Time plays tricks with us Time always wins.
My head quickly shot up from the office table at work. I don’t know why that popped in my head. Maybe I read something from a post on Facebook about that before I went to sleep?
As I was wiping my eyes with my hands banging on the glass door, I turned my head to see my supervisor Helen. I quickly got up and opened the door as the usual noise of phone calls and people running eventually woke me up.
“You do realize that you went 10 minutes over break right?” Helen said.
I instinctively checked my watch. “Oh shit! I’m so sorry I’ll get right back to my desk!”
She just nodded as I ran over to my station and grabbed my headset. I’m a 911 operator. I take calls from people and let the right authorities know what to do. Though one day I always hoped something exciting would happen. I know I know that sounds horrible but believe me when you sit through a lot of 10-99’s(Wanted and stolen indicated) you’d like some more excitement as well.
Ring! Ring! Ring!
I sigh as I look at my clock again. 2:30 pm. Ony another hour and a half before I get off. I put my headset on.
“Hello, what’s your emergency?” I ask.
“Help! Can you please help me?!” A woman that sounds like she’s in her 40’s answered.
“Sure thing ma’am what seems to be the problem?”
“My daughter’s been kidnapped! The school said that she hasn’t been by today and I saw her get on the bus?” She sounded hysterical which makes sense in her situation.
“Alright ma’am can I please have the child’s name so i can put an Amber Alert?”
“Her name’s Sarah! Sarah [Redacted]!”
“Alright ma’am, the police are on their way to your location and I’m putting up an amber alert now!” As soon as the police got to her I hung up.
Don’t call me heartless or anything but when you’ve been in this line of work for as long as I’ve have you quickly become desentized. That day I finished up the rest of my shift and headed back home. As I sit in my car on my driveway I did utter a prayer that the girl will be found.
The Amber Alert from the other day did make much of the talk around the office.
After all, everyone really wants kids on Amber Alerts to end up found and safe. As the hours went by and talk slowed down I got another call. 3:00 pm. I answered the call.
“Hello this is dispatch how may i help you?”
“Hey…hey can you help me?” I jumped up. It sounded like the voice of a 13 year old girl but through the static you could hear a man’s voice. I gulped as I replied.
“Yes I can. How may I help you?”
“I… I know where Sarah [Redacted] is”. That made me jump in my seat. Usually after an Amber Alert is posted we have people call claiming to have seen the person but it would turn false. But the way that this girl sounded it seemed like she was telling the truth. But it’s weird how I still detect a little bit of an older male in her voice.
“Can you please tell me where Sarah is?” I asked with my lips trembling.
“Right here I’m calling you”. She said with no hint of fear in her voice.
I flagged Helen as she was walking by. “What is it?” She asked. “This girl is claiming to be Sarah”, I said. She grabbed my headset and listened for a few seconds. She then made an annoyed face as she gave it back to me. “No one was on the other line, are you sure you’ve been feeling ok?” I grabbed the headset from.her and listened.
Nothing but static was playing through the other end.
“They must’ve hanged up.” I said to Helen as she seemed satisfied with the answer and walked off. I quickly looked back at my screen as my eyes widened. I was still on the call. I put the headset back on.
“Why ain’t you sending help?” I nearly jumped out of my seat as the whole office looked at me.
As soon as I was about to reply a scream emanated from the headphone. “It’s too late! He’s here! HELP!”
Quickly I traced the phone signal to a warehouse. I told dispatch to send some officers there for a 10-33(Emergency). As i stayed on the phone with the girl I heard police sirens on the other end. “It’s ok now the cops are there”.
“What Cops!” The girl(with an older male voice echoing) yelled. As I heard the cops swarm inside the building I heard the girl scream “No!” and then a noise followed as if she got stabbed. I quickly turned off the line. Realizing I was out of breath I went and got a glass of water.
The next day Helen pulled me into her office.
“You know that 10-33 you called in yesterday?” I gulped as I had nightmares of the girl screaming the other night.
“Well officers arrived at the scene and found no traces that there was anybody on site”. My heart sank. “But..but I swore I heard someone on the other line!” Helen sighed.
“We know that this line of work can be stressful, to some of our callers. That’s why I’m giving you a couple days of paid work leave.”
There is no protesting Helen as she already gave me the papers and sent me out the door with wishes that I feel well.
Yesterday I cleaned my room some more and played some Minecraft to calm my nerves. I was getting myself ready to go on a date with my girlfriend that evening when my phone rang.
It was 3:00 pm.
I answered it in the second tone thinking nothing of it.
“Hello?”
“Why didn’t you help me?!” The ‘girl’ from my work replied. I nearly had a heart attack as I flopped back down on my bed.
“Who are you? How did you get my number?!”
Only static as it took a while then I heard the girl’s voice. Only it sounded more manly this time.
“Alright listen you little shit!” My heart started thumping rapidly as I wasn’t expecting this response. “I tried asking nicely last time but since it feels like YEARS since then I’m done playing nice!” I started to feel creeped out as the voice still sounded like a teenage girl.
“What are you…you talking about?!” My lips trembling.
“My real name is Charles Barkley. I was your average killer who quickly found his next victim. Only problem is that this victim was protected by some sort of spell by her mother for her birthday and now that I’ve killed her I’m stuck in her body!”
My legs started to shake as the ‘girl’ said this with so much believability.
“Now I’m reliving the same day I killed her! Only I realized that it’s only happening to me and not the world around me. So I got the idea to call You! But sense that obviously didn’t work is now going to help me cause I got leverage!”
I gulped. “What kind of leverage?”
“Since the last time I died calling you the fragments of time connected us. I now know your name, where you live, and the people you love. Now what you’re going to do is help me so that way I don’t take any drastic measures.”
I was almost to the point of hyperventilating but I knew he was telling me the truth by the seriousness of his voice.
“Now after I die again, meet me tomorrow at [Redacted] by 3:00. You’ll know I’m there because I’ll call you.” Then the phone hanged up.
Now I’m at a crossroads. What should I do? How can I protect myself if he comes at me?
I need help.