I had just pulled the kettle off the stove when my phone buzzed on the kitchen counter. I didn’t expect a call this late—especially not on a Thursday. I glanced at the screen and froze. 


Incoming Call: Bella (Me) 


My own name; and my own number. 


I blinked. Was it a spam call? A bug? The kettle hissed behind me, steam curling into the dim air. 


The phone kept ringing. 


Tentatively, I answered it. “Hello?” 


For a beat, all I heard was silence. Then—static. And under the static, a breath. Then a voice. My... own voice? 


“Bella. You need to listen to me.” 


I stiffened. “Who is this?” 


“I’m you,” the voice said. “And you need to get out of the house. Right now.” 


I let out a nervous laugh. “Okay, is this a prank? Who is this really—Katie? This better not be some TikTok challenge—” 


“I don’t have time to explain everything,” the voice interrupted, urgent. “You’re in danger. Something’s in your house. It looks like Tina, but it’s not Tina.” 


My heart dropped. My best friend Tina had just stepped out to walk the dog. Or so she’d said. “What are you talking about?” 


The voice—my voice—was shaking. “She’s not who you think she is. You’ll find out soon. But if you stay, if you try to confront her, you won’t survive the night.” 


Static again. A long, screeching burst. Then the call cut out. 


I stared at my screen, my reflection dim and ghost-like in the black glass. 


Call ended. Duration: 00:56. 


The logical part of my mind suddenly kicked in—spam numbers was possible. Maybe someone was playing an elaborate prank. Maybe Tina was in on it. But even thinking that made my stomach twist. 


I grabbed my keys from the counter, slipped on my runners, and opened the front door. 


Tina was on the porch. Too fast. 


I jumped ten miles into the air. “Jesus! You scared me.” 


She smiled. “Forgot my wallet. Just went back inside to grab it.” She held it up, waving it casually. “You okay?” 


My eyes flicked to the doorknob behind her. It hadn’t made a sound opening or closing. My house creaked when you so much as breathed. 


“You didn’t hear me?” she asked, stepping closer. “You look pale.” 


I nodded slowly. “Just tired.” 


She stepped towards me with her arms outreached, as if to hug me, but I stepped back. 


Something flickered in her eyes. Not hurt—calculation. 


“Let’s go for a drive,” I said suddenly. 


“What?” 


“I need air. Let’s just…go somewhere. Now.” 


She tilted her head. “You sure?” 


“Yes.” My voice cracked, but I smiled through it. 


She nodded, pocketing her wallet. “Let me get my coat.” 


“No!” I said quickly. “It’s warm enough.” 


A pause. Too long. 


Then she smiled again, broader this time. “Sure. Let’s go.” 


We got in the car, and I gripped the steering wheel till my knuckles turned white. I started driving aimlessly, away from the house, from the streetlights, from the familiar. 


“So,” Tina said after a while, “what’s really going on?” 


“What do you mean?” 


“You’re nervous. I can feel it.” She laughed. “If I didn’t know better, I’d say you were afraid of me.” 


The way she said it—like a joke, but not—made my skin crawl. 


“What if I told you I got a weird phone call?” I asked. “From someone claiming to be me.” 


She turned her head slowly. “And what did ‘you’ say?” 


“That you weren’t who you said you were.” 


She didn’t respond right away. Instead, she looked out the passenger window and smiled faintly. “Smart girl.” 


My stomach turned cold. I pulled the car over on a rural side road and reached for my phone. No signal. 


“You were never supposed to get that call,” she said softly. 


I lunged for the door handle, but she was faster. She grabbed my wrist, painfully tight. 


And then— 


Buzz. Buzz. Buzz. 


My phone vibrated in the cupholder. I twisted, slammed my elbow into her chin, and fumbled the phone into my hands. 


Incoming Call: Bella (Me) 


Again. 


I answered it. 


“Don’t let her touch you!” my voice screamed through the speaker. “It’s not human—” 


Tina roared and lunged for the phone, but I dropped it and kicked open the driver’s door, scrambling out. I ran into the woods, trees swallowing me in seconds. 


Behind me, branches cracked. I could hear snarling and panting. 


I didn’t dare look back. 


After minutes—or maybe even hours?—of running, I collapsed beneath a fallen log, my breath ragged. My phone was gone. My hands were bleeding. But I was alive. 


For now. 


Somewhere far off, a voice that sounded like Tina’s called our my name. 


But it was too perfect. Like a recording. 


I didn’t respond, just lay there under that log.