Tales from the Dark

16.

In a small university town, nestled between dense woods and a winding river, there stood an old, abandoned dormitory known as Hawthorne Hall. Legend had it that years ago, a group of students mysteriously vanished during a stormy night, their screams echoing through the halls. Since then, the dorm had been left to decay, but for some reason, it still drew the curious and the brave. One chilly October evening, a group of five students—Claire, Jake, Mia, Noah, and Sam—decided to explore Hawthorne Hall as part of their Halloween festivities. With flashlights in hand and adrenaline coursing through their veins, they made their way to the entrance, the heavy door creaking ominously as they pushed it open. Inside, the air was thick with dust, and shadows seemed to move just out of sight. The group laughed nervously, trying to shake off the unsettling atmosphere. They split up, with Jake and Mia heading to the basement while Claire, Noah, and Sam explored the second floor. As they wandered through the dimly lit corridors, Claire felt a chill run down her spine. "Do you guys hear that?" she whispered, pausing to listen. The others exchanged glances, but only the sound of their own breathing filled the silence. "Probably just the wind," Noah shrugged, but Claire couldn't shake the feeling of being watched. Meanwhile, in the basement, Jake and Mia were sifting through old furniture and broken mirrors. "Look at this!" Mia called, holding up a cracked photo frame. Inside was a faded picture of the missing students, their faces eerily similar to theirs. "Let's get out of here," Jake said, the air growing heavy around them. They turned to leave, but the door slammed shut with a deafening bang. Back upstairs, Claire, Noah, and Sam heard the noise. "What was that?" Claire asked, her heart racing. "We should check on them." They hurried to the stairs, but as they descended, the lights flickered, casting strange shadows that danced along the walls. "Maybe we should stick together," Sam suggested, his voice shaking. As they reached the basement door, they found it locked tight. "Jake! Mia!" Claire called, pounding on the door. No answer came. Panic surged within them. Suddenly, a soft whisper echoed through the darkness. "Help us..." It was faint but unmistakable. The whispers intensified, growing louder, more desperate. "Help us... before it's too late..." Noah's flashlight flickered, casting eerie shapes on the walls. "What's happening?" he gasped, looking around frantically. The shadows seemed to pulse and stretch, reaching toward them. With a surge of courage, Claire grabbed a nearby metal pipe and swung it at the door. It splintered, and with one final push, it gave way. The basement was dark and cold, the air thick with an unsettling presence. "Jake! Mia!" they called again. As they entered, they found the basement empty, but the walls were covered in strange symbols and drawings, as if someone had been trapped there. In the center of the room lay a single candle, flickering wildly despite the absence of wind. Then they heard it again—"Help us!"—but this time it was closer, almost right behind them. They turned, but there was nothing there. Desperate, they raced back up the stairs, but as they reached the landing, the shadows coalesced into dark figures. Faces appeared, twisted in agony, mouths moving soundlessly. "Join us..." they whispered, reaching out with skeletal hands. Claire screamed as the figures lunged. She grabbed Noah, and they pushed through the throng, stumbling toward the exit. But as they reached the door, it slammed shut, locking them in. "Let us out!" Sam cried, pounding on the wood. The shadows grew bolder, swirling around them, suffocating them with despair. "You can't leave. You must stay..." Just when hope seemed lost, a loud crash echoed through the basement. Jake and Mia burst through, panic etched on their faces. "We found a way out!" Jake shouted, waving a crowbar. The shadows recoiled momentarily, giving them a chance to escape. They dashed back through the door, down the hall, and out into the night, the moonlight washing over them like a lifeline. They didn't stop running until they reached the safety of the campus. Breathless and shaken, they turned to each other, realizing how close they had come to becoming part of the legends. But even as they made their way back to their dorms, they could still hear the whispers trailing behind them, echoing through the trees: "Help us... Join us..." And in the days that followed, the shadows of Hawthorne Hall remained, waiting for the next group of unsuspecting students to venture too close, their whispers growing louder with each passing night.