chapter2: Hand Beyond the Door
859 Words
Kai's body refused to move.
The pale hand stretched farther from the elevator, its unnaturally long fingers scraping against the metal doors with a sharp screech. The sound echoed through the silent hallway like nails dragging across glass.
His heart pounded so hard he could hear it in his ears.
Run.
Every instinct told him to run.
But his legs felt frozen.
The elevator light flickered, bathing the hallway in a dim red glow.
The hand stopped only a few inches from Kai's face.
It didn't grab him.
Instead, one finger slowly pointed behind him.
Kai turned.
The hallway was empty.
When he looked back—
The hand was gone.
The elevator doors slid shut.
Ding.
The number above the elevator changed.
13...
12...
11...
10...
It was going down.
Kai stood there for several seconds, unable to understand what had just happened.
Suddenly, a hand landed on his shoulder.
He nearly screamed.
It was Noah.
"What are you doing?" Noah whispered urgently.
Kai stared at him.
"You... you saw it?"
"Saw what?"
"The hand."
Noah's expression changed.
"You looked at the elevator, didn't you?"
Kai nodded slowly.
Noah grabbed his arm.
"We have to leave. Now."
They hurried back into their dorm room and locked the door.
Noah pulled a chair under the doorknob.
Then another.
Kai watched in confusion.
"Why are you blocking the door?"
"Because sometimes..." Noah said quietly, "...it knocks."
Before Kai could ask another question—
Knock.
Three slow knocks echoed from outside.
Both boys froze.
Knock.
Knock.
Noah raised a finger to his lips.
"Don't make a sound."
A girl's voice drifted through the hallway.
"Kai?"
It was soft.
Gentle.
"I'm lost."
Kai frowned.
"I don't know any girls here."
The voice continued.
"Please... open the door."
Noah shook his head violently.
"Don't answer."
"But what if someone needs help?"
Noah whispered, "Listen carefully."
The girl spoke again.
"Kai..."
This time...
She sounded exactly like his younger sister.
The same voice.
The same gentle tone.
Kai's eyes widened.
"Impossible..."
His sister had vanished years ago.
He slowly stepped toward the door.
Noah grabbed his wrist.
"That isn't your sister."
The knocking stopped.
Silence filled the room.
A full minute passed.
Then they heard footsteps.
Not walking away.
Walking across the ceiling.
Kai looked up in horror.
Heavy footsteps moved directly above them.
One.
Two.
Three.
Then they stopped.
Something scratched the ceiling.
Slowly.
As if searching for a way inside.
Kai held his breath.
Dust drifted from the wooden boards overhead.
The scratching lasted almost a minute before disappearing.
Neither of them spoke.
Finally, the school bell rang once.
The lights returned.
Morning had arrived.
Students filled the cafeteria as if nothing unusual had happened.
Some laughed.
Some studied.
Others ate breakfast in silence.
Kai couldn't understand it.
"Did nobody hear those noises?"
Noah shrugged.
"They've learned not to talk about them."
A girl carrying several books sat across from them.
She had silver-colored eyes and long black hair tied in a neat ponytail.
"I'm Evelyn."
Kai smiled weakly.
"Kai."
She glanced at Noah.
"So..."
"You saw the elevator."
Kai nearly dropped his spoon.
"How do you know?"
She leaned closer.
"Because you're still alive."
Noah sighed.
"I told you we'd have to tell him eventually."
Evelyn looked around to make sure nobody was listening.
"Every year..."
"One student disappears."
"The school lies and says they transferred."
"But they never come back."
Kai remembered Noah's brother.
"So it's true."
She nodded.
"My twin sister disappeared two years ago."
Kai felt a chill.
"We think they're trapped somewhere inside the academy."
"But where?"
Evelyn looked toward the old elevator visible through the cafeteria window.
"The Thirteenth Floor."
That afternoon, Kai decided to explore the school library.
The library was enormous, with shelves that stretched almost to the ceiling.
An old librarian watched him silently from behind a wooden desk.
Kai searched for books about the academy.
Nothing.
Every history book skipped the years between 1924 and 1931.
Seven years had simply... disappeared.
Strange.
As he reached for another dusty book, a folded piece of paper slipped from between the pages.
It read:
IF YOU FOUND THIS...
YOU ARE ALREADY TOO LATE.
Kai looked around.
No one seemed to notice.
He unfolded the rest of the note.
The teachers already know who will disappear next.
Do not trust the Headmaster.
Meet beneath the old clock tower at midnight. Come alone.
There was no name.
Only a symbol.
A black eye inside a circle.
Kai quickly hid the note inside his pocket.
When he turned to leave—
The librarian was standing directly behind him.
She hadn't made a sound.
Her smile was far too wide.
"Did you find something interesting?" she asked.
Kai forced a smile.
"No... just an old bookmark."
She stared at him for a long moment before stepping aside.
"You should return to your dorm before dark."
"There are places in this school where curious students are never seen again."
Kai left the library with his heart racing.
Who had written the note?
Could he trust it?
And if the Headmaster already knew who would disappear next...
Was the next victim...
Him?
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