The phone rang loudly inside Mikk's house.
Tring... Tring... Tring...
Everyone in the room went silent. The tension in the air was thick. Mikk quickly ran toward the phone and picked it up.
Mikk: "Hello?"
There was a pause. Then, a deep and strange voice spoke from the other end.
Dr. Edward William: "Hey, Mikk. How are you?"
The room seemed to grow colder. A chilling silence filled the air, like time had stopped for a second. Sinister music played faintly on the TV in the corner, but now it felt like it belonged to the moment.
Mikk froze. He frowned and gripped the phone tighter.
Mikk (confused): "Who are you? How do you know my name? How did you even get this number?"
Everyone in the room—Sharon, Jessy, Justin, Mr. Keery, and Ivan—turned toward Mikk, curious and nervous. They could hear his voice getting shaky. Their eyes followed his every reaction.
There was an awkward silence.
Dr. Edward William (calmly): "Hey, kid. Your friend Hazel... is with us."
Episode 10 :- The Call
As soon as everyone heard that name—Hazel—a heavy fear entered their hearts. Jessy gasped. Sharon stepped forward. Ivan clenched his fists. Mikk's face went pale.
Mr. Keery didn't wait another second. He stormed forward and snatched the phone out of Mikk's hands.
Mr. Keery (angrily): "Hey! Who the fuck are you?! Why have you kidnapped Hazel?!"
But the man on the other end was completely calm, almost amused.
Dr. Edward William: "Look, Mr. Keery. It's not important for you to know my name. What's important... is saving your baby doll. Am I not right?"
Everyone in the room looked at each other, confused and afraid. No one knew who this man was or why he had Hazel.
Ivan's eyes widened. He took a deep breath, then slowly raised his hand, signaling to Mr. Keery to give him the phone. Mr. Keery looked at him for a second, then passed it over.
Dr. Edward William (still thinking he's speaking to Keery): "Hey, are you listening to me, Mr. Keery?"
But as soon as Ivan heard his voice, his entire body froze. The phone slipped from his hand and crashed to the floor. His face turned pale. His eyes stared into the void.
Dr. Edward William: "I'll give you some time to recover from the shock. I'll call again... in 30 minutes."
Click.
The call ended.
The room was dead silent.
Mr. Keery slowly picked up the phone and placed it back on the receiver. Then he turned to Ivan.
Mr. Keery (serious): "Who was that? What did he say that shook you so badly?"
Ivan looked down. He couldn't speak. His lips trembled. His hands were cold. After a long pause, he finally whispered:
Ivan: "It was Dr... Edward William. He's the one who kidnapped Hazel."
Mr. Keery frowned.
Mr. Keery: "Who is he?"
Ivan (quietly): "The one who took me from my parents. The one who experimented on me."
Jessy's eyes widened in shock. His mouth dropped open.
Jessy: "Oh fuck! Don't say—please, don't say—he's doing the same thing to Hazel! What are we supposed to do now?!"
No one had an answer. They were all panicking silently. Their brains were running in every direction, but no idea came.
Mikk (defeated): "Hazel is doomed... Actually, we're all doomed."
Suddenly—
Tring... Tring... Tring...
The phone rang again.
Everyone looked at it like it was a bomb. No one dared to touch it. No one moved.
But Mr. Keery, fueled by anger and fear, rushed over and answered it without thinking.
Mr. Keery (shouting): "You piece of shit! Why have you kidnapped Hazel?! What do you want?! If you hurt her, I swear—I will find you and kill you! You goddamn piece of shit!"
But the voice on the other end wasn't Edward's.
James (confused): "Kidnapped? Who kidnapped Hazel? Mr. Keery?"
Mr. Keery froze. His eyes widened in embarrassment.
Mr. Keery: "Oh shit. James... I'm sorry. I thought you were someone else."
James: "It's okay, Mr. Keery. But what's going on? Did something happen to Hazel?"
Before Mr. Keery could respond, Sharon rushed forward and grabbed the phone from his hands.
Sharon (shouting): "James, get over here right now! Come to my house, fast!"
James: "Wait, what happened—?"
Sharon (annoyed): "No time to talk! Just come!"
She slammed the phone down.
Mikk (irritated): "Why did you call him? He'll just make things worse."
Sharon (serious): "We need more people if we're going to save Hazel."
Everyone went quiet again. A heavy silence hung in the room.
Tring... Tring... Tring...
The phone rang once more.
Sharon moved toward it, but Mr. Keery stopped her with a hand gesture. He picked up the phone himself.
Dr. Edward William: "Are you ready to talk now?"
Mr. Keery (firmly): "Yes."
Dr. Edward William (calm as ever): "I don't want to hurt Hazel. I only want one thing—the location of the portal boy... Ivan."
Everyone's eyes turned to Ivan again. He lowered his gaze.
Dr. Edward William: "I know she was with him. I found her bicycle inside the Texas Lab. But no matter what I do, she won't tell me anything about him."
A short pause.
Dr. Edward William: "So we took her mother, Lisa. From her phone, we got Mikk's number. She said Hazel was with Mikk and his friends yesterday."
Dr. Edward William: "So, Mr. Keery... where is Ivan?"
Ivan could no longer hold it in. His voice cracked as he spoke, tears rolling down his face.
Ivan (sobbing): "They took her... for me. This is all my fault. I never should've come here. I put everyone in danger... because of me. I'm selfish. So selfish…"
He broke down. His hands covered his face.
Justin rushed to his side and hugged him tightly.
Justin (calm and kind): "Hey, Ivan. This isn't your fault. We chose to help you. We chose to be your friends."
Justin: "Whatever's happening to Hazel now, we're all in it together. Don't blame yourself. We'll fix this, okay? We'll find a way."
Mikk (encouraging): "You're Ivan—the superhero. And you're with us. I know we'll save Hazel... and her mom."
Ivan wiped his tears and looked at Mr. Keery.
Mr. Keery (into phone): "Go fuck yourself. I'm not telling you anything. I know where you are. I'll find you, and I'll arrest you. I'll get Hazel and Lisa out of your trap."
Suddenly, they heard a girl's voice screaming in the background—Hazel.
Hazel (furious): "You shit-faced motherfuckers! Why did you kidnap my mom?! She doesn't even know who Ivan is! Let her go! I swear, if I get out—I'll kill you!"
Ivan's heart shattered. He rushed forward and ripped the phone from Mr. Keery's hand.
Ivan (shouting): "Hey, Ed! I'm here! You want me? Come and get me! But let Hazel and her mom go!"
There was silence.
Everyone stared at Ivan, their eyes wide with worry, hope, and fear.
They didn't know what would happen next... but they knew the fight had truly begun.
The Texas Lab Anomaly
End of Episode 10 :- The Call
Sarthak Kashyap
Stay tuned for more episodes .
Two episodes dropping every week.