The Silent Signal

The Silent Signal

A faint glow from the monitor bathed the dimly lit room in an eerie blue light. Claire’s fingers hovered over the keyboard, hesitating. She was the only one left in the office, the clock ticking past midnight. Her colleagues had left hours ago, but she stayed back, determined to finish decrypting the strange signal that had been puzzling her team for weeks. It wasn’t just any signal; it was something different—alien, almost.

She leaned closer, eyes narrowing as she ran the decryption program one more time. The lines of code blurred, but suddenly, the screen flickered, and the garbled text transformed into something readable.

HELP. THEY ARE HERE.

Claire’s breath caught in her throat. She blinked, convinced her exhausted mind was playing tricks on her. But the message stayed, glowing ominously on the screen. Her heartbeat quickened as she scrolled down to find more.

THEY ARE WATCHING.

She glanced around the empty office, suddenly feeling exposed, vulnerable. The shadows seemed to move, shifting with a life of their own. She shook her head, forcing herself to focus. It was just her nerves. But the message continued to unnerve her. Who sent this? And who were ‘they’?

As if in response to her thoughts, the lights flickered. Claire jumped, her pulse racing. She stared at the ceiling, expecting them to go out completely, but they stabilized. Just a power surge, she told herself. Nothing more.

She turned back to the screen, but before she could continue reading, her phone buzzed loudly on the desk. The sudden noise made her jump. It was a text from an unknown number.

Leave now. They know you’ve seen it.

Claire’s stomach churned. She glanced at the door leading out of the office. The hallway beyond was pitch black. Her instincts screamed at her to run, but she couldn’t. She needed answers. With trembling hands, she typed a reply.

Who is this?

The response was instant.

No time. Leave now, or you won’t make it.

Claire’s heart pounded in her chest. The office was on the 15th floor of a high-rise building, and the thought of navigating the dark, deserted hallways filled her with dread. But the message was clear. Something—or someone—was coming for her.

Gathering her courage, she grabbed her bag and stood up, moving quickly toward the exit. Just as she reached the door, her computer beeped—another message.

TOO LATE.

The office plunged into darkness. Claire gasped, fumbling for her phone’s flashlight. The silence was suffocating, broken only by her ragged breathing. She shined the light around, the narrow beam cutting through the blackness, but revealing nothing.

Then she heard it. A soft whisper, almost imperceptible, coming from the far end of the office. Claire froze, her hand tightening around her phone. The whisper grew louder, like a thousand voices speaking at once, filling the room with a strange, unnatural sound.

She backed away, her mind racing. The exit was her only hope. She turned and ran, her footsteps echoing in the silence. But as she reached the hallway, she felt it—a presence, cold and suffocating, as if the air itself was alive and pressing against her.

Claire bolted for the stairwell, not daring to look back. She burst through the door and took the stairs two at a time, the whispers growing louder, closer, until they were right behind her, inside her head, drowning her thoughts.

She reached the ground floor and slammed into the lobby, gasping for breath. The whispers stopped abruptly, leaving an oppressive silence in their wake. Claire staggered to the front doors and pushed them open, stumbling out into the cold night air.

For a moment, she stood there, panting, disoriented. The city lights seemed surreal, too bright, too distant. She glanced back at the building, its dark windows staring down at her like empty eyes. Whatever had been inside, it hadn’t followed her out.

But as she walked away, her phone buzzed one last time. With trembling hands, she looked at the screen.

You can’t escape. We are everywhere.

Claire’s grip tightened around her phone, her mind reeling. She glanced around, the once familiar city now feeling alien and threatening. The signal had been a warning, but from whom? And more importantly, what were they?

As she disappeared into the night, the only thing she knew for certain was that this was far from over.