The Call
At exactly 11:47 p.m., Aarav Mehta received a phone call from himself. He was sitting at his desk, trying to finish his homework while rain tapped against the bedroom window. His parents had already gone to sleep, and the apartment was silent. When he looked at his phone, the screen displayed UNKNOWN NUMBER. He hesitated before answering.
“Hello?”
For a few seconds, there was only static. Then he heard breathing.
“Aarav,” a voice whispered.
He froze. The voice sounded exactly like his own.
“Who is this?”
“Listen carefully. Tomorrow, don't go to Central Station.”
“Why?”
There was silence.
“Because that's where I died.”
The call ended.
Aarav immediately tried calling the number back, but his phone said the number didn't
exist. He checked his call history, but there was no record of the call. Then his digital clock flickered. The screen went black before displaying AUGUST 27, 2031. A second later, it changed back to AUGUST 26, 2026.
Aarav stared at it in disbelief. Five years in the future.
He slowly walked toward his window. Rain covered the glass, but something was written on it from the inside:
YOU ANSWERED TOO EARLY.
Aarav stepped back. Someone had called him from the future, and somehow they knew exactly what he was going to do.
The next morning, Aarav barely remembered sleeping. When he went downstairs, his mother was preparing breakfast.
“You look tired,” she said.
“I couldn't sleep.”
Before she could ask why, the newspaper arrived. Aarav picked it up and immediately noticed something strange.
The date was August 27, 2026.
“Mom, what day is it?”
“August 26.”
Aarav opened the newspaper. The front page showed Central Station with a shocking headline:
TWELVE PEOPLE DISAPPEAR AT CENTRAL STATION
The article said the incident would happen at exactly 6:15 p.m.
Aarav's phone vibrated.
It was a message from his best friend, Kabir.
Bro, check your newspaper.
Kabir sent him a photograph. His newspaper had the same date, but a different headline:
TEENAGER AARAV MEHTA MISSING AFTER STATION INCIDENT
Aarav stared at his own name.
Before he could reply, his phone began ringing.
The caller ID displayed:
AARAV MEHTA
His own number was calling him.
He answered.
“You weren't supposed to see the newspaper,” said an older version of his voice.
“Who are you?”
“You.”
Aarav's hands began shaking.
“If you want to survive tomorrow,” the voice continued, “find Platform Zero before they do.”
The call ended.
Aarav searched for Platform Zero online. Central Station had eleven platforms. There was no Platform Zero.
He called Kabir.
“Where are you?”
“Outside your building.”
A few minutes later, Aarav explained everything. Kabir listened, looking more confused with every sentence.
“So what do we do?” Kabir asked.
Aarav looked toward Central Station.
“We find Platform Zero.”
They headed toward the station.
Neither of them noticed a man watching from across the street. He looked down at the black watch on his wrist.
It displayed 11:47 p.m.
“Too late,” he whispered.
Far beneath Central Station, a machine that had been silent for five years suddenly came alive. Lights appeared across its metallic surface.
TIMELINE 01 — ACTIVE
Then another message appeared.
TIMELINE 02 — ACTIVE
Finally:
TIMELINE 03 — COLLAPSING
A hidden door opened beneath the station.
Behind it was a staircase leading into darkness.
Above the staircase was a sign:
PLATFORM 0
And from somewhere deep underground came the sound of a train.
A train that wasn't coming from another station.
It was coming from another timeline.
TO BE CONTINUED…
