Locked Door - 2. The Chilling Encounter

Emily and Hannah sat in the darkened dorm room, their nerves frayed from the growing tension. The glow from their phones provided the only light, casting eerie shadows on the walls. The minutes seemed to drag on endlessly, and each one felt like a lifetime. They were trapped, both physically and mentally, in a situation that seemed increasingly surreal and terrifying.

Outside, the dormitory had fallen into an unnerving silence. The usual background noise of students moving about, doors opening and closing, and distant conversations had all but disappeared. It was as if the building itself was holding its breath, waiting for something dreadful to happen.

Emily kept her phone clutched tightly in her hand, her thumb hovering over the screen, ready to respond to any new messages. Her mind raced with a thousand thoughts—was Sarah really safe? Who were those women in the hallway? And most importantly, what was actually happening outside their door?

As if in response to her silent questions, Emily’s phone buzzed again. The sudden noise made her jump, and she quickly checked the screen, hoping for another update from Sarah. But it wasn’t from Sarah.

It was another message from Ashley, their resident advisor.

Ashley (RA):

"Everyone, stay calm. The power outage is part of the issue we’re dealing with. The maintenance workers are aware and working to restore it. Please continue to stay in your rooms and keep your doors locked."

Emily read the message aloud to Hannah, who was sitting on the edge of her bed, her legs pulled up close to her chest. The message didn’t do much to reassure either of them. In fact, it only added to the growing sense of unease.

“Why would the power go out if it’s just a maintenance issue?” Hannah asked, her voice low and strained. “And why are they telling us to lock our doors? None of this makes any sense.”

Emily shook her head, her thoughts mirroring Hannah’s confusion. “I don’t know… Maybe there’s more to it than they’re telling us. But why wouldn’t they just call the police if something serious was going on?”

Hannah didn’t have an answer, and the two girls lapsed into silence again, their minds spinning with possibilities. Every creak of the floorboards, every faint sound from the hallway, seemed magnified in the oppressive darkness.

And then, as if to confirm their worst fears, Emily’s phone buzzed again. It was another message from Sarah.

Sarah:

"Emily, be careful. I just heard something. I think someone’s trying to get into the dorms. Please, whatever you do, don’t let anyone in."

Emily’s heart pounded in her chest as she read the message. The fear that had been simmering just below the surface now threatened to overwhelm her. She looked over at Hannah, who was staring back at her with wide, terrified eyes.

“What do we do?” Hannah whispered, her voice barely audible.

Emily swallowed hard, trying to keep her voice steady. “We stick to the plan. We don’t let anyone in. We just wait it out.”

The words felt hollow, even as she said them. Waiting felt like the only option they had, but it also felt like a death sentence. The thought of being trapped in the room, completely at the mercy of whatever was out there, was almost too much to bear.

The silence in the room was suffocating, pressing down on them like a weight. Emily could hear the sound of her own breathing, shallow and rapid, as she tried to keep her composure. The minutes ticked by, each one filled with dread and anticipation.

And then, they heard it—a faint, almost imperceptible sound coming from the hallway. It was the sound of footsteps, slow and deliberate, moving closer to their door.

Emily and Hannah froze, their eyes locked on the door as the footsteps grew louder. The sound was chilling, each step echoing in the stillness of the dormitory. Whoever was out there was getting closer.

Emily’s mind raced. Was it Sarah? Had she managed to make it back to the room? Or was it someone else—someone with far more sinister intentions?

As the footsteps stopped just outside their door, the tension in the room became unbearable. Emily could feel her heart pounding in her chest, her pulse quickening as she waited for whatever was about to happen next.

And then, there was a knock.

It was a soft knock, almost hesitant, but in the silence of the dormitory, it sounded like a thunderclap. Emily’s breath caught in her throat, and she exchanged a terrified glance with Hannah.

“Emily? Hannah? Are you in there? It’s Sarah. Let me in.”

The voice on the other side of the door was unmistakable—it was Sarah. Relief flooded through Emily, but it was quickly tempered by a gnawing sense of unease. Something about the situation didn’t feel right. Why would Sarah be out in the hallway when she had just warned them to stay inside?

Emily hesitated, her hand hovering over the door handle. She wanted to open the door, to let her friend in, but a voice in the back of her mind told her to wait. Something was off.

“Sarah?” Emily called out, trying to keep her voice steady. “Are you really okay?”

There was a brief pause before the voice responded. “Yes, I’m fine. I just managed to get away. Please, let me in before they find me.”

Emily’s hand trembled as she reached for the lock, but something in her gut made her stop. She glanced at Hannah, who was watching her with a look of deep concern.

“Wait,” Hannah whispered urgently. “Something’s not right.”

Emily nodded, her mind racing. She had to be sure—had to be absolutely certain it was really Sarah outside the door. But how could she be sure?

Suddenly, an idea struck her. She remembered a conversation she and Sarah had had earlier that week, about their favorite coffee shop off-campus. It was a little place called The Roastery, a spot they frequented whenever they needed a break from studying.

“Sarah,” Emily called out, her voice trembling slightly. “What’s the name of our favorite coffee shop?”

There was a moment of silence on the other side of the door, and then the voice answered.

“Uh… It’s that place on Elm Street, right? The one with the blue sign?”

Emily’s blood ran cold. The real Sarah would have known immediately that their favorite coffee shop wasn’t on Elm Street, and it definitely didn’t have a blue sign. It was The Roastery, a small, unassuming shop with a green awning and the best coffee in town.

Whoever was outside the door wasn’t Sarah.

Emily backed away from the door, her heart racing. She shook her head at Hannah, who had already started to move further away from the door, her eyes wide with fear.

The voice outside the door called out again, more insistent this time. “Emily, please! Let me in! It’s not safe out here!”

But Emily didn’t move. Her mind was made up—this wasn’t Sarah. She wasn’t about to open the door for an impostor.

The voice on the other side of the door grew more frantic. “Emily, I’m begging you! They’re going to find me! Let me in!”

Emily’s hands were shaking, but she kept her distance from the door. She looked over at Hannah, who had tears in her eyes, her expression a mix of fear and disbelief.

They stood there, paralyzed with fear, as the knocking on the door became more desperate, more urgent. The voice continued to plead with them, but Emily knew she couldn’t trust it.

And then, just as suddenly as it had started, the knocking stopped. The silence that followed was even more terrifying than the noise had been. Emily and Hannah exchanged a look, both of them holding their breath, waiting for what would happen next.

Emily’s phone buzzed again, breaking the silence. She quickly checked the screen, half-expecting another message from the impostor outside.

But it wasn’t from the impostor. It was from the real Sarah.

Sarah:

"Emily, I’m hiding in one of the storage rooms. I heard someone outside my door a few minutes ago. I think they’re gone now, but I’m too scared to move. Please tell me you’re okay."

Relief washed over Emily as she read the message, but it was quickly followed by a fresh wave of terror. Whoever had been outside their door wasn’t Sarah, and now they were somewhere in the building, possibly looking for another target.

Emily quickly typed a response.

Emily:

"I’m okay. Someone was at our door pretending to be you, but we didn’t let them in. Stay where you are, and don’t move until you know it’s safe. We’ll figure this out together."

She pressed send, her heart still pounding in her chest. The situation was becoming more dire by the minute, and Emily knew they had to stay alert and cautious if they were going to make it through the night.

The silence in the dormitory was oppressive, each passing second filled with dread and uncertainty. Emily and Hannah stayed close to each other, their phones their only connection to the outside world.

And then, as they sat in the darkness, trying to calm their frayed nerves, they heard it again—footsteps, slow and deliberate, moving through the hallway.

Whoever was out there hadn’t left. They were still in the building, still searching.

Emily held her breath, listening intently. The footsteps seemed to be moving away from their door, growing fainter as they headed down the hall.

She glanced at Hannah, who was trembling, her face pale. Emily reached