THE LAST CALL FROM ROOM 9At exactly midnight, the old telephone in Room 9 always rang.Nobody knew why.The hotel had been abandoned for twenty-three years, yet the telephone still worked.People in the nearby town called it The Silent Hotel. Its windows were covered with dust, its walls were cracked, and weeds grew through the floorboards. No electricity had entered the building since the hotel was closed.Yet every night at midnight, one telephone rang inside Room 9.And anyone who answered it disappeared.Daniel had heard the story many times, but he never believed it.He was twenty-one and had recently moved back to town after finishing school. One evening, while sitting with his friends near the old hotel, someone dared him to spend the night inside.“You won't last until midnight,” his friend Michael laughed.Daniel smiled.“Watch me.”At 11:20 p.m., Daniel pushed open the hotel gate.The rusty gate made a horrible screeching sound.He entered the building with a flashlight in one hand and his phone in the other.The air inside was strangely cold.Dust covered the reception desk. Old photographs hung on the walls, showing smiling guests who had stayed there decades ago.Daniel walked through the lobby.Everything was silent.Then he noticed something strange.A grandfather clock stood against the wall.Its hands were moving backward.Daniel stared at it.11:21.11:20.11:19.The clock was counting down.He decided to ignore it and walked upstairs.The second floor contained nine rooms.Room 9 was at the very end of the hallway.Its door was different from the others.It was painted black.A small brass number was attached to it.9Daniel reached for the handle.The door opened before he touched it.Inside was an old bedroom.There was a bed, a wooden table, a dusty mirror and an antique telephone sitting beside the bed.Daniel looked at his phone.11:45 p.m.He laughed nervously.“So this is the famous room.”He sat on the bed.Nothing happened.11:50.11:55.The temperature suddenly dropped.Daniel's breath became visible.Then the telephone rang.RING.Daniel jumped.He looked at the clock.11:59.The phone rang again.RING.He remembered the warning.Never answer the phone.Daniel stood up.The phone rang a third time.RING.He stepped backward.Then the ringing stopped.Silence returned.Daniel sighed with relief.His phone suddenly vibrated.He looked at the screen.There was an incoming call.The caller ID showed his own phone number.Daniel frowned.“That isn't possible.”The phone continued ringing.He rejected the call.Immediately, another call came.Same number.His own number.He rejected it again.Then a text message appeared.ANSWER THE HOTEL PHONE.Daniel's heart began beating faster.He looked at the antique telephone.It was ringing again.This time, he answered.“Hello?”For several seconds, there was only static.Then a little girl's voice whispered:“Daniel…”He froze.“How do you know my name?”The girl began crying.“Please help me.”“Who are you?”“My name is Anna.”Daniel stood up.“Where are you?”“I'm in Room 9.”Daniel looked around.He was standing in Room 9.“I don't understand.”The girl whispered:“You are not in Room 9.”Daniel's blood turned cold.He looked at the door.The number had changed.It now read:10Daniel dropped the phone.He rushed toward the door and opened it.The hallway was gone.Instead, there was a long dark corridor stretching into the distance.Doors lined both sides.Each door had a number.9. 10. 11. 12. Every door was marked 9.Daniel stepped backward.The telephone began ringing again.He picked it up with shaking hands.Anna whispered:“Don't let it see you.”“What?”“The man in the hallway.”Daniel slowly turned.At the far end of the corridor stood a tall man.He wore an old hotel manager's uniform.His face was hidden beneath darkness.Daniel whispered:“Who is that?”Anna began screaming through the phone.“RUN!”The man lifted his head.Daniel ran.He sprinted down the corridor, passing door after door.But no matter how far he ran, the man remained behind him.Then Daniel noticed something terrifying.The man's footsteps were getting closer.He ran faster.Suddenly, a door appeared in front of him.ROOM 9Daniel threw it open and jumped inside.The door slammed shut.Silence.He leaned against it, breathing heavily.Then he heard a voice behind him.“You shouldn't have answered.”Daniel slowly turned.Anna stood beside the bed.She looked about eight years old.Her skin was pale, her hair was wet, and dark shadows surrounded her eyes.Daniel couldn't speak.Anna pointed toward the mirror.“Look.”Daniel turned.His reflection was standing inside the mirror.But it wasn't copying him.The reflection smiled.Daniel did not.Then the reflection raised its hand and knocked th
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