The One that Got Away

The Beginning

As soon as I unlock the front doors to the counseling center I can feel something wrong. I guess it's only natural when something tragic happens. I feel unseen eyes burning into the back of my head, but I am clearly the only one here now. I flip on the main switch that turns all of the lights on. There are three doors on each side of the hallway and then one at the very end. The sound of my heels with the sound of my breath add to the tension, making the hair on the back of my neck stand on end as I pass the dark thresholds. Nearing the last room I notice that unlike the others, the door is closed. I nervously reach for the doorknob, knowing that it should not be shut. This office has been recently vacated. Though the door was shut, it wasn't locked. I push it open, plunging into the room with more force than needed and fall to the floor. I scream involuntary. I curse to myself. Did the power shut off? I search for my phone while it grows silent. So silent, I could cut it with a dagger. I hear an undecipherable whisper, "no one is in the building other than me" I remind myself out loud. At the exact moment my phone began to ring. I nearly jumped out of my skin, "Hello? Hellloooooooo?" I say a bit pitchy, still terrified by what is going on. Silence. I try and try but there is no response, so I hang up and turn my flashlight on. Something passes my front and I drop my phone to the concrete floor. Picking it back up I curse, then slide back up the wall. I turn slowly, checking the room I for who or what that could have been. Clear as day on the floor-to-ceiling window the words 'YOU SAID YOU WOULD HELP' are written into the condensation of the window. I step forward to further investigate and realize that this is not a joke. The words are written from the INSIDE.