Three*  

Night 3: I felt cold breath on my neck while holding the phone to my ear. The room was empty, the windows were closed, but the air turned ice cold the second I said “Hello”.

*Chapter 4 - Night Four*  

Night 4: Clear footsteps on the wooden floor, moving closer. Slow, deliberate steps from the door to my bed. I couldn’t see anything, but I heard every step stop right beside me.

*Chapter 5 - Night Five*  

Night 5: The mattress dipped like someone heavy sat down beside me. The springs creaked under weight that wasn’t mine. The phone slipped from my hand but the voice kept talking.

*Chapter 6 - Night Six*  

Night 6: My blanket was pulled up an inch, slowly. I grabbed it and pulled back, but something on the other side pulled harder. Then it let go, like it was teasing me.

*Chapter 7 - Night Seven*  

Night 7: Tonight the voice is right next to my ear, whispering my own words back to me. “Are you awake yet?” I’m typing this right now at 2:21 AM. The phone sits on my desk, screen glowing bright green. 50 seconds left. I can already hear the faint ringing starting in the background, even though the digital clock hasn’t switched to 2:22 yet.

*Conclusion*  

I don’t know who is really calling me. I don’t know how my voice reaches my ears before I even speak the words. All I know for sure is that there’s another version of me that wakes up before I do… and it’s walking slowly toward my bed every night.

If you’re reading these words right now, it means I didn’t answer the final call. But the phone is ringing again. 2:22 AM. I have to pick up. I need to finally know which one of us is real, and which one is still trapped dreaming.