One of the 13 stories in A Friday the 13th Story #9: Dead Ringer by Alicia Dean
Fun Fact:
The idea for this story came from a Mr. Ballen episode I watched. The story is quite different from what happened, but the idea grew from there. It is about a 911 dispatch center that continued to receive calls from a woman after she died, although this woman was not murdered.
Side note: I joined a 911 dispatcher group to find out some info about how the job works and the people there were incredibly helpful. I know I wasn’t completely accurate because I didn’t connect with these people in time to find out and implement the information. I was on a deadline crunch, but I used some of what they shared with me.
About Dead Ringer:
A 911 dispatcher is on a call with a woman who is murdered during the call. Now, the woman’s ghost continues to call the dispatcher, demanding justice against her killer.
Excerpt:
Downstairs, Marina moved through her nightly routine. Checked the back door. Checked the stove. Set the alarm. Ordinary steps. Reassuring repetition.
When she passed the hallway mirror, she glanced at herself automatically and startled. For a fraction of a second, she thought someone stood behind her. Not clearly. Just a pale blur over her shoulder.
She spun around. The hallway was empty. Her pulse ticked upward. Exhaustion, she told herself. Adrenaline crash. She turned back to the mirror. Only her reflection stared back.
In the kitchen, her phone buzzed on the counter, and she picked it up.
Unknown number. Her stomach tightened. It was past one in the morning. She let it ring. It stopped. A moment later, the new voicemail alert pinged. Marina stared at the notification. Her rational brain told her it was probably spam. A misdial. A delayed callback. She pressed play.
Static filled her ear. Crackling on the line. Then, ragged breathing. Exactly like before. Her heart pounded loudly in her ears. She replayed it. Static. Nothing else. She listened again. Still only static. Her hand trembled as she set the phone down.
About the Author:
Alicia Dean lives in Edmond, Oklahoma where she enjoys writing dark and creepy stories. Her other passions are Elvis Presley, true crime, MLB, NFL and watching too much TV.
Author Alicia Dean 