The Numbers Above Us - The Number

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When I woke up, I thought it was a dream.

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Not the kind that fades the moment you open your eyes—

the kind that lingers, pressing against reality like it belongs there.

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There was something above me.

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At first, I ignored it. My room was still dim, the curtains barely letting in the morning light. Everything looked normal.

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But that feeling…

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That something wasn’t right.

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I blinked slowly, then looked up again.

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And that’s when I saw it.

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A number.

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Floating.

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Perfectly still.

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My breath caught in my throat.

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I sat up too fast, my head spinning slightly as I stared at it. The number didn’t move. Didn’t flicker. Didn’t disappear.

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It just… stayed there.

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“Okay…” I whispered to myself, my voice dry. “Not real.”

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I rubbed my eyes hard. Once. Twice.

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When I looked again—

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It was still there.

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A chill crept down my spine.

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This wasn’t normal. This couldn’t be normal.

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My phone buzzed violently on the nightstand, making me jump.

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I grabbed it quickly, almost dropping it in the process. Notifications flooded the screen—messages, missed calls, alerts piling on top of each other like something urgent was happening.

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Group chat: Do you see it too??

Unknown number: What number do you have?

News Alert: Global Phenomenon Reported—Unexplained Visual Markings Appearing Worldwide

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My stomach tightened.

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Slowly, I opened the camera.

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My hands were shaking now.

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I flipped it to front view.

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For a second, everything looked normal. My face. My room behind me. Nothing unusual.

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Then I saw it.

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Above my head.

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Clear as day.

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My heart started pounding.

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“This is… this is some kind of filter,” I muttered, even though I wasn’t using any app.

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I turned my head sharply.

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The number moved with me.

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No delay. No glitch.

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Like it was attached to me.

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Another notification popped up. This time, it was a video.

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Live news.

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I tapped it.

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The reporter looked pale. Shaken. Behind her, people were running—some crying, others staring at each other in confusion.

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“…we are receiving reports from across the globe,” she said, her voice unsteady. “Every individual appears to have a number visible above their head. Authorities are currently unable to explain the phenomenon—”

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The camera shifted suddenly.

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A man in the background grabbed another person by the shoulders.

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“Check mine!” he shouted. “What does mine say?”

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The other person froze.

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His face drained of color.

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“…zero,” he whispered.

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For a brief moment—everything went still.

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Then the man with zero collapsed.

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Just like that.

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No warning.

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No struggle.

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One second he was standing—

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The next, he was gone.

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The broadcast cut instantly.

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My phone slipped from my hand and hit the bed.

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I couldn’t move.

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Couldn’t breathe.

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My mind replayed what I had just seen over and over again.

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Zero.

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Dead.

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Slowly—very slowly—I lifted my eyes back up.

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The number above me flickered.

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My heart nearly stopped.

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It changed.

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27… 26

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A cold wave of fear washed over me.

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It wasn’t just a number.

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It was counting down.

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And for the first time since I woke up—

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I realized something terrifying.

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I had no idea what would happen when it reached zero.

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