Why Us?

Darkness had settled over the campus as the clock struck midnight, casting an eerie stillness that clung to the air. Mark and Emily, two students sharing a dorm room, had just finished studying for their upcoming exams. With heavy eyelids, they decided to call it a night. The dorm hallway was dimly lit, and a faint buzzing sound echoed from a flickering overhead light.

As Emily slipped into her covers, she caught a glimpse of a shadow moving outside the window. She brushed it off as a trick of her tired mind, but her unease grew when a soft tap on the glass followed. Heart pounding, she nudged Mark awake, who grumbled about being disturbed.

"Mark, there's something outside the window," Emily whispered, her voice trembling.

Mark rubbed his eyes and peered out, but the courtyard below appeared deserted. "It's probably just a tree branch or an animal," he mumbled, pulling the covers over his head.

Reluctantly, Emily settled back down, trying to shake off her unease. Just as her breathing began to steady, a low whisper slithered through the room, too faint to make out any words. Mark shot up, his eyes wide, scanning the room.

"Did you hear that?" he asked, his voice barely above a whisper.

Emily nodded, her fear mirrored in her eyes. The room seemed to close in around them as the temperature dropped, causing their breath to mist in the air. They heard shuffling footsteps just outside their door, slow and deliberate.

Without a word, they held their breath, straining their ears to catch any sound. The footsteps drew nearer, until they stopped right outside their door. A chilling silence enveloped the room, broken only by the thudding of their hearts.

Then, the doorknob began to turn slowly, as if being twisted by an invisible hand. Panic surged through Mark and Emily. They leaped out of bed, stumbling over each other in their rush to barricade the door with their desk and chairs. The doorknob rattled violently, and an otherworldly moan filled the room, growing louder and more sinister with each passing second.

As they huddled in the corner, the walls of the room seemed to pulsate, the wallpaper shifting like living skin. The room's light flickered and cast distorted shadows that danced in a grotesque ballet. The air turned icy, their breath now visible even in the dark corners of the room.

Desperation took hold of Mark and Emily as they realized they were trapped. Emily's eyes fell on a dusty old book left on the nightstand by a previous occupant of the room. It was filled with handwritten notes about paranormal entities and rituals to banish them.

With trembling hands, they flipped through the pages, their fingers landing on a page that described a ritual of protection. The ritual involved creating a circle of salt around themselves and reciting a chant to ward off the malevolent spirits. They scoured the room for salt, finding a half-empty shaker in the small kitchenette area.

With the salt spread around them, they clasped hands and began to recite the chant. The air crackled with energy as they repeated the words, their voices growing stronger despite their fear. A blinding light filled the room, forcing them to shut their eyes.

When they cautiously opened their eyes, they found themselves back in their ordinary dorm room, the air now calm and warm. The oppressive presence had vanished.

Days turned into weeks, and Mark and Emily rarely spoke about that horrifying night. They continued their studies, attended classes, and tried to return to normalcy. But every now and then, as they walked past the window or heard a faint whisper in the dark, they couldn't help but wonder if the nightmare was truly over or if something malevolent still lingered, waiting for its chance to return.

One evening, as they walked across the campus, they noticed an old, abandoned building that they hadn't paid much attention to before. It stood at the edge of the campus, its windows shattered and its walls covered in ivy. A rusty gate creaked open, beckoning them to explore further.

Against their better judgment, curiosity got the better of them, and they stepped inside. The air inside the building was thick with dust and the smell of decay. Their footsteps echoed through the empty hallways, and they felt a strange pull deeper into the building.

As they ventured deeper, the temperature dropped dramatically, and their breath misted in front of them. The walls seemed to close in, and the sound of their heartbeats filled their ears. They exchanged uneasy glances, the memories of their previous encounter fresh in their minds.

Suddenly, they heard faint whispers, like voices carried on the wind. The whispers grew louder and more distinct, forming chilling words that seemed to crawl beneath their skin. A cold sweat broke out on their brows as they realized the voices were coming from all around them, echoing off the walls.

Panicking, they turned to leave, only to find that the exit they had come through was no longer there. The hallway stretched endlessly in both directions, and they were trapped in a maze of shifting corridors. The walls seemed to warp and twist, distorting their sense of direction.

With each step they took, the whispers intensified, growing into an eerie chorus that seemed to mock and taunt them. Mark and Emily pressed their hands to their ears, trying to block out the sounds, but the whispers seemed to seep into their minds, filling their thoughts with darkness.

In their desperation, Emily remembered the ritual from the old book. They needed protection once again, a way to shield themselves from whatever malevolent force had ensnared them. They searched their pockets and found a few grains of salt from a forgotten snack.

Holding hands, they spread the salt in a circle around themselves and began to recite the chant they had memorized. The air crackled with energy once more, and a faint light enveloped them. But this time, the darkness fought back, the whispers growing louder and more furious, as if the entity itself was trying to drown out their words.

With unwavering determination, they continued to chant, their voices rising above the cacophony. The light intensified until it was blinding, and in an instant, the building around them vanished. They found themselves standing outside, under the open sky, the whispers fading into the distance.

Breathing heavily, Mark and Emily collapsed onto the grass, the weight of their ordeal finally sinking in. As the first rays of dawn broke over the horizon, they realized that the campus would never feel the same again. The shadows held secrets they could never fully comprehend, and the boundary between the mundane and the supernatural had been irreversibly blurred.

Their friendship grew stronger in the aftermath of their shared ordeal, a bond forged in the crucible of fear and survival. They continued their studies, always watchful for any signs of the otherworldly. And as they walked the campus paths, they couldn't help but glance at the abandoned building, wondering if it still stood there, a gateway to a realm of darkness that hungered for their souls.