The Caller isn't Human

Welcome back to Worlds Without Warning. This week, Jon Negroni reads aloud his new atmospheric horror story, "The Caller Isn't Human." Set during the graveyard shift at an all-night laundromat, this story follows Ray, a night-shift worker, through the hours between 2 and 4 a.m. when a payphone outside begins ringing at precise intervals, people start vanishing without explanation, and something begins testing the boundaries of the building. Blending cosmic dread with working-class isolation and meticulous attention to disrupted patterns, the story explores liminal spaces, the fragility of the systems we depend on, and what happens when reality quietly stops following rules you didn't know existed. You can find the written version of "The Caller isn't Human" right here. About the Author Jon Negroni is a Puerto Rican author based in the San Francisco Bay Area. His published books include The Pixar Theory (Slimbooks, 2015), a pop culture nonfiction, and his debut novel Killerjoy (5050 Press, 2017). His recent short fiction includes "Men Who Are Strong" (IHRAM Press) and "Upon a Dream," an original fable published in The Fairy Tale Magazine. His upcoming anthology appearances include a cryptid horror tale, a speculative fiction piece for Neon Hemlock, and a superhero story for Oddity Prodigies. He's also the co-founder of the entertainment website, InBetweenDrafts. Listen toward the end of the show for Jon’s full author’s notes on the making of this story. Read "The Caller isn't Human" with original artwork. Explore our full archive of stories and poetry. Submit your own story to be featured on Cetera. About Cetera Magazine We publish original short fiction every Thursday. Our stories span literary fiction, speculative tales, horror, sci-fi, fantasy, and weird fiction. All written without AI assistance and curated by editor Natalia Emmons. Credits Host & Author: Jon Negroni Editor: Natalia Emmons Artwork: Jon Negroni Music: "Magic Escape Room" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ Share This EpisodeIf you enjoyed this story, please share it with fellow story lovers. Your enthusiasm helps these stories reach new readers. Thank you!See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.