Random Short Stories

Dorm Next Door

Genre: Suspense

Slowly, I wake from my sleep, disoriented as the sound of banging rings out around my dorm. "The fuck?" Sitting up, I look left, watching my wall intensely as the sound for some reason continues. I check my phone. 1:34 AM. Are you kidding me? It took me long enough to sleep when I got back, why is anyone up at this time? I send a text to Paul, my friend. With no answer, I send another a few minutes later. This time, I get a response, one in the form of an annoyed partner from chemistry mixed with childhood memories from middle and high school, wondering why I'm up at half past one in the morning texting him. My reaction is obvious. I can't sleep. A particularly loud hit startles me as my phone goes off again, telling me to "stop being paranoid". I'll do that once I know what this is. Another ding is ignored, and I walk to the wall, pressing my ear against it slowly and listening. Voices. I can't make out what they're saying, but they're there. 

Checking the message, it's to tell me it's someone studying. Who in the name of hell would be studying for exams at half one in the morning with what sounds like a jackhammer hitting my wall? I get the occasional slamming your book or hand on the desk out of frustration, but then I'd want this guy to get a mental health check for anger issues for how frequent it is. I tell Paul what I hear, starting to feel shivers run through me as the voices can now be heard. His question of who lives there makes me wonder for a minute, before responding with Tony and Jake. They live there, right? Next thing I know, Tony is added to our chat. Also annoyed from being woken up, Paul explains my situation, Tony's lack of response scaring me more. 

Eight minutes pass before I get his responses. "Guys, I'm at my parents house rn", "And Jake said he's visiting his gf". 

His next comment four minutes later makes things even worse, asking if we're fucking with him. We're not. I move back to the wall, leaning my back against it and just listening. I still can't make out what they're saying, but the banging's stopped now, instead replaced with footsteps. Lots of them. 

A vibration in my hand makes me look to my phone, reminding me to update them. "It sounds like there's a load of people there". I try to think of any scenario to make it better. "Did he get home early and throw a party?" There's no music, but maybe it's quiet enough not to hear. But my theory is shot down almost immediately by Tony, who informs me that Jake would've told him, and that he's calling Jake now. 

I wait, patient, as I continue to listen, managing to make out some voices, none of which I recognize. I check up with Tony, asking if there's any luck, but am told that Jake keeps declining his calls. Sighing with frustration, I debate on what it could be. Someone could've broken in, that's my first guess. Somebody managed to climb into his dorm, and invited their friends. Maybe it's Jake and his girlfriend, but that wouldn't explain the footsteps. Maybe some homeless people could be in there, happy to have a place to stay the night. Or, maybe it's wishful thinking to have something like that, and the reality of it is that it's a group of serial killers trying to find victims. 

Another ding breaks me from my spell, only to throw me into the worst scenario possible as Tony tells me where a spare key is. "There's no way in hell I'm going in there". But he begs me, making me contemplate it before finally walking out, checking where he specified and finding that, of course, the key is there. I respond with "Alright", adding that "I have the key, but don't wanna go in". Paul tells me to "just go" but I don't feel like taking orders from him. "Not your dorm" is my way of politely telling him to fuck off, seeing as it's Tony's choice. "What if he's awake and doing something?" happens as my last statement to try and get out of this, once again being reminded that Jake never declines Tony's calls.

Waiting a final two minutes before going in, I tell them as such, pushing the key into the lock and slowly opening it to reveal the side of the pitch-black room. Trying my best to not let any light in, I move through the crack I made and behind his closet, closing the door after. I take in the scene in front of me; seven robed figures standing in a circle, surrounding something in red drawn on the floor along with what looks like a body. The muffled vibration of my phone hits in time with their chants, now known to be in another language, as I check it, Paul questioning if I'm alright. I text everything I see, noticing a gap between them where it is confirmed that the red substance is indeed blood. This has to be a cult. Tony's text rings out loudly, nearly enough to echo as I almost drop my phone, the people looking around. I tell them not to text me, panicking as one looks straight at me. He starts to walk towards me, and my heart leaps into my throat. My phone goes off, telling me to run as I hastily respond "I can't". I'm cornered, trapped behind the wardrobe as others block my exit. I'm gonna die. They're going to kill me. My phone starts to ding rapidly, but the sound is lost to my own heartbeat. My back is pressed against the wall, trying to go through it as the man gets mere feet away from me. He reaches forwards to grab me, then everything goes black.

Bonus:

Dazed, I wake up in my dorm to my alarm going off, my head feeling as though I had an entire bottle of vodka. What the fuck happened? I check the day on my phone; Tuesday, 9:30. Panic hits me for a second, before I remember it's a holiday. I really need to turn that alarm off. I notice the last chat my phone had was me talking to Tony and Paul. Maybe they know something. "Hey, you guys awake?" Paul's response is almost immediate, asking where the fuck I am. Was I meant to meet up with him? I tell him to chill, and that I'm in my dorm, trying to play it cool in case I forgot I was meeting them. "Where else would I be?" has my sad attempt at a joke written inside, with Tony's question answering it by asking whether or not I remember what happened eight hours ago. Trying another, better, joke, I reply with that I was asleep. Paul tells me to "Read the messages", being both cryptic and confusing. I was the first to say anything in the group, so I tell them such and that there's no messages. They make sure one more time, where I again tell them there are no messages, before Paul finally tells me to meet him on the campus. Now.