Ethan woke up before his alarm. The room was quiet, but his heart was already racing. Today…the first sign will appear. The whisper from yesterday still haunted him. He sat up slowly, staring at the pale morning light coming through the window.
"What sign?" he said quietly.
For a moment, nothing happened. Then—
"Look outside."
Ethan froze. The voice had never answered him directly before. Slowly, he walked to the window and pulled the curtain aside. At first everything looked normal: the quiet street, the same houses, the same parked cars.
Then he noticed something strange.
Across the road, standing beside a streetlight, was a man in a black coat. The man wasn't moving. He wasn't talking. He was just… staring. At Ethan.
A cold chill ran down Ethan's spine.
Who is that?
The moment their eyes met, the man smiled. Not a friendly smile—a knowing one. Then he turned and walked away.
All day Ethan couldn't stop thinking about the man. At school, Jake kept talking about some new video game, but Ethan barely listened.
"You sure you're okay?" Jake asked.
"Yeah," Ethan replied quickly. "Just tired."
But the truth was worse. For the first time, Ethan felt like the whispers weren't the only strange thing happening. Someone else knew. Someone else was involved.
That evening Ethan sat alone in his room again. "Who was that man?" he whispered.
The voice returned immediately.
"He is watching you."
Ethan's breath caught. "Why?"
Silence. Then the whisper spoke again, softer than before.
"Because you are not the only one who hears the future."
Ethan's eyes widened. "What do you mean?"
Before the voice could answer, a loud knock echoed from the front door.
Knock. Knock. Knock.
Ethan slowly stood up. His mother was out shopping. He was alone. The knocking came again—louder this time.
Knock. Knock. Knock.
Ethan walked to the door, heart pounding, and opened it slowly.
His blood turned cold.
Standing on the doorstep… was the man in the black coat. The same one who had been watching him that morning.
The man smiled.
"Hello, Ethan," he said calmly. "Let's talk about the future."