The University: hidden truth about the unknown

**Chapter 5: The Unseen Truth**

The tension from earlier in the day still lingered in the air as Mira, Nora, and their friends returned to Nora’s house. Ryan, ever the peacekeeper, had suggested they all stay over for the night. He believed being surrounded by friends would help Mira feel safer and perhaps lift her spirits.

Nora quickly agreed, her protective instincts kicking in. “We’ll make dinner, chat, listen to music, and just relax. You need this, Mira.”

Yasmin nodded. “Yeah, a distraction will do you good. No more talk about the university tonight, okay?”

Mira forced a weak smile, nodding along, though her mind was elsewhere. The events of the day churned in her head: the dark hallway, the bridge, and most of all, Sonia. The name itself now felt like a whisper crawling up her spine.

At Nora’s, the group quickly settled into a rhythm. Ryan and Joseph took over the kitchen, chopping vegetables and teasing each other as they worked. Matthew and Anna turned on some upbeat music, the tunes blending seamlessly with the clinking of pots and pans. Yasmin and Nora began setting the table, laughing and gossiping about their professors and classmates.

But Mira was quiet. She sat on the couch, staring into space, her thoughts racing. She replayed every moment she had spent with Sonia—the friendly smile, the gentle tone, the way Sonia had seemed so genuine. And yet, the fear and confusion in her gut told her that Sonia was anything but ordinary.

“Mira, you okay?” Yasmin asked, snapping her fingers to get her attention.

Mira blinked and looked up, startled. “Yeah, I’m fine,” she mumbled.

“You don’t look fine,” Nora said, frowning. “Why don’t you relax for a bit? Dinner’s almost ready.”

Mira nodded but didn’t move. Her thoughts had already drifted elsewhere. She couldn’t let go of the nagging feeling that something about Sonia wasn’t just strange—it was *wrong*.

Suddenly, as if gripped by a desperate need for answers, Mira stood up. “I need to grab something,” she said, her voice shaky.

Nora glanced at her, concerned. “What’s wrong? Do you need help?”

“No, no,” Mira said quickly, forcing a smile. “It’s nothing. I’ll be back in a minute.”

Without waiting for a response, she hurried to her room, closing the door behind her. She sat down at her desk, opened her laptop, and typed “Sonia Patel University disappearance” into the search bar. She didn’t know exactly what she was looking for, but she had to try.

At first, nothing significant came up—just articles about routine campus news and unrelated events. Mira scrolled faster, her frustration growing. *This can’t be right*, she thought. *I saw her name last night. I know I did.*

Her fingers flew over the keyboard as she refined her search, combing through forums, old news articles, and archived documents. Then, finally, something caught her eye: a headline from a decades-old newspaper.

“**University Student Sonia Patel Reported Missing: Last Seen Near Campus Garden**”

Mira clicked on the link, her breath hitching. The article loaded slowly, and when the image finally appeared, her heart nearly stopped.

The photo accompanying the article showed a young woman smiling brightly, her hair tied back in a neat ponytail. It was unmistakably Sonia—the same Sonia who had led Mira down that dark hallway earlier in the day.

“No,” Mira whispered, her voice trembling. She leaned closer to the screen, her eyes wide with disbelief. “This can’t be real. It’s not possible.”

Her hands trembled as she scrolled down to read the article. It described how Sonia Patel, a promising student, had vanished mysteriously one evening. She was last seen heading toward the old campus garden, a place that was later repurposed as a cemetery after a series of unexplained tragedies. Her disappearance remained unsolved.

Mira’s phone, which had been resting on the edge of the desk, slipped from her hand and clattered to the floor. She didn’t even notice. Her entire body felt cold as she stared at the photo of Sonia, her mind racing with questions.

“How can this be?” Mira muttered, backing away from the screen. “I just saw her... I talked to her. She’s real. She has to be real.”

As she stared, her eyes locked on Sonia’s picture, something changed. Sonia’s serene smile slowly shifted, twisting into something unnatural—a wide, sinister grin that seemed to stretch too far. Mira froze, her breath catching in her throat.

“Mira...” a voice called, soft and sweet, but laced with an eerie edge. Mira’s blood ran cold as she realized the voice wasn’t coming from outside the room—it was coming from the laptop screen.

She watched in horror as Sonia’s picture moved. The head tilted slightly, and the once-kind eyes now gleamed with malice. “Why did you leave me, Mira?” the image whispered, the voice growing louder and more menacing. “You wanted to see the garden so badly, and I took you there. You were not supposed to leave!”

Mira stumbled back, knocking over her chair. “No,” she whispered, shaking her head. “No, this isn’t real. This can’t be happening.”

The image of Sonia suddenly contorted, her face twisting into a grotesque mask of rage. “YOU WERE NEVER SUPPOSED TO LEAVE!” the voice screamed, reverberating through the room like a physical force.

Mira screamed, covering her ears, but the sound was inside her head. The laptop screen flickered, the image of Sonia glitching and distorting into a horrifying amalgamation of shadows and teeth.

“Come back, Mira,” the voice hissed, now a chorus of overlapping whispers. “You belong in the garden. You belong with me.”

Terrified, Mira grabbed the laptop and slammed it shut, her heart pounding in her chest. She backed into the corner of the room, her eyes darting around as if expecting Sonia to materialize out of the shadows.

“Mira?” Nora’s voice called from outside the door, followed by a knock. “Are you okay? What’s going on?”

Mira opened her mouth to respond, but no words came out. She was shaking too hard to speak.

The door opened cautiously, and Nora stepped in, her eyes widening when she saw Mira huddled on the floor. “Mira, what happened?” she asked, rushing to her side.

Mira pointed a trembling finger at the laptop on the desk. “She’s... she’s in there,” she stammered.

Nora frowned, glancing at the laptop. “Who?”

“Sonia,” Mira whispered, her voice barely audible. “She talked to me. She... she told me I wasn’t supposed to leave.”

Nora’s face paled, and she quickly grabbed the laptop, opening it. The screen was blank, the desktop showing nothing out of the ordinary.

“Mira, there’s nothing here,” Nora said, though her voice betrayed her unease.

“No, I saw her!” Mira insisted, her voice rising. “She moved! She talked to me! I’m not crazy!”

The commotion drew the rest of the group to the room. Ryan knelt beside Mira, his expression filled with concern. “Mira, it’s okay,” he said gently. “We believe you. Just breathe, okay?”

Mira shook her head, tears streaming down her face. “She’s real, Ryan. She’s real, and she’s angry. She’s not going to stop until...”

“Until what?” Nora asked, her voice trembling.

Mira looked up, her eyes filled with terror. “Until I go back.”

The room fell silent, the weight of her words sinking in like a stone. For the first time, even the most skeptical among them began to wonder if the horrors of the university had followed them home.