Rung In

*RIIIIIIIIIIIIIING!!!*

The audible chirp of the desk phone echoed in my ears as it roused me from my sleeping state. I merely groaned in response - it felt as if I didn't get enough sleep. Four hours? Six hours? I couldn't tell because I didn't remember what time I drifted to sleep.

As I wondered whether or not I should catch up on my z's, I felt an impending sense of dread. Scratch that - it wasn't like fear. This was more of a sense that something seemed wrong. I couldn't quite figure out what - I was just waking up.

*RIIIIIIIIIIIIIING!!!*

I slowly rose from where I was sleeping. It was a couch, adorned with a multitude of fluffy pillows and a ghastly black leopard print. Most of the pillows were scattered on the ground (I probably kicked them off whilst sleeping), while the rest were wedged between me and the couch's back. It may not have been a bed, but at least it was comfortable.

*RIIIIIIIIIIIIIING!!!*

I looked towards the phone across the room and let off a dull yawn. Afterwards, I glanced towards the window, expecting to blind myself with the sun's morning rays.

It was still dark.

Quickly I began to wonder why this was. It was possible that it was just be before sunrise, but my sleeping patterns as of late easily refuted that idea. I wondered if I somehow slept the whole day and still needed a bit more sleep.

I looked at the clock, and it read 0600. So much for that theory.

*RIIIIIIIIIIIIIING!!!*

Aggravated by how much the phone had already rang, I got up to answer it, turning right to face the floor. However, the moment I set foot on the ground, I felt a twinge of pain on my right ankle.

I let out a brief yelp and struggled to gain balance of the situation. I remember thinking: "This doesn't seem right. I don't recall doing any strenuous activity last night."

*RIIIIIIIIIIIIIING!!!*

Whoever was calling me seemed pretty persistant. I hobbled across the room and made my way to the desk where the phone was. After getting myself stablized, I grabbed the handset so I could shut that incessant ringing up.

As the phone made contact with my ear, my grogginess vanished. It was at that moment that I had a moment of clarity - I finally realized what felt so wrong.

I don't own a land-line phone.

Just as that mildly unsettling thought passed through my mind, a deep, masculine voice began speaking through the handset.

"About time you woke up, Mister Blanco."