I found a wallet.
There was nothing inside.
No cash.
No cards.
No ID.
Just a folded piece of paper with a phone number.
Curiosity got the better of me.
I called.
It rang once.
A calm voice answered.
"You weren't supposed to find the wallet."
The call disconnected.
I frowned.
"Wth does he mean it wasn't for me? No... who was he? And how did he know it was me calling?"
My phone buzzed.
Unknown Number:
Good. You asked the right question.
I texted back.
"Who are you?"
The typing dots appeared.
Disappeared.
Appeared again.
Finally...
"Turn around."
My heart sank.
I slowly turned around.
The bus stop was empty.
Except...
The wallet was gone.
I was sure I'd left it on the bench.
Then the phone rang again.
Same number.
I answered.
The voice sounded amused.
"Much better. Most people run. You stayed."
A pause.
"Now tell me... why did you call the number instead of walking away?"
I replied,
"Curiosity killed the cat."
Silence.
Then...
A soft chuckle.
"...but satisfaction brought it back."
"You're not as easy to scare as most people."
I narrowed my eyes.
"Who are you?"
"Someone who made a mistake."
"What mistake?"
"That wallet... wasn't meant for you."
Another pause.
Then he said,
"Look in your left pocket."
I froze.
I never put anything in my left pocket.
I reached inside.
There was a small silver key.
Not mine.
No keychain.
Just the number 217 engraved on it.
I turned it over.
On the back were three tiny letters.
L.M.H.
As I ran my thumb over the metal...
Click.
A hidden compartment opened.
Inside was a tiny folded note.
It read:
"Locker 217. Central Railway Station. 8:00 PM. Come alone. If you're reading this... you're already involved."
I checked the time.
7:42 PM.
Then another message arrived.
"Don't trust the woman in the blue jacket."
I looked up.
Across the road stood a woman under an umbrella.
Blue jacket.
Watching me.
Not smiling.
Not waving.
Just... watching.
Nope.
Not happening.
I called my best friend.
He answered.
I told him everything.
After a long silence he laughed.
"You're pranking me, right?"
> "I wish."
He sighed.
"Fine. Stay there. I'm ten minutes away."
I finally relaxed.
Then he asked,
"Wait... blue jacket?"
"Yeah."
His voice changed instantly.
"Don't move."
"Why?"
"Because... there's no one standing across the road."
I looked up.
She was still there.
Watching me.
I whispered,
"She's right in front of me."
He replied,
"I can see the bus stop on our video call."
I looked at my screen.
The camera showed...
An empty sidewalk.
No woman.
No umbrella.
Just me.
Then...
She smiled.
And started walking toward me.
My friend screamed,
"RUN!"
So I ran.
Rain poured down.
I didn't dare look back.
My friend shouted directions.
"Left! Take the next left!"
I obeyed.
After what felt like forever, I stopped.
My phone vibrated.
It was my friend.
"Where are you?"
"You just told me to turn left."
Silence.
Then...
"...I've been trying to call you for the last five minutes."
I slowly looked at my phone.
The previous call timer read...
00:00
It had never connected.
The voice guiding me...
Wasn't my friend.
Then I heard a woman's voice behind me.
Calm.
Almost exhausted.
"If you'd kept running for another thirty seconds..."
I turned around.
It was the woman in the blue jacket.
She wasn't chasing me.
She wasn't angry.
She wore a human face, but there was
nothing human in her presence.
She simply reached into her pocket...
...and held up a key.
Exactly like mine.
"My name is Maya," she said.
"If you still think I'm the danger...
ask yourself why the man on the phone
wanted you to run."
The rain kept falling.
And for the first time...
I realized...
Maybe I'd been running from the wrong person all along.
To be continued... 🗝️🌧️
