You were sat on your sofa, quietly watching a movie when your phone rang. The number was unknown, but you decided to pick it up.

"'ello?" The voice rang through. It was a nervous, quiet voice. Whoever it was that called you was someone from London, "Dis is.. dis is the suicide 'otline, yes?" The voice asked. You bit your lip and thought very quickly. "Um, no..it isn't."

"Oh..oh, I see. Dis is clearly a sign ey should not have called. I' was my mistake. Ey will 'ang up now."

"Wait!" You said quickly, "You're not going to hurt yourself, are you?" You asked, feeling your heart drop.

"Why?" There was a pause, "It is no' like you really know meh on a pers'nal level," The voice responded, flat. You identified it as a man, whose Cockney accent was strong. "There is no-one who cares abou' me. No-one who loves me. I do no' ma''er."

"All people matter." You whispered into the phone, biting your lip hard.

"Is good tha' you fink tha' way. In tha' case, do no' worry. Ey will no' 'urt myself." Then he hung up, and the sound of the call ending played.

You muttered a curse under your breath and decided to call him. You waited for a minute, but you just heard the voicemail woman saying the normal shit. You tried again and again. The same thing happened, but a message rolled down on your screen.

UNKNOWN:
you sure are persistent
you
you you
you
hahaha what a funny word
actually wait, lol is the correct term for that.. is it not??
but im not lolling on the floor
wait thats not what it means, does it?
hahaha

You bit your lip, wondering how to reply. You typed in your message and sent it.

YOU:
It means 'laughing out loud'.

UNKNOWN:
right
okay well
i forgot if i was laughing out loud
ive been drinking so i can be forgiven
and taking pills

You cursed again under your breath. "Shit, this dude said he wouldn't hurt himself. Probably a way to get me not worried about him," You said to yourself.

UNKNOWN:
theyre so stone cold
id rather have a warm slice of apple pie
theres an ice cream place with that name right?
stone cold ice cream?
something doesnt sound right
either way it sounds good but i dont want something cold
i want to be waaaaarm

YOU:
Where are you?

UNKNOWN:
in the middle of nowhere
hey hey you arent trying to figure out where i am are
so you can send help
are you?
that would be smart
im trying to remember my address but its not coming to mind
12345 sounds good
2s my favourite number
everyone knows 1s lonely
he should get together with...
what number do you think he should get together with?
or maybe an alphabet would be better
* a letter
like a
a seems lonely
don't you think?

YOU:
Try to think of a street name.
..Are you okay?

UNKNOWN:
sorry i blacked out for a moment there
what were u sayin
g
oh wait i can just scroll up
too many texts
too much white
should change my background before i die
what should be my last parting message

YOU:
Tell me about your home.

UNKNOWN:
its a beautiful place
quaint but dear to me
maman would always be preparing something nice
made such a wonderful smell
home was always warm warm warm
youve never known a place happier on earth
i think ive heard that saying before
for that amusemant park palce thing
* place
sounded like i said palace there for a moment there
or rather looked like it
anyways
ive never been to an amusement park
ive always wondered whats that like
but i dont think it would be happier than home
home is where the <3 is
have you ever been to England?
just not during that time i hope
you know?
i dont want to lose anyone else

YOU:
I want to know about your city.

UNKNOWN:
what about it
its like any other city?
sort of?
town might be more accurate
or not
towns have close-knit communities right?
ive never felt close to anyone
ive grown close with the space around me
the leaves in autumn and the snows in winter
the melting heat in the summer and the first shoots of spring
puis nous allons
fleurir les beaux
pissenlits d'or
je suis désolé
notmakingsense

YOU:
What is your neighbourhood famous for?

UNKNOWN:
icantbreathe
help me
help

YOU:
Tell me where you are

UNKNOWN:
ragerageagainstthedyingofthelight
rageragerageragerageragerageragerageragerageragerageragerageeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee
helpme
cantbreathe
help

You swore loudly this time, quickly pressing the call button. He picked up, but you could hear chokes and very shallow breathing. He was right, he was struggling to breathe. Panic set in through you and you listened to him. You were frozen and when he fell silent you were brought back.

You called the police, but you knew you didn't have enough information to save him.

ENDING 1/9 : OUT OF BREATH