00:00Welcome back to Tales of Unusual, stories that ask what you detrade for a taste of luck.
00:08Tonight's story is about chance, greed, and a number that promises everything, but takes more than you can pay.
00:17If you've ever dreamed of waking up rich, this tale might change your mind.
00:23Sit back, switch off the lights, and get ready to test your luck.
00:28This is the winning number. Ethan was 34, single, and drowning in debt he pretended didn't exist.
00:37His days blurred between night shifts at a gas station and empty nights in a moldy apartment.
00:45Every payday. He bought one lottery ticket. Same numbers, every time. 0713-213-455.
00:55They'd never won him more than a free ticket or a few dollars.
01:01One night, after another losing ticket, Ethan sat alone, staring at his numbers under flickering kitchen light.
01:10That's when his phone buzzed. An unknown number. One he didn't recognize.
01:15One message. Try these numbers. Instead, 041-129-4662.
01:24He almost laughed, until he looked closer and saw the message was sent from his own number.
01:31Ethan should have ignored it.
01:33But the next day, half out of spite, he played the new numbers.
01:38That night, half asleep on his battered couch, he heard the lottery draw.
01:44Every number matched. He checked again and again.
01:48The numbers were real. And so was the jackpot.
01:5212 million dollars. His breath caught in his throat.
01:56He laughed, then sobbed.
01:58For the first time in years, he felt weightless.
02:01He didn't even wonder where the message came from, or why it felt like someone was laughing with him in the dark.
02:10Overnight, Ethan's life changed.
02:13He moved into a penthouse, bought a car he didn't need, paid off debts he'd hidden from everyone.
02:20But the messages didn't stop.
02:23They came at 3 a.m., always from his own number.
02:27Want more? Try this, tomorrow.
02:30The numbers always won.
02:32Smaller prizes, bigger prizes, even the races and cards.
02:37Each win pulled him deeper.
02:39But each message came with a whisper, only he could hear.
02:44Keep going, one night.
02:46He woke up with dry blood under his nose, and his phone glowing in the dark.
02:52You owe us, now.
02:53At first, Ethan thought he was hallucinating.
02:58The messages, the whispers, the shadows in his hallway.
03:02Then the calls started.
03:04A voice, calm and pleasant.
03:07Always the same.
03:09Do you enjoy your winnings, Mr. Carter?
03:12We're here to collect.
03:14Ethan tried blocking the number.
03:17It didn't work.
03:18He changed phones.
03:20The messages followed.
03:22He threw the phone in the river.
03:25The next morning, it lay on his kitchen counter, dry and blinking.
03:30Collection begins tonight.
03:32He hired security, called the police.
03:35No one believed him.
03:37But the debt collector didn't care who was watching.
03:41It started small.
03:42A cut on his arm that wouldn't heal.
03:45A tooth that fell out when he woke.
03:48Each morning, he felt weaker, as if something drained him while he slept.
03:53But his bank accounts were untouched.
03:56The collector didn't want his money.
03:58They wanted him.
04:00One night, desperate, Ethan dialed his own number.
04:04And heard the same calm voice answer.
04:07One last win, Ethan.
04:09One number left.
04:11Then you're free.
04:12He didn't ask what that meant.
04:15He didn't care.
04:16He just wanted out.
04:17He agreed.
04:18And the next day, he played the number they gave him.
04:22The biggest prize yet.
04:24Ethan won the jackpot.
04:26Fifty million dollars.
04:28The largest in state history.
04:30Reporters waited outside his building.
04:33He never made it to claim the prize.
04:35His penthouse door stayed locked for days.
04:39When they broke in, they found him slumped in his chair.
04:43Phone still glowing in his hand.
04:45On the screen, paid in full.
04:48His accounts were still overflowing.
04:51But Ethan was gone.
04:52Eyes open, mouth frozen, in a smile, too wide, too wrong.
04:58And on the kitchen counter sat his winning ticket.
05:01Numbers perfectly lined up, like teeth in a grin.
05:06The winning ticket was never claimed.
05:08The number still calls, sometimes.
05:12Always a message.
05:13Always the same promise.
05:15Want to win.
05:16So next time you wish for a lucky number.
05:19Remember Ethan.
05:21Some debts aren't paid with money.
05:23Some numbers shouldn't be dialed.
05:26Thank you for watching Tales of Unusual.
05:28If you enjoyed this story, like, comment, and subscribe for more tales that make you question what you detrade for a little bit of luck.
05:39Sleep well tonight and don't answer unknown numbers.
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