{○●¤Chapter Five: The New Room¤●○}

Someday in the year 1999

The juniors spent their 207th night in their dormitories.

A girl dressed as a junior runs through a hallway, screaming and crying for help. She looked behind her and catches a glimpse of a shadowy figure in the corner of the hallway, and it's coming towards her. She screams again and made a left turn to her room. It's the only way to hide from it since it is midnight and everyone seems to be asleep. She runs into her room and locked the door shut. She is breathing heavily as she quickly takes the stock of the situation. She turned to the antique cabinet, she can hide there so the one who is chasing her might let her be.

But it turns out it was a huge mistake that took away her life.

Hiding in drawers is such a cliche since it was a good spot from hiding from someone. The figure isn't dumb to let her live hiding there. 

She runs to the drawer, closing the cabinet face. She snuggled her body into the pile of clothes inside. Blouses she thought she could use, are here hanging above her. She closed her eyes and calmed herself. Everything will be alright. 

No, it won't.

Later when the figure is gone, she'll call the School Guards and her mum. She was in the middle of meditation when a blouse suddenly had fallen to her head. She checked the blouse if the hanger was broken, but it looks like its okay. The blouse was red and the polka dots were white. She remembered how it was so beautiful on her when she wears it and flex in front of a mirror. This was her favorite blouse among them.

She stuck her ear on the cabinet face and tries to listen if the figure is coming in. She only heard silence, and then she decided to get out. She opens the door without a squeak and tiptoed to a mirror. This mirror wasn’t hers. When she came here, the mirror is already there, sitting in a dirty state. But now she uses it and takes care of it, the mirror looked good as new.

Abruptly, she smiled. She placed her blouse atop her body. She was trying to see if this still fits her. Well, it seems fit. So she removed the hanger, and clothe the blouse. It did not cause her much time after all.

She smiled at the mirror again, with the blouse in her body. She brushed her black hair, and she appears to be flexing in the mirror.

She was startled by a noise. She turned to the door to see it bulging on its hinges again and again. Her pursuer is trying to take it down. Suddenly black smoke started to enter the room by the bottom of the door. It appears that the sill was broken, maybe by kicking. The smoke started to contaminate the air and later on it will trigger the worm to get out of her body.

She either dies by getting stabbed or the worm will poison her.

She looked around to find a weapon to use but there were none. Nothing can save her. She noticed the window covered by plywood.

She gathered her strength by clenching her fists and breathing in and out. She runs to the window and started to detach the plywood. After detaching out one piece of plywood, she gave up.

The window was covered by dozens of plywood, and it is impossible to separate them all without the pursuer breaking in.

She ran to the mirror and had an idea.

She picked up the hanger and then stared at the mirror, the time seems to stop. She stares at herself in the mirror, a look of confusion on her face. She mouths the words "Help me" to herself in the mirror. The door suddenly bursts off the frame and slams to the floor. The girl spins around holding the only thing that she can find, the hanger. Her pursuer steps through the now empty doorway. It's a humanoid that the body is made of souls, with dark eyes and mouth emitting black smoke. It is wearing a senior uniform, stained by soot that seems to come from its mouth.

It walks closer to her, in slow motion.

She tries to run away but discovers herself locked in place.

She's trapped,

The pursuer took out a knife that she had never seen before. The handle was decorated by veins and seems to be flesh. 

She was panicking inside and the worm is waking up in her body. 

The pursuer comes closer and closer and starts to get faster. 

The pursuer stabbed her and the blood splattered everywhere. The pursuer ran away and left her on the floor losing her blood.

In her wound, black liquid explodes followed by a worm bursting out of her stabbed area. The worm crawls to her face leaving acid trails that melts her flesh. It spews out acid mixed with soot particles. It melts her face and her muscles in the face start to show. Her skull was covered with black spots and strings of muscles. The worm ate her left eye and forced itself into her sphenoid bone.  

........

Present-day.

I was staring at the row of seniors entering the gym carrying red velvet suitcases. Their faces are covered by white cloth and a mask. The mask has outlandish features. Each faces has red dots on the cheeks and black circles under the eyes. Every mask has its own emotion.

There was a mask that is so odd I kept an eye on it for minutes. It shows my whole emotion. You can see in the shape of its eyes that it feels anxious and agitated. Its mouth shapes like an upside-down crescent. It was so beautiful that I followed it wherever it went. 

I got startled when acoustic feedback echoed around the gym. A senior with a black cloth covering his face patted the microphone's head and let out a screech. I immediately covered my ears and turned my attention to the leader. 

He hacked. (he called attention)

"Greetings, passers of the scholarship test." He started.

I frowned. The test papers are on the floor, stained with soot and there is no checkmark to show someone checked it. How did they check without even picking up the papers? I realized what was the reason. 

"Tomorrow is going to be the first day of the stay here. Scholars, may I remind you to keep your grades high so you will not lose the scholarship. And to sum up, the headmaster will recite the list of rules and the subjects you guys need to focus on with all your attention." 

He coughed and continued.

"Thank you."

I trembled for a moment. It is a strange feeling to get chills at the moment of declaration. I watched the Seniors approach every scholar and lead the way to someplace. 

Is there some interview? Last-minute test? Or the last session? 

I was busy scrambling my thoughts when a senior approached me.

I felt a gentle tap on my shoulder. I turned and faced a senior with a plain mask. The white cloth wrapped around her shoulders look dirty, and her senior uniform looked too big for her size. 

"Let's go," she said in a cold tone. 

She pulled me with her, leading me to the door which seems to be some path to another place. She opened the door and light blinded my eyes. I protected my eyes and slightly peeked to see what is going on. She took me to a line of seniors along with the scholars. The line was directed to the entrance of a mansion, with bushes and fountains around it. This one looks gloomy and approving in the same way. I removed my protection and focused my attention on the lines. Far away to the entrance of the mansion, stood a little stage where the seniors give the boxes to the scholars they accompanied. 

When it was my turn the senior gave me the box immediately and left. I was on the stage standing and the other scholars in the line staring at me. I jumped down the stage without using the ladder. I hurried my way and followed the path of a red carpet, which lead me inside the mansion. I joined a crowd of scholars, they were murmuring about something. I watched them open their velvet boxes and pick out interesting things they saw. There was one scholar who found a key for something with some number attached to it. The scholar ran upstairs and after a minute he came back shouting something.

"Guys! I think this key is for our rooms!" He rushes back upstairs and they all follow him. I rushed my way there too. Everyone was finding the room with the number attached with the key. 

Mine was pretty easy to find.

I made a left and found it. It was in the middle of numbers 9 and 11. I opened the door and twisted the key. The door smells new. I shut the door and looked around my room. It was a neat-looking room after all. The window looks like it was attached yesterday or last month. There was a mirror attached next to a drawer. It looked pretty old, unlike the door and the window. The drawer has an outlandish feature that has unique pattern carvings. On the other side of the room was the bed, and the rest are empty. I placed my box in a smaller drawer. I found a miniature couch with a small pillow. I removed my sling bag and placed it on the couch. 

The doll climbs out of the bag. It looked around and seems happy to see new things. I unbuttoned my stained blouse and threw it on the floor. 

A hand grabbed the blouse and placed it in the darkness under the bed.

I had no idea something was creeping into my new room. 

I walked in the direction of my drawer. 

At the moment I opened the drawer, something creeped the hell out of me. I was startled I dropped to the floor, my face shocked. There was something in my drawer. 

I walked closer and a girl, her face almost a skull, was inside the drawer, wearing a torn blouse. A fat black worm is in her left eye, struggling to enter her skull. She was snuggling with piles of my clothes, which sounds like crying. 

I screamed and I rushed to my door. I slammed it and tried to open it. I banged it and started crying for help. I was keeping an eye on her to see if she is following me. But she wasn't moving at all. I quietened and stopped. 

I heard her trying to say something, curious, I walked closer with the courage that I kept with me. 

At first, it sounds like gibberish, but as I come closer, it sounds clearer. She was crying, like regretting something. 

"Help me, Help." She says in a very husky tone.

"Is something wrong?" I asked.

She stopped crying as she heard it. She gasped.

Air started to revolve and I saw her flying. She was screaming, her tears turned into acid as she curses me with all her might.  I was affected by the air and started to roll on the floor as I ride the tornado. I was so dizzy, uneasiness made my heart almost skip a thump. The tornado turns black and her tears turned into blood.

"A morte resurgam et inferni gustabo aromata!" she screamed, as my heart starts beating slower and slower, the tornado stopped... 

She smiled as  I dropped to the floor.

I smiled at the mirror. I flexed a blouse with a skirt so short it did not reach my knees. I slid my fingers on my hips, chuckling as I did so. When I was staring at my reflection, some pictures played in the mirror.

A girl stares at herself in the mirror, a look of confusion on her face. She mouths the words "Help me" to me in the mirror. The door suddenly bursts off the frame and slams to the floor. The girl spins around holding the only thing that she can find, the hanger. Her pursuer steps through the now empty doorway. It's a humanoid that the body is made of souls, with dark eyes and mouth emitting black smoke. It is wearing a senior uniform, stained by soot that seems to come from its mouth.

It walks closer to her, in slow motion.

She tries to run away but discovers herself locked in place.

She's trapped,

The pursuer took out a knife that she had never seen before. The handle was decorated by veins and seems to be flesh. 

She was panicking inside and the worm is waking up in her body. 

The pursuer comes closer and closer and starts to get faster. 

The pursuer stabbed her and the blood splattered everywhere. The pursuer ran away and left her on the floor losing her blood.

In her wound, black liquid explodes followed by a worm bursting out of her stabbed area. The worm crawls to her face leaving acid trails that melts her flesh. It spews out acid mixed with soot particles. It melts her face and her muscles in the face start to show. Her skull was covered with black spots and strings of muscles. The worm ate her left eye and forced itself into her sphenoid bone. 

I watched it replay again and again. Blood in the mirror appears. I sobbed and I had the worst idea.

 I turned to the drawer, a red velvet box atop it. I walked to it and grabbed the box. While in my hands, I opened it by destroying the lock. A knife was sitting there, and without a second thought, I grabbed it. I smiled at no one.

I pointed the sharp end of the knife at me.

"If I stab you, you'll come with me to hell right?" I mouthed those words.

I smiled and chuckled. 

I stabbed myself with the knife and laughed at myself as I drop on the floor bloody.

I blinked several times.

I looked at my fingers, they are wet with my blood. But it seems like I am okay, internally. I stand up and a knife is in my chest. I grabbed it quickly threw it away and stared back at the drawer. an eye was creeping there, glaring at me.

Shush, she can hear you.

-------From the author---------

Hello hello! Your dear author is presenting you a 2k long chapter! Tomorrow is the start of our 2nd quarter, so the author will upload multiple chapters to catch up with other horror contest entries. I think for a week I'll be gone, and be late for the contest which is next month. I'm rushing the story but I promise to make it scary than rushed!

By the way, this is my first thriller novel.

---Annie Chan 0: