From the corner, the sound of tearing cardboard preceded a small, heavy thud on the floor. Elias looked down at his phone. The wallpaper had changed to a photo of his own back, taken from the corner of the room just seconds ago.
His heart skipped. The ringtone didn't know his name. It couldn't know his name.
The ringtone started again, but it wasn't coming from the phone anymore. It was coming from right behind his heels.
The house was too quiet, the kind of heavy silence that follows a messy breakup and a move to a creaky suburban rental. Elias sat on his floor, surrounded by half-empty boxes, when his phone buzzed. He didn't recognize the number. He swiped "Accept." “Hi, I’m Chucky. Wanna play?”
The phone in his hand vibrated with one final, crisp notification. “Found you.”
Elias frowned. He hadn’t set a custom ringtone, and he certainly hadn't downloaded any horror soundboards. He checked his settings; his ringer was set to "Reflection." Yet, when the phone buzzed a third time, the voice was louder, clearer, as if the speaker were struggling to contain the malice behind the words. “Hi, I’m Chucky... Wanna PLAY?”