Locked Door - 1. The Unsettling Message

The clock on Emily’s desk glowed softly in the dim light of her dorm room, the numbers ticking closer to 11:00 PM. She had been studying for hours, buried in textbooks and notes, trying to prepare for an upcoming exam. The usual hum of late-night activity in the dormitory was comforting—a familiar blend of muffled conversations, the occasional laughter echoing from down the hall, and the distant sound of music from someone’s speakers.

Emily stretched, rolling her shoulders to relieve the tension that had built up from hours of sitting hunched over her desk. Just as she reached for her water bottle, her phone buzzed on the desk, the screen lighting up with a new message. Expecting it to be a reminder from her study group or a late-night meme from her best friend, Sarah, she lazily picked up the phone.

But what she saw made her pause.

Ashley (RA):

"Attention everyone: Please return to your rooms immediately and lock your doors. There is an electrical issue in the hallway. Maintenance workers are on their way to fix it. This is not a drill. Please do not leave your rooms until further notice."

Emily frowned, her brow furrowing in confusion. She glanced up at the lights in her room, which were still shining brightly. The laptop on her desk hummed steadily, and everything seemed perfectly normal. No flickering lights, no sign of any electrical issue. It didn’t make sense.

She looked across the room at her roommate, Hannah, who was sprawled out on her bed, scrolling through her phone. The soft glow from Hannah’s phone illuminated her face, highlighting the same look of confusion that Emily was feeling.

“Did you see this?” Emily asked, holding up her phone to show the message.

Hannah glanced up, her expression puzzled. “Yeah, I saw it. What the hell is she talking about? Everything seems fine in here.”

Emily shrugged, but a knot of unease began to form in her stomach. The resident advisor, Ashley, wasn’t one to send out unnecessary alarms. If she was telling everyone to lock their doors, it had to be something serious. But an electrical issue? Why would that require everyone to lock themselves in their rooms?

As Emily contemplated this, her phone buzzed again, this time with a private message from Sarah.

Sarah:

"Emily, don’t open your door. There’s a madwoman in the building. She’s attacking people. Please stay in your room and don’t let anyone in, no matter what."

Emily’s heart skipped a beat. She read the message twice, her mind racing to process the words. A madwoman? Attacking people? This had to be a joke. She quickly typed back, her fingers trembling slightly as she did.

Emily:

"Is this some kind of prank? What are you talking about?"

The reply came almost instantly.

Sarah:

"I’m dead serious, Emily. I wouldn’t joke about this. Just stay in your room. I heard screaming earlier. Please, just lock the door."

A chill ran down Emily’s spine. Sarah wasn’t one to play pranks, especially not about something like this. The fear in her friend’s message was palpable, and it was enough to send Emily into a state of rising panic.

“What’s wrong?” Hannah asked, noticing the change in Emily’s demeanor.

“Sarah just messaged me,” Emily said, her voice trembling. “She said there’s a madwoman in the building… attacking people.”

Hannah’s eyes widened in alarm. “What? Are you serious? That can’t be real.”

“I don’t know, but Sarah wouldn’t lie about something like this,” Emily replied, her thoughts racing. “We should lock the door, just in case.”

Hannah quickly got off her bed and crossed the room to the door, making sure the deadbolt was securely in place. Emily followed, the two of them standing in tense silence as the gravity of the situation began to sink in.

Suddenly, Hannah’s phone buzzed, and she picked it up. Her face paled as she read the message.

“It’s from Lila,” Hannah said, her voice shaky. “She’s in the dorm next door, and she just said there’s someone dangerous in our building. She’s telling me to lock the door and stay inside, too.”

Emily’s unease turned into full-blown fear. If both Sarah and Lila were warning them about the same thing, then something was definitely wrong. She felt her heart pounding in her chest, the adrenaline coursing through her veins making her hands shake.

“What do we do?” Emily asked, her voice barely above a whisper.

Hannah took a deep breath, trying to steady herself. “We stay here. We don’t open the door for anyone, no matter who it is. We just wait it out.”

Emily nodded, though the thought of waiting in silence, unsure of what was happening outside, filled her with dread. She wanted to reach out to Sarah again, to check if she was okay, but the fear of what she might hear held her back.

The minutes ticked by in agonizing silence. Emily and Hannah sat on their beds, their eyes fixed on the door, listening for any sound that might indicate what was happening in the hallway. The usually comforting noises of the dorm had faded into an eerie stillness, broken only by the occasional buzz of their phones.

Emily checked her messages again, hoping for an update from Sarah, but there was nothing new. The uncertainty gnawed at her, making every second feel like an eternity.

Just as she was beginning to think she couldn’t take the tension any longer, her phone buzzed with another message. She grabbed it quickly, praying it was good news.

Sarah:

"Emily, I’m trying to get back to my room, but I just saw two women in the hallway. They looked like they were carrying tools or something. Maybe they’re the maintenance workers Ashley mentioned. But… something doesn’t feel right. I’m going to take a different route back. Just stay where you are."

Emily’s blood ran cold as she read the message. Something about it didn’t sit right with her. Maintenance workers? At this time of night? And why would Sarah need to take a different route if they were just there to fix the electricity?

“Sarah just saw two women in the hallway with tools,” Emily said, her voice shaking. “She’s going to try to take another way back.”

Hannah’s expression darkened. “That doesn’t sound right. Maintenance workers wouldn’t be out this late, and they shouldn’t be carrying tools around like that.”

“What if… what if those are the women she was talking about? The ones who are attacking people?” Emily’s voice wavered as the fear took hold.

Hannah’s eyes met Emily’s, both of them reflecting the same rising terror. “We need to stay calm,” Hannah said, though her voice was strained. “Whatever’s happening, we just need to stay in here and keep the door locked.”

Emily nodded, but her thoughts were still with Sarah. Her friend was out there, possibly in danger, and there was nothing she could do to help. The helplessness was suffocating.

Suddenly, there was a loud noise in the hallway, followed by the sound of hurried footsteps. Both girls froze, their eyes wide with fear as they listened to the commotion outside. The footsteps seemed to be getting closer, each one echoing ominously through the walls.

Emily’s phone buzzed again, making her jump. She glanced down at the screen and saw another message from Sarah.

Sarah:

"Emily, I think they saw me. I’m going to try and hide. Please, whatever you do, don’t open the door. I’ll let you know when it’s safe."

The message sent a jolt of terror through Emily’s body. Her mind raced with images of Sarah being chased down by the very people who had been attacking others in the building. She felt utterly helpless, trapped in her room with no way of helping her friend.

Before she could respond, the footsteps outside stopped, and there was a brief, eerie silence. Then, without warning, the sound of something heavy slamming into a door echoed down the hallway, followed by muffled voices.

Emily and Hannah exchanged terrified looks. Neither of them dared to speak, their ears straining to pick up any sound that might indicate what was happening outside.

The minutes ticked by in agonizing silence. Emily clutched her phone, staring at it as if willing it to bring some good news, some sign that Sarah was okay. But there was nothing.

Just when Emily thought she couldn’t take the suspense any longer, her phone buzzed again. It was a new message from Sarah.

Sarah:

"It’s okay, Emily. I’m safe. I managed to get away and find a place to hide. Just stay in your room and keep the door locked. I’ll come by when I know it’s safe."

Emily let out a breath she didn’t realize she had been holding. Relief washed over her, and she quickly typed a response.

Emily:

"Thank God. Please be careful. Let me know as soon as you can if you’re really safe."

She pressed send, her hands still trembling. Hannah, who had been watching her, gave her a small, reassuring nod.

“It sounds like Sarah’s okay,” Emily said, trying to calm her nerves. “She’s hiding somewhere.”

Hannah nodded. “That’s good. We just need to stay put until the police arrive or until this whole thing is over.”

Emily wanted to believe that it would be over soon, that the police would come and everything would go back to normal. But deep down, she couldn’t