Selling Myself

The first message came at exactly 2:17 AM.

Not 2:16. Not 2:18.

2:17.

I didn’t know why that detail mattered yet… but later, I would realize nothing about that night was random.

My phone vibrated once on the table.

Sharp. Quick.

Just enough to pull me out of sleep.

I frowned, reaching for it blindly. My eyes were still half-closed when I unlocked the screen.

Unknown number.

One message.

“Follow the instructions.”

I stared at it for a few seconds, confused.

No greeting. No explanation. No context.

Just a command.

A small laugh escaped me.

“Seriously?”

It had to be a joke. Or one of those scam messages people send randomly, hoping someone would respond.

I was about to ignore it.

Then the phone vibrated again.

Another message.

Same number.

“You’ve been avoiding it long enough.”

My smile faded.

That wasn’t random.

That wasn’t normal.

A strange feeling crept into my chest—slow, cold, uncomfortable.

Avoiding what?

I sat up properly now, fully awake. The room around me felt too quiet, like the silence was suddenly listening.

I looked around instinctively.

Nothing.

Just my apartment.

Empty.

Still.

Safe… or at least it should have been.

My attention went back to the phone.

My thumb hovered over the screen.

Block the number.

Delete the messages.

Go back to sleep.

Simple.

Normal.

That’s what I should have done.

But something about the second message… it didn’t feel like a guess.

It felt like it knew me.

Before I could think it through, the phone vibrated again.

Third message.

I opened it immediately.

“Go outside.”

My heart skipped.

I stared at the words longer this time.

That crossed a line.

A message telling me to step out of my house… in the middle of the night?

“No,” I muttered.

“This is stupid.”

I stood up anyway.

That was the part that didn’t make sense.

Why was I listening?

Why did it feel like ignoring it wasn’t an option?

I walked to the window first, pulling the curtain slightly.

The street outside was empty.

No cars.

No movement.

No sign of anything unusual.

But the feeling didn’t go away.

If anything… it got worse.

I looked back at my phone.

Still the same message.

Waiting.

“Go outside.”

I ran my hand through my hair, exhaling slowly.

“This is how people get into trouble,” I said under my breath.

And I knew that.

I really did.

But curiosity…

Curiosity is dangerous.

And mine had already gone too far.

A minute later, I stood in front of my door.

Hand on the handle.

Frozen.

This was the moment I could stop.

Turn back.

Pretend none of this ever happened.

Forget the message.

Forget the feeling.

Go back to normal.

But deep down…

I already knew something had changed.

Because I didn’t feel normal anymore.

I felt… watched.

I opened the door.

Cold air hit my face instantly.

The hallway was empty.

Silent.

Too silent.

I stepped out slowly, my eyes scanning everything.

Nothing.

No one.

Just shadows and stillness.

For a second, I almost felt relieved.

Like maybe I had overreacted.

Like maybe this really was nothing.

Then.

My phone vibrated again.

I looked down immediately.

Another message.

“Good.”

My chest tightened.

Another one came instantly after.

“Now we can begin.”

I froze.

That was the moment it stopped being a prank.

Stopped being a coincidence.

And became something else.

Something real.

Because somehow…

Without realizing it…

I had already followed the first instruction.