The voice from the darkness did not fade like voices usually do. It lingered, hanging in the corridor like smoke that refused to clear. I stood frozen at the threshold of the forbidden wing. My legs wouldn't move.
"Who's there?" I finally managed to say. My voice was a whisper.
For a moment there was no answer. Then a single lamp flickered to life. It buzzed weakly before settling into an amber glow. The light revealed a corridor I didn't know existed. There was a row of doors. Each door had a brass number instead of a name plate.
I counted the doors without meaning to.
One. Two. Three. Four. Five. Six.
There was no door.
My stomach dropped. It was like the pull of a rollercoaster. I felt a lurch of understanding.
"You can keep standing all night " the voice said. It was now. There
