THE MIDNIGHT CALLER

Ever since she moved into the old family house in the village, Tessa had been receiving strange phone calls. The calls came only at midnight. Each time, there was silence… followed by a soft, chilling whisper: “I’m coming.”

At first, she thought it was a prank. Then one night, the whisper added, “I’m closer now.”

The air grew colder with each call. Shadows in the hallway seemed to move when she wasn’t looking. Tessa tried unplugging the phone, but it still rang. Midnight, sharp. “Almost there.”

Terrified, she confided in her neighbor, an old woman who had lived in the area her whole life. The woman’s face turned pale. She told Tessa the story of a man who once lived in that house — a murderer who used to call his victims before appearing at their doors.

The last night, the phone didn’t ring.

Someone knocked instead.

When the police came the next morning, the house was silent. The phone was off the hook. The door was open. But Tessa was gone.

All that remained was the phone, still whispering, “I’m here.”