Ten Minutes Ahead

A tense, self-contained sci-fi mystery lasting about 30–40 seconds, entirely inside a small apartment at night. Maya, a woman in her early thirties wearing a charcoal sweater, listens to a voicemail on her phone. Her own frightened voice whispers, "In ten minutes, someone knocks. Do not open the door." Three sharp knocks immediately sound. Maya freezes, then slowly approaches the closed front door. From the hallway, her own voice says, perfectly calm, "Maya. Delete that message. Let me in." Maya backs away, staring at the locked door. The voice outside and the recorded voice are both Maya; no second person is visible. Sparse dialogue, quiet room tone, no narrator. Just as Maya reaches forward to open the door, the scene dramatically cuts to black before it opens.