Working From Home
9:47 PM
Sarah: Hey Danny, you up?
Danny: hey sis
Sarah: This is going to sound weird but I keep hearing these strange notification sounds from my phone. Not just notifications, but like…echoes... different?
9:49 PM
Danny: diff how? What’s an echo notification tbh, prob just the bldg settling
9:50 PM
Sarah: Like it's distorted or something. Almost like it's underwater. I put the phone in the bedroom so I could focus on this work project but I’m still freaking out.
Danny: ok, maybe your phone’s haunted or ur prob just tired tbh. how many hrs u been at that laptop? deadline?
9:51 PM
Sarah: Too many. But this is different. OK, now I'm hearing the typing sound. You know that little keyboard click? But I can see you're not typing.
Danny: maybe someones else msging u? check ur convos and
9:54 PM
Sarah: Wait, your last message broke up. What did the middle part say?
9:55 PM
Danny: just that maybe someone else msging u?
9:56 PM
Sarah: Did you hear about what happened to Mrs. Kendrick's cat?
9:57 PM
Danny: moms old neighbor? nah what happened?
9:59 PM
Sarah: Nothing. I just wanted to check something. Danny, when did we last talk about Mom?
10:01 PM
Danny: talked bout her last week. her bday coming up n all
Sarah: Her birthday is in November.
10:02 PM
Danny: its april lol ur losing it sis
[Typing indicator appears and disappears three times]
10:05 PM
Danny: Did you refill that prescription?
Sarah: Yeah, few days ago. I keep forgetting to take them.
Danny: I thought the white pills helped u?
Sarah: They’re blue pills now. Changed months ago.
10:09 PM
Sarah: Danny?
Danny: sry bad signal rn. phones being weird
Sarah: That sound – going to check the bedroom.
Danny: Don’t
10:10 PM
Danny: remember how mom would check on us @ nite?
Danny: how shed stand in the doorway until we pretended 2 sleep?
Sarah: We were kids.
Danny: sorta still are. I feel frozen in my teens.
10:11 PM
Sarah: The sound is getting louder. Creepy. But it's not just the notification tone anymore. It sounds like...
Sarah: This is going to sound crazy – it's a voice.
Sarah: It sounds like Mom's voice
10:13 PM
Danny: fr u need some sleep sarah. u need a break from the laptop.
10:14 PM
Sarah: No, I need to figure this out. The sounds are definitely coming from my phone but they're all wrong. Like someone's playing them through a broken speaker.
Danny: ur working 2 hard fr fr. maybe go see ur doc?
Danny: Most pple doing work fm home r kicking back, but ur working 24/7 seems.
10:15 PM
Sarah: No, I'm fine. I know you worry about that.
Danny: ur the big sis I get it but u need to take better care of urself. u still seeing dr matthews?
10:17 PM
Sarah: Did I tell you about Dr. Matthews?
Sarah: I started seeing her after your accident.
[Message marked as read - 10:18 PM]
[No response for 3 minutes]
10:21 PM
Sarah: Oh god
Sarah: Who am I talking to?
[Notification sound from bedroom]
10:26 PM
Sarah: Danny please answer
10:28 PM
Sarah: I need to know it's you
Danny: chill sis ur freaking out over nothing
Sarah: Tell me something only you would know.
10:29 PM
Danny: srsly? ok remember when u crashed moms car n blamed it on me?
Danny: i covered for u even tho i was like 14 lmao
10:33 PM
Sarah: That's not what happened. I took the blame for you.
10:35 PM
Danny: oh yeah mb im getting mixed up
10:37 PM
Sarah: The sound is getting worse.
Sarah: I should check my phone.
Danny: no dont
Danny: stay at ur laptop
10:39 PM
Danny: we need 2 talk
Sarah: Why don't you want me to check my phone?
10:40 PM
Danny: its not safe
Sarah: What does that mean?
10:45 PM
Sarah: Danny?
Danny: mother misses you sarah
Danny: mother wants to talk
10:46 PM
Sarah: You're not Danny.
Danny: we can all be together again
Danny: just like before
10:48 PM
Danny: before the accident
Danny: before everything
10:49 PM
Sarah: I'm calling the police.
Danny: bad idea, anyway ur phones in the bedroom sarah
Sarah: What? Why are all my windows open, it’s so cold??
10:50 PM
Danny: fresh air helps you think
10:51 PM
Danny: ur all alone sarah
Danny: look at ur hands sarah
[Sarah looks down at her hands, notices they're covered in dried blood]
10:52 PM
Sarah: Oh god what's happening to me?
Danny: look behind u
[Sarah’s gaze falls on the wall behind her. It’s covered in handwritten notes, photos, and sticky notes, all detailing her neighbors’ lives and routines.]
11:01 PM
Sarah: The walls…oh god, the walls. What did I do?
[Notification sound from bedroom, louder now, distinctly like a woman's voice]
11:06 PM
Sarah: There's nothing behind me
Sarah: There's nothing behind me
Sarah: There's nothing behind me
11:07 PM
Danny: look at the walls sarah
[Sarah finally turns away from her laptop screen. Her phone's notification sound is now clearly her mother's voice, calling her name]
11:09 PM
Sarah: The walls
Sarah: I didn't write this
11:11 PM
Sarah: I COULDN'T HAVE WRITTEN THIS
Danny: but u did
11:14 PM
Danny: look at ur hands again
Danny: look what youve been doing all week
11:15 PM
Danny: while u thought u were working
11:17 PM
Sarah: The neighbors
Sarah: The photos on my phone
11:18 PM
Danny: I told u not 2 look at ur phone
Sarah: All those pictures of people sleeping
11:19 PM
Sarah: Was I there?
Sarah: Did I go into their homes?
11:21 PM
Sarah: They’re sleeping, right? This is just photos of them sleeping?
11:24 PM
Danny: mother taught us to be quiet
Danny: mother taught us to be still
11:25 PM
Danny: remember? b4 she died & B4 i died
[In the reflection in the laptop screen, Sarah sees her mother standing behind her, a faint smile on her face.]
11:26 PM
Danny: died – it sounds so much nicer than what really happened, right sis?
Danny: right sis?
11:38 PM
Sarah: MOTHER WANTS TO COME HOME.
Sarah: MOTHER WANTS TO COME HOME.
Sarah: MOTHER WANTS TO COME HOME.
11:44 PM
Sarah: MOTHER IS HOME.
[Message marked undeliverable] [All previous messages deleted] [Connection terminated]