"Buzzz... buzzzzz..." a phone rang, lying in the centre of the city road. It was a main road where public transport and busy passengers move constantly. Pushing the crowds, a man came rushing and picked the phone from the ground.
"damnn...here you are"
He dusted the phone and checked it. "Still alive"
"Guess today I have to do the cleaning task myself... John is busy with football... And Denis..." He sighed in grief.
"Forget. Let's complete the task and get back home soon tonight... I can't wait to play the newly released game tonight..."
Later that night, he came home with some spicy noodles, cool drinks, and some snacks. He placed the phone on the phone stand, sat on his comfy chair, took the controller, and started playing the game while having his meals. The night passed, and he fell asleep at the desk.
The next day....
"Y.ea.. don't let... Him..." He muttered while hitting the desk hard in sleep..
"WHO..."
he jolted up from his sleep...
"Gosh...it was me,"
he calmed himself.
Seeing the time on his phone screen, he got himself up and took the bicycle to campus. While moving to his class, he saw a bunch of men walking in the corridor. He shouted from the back, "JOHN," and put his arm around his shoulder.
The group welcomed him, and out of them, "mannn, you really missed the treat by John...it would have been fun hanging with you tonight..." one exclaimed in a teasing yet disappointed tone.
This statement puzzled him.
"wait..."
"Whose plan was this?"
His sight moved to John.
"U were the mastermind na,"
and started tickling him...
"Y..you... were the one...who turned us down mannn," John replied while resisting hard...
That day passed...
He walked towards the bike stand and saw Ema, his date, waiting for him. He increased his pace and showed up in front of Ema.
"did you wait long for me?" he asked in excitement.
But Ema's face said something else.
Without uttering a word, Ema showed him some photos.
"T..This..."
His eyes widened.
The photos in front of him...they were something which he had never taken.
"Listen Ema..."
He quickly shifted his consciousness to the present and tried to approach Ema...but it's late.
Ema walked away silently in disappointment...
Thinking about this, he rode the bicycle to his home.
His consciousness drifted from reality and revolved around the things happening around him...
The phone buzzed.
He paused and came back to reality only to realise that a truck was approaching him without control...
"Gawdddd..dd...."
He suddenly turned the direction and led the bicycle straight into a wall...
His hands shivered, slowly sliding them into his pocket in an attempt to get the phone...but failed...
At the 2nd attempt, he finally grasped the phone...
Hurriedly, he took it out and checked the message...
It was from his friend, John...
He stood still for a minute and was about to text him...
But...
The sight in front of him horrified him...
The...
The messages...
They started to send replies without anyone typing...
He dropped the phone in horror...
His face was drenched in sweat, hands trembling and eyes keenly watching the screen...
The phone then erased all the messages...
Made it seem like no one contacted him...
Seeing this scene, he walked towards his house with a pathetic reaction...
Placing the phone on the phone stand, he stared at it for hours...
His first suspect was...someone had hacked his phone...
And slowly it shifted to a man...
Denis...
Now, his phone again lit up...
Popping a message...
"Do you want to keep them all in your life?"
With a photo of his friends, Ema, Denis and him, which they had taken during the summer holiday...
The environment drifted, giving chills down the spine...
He cleverly asked the phone,
"who are you?"
Without replying to it, another message popped up.
"You hate them clinging to you... right?"
This intensified the atmosphere, making his throat tighten.
Without thinking a second, he put the screen down to face the desk.
"W..who is doing this... Come out..."
His voice cracked as he trembled.
The gentle breeze turned into a gale and slammed the door with force.
Windows were sealed.
Lights started flickering...
And a small crack trailed down the mirror.
In terror, he shouted,
"WHAT...WHAT DO YOU WANTTT"
The wind grew stronger...
And stronger...
The fan started spinning faster...
And faster...
He slowly took a step back and leaned on a wall.
Suddenly...
A phone call reached him.
The environment shifted back to normal.
It was John, who called him to ask about Ema.
Ema and John are twins.
He knew them for a year, and recently he met Ema on a group date.
Eventually, both liked that date, and he wished to take it to the next stage.
Hearing Ema was missing, he didn't waste a moment.
He ran out, took his bicycle, and started to search for Ema, gripping the phone tightly.
After 3 hours of search, he stood near a bridge in grief.
His search went in vain, and he stood there staring at the water beneath the bridge.
Memories flashed out.
"It's all cause of this DAMNN phone!"
he burst out aggressively and threw it far away into the water...
Tears rolled down.
His legs gave up.
He collapsed and sat down, hiccupping in grief.
"Kim..."
A voice called him from behind...
In a sweet, soothing, worried tone...
Yeah, his name is Kim...
Kimberlyn...
A 21-year-old art student, recently invested in learning proto writing.
"T..that voice..."
He turned around...
Ema was standing behind him, with mixed emotions...
Without a delay, Kim hugged her tightly like a child afraid to lose his toy...
Kim didn't ask anything, and Ema didn't utter a word...
Kim left Ema with her brother, John, and rode back home.
Seeing his sister, John didn't question Ema.
Why?!
Cause Ema's face was pale, fear-struck and frightened.
When Kim returned, little did he know, something was waiting for him that night...
After reaching home, he placed his keys on the table...
"Wait..."
His eyes widened...
Heart started beating faster, skipping its usual rhythm...
"The phone..."
"H..How did it end up here?"
A final message popped up on the screen.
"Welcome Back"
After that night, something strange occurred...
No one ever saw Kim again.
No one could reach him or even have a conversation with him...
But the strangest part is...
His XX account is active...
He keeps posting his selfies on it...
But when people reach out...
No response...
This is the story of Kim...
Kimberlyn...
Whose presence was erased from reality...
End credits:
"Denis!!!"
"I have found the man you were searching."
