Ghaith hated nights like this.
The kind where sleep refuses to come, and the ceiling becomes more interesting than your own thoughts.
His room was quiet except for the small plastic fan humming in the corner. Outside, the city was asleep. Even the stray dogs that usually barked all night had gone silent.
He checked his phone.
3:17 AM.
"Great," he muttered.
Another useless night.
He turned over and pulled the blanket over his shoulder when his phone suddenly started vibrating on the table beside his bed.
The sound was loud in the silence.
He ignored it.
Probably some random scam call.
The vibration stopped.
Then started again.
Ghaith sighed, stretched his arm toward the table, and grabbed the phone without looking.
"Hello?"
At first, he thought the call had dropped.
There was nothing but a faint crackling sound, like wind hitting a microphone.
Then a voice whispered through the static.
"Don't hang up."
Ghaith frowned.
The voice sounded strange. Not robotic, not distorted… just tired.
"Who is this?"
"You need to listen carefully."
"Listen to what?"
There was a short pause.
Then the voice said something that made Ghaith sit up in bed.
"You have six minutes to leave your apartment."
Ghaith blinked.
"What?"
"If you stay," the voice continued, "you die at 3:23."
For a second, Ghaith just stared at the wall.
Then he laughed.
"Okay, very funny. Nouh, is this you?"
Silence.
"I know it's you," he continued. "You always do stupid—"
"It's not Nouh."
The whisper cut him off.
Something about the way the words were spoken made his chest tighten.
"Then who are you?"
The voice took a slow breath.
"I'm the reason you're still alive."
Ghaith rubbed his face.
"Look, man, if this is some kind of prank—"
"Did you lock your front door tonight?"
The question stopped him.
"…yeah."
"Did you check the mailbox slot?"
Ghaith frowned.
"What mailbox—"
That's when he heard it.
A faint metallic sound somewhere in the apartment.
Tick.
Ghaith froze.
Tick.
The sound was small… but clear.
Like a watch.
Or a timer.
His eyes slowly moved toward the front door at the end of the hallway.
Tick.
"Do you hear it now?"
the voice asked quietly.
Ghaith's mouth suddenly felt dry.
"…yes."
"Good," the voice said.
Then it whispered something that made his blood run cold.
"That means I didn't imagine it."
Ghaith gripped the phone harder.
"What are you talking about?"
The voice on the line hesitated.
When it spoke again, it sounded exactly like him.
"I'm calling you from tomorrow."
The call ended.
Behind the door, the ticking continued.
3:18 AM.