BE VERY CAREFUL . If you get this, you are infected with…
I stared at the message on my phone, my heart pounding.
BE VERY CAREFUL . If you get this, you are infected with…
That was it. No explanation. No sender name. Just those words.
A joke, I told myself. Probably some spam text. But the timing was unsettling—I had been feeling off all day. A slight headache. A scratchy throat. A creeping fatigue that made my limbs feel heavy. Maybe it was just the flu. Or maybe…
I shook my head. No. It had to be a coincidence.
Still, the message wouldn’t leave my mind. I clicked on the number. No contact info, no history of previous texts. I tried calling it. The line was dead.
Unease slithered through me like a cold draft.
That’s when my phone vibrated again. Another text.
You need to listen. It’s already in your system.
I felt my breath catch. My system? My stomach twisted.
I glanced around my apartment, suddenly feeling exposed, as if someone were watching. I locked the door and shut the blinds, gripping my phone tighter.
Another buzz.
Symptoms start small. Fatigue. A slight fever. A runny nose. You think it’s normal. You think it will pass.
I swallowed hard. I had all of those symptoms. But millions of people had colds every day. This was just a prank. It had to be.
Another message.
But it won’t pass. And once you realize what’s happening, it will be too late.
I dropped my phone as if it burned me. My breathing came fast now, chest tightening. My mind raced through every possibility. Had I been exposed to something? Had I touched something I shouldn’t have? I hadn’t traveled. Hadn’t been near anyone sick… as far as I knew.
And yet, I felt something.
My palms were damp. My vision swayed slightly. I pressed a hand to my forehead. Was I getting worse?
The phone buzzed again. I hesitated, then picked it up with trembling fingers.
Check your reflection.
I froze. A chill ran down my spine.
No. I wouldn’t. I shouldn’t.
But the pull was irresistible. I turned my head toward the mirror on the wall.
At first, I saw nothing unusual. Just me. A little pale, a little tired. But then—
Something shifted.
The edges of my reflection wavered, as if I were looking through rippling water. My eyes darkened. My pupils… dilated too far. My skin paled further, almost gray.
I stepped back. My reflection didn’t.
The phone buzzed one last time.
It’s already taken hold. You can’t escape it now.
And then—
The lights flickered.
And my reflection smiled.
