CHAPTER 4

My phone begins ringing and I reach over for it, glancing at the screen. I frown at the flashing screen before sliding the answer button and holding the phone up to my ear.
"Hello?" I say uneasily.
I don't know what it is about unknown numbers, they always creep me out. A deep low voice answers almost immediately —
"Emily."
His voice is smooth, holding such confidence behind it. It sounds like he was smiling on the other end. I immediately felt my spine tingle and I shudder, a bad feeling settling inside my stomach.
"Who is this?" I ask, my heart picking up pace. I don't recognise the voice at all.
"It's your father."
His tone is calm yet cold, rid of any emotion. I stop breathing at his words, the man's chilling voice sending shivers down my body.
What the freakin' hell?
I hold my phone away from me, my hand trembling. Through the speaker, I hear him laugh down the phone. A deep laugh that causes every hair to stand up on the back of my neck. I hold the phone back up to my ear, ready to give this asshole a piece of my mind.
"Who is this? Is this your idea of a sick joke?"
He immediately hangs up, his laughter still echoing in my ear. I stare at the phone in disbelief, my mouth hung open in shock. I've never received such a disturbing phone call in my entire life.
I couldn't sleep that night, my father's face appearing in every single dream. He'd be smiling but then his face would contort in fear and pain. He'd reach his hand out, desperately trying to get a grip of mine. I'd hold on as tight as I could, telling him I wouldn't let go. No matter how hard I tried, he fell away from me each time before eventually disappearing. All that’s left is darkness surrounding me, engulfing me in silence.
Hours pass where the nightmares continue over and over again so in the end I give up, lying wide awake in the dark and waiting for the sun to rise.