Horror story telling

Suji and His Friends

The old Oakridge School had been abandoned for years, its gates locked and windows boarded up. Legends whispered through the small town told of a teacher, Miss Clara, who had vanished after a fire ravaged the building one stormy night. Some claimed she had been trapped inside; others believed she had cursed the school before disappearing forever.

For Suji and his friends—Arun, Priya, and Divya—the rumors were too intriguing to ignore. On a chilly night, under the pale glow of the moon, they decided to explore the school, armed with flashlights and a daring spirit.

As they approached the towering structure, a shiver ran down Suji’s spine. The iron gate creaked open as though it had been waiting for them. "Are we really doing this?" Priya asked, her voice quivering.

"Come on," Suji said, trying to mask his own unease. "It’s just an empty building. What’s the worst that could happen?"

---

Inside, the air was thick with dust and decay. Their footsteps echoed in the vast, silent halls. Cracked blackboards and overturned desks hinted at a time when the school was full of life. Now, it felt like the building itself was holding its breath, waiting.

They started exploring, their flashlights cutting through the darkness. Strange markings were scrawled on the walls, and the faint smell of smoke lingered in the air.

"Look at this," Divya said, pointing to a faded photograph pinned to a bulletin board. It showed a woman with kind eyes and a warm smile. "That must be Miss Clara."

As they stared at the photo, a sudden noise made them jump—a faint tapping, like fingernails on glass. "What was that?" Arun whispered.

The sound grew louder, echoing from the end of the hallway. "Let’s check it out," Suji said, his curiosity outweighing his fear.

---

The tapping led them to the science lab, its door ajar. The room was eerily untouched, with beakers and textbooks still on the shelves. In the corner, a large aquarium sat empty, save for a thick layer of dust.

Suddenly, the door slammed shut behind them. Priya screamed, and their flashlights flickered. The tapping resumed, now coming from the glass of the aquarium. Slowly, words appeared on the dusty surface: LEAVE NOW.

Arun lunged for the door, yanking it open. They ran into the hallway, their breaths coming in ragged gasps.

"This isn’t funny anymore," Priya said, tears in her eyes.

"We’ll leave," Suji said, his voice steady. "But first, we need to see the classroom where the fire started. It’s the only way to know what’s really going on."

---

The classroom was on the top floor, at the end of a long corridor. The air grew colder as they climbed the stairs, their flashlights casting eerie shadows on the walls. When they reached the door, it opened on its own with a low creak.

The room was charred black, the walls and floor covered in soot. In the center was a desk, perfectly intact despite the fire. On it sat an open journal.

Divya picked it up and began to read aloud: "They blame me for the fire. But I only wanted to protect them. Now they’ve abandoned me, and I’m left to rot in the darkness."

The temperature dropped further, their breath visible in the icy air. A voice, low and mournful, echoed around them. "Why are you here?"

They spun around to see a figure standing in the doorway. Miss Clara. Her face was pale, her eyes hollow, and her hands charred black. "You shouldn’t have come," she said, her voice heavy with sorrow.

---

The lights in the room began to flicker wildly, and the walls seemed to close in. The group huddled together as Miss Clara moved closer, her form shifting between solid and spectral.

"We’re sorry," Suji said, his voice trembling. "We just wanted to know the truth."

"The truth?" she repeated, her voice rising. "The truth is pain. Betrayal. Abandonment!"

The room filled with the sound of children’s laughter, twisted and distorted. Desks flew through the air, narrowly missing the group.

"Run!" Suji shouted.

They bolted from the room, but the hallway seemed endless, stretching into darkness. Doors on either side flew open and slammed shut as they passed, and ghostly whispers filled the air.

---

They finally burst into the auditorium, collapsing on the stage. For a moment, the silence was deafening. Then, the chandeliers above them began to sway, their crystal shards tinkling.

Divya clutched the journal. "There’s something in here," she said, flipping through the pages. "A way to end this."

The final entry read: Release me from this torment. Light the candle, and I will go.

"A candle?" Arun asked, looking around.

On the stage, an ornate candelabra stood, one of its candles unlit. Divya pulled a lighter from her pocket, her hands shaking.

As the flame touched the wick, Miss Clara appeared, her expression softening. "Thank you," she whispered, her form beginning to fade.

But before she disappeared completely, the air filled with the sound of cracking wood. The stage began to collapse, splitting apart to reveal a fiery abyss below.

"She tricked us!" Priya screamed.

---

The friends scrambled to escape as the stage disintegrated beneath them. Suji grabbed Priya’s hand, pulling her to safety. Arun and Divya managed to leap to solid ground just as the last of the stage fell into the inferno.

The school shook violently, its walls crumbling. They raced toward the exit, dodging falling debris.

As they reached the front doors, a deafening roar filled the air. Turning back, they saw Miss Clara one last time, her face twisted in fury. "You will not leave!" she screamed.

The friends burst through the doors just as the building collapsed, a cloud of dust and smoke rising into the night sky.

---

Breathing heavily, they stood in the cold night air, watching the ruins smolder. "What just happened?" Arun asked.

"We freed her," Suji said, his voice hollow. "But she wasn’t ready to let go."

The wind carried a faint whisper: "I will return."

The friends exchanged uneasy glances before walking away, the weight of the night pressing heavily on their shoulders.

Behind them, the ruins of Oakridge School stood silent and dark—until a single light flickered in the charred classroom above.

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