The Midnight Knock

In this town, nobody is allowed to answer their front door after midnight. It doesn’t matter if it’s your mom, your best friend, or even the police. Because every night at exactly 12:07 AM, someone knocks on random houses. And if you open the door… nobody ever sees you again. I thought it was just an old superstition until one night when I was home alone. At exactly 12:07, I heard three loud knocks. I looked through the peephole. It was my dad. But my dad was supposed to be on a business trip 500 miles away. I called him immediately. He answered. I whispered, “Dad, why are you outside?” He went silent. Then he said something that made my heart drop. “Son… I’m not outside. I’m still at the hotel.” Suddenly, the person outside started speaking. But this time, it wasn’t my dad’s voice. It was MY voice. It whispered, “I know you’re in there. Open the door.” I ran upstairs and locked myself in my room. Then my phone buzzed. It was a text from my dad. It said… “Whatever you hear next, don’t believe it.” And then… I heard my dad screaming from downstairs. “HELP! LET ME IN!”