The last bell

The last bell of the day echoed through the old corridors of St. Helena’s High School, its metallic ring fading into the evening air. Most students rushed out, laughing and chatting, eager to escape. But for Lena Morris, detention had just begun.

She sighed, staring at the dusty chalkboard in Room 104 — a classroom no one liked. The windows were cracked, the floor creaked with every step, and the air always smelled faintly of mold and something… metallic. Rumor said that years ago, a student had disappeared from this very room.

Lena didn’t believe in ghost stories. At least, she didn’t — until that night.

Her teacher, Mr. Grey, handed her a broom. “Sweep the floor. I’ll be back in fifteen minutes,” he said in his usual dull voice. He left, his footsteps fading down the hallway.

The classroom felt even quieter after he was gone. The clock on the wall ticked lazily, the shadows stretched longer as the sun dipped below the horizon.

Lena began sweeping. The broom scraped against the wooden floorboards, stirring up dust. Suddenly, she heard it — a faint whisper.

“Help me…”

She froze.

It sounded like a child’s voice, soft and trembling.

“Hello?” Lena whispered back, her voice shaking slightly. No answer. Only the hum of the flickering ceiling lights. She shook her head. “Probably the wind.”

But then she heard it again — clearer this time.
“Help me… please…”

The sound came from the back of the classroom, near an old cabinet that hadn’t been opened in years. Dust covered its surface, and one of the doors hung crookedly.

Lena took a hesitant step toward it. The air grew colder. She reached for the handle — and the cabinet creaked open on its own.

Inside, there were books, papers, and — a small school uniform, perfectly folded but covered in dust. The name tag read “Eliza G.”

Lena frowned. That name sounded familiar. Then she remembered — Eliza Granger, the girl who vanished ten years ago. The story went that she stayed late after class one evening and never came home. The police searched everywhere but found nothing.

Her heart began to race. “This can’t be real,” she whispered.

Suddenly, the lights flickered off, plunging the room into darkness.

Lena gasped and stumbled backward. “Mr. Grey?” she called out, but the hallway was silent.

Then, faintly, the classroom door creaked open again — but no one entered.

She felt a sudden gust of cold air sweep past her, followed by the soft sound of footsteps behind her.

She spun around — nothing. Only the moonlight spilling through the window.

Then she saw it.

A reflection in the window glass — a small girl standing behind her. Pale, with long black hair falling over her face, and wearing the same uniform Lena had found in the cabinet.

Lena turned around — but the room was empty.

Her pulse pounded in her ears. She backed toward the door, reaching for the handle — but the door wouldn’t budge. She pulled harder, panic rising in her throat.

From behind her came a whisper, right against her ear:
“You shouldn’t be here…”

Lena screamed and turned around. The little girl was standing there now — eyes hollow, skin gray and cracked like porcelain.

“What do you want from me?” Lena cried.

The girl tilted her head. “He never let me leave.”

Before Lena could respond, the classroom door opened suddenly. Mr. Grey stood there, his expression strangely calm.

“Lena,” he said softly. “You found her, didn’t you?”

She stared at him, trembling. “Wh–what are you talking about?”

He sighed, stepping inside and closing the door behind him. “Every few years, the school chooses someone — someone curious enough to listen.”

“What do you mean?” Lena whispered.

Mr. Grey smiled faintly. “Eliza was the first. She found out my secret. I couldn’t let her tell.”

Lena’s heart nearly stopped. “Y-you killed her?”

He didn’t answer. He just looked toward the cabinet. “She still haunts this room. But she can’t rest — not until another takes her place.”

Lena’s breathing quickened. She backed away, but he moved closer, his eyes dark and cold.

Suddenly, the lights began to flicker wildly. The little ghost girl appeared again, standing between them.

Mr. Grey frowned. “Eliza, you know the rules.”

But the ghost only smiled — a slow, eerie grin. “Not this time.”

The room erupted in chaos. The lights shattered, desks flew across the room, and a piercing scream filled the air — but it wasn’t Lena’s.

When the noise stopped, Lena was on the floor, shaking. The room was quiet again. Mr. Grey was gone. Only his glasses lay broken near the door.

The ghost girl turned toward Lena, her expression soft now. “Thank you,” she whispered. “You set me free.”

And then she faded away, her form dissolving into mist.

The door creaked open, and cool air filled the room again.

Lena stumbled into the hallway, gasping. The corridors were dark and empty, but at least she was out.

She ran all the way to the exit — but when she pushed the doors open, she froze.

Outside wasn’t the world she knew. The school grounds looked old, overgrown, the windows broken, the sky gray and heavy. A sign lay half-buried in the dirt:
ST. HELENA’S HIGH — CLOSED SINCE 1985.

Lena turned back toward the building, her mind spinning.
“That’s impossible,” she whispered.

Then she saw her reflection in the cracked glass of the door. Her hair was long and black. Her face pale. Her eyes hollow.

Inside the classroom, the clock struck seven — the same time Eliza had disappeared.

And from within the empty school, a new whisper began to echo through the halls help me