Where Were You?

07 - College Dorm

The faint hum of music leaked through the thin walls of the dorm, mixing with the rhythmic ticking of a clock on the desk. 

Finals were coming, and the building was unusually quiet for a Friday night. Most of the students were buried in textbooks, headphones plugged in, trying to cram a semester's worth of knowledge into their heads. 

Jenny sighed, stretching her arms above her head before slumping back in her chair. The biology notes in front of her blurred together, the caffeine barely doing its job anymore.

A knock on her door startled her. She pulled off her headphones and glanced at the time—11:45 p.m. She wasn't expecting anyone. The knock came again, more insistent this time.

She got up, padding across the room in her socks and pulling the door open. No one was there. The hallway was empty, the fluorescent lights casting harsh shadows along the worn carpet. Frowning, she stepped out, glancing up and down the hall. Not a soul in sight. She was about to turn back when she heard it—a faint, muffled sound from the far end of the corridor.

It was a thud. Then another.

Her pulse quickened as she took a tentative step forward, her eyes fixed on the door at the very end of the hall. It belonged to Kyle, the guy who had a reputation for late-night parties and even later-night hookups. But tonight, there was no music thumping through his walls, no loud voices, no laughter. Just those strange, rhythmic thuds.

She hesitated, wondering if she should just go back to her room and lock the door. But something didn't feel right. She edged closer, the sound growing louder with each step. She pressed her ear to his door, holding her breath. There was shuffling, followed by a low groan. She knocked softly.

"Kyle?" she called, her voice trembling slightly. No response.

Her hand hovered over the doorknob. Maybe he was drunk, or sick. Either way, she shouldn't be here. But before she could pull away, the door creaked open on its own, just a crack. The groan from inside was louder now, more urgent.

The air inside smelled stale, thick with sweat and something metallic. Blood. She pushed the door open wider, her hand trembling. The room was dark, but she could make out the shape of someone sitting on the floor by the bed, their head bent low. Kyle.

Her heart pounded in her chest. "Kyle, are you okay?" she whispered, stepping into the room. He didn't respond, didn't even look up. She moved closer, the floor creaking beneath her feet. The sound of her breathing felt impossibly loud.

She was only a few feet away when he finally looked up, his eyes glazed over, unfocused. Blood trickled from his nose and mouth, staining the front of his shirt. Jenny gasped, backing away, but it was too late. He lunged at her with a speed she didn't think he was capable of, his fingers clawing at her arm. She screamed, stumbling backward, knocking over a chair as she tried to escape his grip.

Somehow, she managed to break free, running out into the hallway. She slammed the door shut behind her, her breath coming in ragged gasps. Her arm burned where his nails had raked across her skin. She could hear him pounding on the door from the other side, his groans growing more desperate.

The hallway was still empty. She sprinted to her room, locking the door behind her. Her mind raced, trying to process what had just happened. Her phone buzzed on the desk, pulling her out of her thoughts. She grabbed it, her hands shaking, and unlocked the screen.

There were dozens of missed texts from the university's emergency alert system, all marked urgent. She scrolled through them, her stomach sinking with each message.

"Unknown illness spreading on campus."

"Stay indoors."

"Avoid contact with others."

She backed away from the phone, her legs giving out as she sank to the floor. Outside, in the hall, she could hear more doors opening. 

More footsteps. 

More groans.