Lights out...

I turned all the lights out in my apartment and it seemed the city was getting ready too, ready for that time of night called bed time. Like every night at 10am I get exhausted and decide to go to sleep. I put on my pjs, brush my teeth, get in to bed - the whole bed time charade and hop into bed for a peaceful sleep. As soon as my head hits the pillow it's lights out for me and I'm snoring like a rhinoceros, the quilts warm against my bare legs and my dreams are quiet and empty. That is until, my life changed forever...

Curled in the fetal position in the dark, a noise erupts from my bedside table; a song. The first few notes of Lollipop by the Chordettes chimed lively to my annoyance as my ringtone. If it were up to me I would have had any other song as my ringtone, but my devil of a sister changed it as a prank and I have no idea how to change it. Sometimes technology infuriates me, especially when I don't know what to do with it.

As my phone rang I lay in wait for the la la of the lollipop to die down, but it didn't. If anything it got louder and more desperate so I forced myself to manoeuvre my across to the bedside table and lift my phone to my face where I had a moment of pain as the light intensity stung my eyes shut. It also occurred to me that I forgot to turn the brightness on my phone down before going to sleep and that annoyed me even more. Straining my eyes against the light I seemed to recognise the 8 digit number on the phone; however, my eyes were heavy and watery with sleep so gave up raking my brain to think of who could be calling me at such an hour.

Finally I swiped the call button to green and pressed the phone lazily to my ear.

"What do you want?" I snapped tiredly with no remorse. It was like three in the morning! Who does this guy think he is? At first there was no answer, just the low, ghostly sound of heavy breathing.

"Hello? who is this?" I said sceptically. I assumed it was just the neighbours kids next door prank calling me. I imagined them snickering and shushing eachother as they giggled and punched in my phone number under teenage mutant ninja turtle blankets to hide so their mother won't hear them. It would be just typical of them so I was about to hang up when the caller realised that I had picked up the phone. Not wanting to finish the prank without scaring me, I assumed, the person on the other side jumped into life, their breath raspy and rushed.

"Hello?! Oh! - thank god! If you can hear me, please do not follow the red x's whatever you do! I repeat! Do not follow the red x's! If you do follow them and you hear music, leave as soon as possible, do you hear me?! Promise me you'll leave as soon as possible! I can't explain to you know, but you have to unders-" ...And that's where the phone call finished and I was was left there open mouthed in the darkness; I could feel the colour leave my face and my heart leaping into my throat. A sinister shutter ran down my spine as I realised...the person's voice on the other side was mine...