SCREAM

what's your favorite scary movie?

The phone rang in Heather Holloway's house. The shrill sounded slicing through the quiet atmosphere that had settled over the peaceful home in the more secluded part of Hawkins, Indiana. The house was surrounded by rather large trees and a few acres of forest. Inside, a single light broke through the darkness, illuminating the girl within.

Her figure moved by the window, a teen girl, no older than twenty with a rather lovely yet bored face moved towards the screaming phone.

She glanced at the clock on the wall as she moved to pick up the phone. It was rather late for someone to be calling. It was probably just some wrong number. Mildly annoyed at the idea, she debated just letting the phone go to voicemail before she sighed and picked up the phone. 

"Hello?" Annoyance pricked at her voice, which she quickly tried to coat with a more sugary tone.

"Hello." The voice on the other end of the line replied. A man. Whoever it was had spoken briefly and she didn't recognize the voice, however she waited patiently. After a moment of silence, it didn't seem like the man was going to continue.

"Yes?" Heather urged.

"Who is this?" He had a deep, gravelly voice.

"Well, who are you trying to reach?" Heather pushed.

"What number is this?" The man-Heather decided it must be a man-continued to ask.

Heather shifted on her feet, growing irritated at the man's vagueness. "What number are you trying to reach?" She stated.

"I don't know." He replied, his low voice rumbling in her ear.

"Well I think you have the wrong number." She replied with a small smile on her face.

"Do I?" His voice shifted ever so slightly, into a deeper, threatening octave. But Heather didn't notice.

"It happens, take it easy." She hung up the phone, the receiver making a satisfying *click* as it was returned to its home on the wall.

She began to make her way down the hall when the phone rang, again. She turned, before pausing slightly. Her eyebrows knitting together. An inexplicable growing knot of worry was building in her stomach, but she pushed it down; reassuring herself that she was being paranoid. She walked back to the phone and picked it up, pressing it to her ear. "Ugh, hello?" She didn't try to hide the annoyance in her voice this time. Sure, at first she didn't want to sound mean, people dialed wrong numbers quite often. However, this was starting to feel like some lazy prank. All she wanted was a quiet night while she sat and watched a movie. Was that too much to ask?

Apparently, yes.

"I'm sorry, I guess I dialed the wrong number." It was the same man who called before, his warped voice sounded almost flirtatious when he spoke. Yet not the slightest bit apologetic.  Heather smiled slightly amused, before replying. "So why'd you dial it again?"

"To apologize." The man affirmed.

She smiled to herself, at least this world still had some decorum left to it. Even if this guy's tone sounded kind of off. "You're forgiven, bye now."

"Wait, wait! Don't hang up." His voice shifted slightly, although he didn't sound pleading or needy, in fact, he sounded rather casual. His smooth voice didn't waver once- he didn't seem bothered in the slightest at the fact of being given, or having accidentally dialed, the wrong number.

"What?" She sighed as she moved towards the back door that led onto the patio, bolting the lock into place. She glanced out the window as she surveyed the pitch blackness of the night that blanketed the house, enveloping her in its inky sky.