A Phone Call

Carla was lying in bed, trying to fall asleep. It was late, but she couldn't shake the feeling that she was being watched. She pulled the covers up to her chin and closed her eyes tightly, hoping that she was just being paranoid. But then, her phone rang. It was an unknown number.

She hesitated for a moment before answering. "Hello?" she said, her voice shaky.

"Carla," a deep voice whispered. "It's me."

"Who is this?" she asked, her heart pounding in her chest.

"You know who I am," the voice replied. "Don't pretend like you don't."

Carla sat up in bed, her eyes wide with fear. She knew exactly who was on the other end of the line. It was her ex-boyfriend, Mark. They had broken up a few weeks ago, and he hadn't taken it well. He had been calling and texting her nonstop, begging her to take him back. She had blocked his number, but somehow he had found a way to contact her.

"What do you want, Mark?" she asked, her voice shaking.

"I want you, Carla," he said. "I love you. I can't live without you."

Carla's heart sank. She knew that Mark was dangerous, and she didn't want to have anything to do with him. But she also knew that he wasn't going to give up easily.

"Mark, please," she said, her voice trembling. "You need to move on. We're over."

"I'll never move on," he replied. "I'll always love you. And if I can't have you, no one can."

Carla felt a chill run down her spine. She knew that Mark was capable of doing something crazy. She had to think of a way to get him to leave her alone.

"Mark, listen to me," she said, trying to keep her voice calm. "I'll give you one more chance. If you stop calling me and leave me alone, I'll consider taking you back."

There was silence on the other end of the line for a moment. Carla held her breath, waiting for a response.

"Okay," Mark finally said. "I'll stop calling you. But you have to promise me that you'll think about giving me another chance."

Carla hesitated for a moment before replying. She knew that she couldn't trust Mark, but she also didn't want to anger him any further.

"I promise," she said, her voice barely above a whisper.

"Good," Mark said. "I'll talk to you soon, Carla."

He hung up the phone, and Carla let out a sigh of relief. She knew that she had just bought herself some time, but she also knew that Mark wasn't going to give up that easily.

Over the next few days, Carla tried to keep a low profile. She didn't answer any phone calls from unknown numbers, and she made sure to lock all of her doors and windows at night. But despite her precautions, she couldn't shake the feeling that she was being watched.

One night, as she was getting ready for bed, she heard a tapping on her window. She froze, her heart racing in her chest. She slowly walked over to the window and peeked through the blinds.

It was Mark. He was standing outside, holding a bouquet of flowers.

Carla's heart sank. She knew that she was in trouble.

"Carla," Mark whispered. "Let me in. I just want to talk to you."

Carla shook her head. "No, Mark. I told you to leave me alone."

Mark's face darkened. "You promised me that you would consider taking me back. Don't you

Carla took a step back from the window, trying to put as much distance as possible between herself and Mark. She knew that he was dangerous, and she didn't want to take any chances.

"Mark, you need to leave," she said firmly. "I'm not going to change my mind. We're over."

Mark's expression hardened, and Carla could see the anger in his eyes. "You're making a mistake, Carla," he said. "You belong to me. You always have, and you always will."

Carla felt a surge of fear wash over her. She had to get away from Mark, and fast. She turned to run, but it was too late. Mark had already smashed through the window and was reaching for her.

Carla screamed and tried to back away, but Mark was too fast. He grabbed her by the arm and pulled her towards him.

"You're mine, Carla," he growled. "And you're never going to leave me again."

Carla struggled to break free, but Mark was too strong. She knew that she had to come up with a plan, and fast. She took a deep breath and tried to stay calm.

"Mark, please," she said, trying to reason with him. "Let me go. We can talk about this."

Mark laughed. "Talk about what? There's nothing to talk about. You're mine, Carla. And you always will be."

Carla knew that she was running out of time. She had to come up with a plan, and fast. She looked around the room, trying to find something that she could use as a weapon. And that's when she saw it - her phone.

Without hesitating, Carla grabbed her phone and hit the emergency button. She didn't have time to talk, but she knew that the police would be able to trace her location.

Mark saw what she was doing and tried to grab the phone from her, but Carla was too quick. She pulled away and ran towards the door.

But Mark wasn't going to let her go that easily. He lunged at her, knocking her to the ground. Carla hit her head on the floor and felt a sharp pain shoot through her body.

She tried to get up, but Mark was on top of her, holding her down. She could feel his hot breath on her neck, and she knew that she was in trouble.

And then, she heard the sound of police sirens in the distance. Mark looked up, his expression changing from anger to fear.

"You're going to pay for this, Carla," he growled. "I'll make sure of it."

But it was too late. The police arrived, and Mark was taken away in handcuffs. Carla lay on the floor, shaken and scared, but grateful to be alive.

As she looked up at the shattered window, she realized that she had learned a valuable lesson - never underestimate the power of a phone call. It could be the difference between life and death. And she vowed to never take her safety for granted again.