INTRO:

“Don’t Answer Her”

is a haunting psychological story about a grieving mother who begins receiving phone calls from her daughter’s number late at night. The only problem, her daughter is alive, asleep in the next room. What begins as confusion turns into dread as unanswered questions from the past creep back into the present. This story explores grief, denial, and the terrifying blur between reality and the supernatural. Each chapter peels away another layer of mystery, leading to a heart-wrenching conclusion that will stay with you long after you’ve finished.

“Mom… why is your phone ringing again?”. The voice of Emma, a sleepy teenage girl, broke the silence in the small living room. She was curled on the couch, her blanket slipping to the floor. Her phone buzzed loudly on the table beside her.Maria, her mother, froze where she stood.

The sound was sharp, cutting through the quiet night. She slowly turned her head, staring at the glowing screen. The name flashing on the caller ID made her chest tighten.It was Emma.

The phone in Maria’s hand

was showing her daughter’s name, her daughter’s number. But Emma was right there, breathing softly, eyes half closed, confused by the noise.“Emma… your number… it’s calling me,” Maria whispered, her voice trembling.

Emma frowned, blinking at her mother. “What? That doesn’t make sense. My phone is right here, Mom. I haven’t touched it all night.” She lifted her own phone to prove it. The screen was dark. No outgoing calls.

The ringing on Maria’s phone stopped. The room fell silent again.Maria gripped the phone tightly. She didn’t want to answer, but her heart beat fast. Who could be calling from her daughter’s number? Why at this hour?Emma sat up straighter now, wide awake.

“Maybe it’s a glitch? Like… some tech problem?” She tried to sound calm, but her eyes darted nervously.Maria swallowed hard. She wanted to believe it was just a glitch. She wanted to laugh it off. But the uneasy feeling in her stomach wouldn’t let her.“Don’t answer her,” Emma suddenly said. Her voice was low, almost pleading.Maria’s eyes widened. “What do you mean?”

Emma hugged her knees her face pale. “I don’t know, Mom. It just feels wrong. If it’s really my number calling you… then it’s not me. And you shouldn’t pick it up.”Maria stared at her daughter, searching her face for reassurance, for logic, for something that would make this moment normal.

But Emma’s fear only mirrored her own.The phone buzzed again. Same number. Same name.Maria’s hand shook as she held it. She wanted to throw it across the room, but her eyes stayed locked on the screen.Her daughter’s name. Her daughter’s voice only a breath away. And yet… something was trying to reach her.“Don’t answer her,” Emma repeated, firmer this time.

Maria let the phone ring out. She set it face down on the table, her heart racing, her body cold.Neither of them spoke for a long time.Finally, Emma whispered, “Mom… what if it’s not a glitch? What if it’s something else?”Maria didn’t want to ask what “something else” meant.

She just pulled her daughter close and whispered back, “We’ll figure it out. But we won’t answer.”The phone stayed silent. But both of them knew it wasn’t over.

Maria sat on the edge of her bed, holding the phone tightly in her hands. The screen lit up again, the same number. Her daughter’s number. Her fingers trembled, but she didn’t answer. She just watched it until it stopped ringing.“Why is this happening?” she whispered to herself, her voice breaking.Across the hall, Emily was still fast asleep.

Maria could hear her soft breathing. It was real. She was there.Maria stood up, paced the room, then walked back. Her chest felt heavy. She finally decided to check the call history again. The log clearly showed: Incoming call – Emily. Time: 2:03 AM.She pressed her hand against her mouth, trying not to scream.

The next morning, while Emily ate breakfast, Maria sat across from her with tired eyes.

“Emily,” Maria said carefully, “did you… call me last night?”Emily frowned, spoon halfway to her mouth. “No, Mom. I was sleeping. Why?”“You’re sure?” Maria asked again, her voice tense.“Yes, Mom!” Emily laughed nervously.

“Why would I call you in the middle of the night?”Maria didn’t laugh. She couldn’t. Instead, she looked at her daughter’s phone lying on the table. Quiet. Still. Safe. But she knew what she saw.Later that day, Maria went to visit her friend Anna.

Sitting in the living room with a cup of tea, Maria told her everything.Anna shook her head. “Maybe it’s a mistake. Maybe your phone glitched.”

“No,” Maria whispered, “I saw her number. I saw it. It rang again and again. Anna… what if someone is trying to trick me?”Anna leaned closer, trying to calm her. “Then you need to be careful.

Don’t answer. Just don’t answer, Maria.”That night, Maria lay awake in bed. The silence of the house pressed against her ears. She wanted to sleep, but she couldn’t. She was afraid.

Then the phone rang again.Her eyes flew open. The screen glowed in the dark.It was Emily’s number.Maria sat up slowly. Her breath shook.Her hands reached out, hovering just above the phone.

Her heart was pounding so loud she could hear it.

“Don’t answer her,” Anna’s words echoed in her head.But the phone kept ringing. Over and over. Each sound made her chest tighter.And then, just as she was about to pick it up—The ringing stopped.

The silence that followed was worse than the sound.Maria dropped her head into her hands. Tears spilled out, hot and endless. She wanted to scream, but instead she whispered into the darkness:“Why is this happening to me?”

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The next morning

the house felt heavier than before. Aisha sat at the dining table, her untouched cup of tea growing cold.

The phone lay beside her, screen dark, as if it, too, was waiting for something.Her husband, Imran, entered the room quietly. He noticed her pale face and the way her fingers tapped nervously against the table.“Did you sleep?” he asked in a low voice.Aisha shook her head. “Not really.

I kept hearing it… the ringtone. It felt like it was echoing in the walls.”Imran sighed and pulled out a chair. He sat across from her, his eyes tired but steady. “We should stop thinking about it so much.

Maybe it was some network glitch. It happens.”Aisha’s lips trembled. “Imran, it wasn’t a glitch. I answered it. I heard breathing. Someone was there.”

He frowned and leaned forward. “You mean… someone was actually on the line?”Her eyes filled with tears. “Yes. I couldn’t mistake it. It was soft, but I swear it was Sana’s breathing.

Just like when she was little and would sleep beside me.”Imran rubbed his forehead, clearly unsettled. “Aisha, she was sleeping in her room. We checked. This doesn’t make sense.”She lowered her gaze, clutching the phone tightly now.

“That’s what terrifies me. If it wasn’t Sana calling, then who was it? And why from her phone?”Before Imran could answer, footsteps sounded from the hallway. Sana entered, yawning and rubbing her eyes.

She was in her pajamas, hair messy from sleep. She blinked at her parents, sensing the tension.“What’s wrong?” Sana asked softly.

Aisha quickly wiped her eyes. “Nothing, sweetheart. Just talking.”Sana tilted her head. “About the calls again?”Imran and Aisha exchanged uneasy glances. Aisha hesitated, then said, “Yes. Did you… did you use your phone last night, Sana? Maybe you called me by mistake?”Sana frowned. “

No, Mama. I was sleeping. My phone was on the table.”Imran tried to smile, though it looked forced. “See? Must be a technical problem.”But Aisha couldn’t let it go. Her voice trembled as she spoke. “Sana, darling… would you show me your phone? Right now?”Sana nodded, confused, and went to fetch it. She returned holding the device out to her mother.

Aisha unlocked it with shaky hands. She scrolled through the call log, her heart pounding. And there it was—several outgoing calls. All to her own number. All timed around midnight.

Her breath caught. She looked up at Sana, who stared back with wide, innocent eyes.“I didn’t do it,” Sana whispered. “I was sleeping. I swear, Mama, I didn’t.”Aisha’s voice cracked. “Then who did, Sana? Who touched your phone?”Imran took the phone from her hand, his jaw tight. “

We need to think clearly. Maybe it’s hacked. Or maybe…” He trailed off, as though afraid to finish the thought.Silence filled the room, broken only by the sound of Sana’s nervous breathing.Then Aisha whispered, almost to herself, “What if someone—or something—is trying to talk to me through her phone?”

Imran’s eyes darkened. “Aisha, don’t say that.”But Sana, clutching her mother’s arm tightly, whispered, “Mama… what if it’s not someone? What if it’s her?”

The night grew heavier, and the silence inside the house was broken only by the ticking clock on the wall.Anna sat near her mother, rubbing her shoulder.“Mom, please… you didn’t sleep last night either. You’ll get sick.”Grace shook her head, her eyes still on the phone resting on the table.

“I can’t sleep, Anna. What if she calls again? What if your sister needs me?”Anna’s throat tightened.“But Mom… she’s here. She’s breathing. She’s alive. You tucked her in yourself.”Grace leaned back, her hands trembling.“I know what I saw, Anna. I saw Emily’s name. I heard her voice. It wasn’t a dream.”Anna exhaled slowly, trying to stay calm.“Okay. Let’s think carefully. What did she say on the call? Word by word.”

Grace closed her eyes, replaying it in her head.“She whispered, ‘Don’t answer her.’ Just that. Over and over.”Anna frowned, confused.“Don’t answer who?”Grace’s lips pressed tightly together.“That’s what I don’t know. But the way she sounded… it was like she was scared. Like she was warning me.

Anna tried to reason.Mom, maybe someone cloned her number. It happens. Or maybe it’s a prank.”Grace turned sharply, her voice breaking.“A prank? At 3 a.m.? With my daughter’s exact voice? Anna, I carried both of you for nine months.

I know my child’s voice.”Anna fell silent. The weight in her mother’s tone made her shiver.

The phone buzzed suddenly, lighting up the room. Both women froze.Emily’s name glowed on the screen again.

Grace reached for it with shaky hands, but Anna grabbed her wrist.“Don’t, Mom! Please… you said she told you not to answer.”Grace’s breathing grew uneven, tears filling her eyes.“But what if she needs me? What if she’s trapped somewhere…?”Anna gripped her harder, whispering desperately.“Mom, Emily is asleep in her room.

I swear, if you answer this call, you’ll regret it.”The phone kept ringing. Each vibration echoed like a heartbeat.

Grace whispered, her voice shaking,“I can’t ignore my child…”But for the first time, doubt entered her eyes.The ringing stopped.

The silence returned, heavier than before.Anna let go of her mother’s wrist and slumped back on the couch.“See? It’s over. You didn’t answer.

That’s good.”Grace buried her face in her hands.“But why does it feel like I just ignored her cry for help?”

The night was heavy with silence.

Rain tapped against the window, and the faint glow of a streetlight flickered outside.Maya sat on the couch with her phone in her hand, staring at the call history. The same number.

The same strange hour.Her husband entered the living room quietly. “You’re still awake?”She lifted her head slowly. “How can I sleep, Daniel? Every night, the same call. Every night, from Anna’s phone. But she’s right there, sleeping.”Daniel sighed, rubbing his forehead. “It’s just a glitch.

Maybe her phone is cloned, or someone’s playing a prank.”Maya’s voice trembled. “Then why… why did the caller whisper her name last night? Why did they say, ‘Don’t answer her’? Who’s ‘her’?”Daniel sat down beside her, his arm gently wrapping around her shoulders. “You need rest. You’re imagining too much. Stress is playing tricks on your mind.”

Maya pulled away, frustrated. “Stop saying that! You weren’t the one who heard it. The voice was… cold. It knew my name. It knew Anna’s. And tonight—”The phone buzzed in her hand.

Both of them froze.The screen lit up: Anna calling…But Anna was still upstairs, asleep.Maya’s hand shook. “See? It’s happening again.”Daniel swallowed hard. “Don’t answer it.”Her thumb hovered over the green button. Her breath quickened. “But what if… what if something’s wrong?”The phone rang louder, sharper, as though demanding an answer.

“Don’t!” Daniel’s voice broke. “If it’s really her, then why isn’t she awake? Why isn’t she the one calling you right now?”Maya’s chest tightened. “I have to know.”The ringing stopped.

The silence that followed was heavier than the sound itself.Then— ping. A voicemail notification appeared.Daniel’s eyes widened. “Don’t listen to it.”But Maya pressed play.Static filled the room, followed by a faint voice.

A girl’s voice.“Mom… don’t answer her. Please.”Maya dropped the phone, her eyes widening in horror. The voice wasn’t just any voice.

It was Anna’s. The real Anna. From upstairs.

Maya’s fingers went numb as the phone slipped from her grasp and hit the floor with a dull thud. The sound echoed through the silent house like a warning bell.Daniel bent quickly, scooping the phone up, staring at the glowing screen as if it were a loaded weapon.

The voicemail was still there, timestamped just now. His throat tightened. “This… this doesn’t make sense. She’s asleep upstairs.”Maya’s breathing was shallow. “That was her voice, Daniel. Our daughter. It was Anna. I know it.” Her words trembled, filled with both fear and a strange, desperate hope.Daniel pressed his lips together. “It could’ve been a recording.

Someone messing with us—”“No.” Maya cut him off, shaking her head violently. “That wasn’t a recording. She sounded scared. Like she was warning me.”

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The stairs creaked above them. Both froze.Slow, dragging footsteps.Daniel clenched his fists and whispered, “Stay here.” He moved toward the staircase, every muscle stiff with tension. But Maya grabbed his arm.

“No,” she whispered, her eyes wide and wet. “If it’s her… I can’t let her see me afraid.”They climbed the stairs together, each step creaking under their weight. The hallway stretched before them, lined with framed photographs of family moments—birthdays, vacations, smiles frozen in time.

But tonight, those smiling faces looked eerie, watching them with glassy eyes.Anna’s bedroom door was slightly open. A faint glow leaked from inside.Maya pushed the door gently. “Anna?”

The girl was sitting up in bed, her long hair spilling over her shoulders. Her tablet rested on her lap, the screen still glowing faintly. She blinked at them, her face groggy. “Mom? Dad? Why are you looking at me like that?”Maya’s heart nearly collapsed with relief. She rushed forward and cupped her daughter’s face. “Anna, honey… did you call me? Just now?”Anna frowned. “No. I was sleeping. Why would I call you?”Maya’s hands shook against her daughter’s skin. “Because I heard your voice.

On the phone. You told me not to answer her.”Confusion flickered across Anna’s eyes. “Her? Who’s her?”Daniel cleared his throat, standing in the doorway like a guard. “Maybe it was a dream. Maybe—”

But then Anna’s tablet beeped.All three turned toward the screen.The messaging app was open. A new notification blinked. 1 New Voice Message.Maya’s blood went cold. She picked up the tablet with trembling fingers and pressed play.Static.

Then the same girl’s voice—Anna’s voice—but cracked, urgent, terrified.“Mom… Dad… don’t trust her. The one you’re looking at… isn’t me.”Maya’s eyes darted to the bed.Anna was staring back at her, wide-eyed, her lips parting as if she didn’t understand. But in that moment—Maya swore—something in those eyes wasn’t right.They were too dark.

Too knowing.Too still.“Mom?” Anna whispered, tilting her head unnaturally slow. “Why do you look scared?”Maya’s breath hitched. She stumbled backward, clutching the tablet to her chest.The message replayed in her mind like a knife twisting deeper:The one you’re looking at… isn’t me.

“Why is it always the same number?” Anna whispered as she sat on the edge of her bed. The phone buzzed again, the same contact flashing: Lily.Her hands trembled. “She’s here… she’s sleeping. How can this be?”She answered this time, unable to resist. “Hello?”For a few seconds, there was only silence. Then came a soft voice.

“Mom…”Anna froze. Her eyes darted to the other room where Lily lay, her breathing steady, lost in dreams. “Who are you? What do you want?”The voice cracked. “It’s me. I’m scared.”Anna’s heart pounded. “Don’t lie to me! My daughter is sleeping. She’s right here. Stop tormenting me.”

There was a pause, and then the voice said, “Look at her closely, Mom. That’s not me.”—Anna dropped the phone, her chest tightening. “No… no, that’s not true.” She rushed into Lily’s room and shook her awake. “Lily, wake up, please.”Lily opened her eyes slowly. “Mom? What’s wrong?”Anna searched her daughter’s face. “It’s you… it has to be you.”Lily sat up, confused. “Of course it’s me.

Why are you crying?”Anna pulled her into a tight hug. “Because someone keeps calling me from your number. And they say… they say it’s not you.”

Lily blinked. “That doesn’t make sense. I’ve been asleep.”Anna nodded, her hands still shaking. “I know. But the voice… it sounded exactly like you.”—Later that night, the two sat together in the living room. The lights were dim, and the phone rested on the table like a silent threat.“Mom,” Lily said softly, “what if it’s just someone playing a trick?”Anna shook her head. “No.

This isn’t a prank. The way she spoke… it felt real. Like you, but not you. And she knew things… things only you would know.”Lily frowned. “Like what?”

Anna hesitated. “She called me Mom in the exact same tone you used when you were little. No one else could copy that.”The phone buzzed again. Both of them jumped.Anna whispered, “Don’t answer it.”But Lily leaned forward, her curiosity too strong. “What if I do?”“No!” Anna snapped. “Don’t answer her.”The ringing stopped, leaving behind a heavy silence.Lily stared at the dark screen.

“Then what do we do?”Anna sighed deeply, tears in her eyes. “We find out who—or what—is trying to take you from me.”

“Mom… don’t answer it,” Lily whispered, her voice trembling as she clutched her blanket tighter. Her wide eyes reflected the glow of the phone screen that buzzed again on the nightstand. The same number. The same name.

Her own name.Karen’s hands were shaking. She wanted to obey her daughter, but something inside her screamed that she needed to pick it up—needed to know why this was happening. Her lips quivered as she turned to Lily, who looked more pale than ever.“But sweetheart… what if it’s someone trying to hurt you? What if—” Karen’s voice broke.

“Mom, it’s me… and I’m right here,” Lily said, almost in tears. “If you answer, it’s like letting… something else inside. You don’t know what it is. Please… just don’t.”

The phone stopped ringing.

The room fell into heavy silence, broken only by the sound of the ticking clock on the wall. Karen finally sat on the edge of Lily’s bed, brushing her daughter’s hair back.“I don’t understand. Why is your phone calling me? Who’s doing this?” Karen asked, her eyes wet.

Lily shook her head. “I don’t know, Mom. But every time it rings, I feel… like something’s pulling me. Like I’m being called somewhere else.”Karen froze, her chest tightening. “Called… where?”Lily didn’t answer. She just buried her face against her mother’s arm, trembling like a child again.

The phone buzzed once more. Karen’s heart raced. She stared at the glowing screen. The caller ID didn’t just say Lily. It now read: “Don’t Answer Her.”

Karen’s breath caught. She dropped the phone on the floor. Her body felt cold, her skin crawling as if invisible hands were reaching for her.“Mom?” Lily’s voice cracked. “What did it say?”Karen forced a shaky smile. “Nothing, honey… it’s nothing.”But she couldn’t hide the fear in her voice. She couldn’t hide the way her hands trembled as she pulled Lily close.

The phone buzzed one last time. The vibration rattled against the wooden floor, echoing in the silence.This time, Karen didn’t move. She just held Lily tighter. She didn’t answer.And then… the ringing stopped.

But the silence that followed felt heavier than before. Almost like the real danger had only just begun.

The house was quiet, but it didn’t feel peaceful. It felt like silence was holding its breath.Sarah sat at the kitchen table with her hands wrapped tightly around a cup of tea that had long gone cold. The night had stretched into morning, but her mind refused to rest. The phone sat on the table, face down, as if she were too afraid to even see its black screen.

David walked in, rubbing his tired eyes. “You didn’t sleep again, did you?” His voice was gentle, but there was a heaviness in it.“No,” Sarah whispered. She lifted her eyes to him, and they looked hollow, almost glassy. “How can I, David? Every time I close my eyes, I hear that ringtone. I hear her voice… but I know she’s right here, sleeping down the hall.”

David sat across from her, leaning forward. “Then maybe we should change the number. End this once and for all.”Her hands trembled slightly around the cup. “And if we do… what if it still calls? What if it doesn’t stop?”The weight of her words lingered between them.

For days, the strange calls had rattled their lives—calls from their daughter’s phone, even though she had been asleep each time. Calls that carried a voice Sarah swore was their daughter’s, yet… not.David let out a long breath. “We need answers, Sarah. We can’t keep living like this. We’ll take the phone to the police again, or maybe a technician—”She shook her head sharply, cutting him off. “They won’t believe us.

Nobody ever does.” Her voice cracked as tears burned her eyes. “They’ll say it’s a glitch, or that I’m losing my mind.”

David reached for her hand, holding it firm. “You’re not crazy.”Just then, the floor creaked. Both of them turned. In the hallway stood Emma, their daughter, rubbing her eyes with one hand, holding her stuffed rabbit with the other. Her small voice broke the stillness.“Mommy? Daddy? Who were you talking to last night?”Sarah froze, her heart pounding.

“What do you mean, sweetheart?”Emma tilted her head, confused. “I woke up… and I heard you on the phone. You kept saying, ‘I’m coming, don’t cry.’” She blinked. “But I wasn’t crying.”The air turned heavy, pressing down on both parents. Sarah’s lips parted, but no sound came out. She turned slowly toward the phone on the table.

It was no longer face down. The screen glowed faintly.And on it, just two words appeared.“Answer me.”The cup slipped from Sarah’s hand and shattered on the floor.David pushed his chair back quickly, his breath caught in his throat.

Emma stared at them, her small face pale with confusion.The phone vibrated again, louder this time, as if demanding.Sarah’s chest tightened. “David,” she whispered, her voice trembling, “what if it’s not about Emma at all? What if… it’s about me?”David grabbed her arm, pulling her closer. His voice was rough, urgent. “Don’t you dare answer it.”

The ringing grew sharper, filling the kitchen, filling their heads.Emma whimpered, covering her ears.And just when Sarah thought the sound might break her completely… the phone stopped.

The silence that followed was worse. It was deep, unsettling.Sarah’s eyes stayed locked on the glowing screen, waiting, dreading. And then, one final message appeared, no sound, just words.“You already did.”The kitchen light flickered. Emma screamed. David held Sarah’s hand so tightly it hurt.And in that moment, Sarah realized something with a cold clarity. The story wasn’t ending. It was only beginning.

✨ Thank you for reading. Sometimes the scariest voices aren’t the ones in the dark, but the ones we let inside our mind. If this story kept you hooked, don’t forget to share your thoughts .

I’d love to hear them. 💭🖤