Telemarketers

I think I may never answer a phone again.  Information is too easily obtained these days and what happened to me a couple of nights ago has me thoroughly scared beyond my wits.  There are too many devices that store too much information about anything and anyone in this age and that has me too unsettled to think about how much of me exists in the digital plane without me knowing.

About a week ago I kept getting phone calls from weird numbers.  The numbers looked like they were from telemarketers. At first it didn't bother me just a phone call to ignore but I started getting the calls when I was asleep.  I use my phone as an alarm clock so I keep it on at night; so this really aggravated me that some dumb telemarketer thought it was necessary to call me at those hours.

The next day while at work I don't usually keep my phone on me,  I just kept it in my purse on vibrate and don't catch up any of my missed calls or texts until lunch or after my shift.  When I got off, my phone had 27 missed calls.  At first I thought it was an emergency with my family but I quickly scrolled through the numbers and saw they weren't any phone numbers I recognized and a lot of them had area codes not even in my state.  Then I figured telemarketers or dialing bots or something like that.  At this point I was really agitated now.  I couldn't believe they would call me that many times.  Why wouldn't they just give up?

I went home annoyed and flustered so I hopped into the shower.  After I got out, while blow drying my hair I heard my phone ringing.  The display said "private" so I didn't answer it, I continued to dry my hair.  A few minutes later after I was done my phone began ringing again, it was a private number again so this time I thought maybe it was someone I knew and they were trying to get a hold of me.  I answered, "Hello?"  but there was no answer on the other end.  I repeated myself but again nothing.  Then finally whoever was on the other end hung up the phone.  I found it a little curious that no one answered but I didn't give it any after thought.

A little later that same night I was watching television and I got another phone call, this time from one of those strange telemarketer looking numbers.  All the frustration I tried to wash away earlier with my shower came rushing back.  I was trying to watch a show and they were calling me at late hours now.  I just ignored it.  But about fifteen minutes later, they called back.  This time I answered really annoyed and I was going to give this poor schmoe a piece of my mind.

"Yes?!" I said in a particularly frustrated tone.  At first there was no answer but just something that sounded like deep breathing.  It went on for a few moments.  Finally annoyed I answered again.

"Hello!  Are you going to answer or just stay silent like an idiot?  Isn't this your job, to talk to the person you're calling or to be a mindless drone to bother people for useless crap?  I mean is this even considered a job?  Jobs imply a use of a brain doesn't it?  Hello?! Anyone there?"  I was about to hang up when he suddenly started talking.

"I'm sorry you feel this way Ma'am.  I'm in between real jobs and need money right now so I do my best to swallow my dignity and support myself."

I felt a little bad after hearing him say that, it was maybe the first genuine telemarketer I've ever heard.

"I know its annoying that I'm calling this late.  People have lives I understand but if I don't call....well you understand my plight."

I felt a little remorseful, sounded like he was having a bad day as well, "I'm sorry I snapped at you, I know its not your fault in particular, it wasn't you who has been calling me all day.  I just have been getting calls from telemarketers all day and you just happen to be the one I snap at."

"I understand," he said, "No need to explain yourself.  It was pretty annoying of me to call so many times."

"Wait?" my face curled with confusion, "Did you just say you were the one that has been calling me all day?"

"Well, yes, except the one from your mother, that one wasn't me.  You didn't pick up while you were at work.  So I called back...a few times," he said with snark in his voice as if this situation were not becoming creepy at all.  How did he know my mother called me?

"Why in the hell are you being so creepy and bothering me like this, calling my phone so many times?  Aren't you guys supposed to move on to a new number?"  I was starting to becoming angry all over again but a little unsettled by the whole thing as well.

"Well, I should, but you're so damn pretty that I couldn't help myself," he said in a very dry way as if by some ungodly law of nature he was justified to be this creepy.

"You're creeping me out man, this is becoming really uncomfortable.  I want to talk to your supervisor." My skin was starting to crawl with goosebumps.  I was still more annoyed than anything but there was a small inkling of fear starting to grow deep in my stomach.

"Actually, I run my own telemarketing business and I am the supervisor, the boss and CEO baby.  What would you like to talk about?" The way he said baby made me fill with disgust.  It sounded disrespectful the way he said it.  I didn't like the tone he was having with me.

"I don't want you to call me anymore or I'll call the police and tell them you're harassing me." I felt like I was overreacting when I said that but I'd rather scare this guy with threats to get him to leave me alone.

"Oh no, not the police!  I better stop calling but that wouldn't be any fun now would it," the way he was mocking me was starting to freak me out. "The ringing would stop but I wouldn't stop watching you honey."  When he said that a heavy rock of dread dropped deep in my stomach.  A cold shiver of fear covered my whole body leaving goosebumps in its wake.

"Excuse me?"

"How about this?  I'll stop calling you if you stand naked by your window right now," holy hell I thought, could this guy see me?  The fear that was slowly creeping out of my stomach had now infested every inch of me and I was having trouble keeping my voice steady.

"What the hell?  You can see my window?  I'm calling the police right now asshole."

I hung up the phone and called the police. My hands were shaking. They came over and I explained everything and gave them the numbers.  They said since nothing happened on the premises there wasn't really anything they could do.  They said they would have a patrol car come by the area a few times that night and they would try and see if they could figure out what telemarketing business the numbers were from this way I could file a complaint and if the harassment continued I could press charges. I felt better knowing that and also that a patrol car was in the area.

After they left I did get another call from a private number.  I ignored it.  The next day I was a little nervous and unsettled about the conversation I had the night before.  I couldn't shake the feeling of that guy watching my window at night.  I felt like my privacy had been invaded greatly and I didn't know how to get it back.

After work I noticed I had a missed call from a weird number and it had left a voicemail. I was almost too scared to check it.  It was from the police saying they ran the number through some traces but the numbers came back from all over the United States with basically no way of knowing where this guy actually called from. The numbers weren't associated with any telemarketing business so it was a dead end. They said most likely since none of the numbers were near where I lived that this guy was just playing with my head.  I thought it was nice of them to actually follow up on the numbers most stations wouldn't give it a second thought.

So I decided the next day I would change my number instead, seemed like an over reaction but I was still feeling very uneasy about the whole situation.  Later that night I called one of my good friends to tell him all about this creepy guy.  We talked for about fifteen minutes when he walked into a deadzone and we got disconnected.  I waited a moment for him to call back and so when it rang I immediately answered it.

"I timed that perfectly didn't I.  Who were you talking to?  Oh, did you answer because you thought I was them?"  He laughed and somewhere in my stomach a cold feeling of shock and fear came crawling out.

"Why are you bothering me?  Just leave me alone!"  This time the fear immediately crawled out of the pit of my stomach.

"Why don't you call the cops again?  I knew they wouldn't be able to trace anything.  They're cops, they get paid to protect and serve their paychecks.  Do you think they really cared about you being creeped out by some creepy guy on the phone? What did you expect of them, to rush out all squad cars and search high and low and they would find me, some guy with a phone sitting alone in some warehouse making phone calls pleasuring himself?  I think I'm a little more prepared than that.  Well, I do like pleasuring myself and you are definitely a cutie.  Why don't you just unlock your door and make this easier?"

A knot of dread balled up in my throat.  I was hoping this guy would just be bluffing about being so near.  I remember what the cops said about the numbers not being from anywhere near but that didn't comfort me.  I figured maybe if I got him to talk more that I could get some information for the police.

"What the hell do you want from me?"  I was trying to act like I wasn't afraid but my hands were shaking and I could barely keep my voice from trembling.  Something about the way this guy talked to me really crawled under my skin.  I would have hung up on him immediately but I felt like I could outsmart him and have him give up telling me something that would let the cops find him.

"I don't want anything..." he paused for a second, "too extravagant.  Right now I just want your mouth on my penis.  I have it out for you, just unlock your door." Him talking about his penis filled me with complete disgust.

"You must think I'm an idiot.  First, if you were near you would already be in here.  Secondly, why would I just unlock my door and let some guy with a tiny penis inside my apartment.  You're clearly a sick son of a bitch and if you keep harassing me the police will find you psycho path."  I was stretching my courage but I felt like if I didn't back down at this point that maybe he would get discouraged about toying with my emotions.  I was rationalizing with the idea that he was lying about seeing me and being near.  If I could just intimidate him with the fact I would keep calling the police maybe he would leave me alone.

"You know its not nice to insult someone especially when you don't know if the person you're insulting is in fact a psycho path.  Plus, I'm not scared of the police.  I know what I'm doing, been doing it a long time honey and you aren't going to be the one to outsmart me.  You'll see, I'll get what I want."  The tone in his voice was like that of  an arrogant man telling a child how he's way better at hide and seek.

"Ill never give you anything you pervert!" anger started peeking back in and I held on to it as much as I could.

"Now now, stop with the name calling.  I already warned you about that." I hated the way he talked down to me.

"If you don't like it then you can just leave me alone because I've got plenty other unflattering names to call you." I realized the conversation might not be going anywhere and that I just might be enticing him to continue.

"How about you call them to my face?  Unlock your door."  My anger vanished every time he told me to unlock my door.

"If you come near me I'll smash your face in with a baseball bat!" I tried really hard to intimidate him.

"Wow, that's pretty violent.  Now who's acting like a psycho path? Just indulge me for a second.  Are you curious where I really am?

I stayed silent, now I could possibly get some information for the police.  I figured I'd stay on the phone a little longer.

"Answer me when I'm talking to you!"  His voice growled like an animals. It chilled me to my bones.

"Just tell me already if you're going to tell me."

"Well first, let me tell about your friends. They have a lot of numbers in their contacts don't they.  Lots of friends for me to choose from.  Lots of people to have fun with.  How about you?  Do you want to be friends with me?" Why was he telling me this?  Is this how he got my number?  I knew then this was going nowhere.

"I would never be friends with you and I think this has gone on long enough." I was about to hang up the phone.

"Hold on, don't you want to know how to find me?"

I wanted to hang up but there was a part of me that was hoping he would just say something useful.

"Where are you then?"

"I'm in your other room."

My heart sank.  I froze with pure horror as my eyes widened with fear.  I could feel the sickness of fear crawl out of my belly and reach through every inch of my core.  I had a quick decision to make, I could either run outside and leave my apartment or check the other bedroom.  Then I thought this might be some attempt to get me outside where he could actually be waiting.  But if he was in my room I couldn't stay inside.  I didn't know what to do.  Finally I decided on a simple solution hoping it would work.  After a few moments of me frozen in terror I hung up my phone and re-dialed the number he called from.  The numbers dialed one by one and finally I heard a ringing in my speaker.  After a fraction of a second of lag from the ring in my phone I heard a ringing coming from my other bedroom.  Bolts of fear shot up through my spine and my fight or flight instincts took over.  I immediately ran out the front door and to the neighbors.  I called the police and had them come, they searched my apartment and found nothing.  Just the window in the bedroom open.

I changed my number after that but I still got a text message the other day from a strange number saying "I'll see you around ;-)"  I don't think I'll ever answer a phone again.  The very thought of this guy still out there chills me to my bones knowing he got my number somehow through someone else's phone leads me to believe he has all my contacts as well.  I don't know if he's done with me or if he's chosen someone else but I just hope he doesn't find your number.