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The Numbers Above Us
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The Numbers Above Us
ISSUE #1
Author: millicent
The Numbers Above Us
Author: millicent
ISSUE #1
The Number
No Plagiarism!St8993LVFd0vp8MjkqbBposted on PＥNAＮＡ 142Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJ10lf7KIcM

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

142Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1v66tLel1B

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

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

142Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMxjO6ARqGv

There was something above me.

142Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcPax1DeG0I

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

142Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLm0PIfQgbr

But that feeling…

142Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwCpd3izGUq

That something wasn’t right.

142Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQfHazjitKV

I blinked slowly, then looked up again.

142Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtfq4pRwCaD

And that’s when I saw it.

142Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡL1eCwcrMEc

A number.

142Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡle8sUOJVB1

Floating.

142Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkdav0V09uL

Perfectly still.

142Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡagFW7hE9lT

27

142Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZf2qkc2XaQ

My breath caught in my throat.

142Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBM1wP1IuXo

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.

142Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡc0VipJLpl9

It just… stayed there.

142Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAsadR7pUB4

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

142Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsSRGCev3J8

I rubbed my eyes hard. Once. Twice.

142Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6jhhnynwgR

When I looked again—

142Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiIxPjBIK5V

It was still there.

142Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfgOgj7gXXj

27

142Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNJdLTv2BiF

A chill crept down my spine.

142Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUhbUEmCe9X

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

142Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuRvvTKXgSJ

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

142Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6CxAaol0vf

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.

142Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2l0JWN4VHf

Group chat: Do you see it too??

Unknown number: What number do you have?

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

142Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUJcF2olgm2

My stomach tightened.

142Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoyVOWGXRFP

Slowly, I opened the camera.

142Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡx9uwHtp3Sq

My hands were shaking now.

142Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvyeaMovmOo

I flipped it to front view.

142Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsJ9KlRVJMF

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

142Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVUeROhGUgp

Then I saw it.

142Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBfEMKo4OZq

Above my head.

142Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIiUft2tqgY

Clear as day.

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27

142Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxguqStlrhg

My heart started pounding.

142Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡA0NO6FUzGI

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

142Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9pvheH494l

I turned my head sharply.

142Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjMe6ty01hK

The number moved with me.

142Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcULqTfW7Vw

No delay. No glitch.

142Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7yUsdoIKtV

Like it was attached to me.

142Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡV5oeQraqdN

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

142Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPLhgBe61YU

Live news.

142Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUqnYChsx8S

I tapped it.

142Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡchOJKqfc1u

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

142Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2GwWJluqMc

“…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—”

142Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFR65YDUuaA

The camera shifted suddenly.

142Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4b683NXpzZ

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

142Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRPzi3R123H

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

142Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5zKzhVKQy7

The other person froze.

142Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRA8Ty4jaas

His face drained of color.

142Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡapKRpMGspB

“…zero,” he whispered.

142Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkZK0gnvbp6

For a brief moment—everything went still.

142Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWS32In7vVh

Then the man with zero collapsed.

142Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEDVJg61KMn

Just like that.

142Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcuR9Pn90pf

No warning.

142Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuTYBSAgeP1

No struggle.

142Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5GOAuZvIWc

One second he was standing—

142Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡm18715RxcY

The next, he was gone.

142Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9UD9ZuNl1r

The broadcast cut instantly.

142Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHBdTimf6XI

My phone slipped from my hand and hit the bed.

142Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpKbP3FWlfa

I couldn’t move.

142Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1UuagcqeIG

Couldn’t breathe.

142Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8oljHPA66G

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

142Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmaj8mxJM7Z

Zero.

142Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXT4lWK4HkC

Dead.

142Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTQAbTpVOBr

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

142Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7imEFn1xdt

The number above me flickered.

142Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8yIXdPLTem

My heart nearly stopped.

142Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAAyfQI96wN

It changed.

142Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ40zdGwfH9g

27… 26

142Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJtxe82xxy2

A cold wave of fear washed over me.

142Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3IuiEa0m8i

It wasn’t just a number.

142Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmfi4uDUwAD

It was counting down.

142Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSNkrd8epxg

And for the first time since I woke up—

142Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAge0LgrdWL

I realized something terrifying.

142Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDxKMwLm8IR

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

142Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡP2GAvjnRo1
142Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPKXdVVcXkW

216.73.217.39

ns216.73.217.39da2
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The Numbers Above Us
Sci-Fiction
Thriller
Last updated: Mar 20, 2026
Total word count: 2,008
Total reading time: 9 Minutes
Writer:
millicent
mystery thriller sci-fi psychological dystopia survival
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