Room 01

The time was 5:30 pm and the sun had set 10 minutes ago. The birds were quiet; the trees were silent and only a few students were passing by in a rush to get home. Everyone had been rushing to finish things early that day because the weather was cold. It was announced earlier on the morning news that the weather was going to be very cold and people needed to stay warm. However, no one anticipated that it would be freezing cold.

The town was such a weird place. Every day was unpredictable as weather patterns changed daily. It would be hot, windy, freezing and raining in one day. Outsiders would often be heard cursing during the day, “This damn town.” They never got used to the weather no matter how long they stayed in the town. But for Zane this was normal. She was used to the changing weather patterns. After all, she was born and raised in the town.

However, the weather today was very harsh. Unlike other days when she would completely ignore the cold, she just could not ignore this one. She was among those people who wanted to leave work early, but could not, as she had to attend a writing class later. The writing class was very important to her. It brought the best out of her.

The writing class helped her express herself more openly. It helped her understand her own emotions, and it helped her reflect on the challenges she encountered daily. No matter the situation or circumstance she always found a way to go to the writing class. Hence, through the cold, she was walking fast towards the old St. Peter's Building. Her phone was at 1%, and her main priority now was to get to room 01.

As she walked, she noticed that it was empty compared to the other days. “That is strange.” She said to herself as she reached the steps of the building. The time was now 5:45 pm. At this time the coordinators of the writing class would be outside of the building by their cars having coffee conversations, discussing how their day went and what they were planning to do during class.

'They must be running late', she thought to herself. She opened the door to the old building and stepped inside. The moment she set foot inside the building she was hit by warm air. The cold that embraced her body disappeared within seconds. But the building was quiet, too quiet.

She started walking towards the stairs that would send her up to room 01 when she suddenly stopped. To her right, the doors that led to the reception were closed shut. However, to her left, there was a bright white light that came from the restrooms. A noise that sounded like someone walking around moving stuff. 'There is someone here'. She felt a sense of relief. She was afraid of being alone in an old building that looked like it could collapse at any moment.

She walked up the stairs to the waiting area where they often waited for the writing class to start in room 01. The lights were off, and it was pitch dark. She used her phone’s flashlight to find the light switch. Patting the wall, she found the switch and turned on the lights. The area instantly became bright. She walked around checking if any of the rooms were open. Rooms 01 and 02 were closed.

The kitchen area where water was often boiled was open and a buzzing sound came from the room. 'That must be the electricity'. She assumed as she walked around. She approached Room 01 and tried to open the door, but it was locked. Room 02 on the other hand was not locked. She opened the door and looked inside. The desks were well organized, but there were no chairs. 'That’s strange. I wonder where all the chairs went'. She looked around for a while then shut the door.

Zane walked away from the doors and went towards the chairs where she took a seat. She pulled out her laptop and started writing in her diary. 'A long day… The time is 6:00 pm and the sun set 40 minutes ago'. The sound of her typing resonated in the empty area. Her hands and her mind reached a flow state. It felt as if her mind had teleported to another world.

Creak… The sound of creaking floorboards made her stop. Creak… The sound continued. Creak… She looked to her left. That’s when she saw the light coming under the door of room 01. 'Was that light always on?' The truth is that she had not been paying attention to her surroundings when she started typing on her laptop. Her mind was filled with many thoughts that made her drift away from reality.

She got up from her chair and walked towards the door. When she got to it, she tried opening it, but it was still locked. 'What in the hell is going on?' Weirded out, she hurried back to her seat. The time was 6:10 pm and no one had arrived yet. She checked her messages and her emails, but nothing was sent about the cancellation of the class.

Knock-knock-knock… The sound of knocking came from room 01. She stood up and looked at the door. The sound of creaking floorboards and knocking was faint yet audible to her ears. She pondered for a while then decided to put her ear against the door. At first, it was quiet on the other side, but then a faint groaning sound came from the room.

Shocked, she stepped back. 'What was that?' She approached the door and put her ear against it to listen for more sounds. Whispering and creaking floorboards were all she heard. Without hesitation, she pulled hard on the door. It was locked. This sent chills through her spine. Creeped out she stepped away from it. The light was still illuminating under the door.

Zane bent down and knelt on the floor to look under the door. Those must be the chairs. She could not see clearly but she could make out the shadowy objects that looked like chairs and desks. But there was something else she could not make out that was on the floor near the door. She got closer and tried putting her fingers underneath. They could not reach far but they got in contact with something wet. She pulled them out immediately and took a closer look at her fingers. “The hell!” She crawled away from the door until her back hit the wall next to room 02. Her heart was beating out of her chest as she looked at her fingers with wide eyes filled with fear.

A dark red colour painted her fingers. She brought her fingers up to her nose and smelled them. Immediately a strong metallic smell hit her nose. Scratch…scratch…scratch… A scratching sound came from the door. “Help” She crawled towards the door. “Is someone in there? Do you need help?” “Help me, please” She got up from the floor and slammed her body against the door.

After a few tries the door opened. What she saw horrified her. The floor, the chairs and the desks in room 01 were covered in red. Lying on the floor were not only one but three people. Blood underneath them as the older woman and man lay lifeless on the floor. Right near the door a young woman was sprawled on the floor gasping for air. “Oh my God! Are you okay?” Zane asked frantically. “Call the police.” The younger woman said.

With that, she opened her phone and dialled the police. What she failed to notice were the slow footsteps that were coming up the stairs to room 01. Following the sound of footsteps was the sound of metal dragging on the floor. The young woman on the floor looked up and reached her hand towards Zane. “Behind” “What…” With her phone next to her ear she turned around slowly. Then red flashed across her face.