The Wrong Call

“It’s just a prank bro.”

“Don’t you think you pushed a bit far back there?”

“No way, you just don’t know the joys of a good prank yet.”

“Maybe…”

Me and my best friend Will walked down the street from school to our homes. He just got done with detention after pranking our homeroom teacher with something…obscene.

“Come on, we’re not in kindergarten anymore. I had to up my game and it’s time for you to get your feet wet too. Like how I got my-”

“I get it, don’t remind me of what you did.”

“Man, the look on her face when I told her. Hahaha, I’ll never let her live that down. Detention is worth it.”

I shake my head at Will’s laughter. Still, I always respected how he lived his life. Maybe, I can have that freedom and courage too…

“Would you look at that, I think I’ve come up with the perfect initiation for you.”

Will points to the nearby police station. The newly built police station.

“Look at those blue jackets coming into our neighborhood like they own the place. I think it’s time for a little fun, would do them some good.”

“You can’t mean-”

“Relax Tim, it’s just a normal prank call. Every prankster has done this at least once.”

“O-Oh, okay. I thought-”

“I’m not going to ask you to do anything I wouldn’t do.”

“I don’t know…”

“Here’s a little incentive.”

“!!”

“This is your allowance?!”

“Just half of it for now.”

“But why?”

“Because you’re my best friend and I can’t wait to have you next to me on my next prank. I have faith that you will succeed. After that, you get the rest of it.”

Will beams me a warm smile that blows away all my doubts. I couldn’t help but smile too. He really is a great friend.

“Okay, I won’t let you down. What should I prank call them about.”

“I don’t know, it’s up to you. Oh! How about telling them that your parents have been replaced by monsters and they’re coming to get you? You sometimes complain about how your parents are on you to succeed, this is a great way to get back at them.”

“Y-Your right!”

“Yeah, two pranks for the price of one!”

“Okay, I will do it. Tomorrow, I’ll be a prankster just like you.”

“That’s the spirit.”

We came to the intersection while talking. My house is to the left and he’s on the right.

“See you tomorrow Will.”

“Yeah, good luck on the prank call.”

I wave to my best friend and breath in some of his courage. Time to do something I can be proud of.

After a couple of minutes, I make it to my house in the area. Surrounded by hundreds of other identical wooden squares painted white. I walk through the front door and lay my book bag on the ground.

“I’m home!”

…

“Of course, my mistake.”

They’re never home to greet me anymore. I pick my stuff up and drag myself to my room.

I throw my book bag onto my makeshift bed on the floor. I remember all the times they promised to make life better for us, only for them to waste money on stupid stuff. I work so hard at school like they demand and for what!? I can’t even sleep on a proper mattress.

No more. Time to give them a small taste of their own medicine. I pick up my phone and dial 991.

At every ring, my heart pounds faster but I can’t stop now. I breathe in and out, preparing to put on the show of a lifetime. Will is going to be so proud of me.

“911, what’s your emergency.”

“M-Mom….D-Dad, they-”

I try my best to sound like I’m crying, throwing some sniffing for good measure.

“Calm down, what happened?”

“I don’t know…one day they were fine and the next they were…different. Last night I saw them…doing things to animal meat and weird things in their bedroom.”

“I…think they might be monsters in disguise. I’m scared, they might know I’m trying to get help. Please come quick!”

“….”

A long silence engulfed the room. Darn it, I guess the gig is up. They didn’t even laugh, whatever. Time to end it I guess.

“Got yo-”

“What’s your address?”

“E-Excuse me?”

“Your address kid, where do you live!”

“Um, countertop road…5th house from the intersection.”

“Okay, we’ll be there as soon as we can. Lock the door and stay put.”

The call ended and I’m left alone in confusion. Did they…counter prank me? What’s Will going to think?

I guess I failed…figures. I put my phone down and flop on the bed. Should’ve expected that, I can’t be like Will.

*Crash*

What the?! Was that the windo-

*BOOM*

A large foot came crashing through my door causing it to land across the room.

The large foot belongs to a large man, at least 6 feet tall. He, along with 5 other men, come through the door and surround me. They’re all…heavily armed and covered in black armor. Are they a SWAT team?

They turn their backs to me and aim at the windows and doors. The closest one to me whispers.

“Here they come.”

Did I really prank call a SWAT team and…win?

Did they believe me? You've got to be kidding me! I chuckle a little bit inside. Mom and dad will be so shocked to see this.

I-Is this what courage feels like? It feels so-

*Knock* *Knock*

All guns lock onto the door and my heart races with excitement. I can’t wait to see the looks on their faces. As Will said, getting grounded is worth this.

I try to sneak past them so I can get a good look.

“Kid, stay back.”

Oh man, I guess-

*Bang* *Bang* *Bang* *Bang*

“What the hell are you doing?!!”

“Sorry sir, this is my first time.”

“Only shoot when you see them, you fool!”

W-What…

“You two check it out, we’ll protect the kid.”

j-just…

“Got it.”

h-happened?

“Sir, I think you better come and see this.”

“What is it?”

…

“My god…their blood is red.”

“Did we just-”

“Why the fuck didn’t you verify the call!!?”

“I-I didn’t think we get a prank call this soon and he…was so specific…”

“Clean this mess up, burn it down, and call the cover-up team.”

*Stomp* *Stomp* *Stomp* *Stomp*

“Kid?”

….

“Kid?”

….

“KID!!”

“W-what…have…I….done?”

“…You no longer exist, you’ll get a new name and life. We’ll send you to an orphanage. Forget about what happened today and try to…live again.”

The man grabs my arm. I let him drag me away.

Across my room. Across the hallway. Across the…

Finally, across the door. As much as I try to not look, something catches my eye, something beyond the red.

Was that…a new mattress?

Before the implications of what that means crush me, the solider pushes me into a black car. We soon drive away to my new life and in the rearview, my house begins to burn.

Then it all hits me at once, I break.

[3 months later]

A new face and one less kid in the orphanage. I’ve been here for 3 months and I’m starting to lose what’s left of my mind.

They keep staring at me, the caregivers with those dead eyes. The kids I like to watch play are just gone. But no parents came to pick them up.

Maybe it’s just my paranoia, I’m supposed to live a new life.

“Okay kids, time to go to bed.”

The new head caregiver called out to everyone in the living room playing. There were some grunts of displeasure but the ones that stood out were the ones that said nothing.

They just got up and went back to their room with no emotion. I could have sworn one shouldn’t be here.

“Stop staring at us, creep!”

One of the girls calls out to me and snaps me out of my mind.

“I-I-I-I’m sorry.”

“And stop stuttering! I can’t wait for some nice family to take me away from here. I’m tired of being ogled.”

The others around her nod their head audibly. I can’t help but agree with her, I want to leave too. But do I deserve it?

The head caregiver comes by to hurry us along for the night.

“Don’t worry, I know you’ll find a home soon.”

Did she…lick her lips?

“I hope so, any place is better than near this weirdo.”

“Don't pick on Tim, he might be the next to go. Hurry to bed now.”

We nod and go to our rooms for the night. I open the door and I’m greeted by the same old brown square room. Single bed, lamp, and book.

I get into the covers and try to sleep. But I can’t.

My mind drifts back to everything weird about this place. At first, everything was like a normal orphanage but slowly things began to feel out of place. Like that new basement they had renovated last month.

My mind raced at the possibilities of what could be going on.

Drug dealing? Kidnapping? Cultists?! No, it's something else. One thing keeps pricking my mind.

“Monsters.”

My mind slithers back to…the incident. Those soldiers really thought there were monsters. I think back to the head caregiver and the dead eyes of some kids. What if…

I have no choice, I have to try. I sneak out of my room and go to the phone in the living room. I dial 911.

It rings louder than I expected. I close my eyes and pray that it will stop soon.

“911, what’s your emergency?”

“Hello, I’m in at the orphanage at silvervine street and I need help.”

“What’s the problem?”

“It’s hard to explain but there are these new caregivers at the orphanage that act off. The kids have started to disappear too and then there’s that basement.”

“I think…the orphanage is run by monsters and the kids are being used for…something. I don’t know, please just….help me.”

“…”

“…Is this Tim?”

“Y-Yes?”

“…Did you seriously prank call us again?”

“What? No!”

“We heard about what you did. You have no idea how hard it was to cover up the mess you made. The innocent lives lost!"

“I-”

“You should be ashamed of yourself.”

And just like that, the call ended. I put the phone down and fought the urge to cry. I can’t make any more noi-

“Tim.”

!!!

I twist my body around to see another new caretaker. She had short brown hair and a nursing outfit. Her face, however, is hidden by the room's shadow.

“It’s time.”

She offered her hand to me, beckoning me to my final destination. Maybe…this is what I deserve for what I’ve done.

Despite my survival instincts telling me not to, I forced my body to take her hand. It was unnaturally cold and wet. But I didn’t care, not anymore. What could I do anyway?

She leads me down the darker-than-black hallway all the way to the basement stairs. We stopped at the top and started down into the gaping maw of the abyss.

“Are you ready?”

Why she would ask me that? I’ve been ready since that day, I just didn’t want to accept it.

“Yes.”

The descent begins, I became one with the icky black and accepted my fate.

I’m sorry Will, Mom, Dad…for everything.