You Have Five Minutes

**Author's note: One Missed Call (2008) was the first spooky/horror movie I remember watching while growing up. This story was inspired by that movie. I hope you enjoy this piece of fiction writing.**

A young couple was walking along a pier at around dusk. They were on their way for their 3 year-anniversary supper at a local restaurant in the town they were vacationing in. The wind howled around them as they walked along. The tips of the dark, ocean waves were white from the wind's strength. It wasn't quiet, but it sure felt like it was with how few people were about at this time of night on such an ugly day.

The young man's phone rang an unfamiliar tune. Puzzled they paused their walk and he pulled his phone out of his jean pocket. 'Unkn0wn Caller ID' flashed on the screen. A drop of rain stained the screen of the phone as droplets began sprinkling down on the pair.

His girlfriend laughed beside him and said, "Who is it babe?"

"I-I don't know. It say's unknown caller ID." He paused for a moment longer before accepting the call. "Hello?" All he could hear was heavy breathing on the other end of the phone. "Hello?" He asked again, this time with a little more force behind his voice.

"You have five minutes." A raspy voice breathed quietly, just loud enough that the young man could make out the words. Then, there was a click and the phone call disconnected.

"Well Ira? Who was that?" A look of worry crossed the young woman's face.

He tucked a strand of her loose blonde hair behind her ear and said, "Nobody Stella, it was just a prank call." Still, he felt uneasy. Tucking the phone back into his pocket, he made a mental note of the time. It was 6:51 p.m.

She pushed him gently and with a wink, she teased, "It better not have been one of your side girls."

With a flirtatious glint in Ira's hazel eyes, he grabbed her hand and retorted, "I have no time for a side girl. Plus, with as many personalities as you have, I already have like three or four all rolled up into one beautiful girlfriend." Stella giggled and the pair quickly made their way over to the restaurant where their dinner date reservation was set for 7:15 p.m.

The restaurant they were going to was a nice sit-down place that served fresh ocean fish that was caught daily from the very waters they were walking by. The pair stared at the sign for a moment and then looked at each other. "Our reservation is at quarter after seven. What time is it now?" Ira asked, remembering the phone call from just a moment before.

Stella glanced at her watch. "It is, 6:55 p.m."

He nodded. "I'm going to have a smoke quick, why don't you head inside and see if our table is ready?"

She gave him a quick kiss and ducked inside the fish restaurant.

Sighing heavily, he quickly lit up a cigarette in the designated smoking area and took in the view of the ocean pier. It was beautiful, even though the rain began to patter just a little harder, the canopy he was under kept him sheltered from the fresh drops of rain.

Then, his phone started ringing again. That same unfamiliar jingle. He carefully pulled it out of his pocket and looked at the screen, and read 'Unknown Caller ID'. Feeling unsettled, he answered the phone again. "Hello?" he asked with some annoyance in his tone.

"Time's up." It was that same raspy voice from before.

"What do you mean time's up? Who the hell are you and how did you get this number?" Ira started to get frustrated with the mysterious voice.

"Tell me Ira," The voice was barely audible. "Where is Stella right now?"

"How do you know who we are?" Ira asked, his voice getting a little frantic.

"Time's up." The voice whispered again, and then all Ira could hear was the dial tone. He stared at the phone for a brief second in pure shock. Then, he quickly put out his cigarette and dashed inside to find his girlfriend.

The restaurant was bustling. There were servers everywhere, carrying plates of hot food that smelled utterly divine. Ira scanned the dining room, in search of Stella's blonde hair. He couldn't see her anywhere so he made his way to the hostess stand. A young lady with her red lips drawn up too much was standing there going through paper menus.

"Excuse me? I hate to bother you, but my girlfriend just came in a moment ago. We had a reservation for two at 7:15 p.m. Her name is Stella."

The young lady quickly looked up from the stack 0f papers she was messing around with. "Hmm," She paused for a moment before continuing. "I seated a Stella a few minutes ago, but she said her partner was already here."

Ira frowned, "What? I am here, I was outside having a cigarette."

The hostess shrugged seeming to be confused. “She seemed sure. A man was already waiting for her.”

Cold dread rushed through Ira. He bolted past the podium, scanning table after table. Then, he finally seen her blonde head towards the back of the restaurant. The lights were dim, but it was his Stella, seated with another man. He kind of looked like Johnny Depp in Charlie and the Chocolate Factory movie, with a deep burgundy coat, and a top hat on. Odd for this day and age. He stood out like a sore thumb. Ira couldn't make out the man's face as his fancy top hat was angled just right.

Stella looked calm. Almost too calm. She sipped her water, nodded as if listening intently, then glanced up and met Ira’s eyes. Her smile faltered.

The man across from her turned his head slowly. Ira couldn’t see his face, only the shadow of it, but his lips curved into something that wasn’t quite a smile.

Ira’s phone buzzed in his pocket. His hands shook as he pulled it out. That same damn ringtone was going off, and the screen flashed with the words 'Unknown Caller ID'. Ira didn’t answer the call this time though.

The man at the table raised his hand to his ear as though he was adjusting an invisible earpiece. Then, without breaking his eye contact with Ira, he mouthed the words, “Time’s up.”

Chloe Rose Violet 🌹