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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!k7evZe6lJX1GI0QXPctUposted on PＥNAＮＡ 143Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFWvBrrKvbr

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

143Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxhkQ6pwQBd

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

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

143Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡg72PdsRBnM

There was something above me.

143Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZcfL9UkA2d

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

143Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3aBHWjob3F

But that feeling…

143Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡckcx6cjwIX

That something wasn’t right.

143Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjlFpkv3two

I blinked slowly, then looked up again.

143Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3ED1NfzXuz

And that’s when I saw it.

143Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPFL24XFI4s

A number.

143Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSQ5hhDE079

Floating.

143Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSqZ0PHiCq3

Perfectly still.

143Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfShGJ9glaW

27

143Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSf8cIc2i74

My breath caught in my throat.

143Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSMHnralHIA

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.

143Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsS9PSrhSV6

It just… stayed there.

143Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUJ5s8A6uZh

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

143Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXcCSLF4jah

I rubbed my eyes hard. Once. Twice.

143Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvZSusBi3XC

When I looked again—

143Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlhrlaIg57w

It was still there.

143Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4JN5ZcpEJt

27

143Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWr1FcmjnZu

A chill crept down my spine.

143Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1uWtGeIbBX

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

143Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0iqHxJJ3zO

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

143Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdMHc4vMW9H

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.

143Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWrIzCUk3Tk

Group chat: Do you see it too??

Unknown number: What number do you have?

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

143Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡaopiZGiMTN

My stomach tightened.

143Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9ewpBQwtco

Slowly, I opened the camera.

143Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQsUF12Liv2

My hands were shaking now.

143Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1qffQYBsBy

I flipped it to front view.

143Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡq3HDZjGdR2

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

143Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvMaqHxCGPG

Then I saw it.

143Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzmoLmsVyuC

Above my head.

143Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9CAR7iF7Zh

Clear as day.

143Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxsJPqcvQe6

27

143Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhjjV91Ruic

My heart started pounding.

143Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡehb501BUNr

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

143Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDaclFaFXpc

I turned my head sharply.

143Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4BNoL4pqrr

The number moved with me.

143Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3ohsCUqaE8

No delay. No glitch.

143Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7J3IlGRsrd

Like it was attached to me.

143Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjkJ75VMJ7O

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

143Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSReotpL4bX

Live news.

143Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6Hb1A8Jbbs

I tapped it.

143Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZf1nmi41az

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

143Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6ASWexFIEF

“…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—”

143Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAIJG5l8IcC

The camera shifted suddenly.

143Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZ7BEBBVzmz

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

143Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfmTus0PC3r

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

143Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCgmFppOhut

The other person froze.

143Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZcN44Wst8C

His face drained of color.

143Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZPkiZg29zm

“…zero,” he whispered.

143Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3OmyLvjItH

For a brief moment—everything went still.

143Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡr4qJzneiq6

Then the man with zero collapsed.

143Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIh8HT4SDeU

Just like that.

143Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQhB0CHZweA

No warning.

143Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwsEC3Syq19

No struggle.

143Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡS1GW3vzkdx

One second he was standing—

143Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgAra6vFt6p

The next, he was gone.

143Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhF7ecNjH62

The broadcast cut instantly.

143Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIV4cUp50Kv

My phone slipped from my hand and hit the bed.

143Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡaJ90v2QAHu

I couldn’t move.

143Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9sWwopHW1v

Couldn’t breathe.

143Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3LsDg6TtmT

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

143Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbLLeKErDlz

Zero.

143Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhzgFhIwxrj

Dead.

143Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFWG6pDBe0R

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

143Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqcuRiIQDTX

The number above me flickered.

143Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHxq0UwM206

My heart nearly stopped.

143Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7rzrORhUnq

It changed.

143Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡh8reiWYujM

27… 26

143Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡj1vSzaDKyd

A cold wave of fear washed over me.

143Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1oN8gteYsr

It wasn’t just a number.

143Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuHyHdyuSIW

It was counting down.

143Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWYJDkN6EK8

And for the first time since I woke up—

143Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFH6opNwcoe

I realized something terrifying.

143Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡifif9gyALV

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

143Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsJ8sCeDcg2
143Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmZ8pJSOe7H

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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