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“Smartass… duh.”

He yawns again. “Oh, you’re so funny.”

“Hey, go get some sleep and call me tomorrow, okay?”

He mumbles something before saying, “Yeah, that sounds like a good idea. Send me a picture of your new tattoo, okay?”

“I will,” I promise before saying good-bye to him. Once he hangs up, I toss the house phone next to my cell and sigh as I grab the remote and start the movie. Grabbing the bowl of popcorn off the coffee table, I settle into the couch and pop a kernel in my mouth when the phone rings again. Rolling my eyes, I grab it and press it to my ear.

“What did you forget, Theo?”

“Taaaaatuuuum,” a creepy, high-pitched voice sings on the other end of the line and my stomach sinks like a rock as a chill races down my spine. I sit forward, spilling popcorn on the carpet as I toss the bowl to the coffee table. “Are you there, Taaate?”

The voice sounds like something straight out of every horror movie I’ve ever watched and my hand trembles as I press my fingers to my lips, trying not to cry. My gaze flicks to every window in the living room and the sensation that I’m being watched intensifies.

“Who is this?” I ask, my voice shakier than I would like.

“Walls have ears,” the voice coos and my chest aches as my heart races in my ears. “Doors have eyes… Trees have voices.”

“Who the fuck is this?” I cry, standing up and scanning each window again.

“Beasts tell lies. Beware the rain. Beware the snow. Beware the man you think you know.”

“Who is this?” I roar, anger replacing some of my immediate fear but the only response is the hollow, high-pitched laughter that will haunt me for the rest of my life.