Chapter 17: The Terrifying Phone Call

Chapter 17: The Terrifying Phone Call

Every set of eyes in the room was riveted on Miles.

The room, filled with the sound of a high-pitched phone ringing, was a classroom within a school. Miles was in the midst of dialing a number, and before anyone had the chance to ask what was happening, he abruptly ended the call. His face twisted in an expression of fear that was highly unusual for him.

Miles, wh-whats going on? William managed to get the words out, although they tumbled out more as a stammer than a coherent question.

Fear visibly gripped Williams body, echoing the fear that had transformed Miles. Please, dont scare us like this, he pleaded. We depend on you. To see you so unnerved its disconcerting. Can you smile for us? Show us that confident grin you always have when youre in control. We need something to hold onto.

The group had grown accustomed to Miless steady demeanor and his talent for navigating tricky situations. Seeing him lose his cool was a shock to their collective confidence.

A whirlpool of emotions seemed to sweep across Miless face. As everyone held their breath, waiting for him to say something, the sharp sound of an incoming call broke the tense silence.

Beep, beep.

His eyes quickly flicked to the caller ID, his pupils narrowing. The display read: 138 the identical number that Thunder King had posted in the online forum.

The mystery caller was making a return call.

This must be a trap, a terrifying trap, Miles muttered between gritted teeth, his voice a mix of anger and fear.

Beep, beep.

The insistent beeping of the phone continued, but Miles was adamant about not answering. He was convinced that the entity making the call was not human, and the idea of interacting with it filled him with an unspeakable terror.

Finally, after what seemed like an eternity of refusing to respond, the phone fell silent. The call had been disconnected.

The silence was, however, short-lived.

Ding, ding, ding.

I love you, I love you, just as a mouse loves rice.

The cool moonlight turns my longing for you into a river.

An array of ringtones echoed throughout the room as the other students phones began to ring in unison. Each person glanced at their phones, their eyes wide with fear as they saw the same incoming call display: 138.

Miles, look at this.

Coral, Grace, and the others held up their phones, the incoming call clearly visible on their screens. Their eyes were wide with apprehension.

So, youd answer if it was the teacher? If the teacher asked you to die, would you? Another classmate, Peter, was so frustrated that he felt like striking Qian Wanhao.

Enough, Miles interjected firmly. This isnt the time. Were all at fault here. I should have warned you better. We cant afford internal squabbles in a crisis like this.

The room fell into a deathly silence.

Miles, what would have happened if wed answered the call? Grace asked, her voice trembling with anxiety.

Miles responded, his tone grave, What else? Your dear grandfather would soon pay us a visit, keen for a little chit-chat.

Everyone in the room gasped, their eyes widening with a blend of shock and terror.

Indeed, it was a dreadful certainty that the old man would have shown up. The knocking sound transmitted via the phone had a petrifying capacity it had the power to summon him. The repercussions of this were terrifyingly obvious.

Miles clutched his phone tightly, reflecting on a message posted by Thunder King on the forum.

This is a trap, the entire scenario set out on the forum is a trap. Thunder King experienced the old man knocking at his door while he was alone at home. Given our experiences in this classroom, each knock on a door resulted in a fatality. However, Thunder Kings house had two doors the front door and his room door.

Meaning, Thunder King was already a goner after the knock on the first door. The ensuing narrative on the forum couldnt have been his doing. The phone number and the audio files werent his handiwork either. Only one entity could be responsible for all of this.

A ghost!

Miles blurted out, pausing momentarily to steady his frantic heartbeats with deep breaths.

Indeed, the initial entries on the forum were created by a living Thunder King. But by the end, he had already succumbed to his fate. The entity that continued to post was undeniably a ghost.

To confirm his suspicion, Miles opened the forum page again, scrolling down to the final posts.

Just as he had theorized, the evidence was compelling. The last few responses were riddled with typographical errors, strikingly different from Thunder Kings earlier posts. Additionally, there was a noticeable half-hour gap between the posting times.

It was a curse, spread by a vengeful spirit.

Anyone who listened to the knocking sound would be targeted by the old man.

Upon this realization, all the events that had occurred until now seemed to align.

If the knocking is heard virtually, for example, on the internet or through the phone, the old man will track you down, as if youve been pinpointed by invisible coordinates. But, if you hear the knocking in the real world, its the end of the road. Why didnt the old man show up when I played the audio file in the restroom though?

As Miles wrestled with this conundrum, beads of cold sweat trickled down his forehead.

He endeavored to decipher the old mans pattern and methods of killing, hoping to formulate a strategy for survival.