2:15am

‎ ‎My phone started ringing at 2:13 a.m. ‎ ‎"Who the hell is interrupting my beauty sleep?" ‎ ‎I pulled my blanket over my head and ignored it. ‎ ‎The ringing stopped. ‎ ‎Finally. ‎ ‎I closed my eyes again. ‎ ‎A few seconds later, it started ringing again. ‎ ‎"Oh, come on." ‎ ‎I grabbed my pillow and shoved it over my head. ‎ ‎I wasn't answering. ‎ ‎Whoever was calling could wait until morning. ‎ ‎The ringing stopped again. ‎ ‎Good. ‎ ‎I pulled the blanket back over my head and tried to go back to sleep. ‎ ‎Then my phone buzzed. ‎ ‎I reached over, grabbed it from my nightstand, and glanced at the screen. ‎ ‎And froze. ‎ ‎I didn't know which scared the hell out of me more. ‎ ‎The fact that someone had called me at 2:13 in the morning... ‎ ‎Or the name on my screen. ‎ ‎Evan Carter. ‎ ‎The boy everyone thought was dead. ‎ ‎I stared at the screen. ‎ ‎No. ‎ ‎That couldn't be right. ‎ ‎I blinked a few times, hoping the name would somehow change. ‎ ‎It didn't. ‎ ‎Evan had been dead for three months. ‎ ‎I knew that. ‎ ‎I'd been at his funeral. ‎ ‎I'd watched his mom cry beside his casket. I'd stood in the rain with everyone else while they lowered him into the ground. ‎ ‎So why was his name on my phone? ‎ ‎The ringing stopped. ‎ ‎I stared at the screen. ‎ ‎Missed Call — Evan Carter ‎ ‎My stomach twisted. ‎ ‎Maybe it was a prank. ‎ ‎Maybe someone had his old number. ‎ ‎Maybe his number had been reassigned. ‎ ‎Those were the only explanations I could think of. ‎ ‎But who would do something like this? ‎ ‎And why me? ‎ ‎Before I could think any further, my phone started ringing again. ‎ ‎I nearly dropped it. ‎ ‎Evan Carter. ‎ ‎I just stared at it. ‎ ‎My thumb hovered over the answer button. ‎ ‎I didn't want to pick up. ‎ ‎But I needed to know. ‎ ‎I pressed it. ‎ ‎"Hello?" ‎ ‎Nothing. ‎ ‎I pulled the phone away from my ear and looked at the screen. ‎ ‎The call was still connected. ‎ ‎I put it back against my ear. ‎ ‎No one spoke. ‎ ‎I listened. ‎ ‎There was a faint sound on the other end. ‎ ‎Breathing. ‎ ‎Slow. ‎ ‎Quiet. ‎ ‎My heart started pounding. ‎ ‎"Who is this?" ‎ ‎Nothing. ‎ ‎I sat up straighter. ‎ ‎"Evan?" ‎ ‎Still nothing. ‎ ‎For some reason, I couldn't hang up. ‎ ‎I don't know why. ‎ ‎Maybe because some part of me already knew. ‎ ‎Maybe because I was terrified of what would happen if I did. ‎ ‎Then I heard something. ‎ ‎A voice. ‎ ‎So quiet I almost missed it. ‎ ‎"Riley." ‎ ‎My entire body went still. ‎ ‎I knew that voice. ‎ ‎I knew it better than anyone. ‎ ‎"Evan?" ‎ ‎The line went dead. ‎ ‎I stared at my phone. ‎ ‎Call ended. ‎ ‎I called back. ‎ ‎Straight to voicemail. ‎ ‎I tried again. ‎ ‎Voicemail. ‎ ‎I lowered the phone slowly. ‎ ‎What the hell was happening? ‎ ‎There was no way Evan had just called me. ‎ ‎He was dead. ‎ ‎Wasn't he? ‎ ‎I sat there staring at my phone, trying to make sense of what had just happened. ‎ ‎Was I dreaming? ‎ ‎Maybe I was. ‎ ‎Maybe I was still asleep and my brain had somehow made all of this up. ‎ ‎I looked around my room. ‎ ‎Everything looked normal. ‎ ‎My clothes were still thrown over the chair. ‎ ‎My lamp was still on. ‎ ‎My phone was still in my hand. ‎ ‎I pinched my arm. ‎ ‎"Ow." ‎ ‎Okay. ‎ ‎Definitely awake. ‎ ‎I let out a nervous laugh. ‎ ‎I didn't know what was happening. ‎ ‎And honestly, I wasn't sure I wanted to know. ‎ ‎I needed some fresh air. ‎ ‎I got out of bed and walked toward the window. ‎ ‎I pulled the curtains open. ‎ ‎The street was empty. ‎ ‎For a second, I just stood there. ‎ ‎Everything looked normal. ‎ ‎The streetlights were glowing. ‎ ‎A few houses had their porch lights on. ‎ ‎No cars. ‎ ‎No people. ‎ ‎Nothing. ‎ ‎I rested my forehead against the cool glass. ‎ ‎Maybe I was losing my mind. ‎ ‎Maybe I'd imagined the whole thing. ‎ ‎Then I noticed someone standing underneath the streetlight across the road. ‎ ‎I froze. ‎ ‎A man. ‎ ‎He wasn't moving. ‎ ‎I couldn't see his face from where I was standing. ‎ ‎But he was looking straight at my house. ‎ ‎My phone vibrated in my hand. ‎ ‎I looked down. ‎ ‎One new message. ‎ ‎From an unknown number. ‎ ‎Don't look outside again. ‎