The moment dinner ended, we rushed back to our dorm. The sky outside was already dark, and the wind sounded like it was warning us.
Inside the room, we tried to act normal. Tried to pretend everything was fine. Tried to sleep.
It didn't work.
The noises started almost immediately.
Soft footsteps in the hallway. A whisper sliding under the door. Something tapping on the window like long fingers.
Mila hid under her blanket. "I hate this. I hate this so much."
Bella whispered, "Maybe it's just the wind."
A loud thump shook the hallway.
Daniel said, "That is NOT the wind."
Adrian covered his face with a pillow. "I'm going to cry."
I lay on my bed, staring at the ceiling. "Just ignore it. Morticia said don't follow the sounds. So we don't follow the sounds."
The noises kept going. Whispers. Footsteps. Scratching. Something dragging.
But slowly… very slowly… our tired bodies gave up.
One by one, we fell asleep.
I woke up with my throat burning.
I needed water.
Badly.
I checked the wooden chest. Empty. Checked the table. Empty. Checked the floor. Empty.
"Great," I whispered. "We're going to die of thirst before ghosts even touch us."
I sat on my bed, listening.
The hallway was still noisy—soft whispers, like someone calling my name.
Jay… Jay… Jay…
I waited. And waited. And waited.
Finally, after a few minutes, the sounds faded. The hallway went quiet.
Too quiet.
I took a deep breath, grabbed my shoes, and tiptoed to the door.
"Just water," I whispered to myself. "In and out. No dying."
I opened the door slowly. The hallway was empty. Cold. Still.
I walked fast—almost running—toward the canteen. Every shadow felt alive. Every corner felt wrong.
But I made it.
Inside the canteen, everything was dark except for the moonlight shining through the windows. I grabbed a bottle of water from the counter and held it like treasure.
"Okay," I whispered. "Now go back. Easy."
I stepped into the hallway again.
And that's when I heard it.
A whisper.
Right behind me.
Not far. Not down the hall. Not around the corner.
Right. Behind. Me.
"Jay…"
My whole body froze.
I didn't look back. I didn't breathe. I didn't think.
I RAN.
I sprinted down the hallway, heart exploding in my chest. The whisper followed me—soft, close, too close.
I turned the corner and saw a door with a faint light under it.
I didn't care whose room it was.
I ran to it and knocked hard—three times, loud and desperate.
The door opened.