Chapter 9: The Call That Isn’t for You
The ringing cut through the darkness like a blade drawn slowly from its sheath.
Not loud.
Persistent.
A phone vibrating somewhere close enough to feel, far enough to be unseen.
Mira stayed on her knees. The absence of light felt intentional, as if privacy were being revoked. Her eyes burned from staring into nothing, searching for edges that refused to return.
The Devil did not speak.
That frightened her more than his laughter ever had.
The ringing continued.
Layla whispered, “It’s not mine.”
Someone else breathed nearby. A student. Maybe more than one. Mira heard the subtle rustle of clothing, the small movements people make when they don’t want to be noticed moving.
The ringing stopped.
A voice spoke from the darkness. Young. Unsteady.
“H-hello?”
A soft chime followed.
LIVE
The Devil’s voice returned, calm and reverent, like a priest announcing a sacrament.
“There it is.”
Light bloomed again, but not on Mira.
It flared several feet away, revealing a boy standing alone near the stairwell. First-year, maybe. Backpack still on. Phone held awkwardly in both hands as if it might explode.
His face was pale, eyes darting wildly as the realization settled in.
Viewer count hovered above him.
Viewers: 312
Growing.
“What’s happening?” the boy asked. “Why is everyone looking at me?”
Mira tried to stand. Her legs trembled but held.
“No,” she said hoarsely. “Please. Leave him out of this.”
The Devil did not look at her.
“You misunderstand your role,” he said.
“You are not the ending.
You are the precedent.”
The boy’s phone buzzed.
A prompt filled his screen.
“Welcome. You’ve been selected.”
He laughed nervously. “This is a joke, right?”
No one answered.
The injured girl stepped forward, her movements smooth and unhurried. She looked at the boy with something like pity.
“Don’t worry,” she said.
“It starts gently.”
The boy backed up until he hit the wall. “I didn’t do anything.”
The Devil smiled, visible now even without light.
“Neither did most of them.”
Mira felt something inside her collapse. “You said one truth remained.”
The Devil finally turned to her.
His eyes were deeper than before, endless as data without deletion.
“And it does.”
The screens flickered back on around the hallway.
Not her life.
His.
The boy’s social media bloomed across the walls. Innocent things. Jokes. Complaints. Silences. Moments where he should have spoken and didn’t. Moments where he watched.
The Devil gestured toward the screens.
“Truth Nine,” he said softly.
“There is always someone more convenient than you.”
The viewer count surged.
Viewers: 9,804
The boy’s breathing quickened. “Stop filming me. Please.”
The comments arrived instantly.
“He looks nervous.”
“What did he do?”
“Let’s hear his side.”
Mira felt the Devil’s presence beside her again, close enough that his words vibrated in her bones.
“This is where you are most useful.”
She shook her head. “I won’t help you.”
The Devil’s voice lowered, almost tender.
“You already have.”
He gestured toward the crowd.
“They learned from watching you.”
The injured girl placed a hand on the boy’s shoulder. He flinched violently.
“It’s okay,” she told him.
“They don’t hate you yet.
That comes later.”
Mira stepped forward, her voice breaking. “Look at me. Please. I’m still here.”
Some faces in the crowd turned toward her.
Just for a second.
Then the boy spoke again, his voice cracking, filling the space she had lost.
“I just want to explain.”
The Devil smiled.
The hallway lights shifted, centering fully on the boy now. Mira’s shadow stretched thin behind her, barely touching the edge of illumination.
The Devil whispered:
“See?
Attention is transferable.”
The livestream counter ticked higher.
To Be Continued...
Chapter 8: https://storylinespectrum.blogspot.com/2025/12/chapter-8-status-you-didnt-post-by.html
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