Abby nodded.
But the moment the door closed—
The house felt too quiet.
Trying to distract herself, Abby began going through a few of her mother’s belongings.
Something to feel closer to her.
Something to hold on to.
Then—
Her phone rang.
She froze.
Slowly, she picked it up.
And looked at the screen.
Her heart dropped.
Incoming call: Mom
Her hands started shaking.
Her breath caught in her throat.
This couldn’t be real.
After a long, terrifying pause…
She answered.
“Mom…?” she whispered.
A weak voice came through.
“Abby… honey… where am I?”
Abby’s knees nearly gave out.
That voice.
It was her.
It was really her.
“Mom? How—how is this possible?” Abby sobbed.
“I can’t see anything,” Mary’s voice said, strained, panicked. “It’s dark… tight… I can barely breathe…”
Abby’s entire body went cold.
“No… no…”
“Abby… where am I?” her mother cried faintly.
The call cut off.
Silence.
Abby screamed.
She tried calling back.
No answer.
Again.
Nothing.
Panicking, she called Aunt Laura.
Within minutes, Laura rushed home.
She found Abby shaking, crying, clutching her phone.
Between sobs, Abby told her everything.
Laura listened…
But she couldn’t believe it.
Not really.
Sweetheart, you’re grieving,” she said gently, pulling Abby into her arms. “You miss your mom. That’s normal.”
But Abby knew what she heard.
And then—
It happened again.
The calls kept coming.
Each time, Mary sounded more terrified.
“It’s so dark… I can’t move… Abby, I’m scared…”
The words echoed like something out of a nightmare.
A buried nightmare.
Abby stopped sleeping.
Stopped focusing.
Her fear grew into something unbearable.
Was her mother… alive?
Trapped?
Or was she losing her mind?
One night, Laura found her sobbing uncontrollably.
That’s when Abby finally told her everything—the repeated calls, the voices, the fear.
This time, Laura took it seriously.
She checked the call log.
Nothing.
No missed calls.
No record.
“Sweetheart… there’s nothing here,” Laura said softly.
Abby stared at the screen in disbelief.
“They were there… I swear they were…”
That’s when Laura made a decision.
She scheduled an appointment with a trauma therapist.
In therapy, Abby told her story again.
Every detail.
Every call.
Every word.
The therapist listened carefully.
Then explained something gently:
