The first time I saw the door, I was dreaming.
At least, that's what I thought.
I was standing in the middle of a hallway I had never seen before. It was completely empty. The walls were painted a dull shade of white, but the lights above me kept flickering. Every few seconds, one of them would go dark before coming back on.
I looked down at myself. I was wearing a university ID card around my neck.
That was strange.
I hadn't even started university yet.
"Hello?"
My voice echoed through the hallway.
No answer.
I took a few steps forward.
Tap. Tap. Tap.
My shoes sounded unusually loud against the floor.
Then I heard it.
"Naomi."
I froze.
Someone had whispered my name.
I slowly turned around.
Nothing.
The hallway behind me was empty.
"Naomi..."
This time, the voice sounded closer.
My heart started beating faster.
"Who's there?"
Silence.
I turned back around.
And that's when I saw the door.
It was at the very end of the hallway.
Unlike everything else, the door was black. There was a strange gold symbol carved into the center of it. I couldn't tell what the symbol meant, but something about it made my stomach twist.
I walked toward it.
One step.
Then another.
The closer I got, the colder the hallway became.
I reached for the handle.
Before my fingers touched it, someone grabbed my wrist.
I screamed.
I woke up.
My eyes flew open. For a few seconds, I couldn't move. I stared at my bedroom ceiling, breathing heavily.
Morning sunlight streamed through the curtains.
My room. My bed. My alarm clock.
Everything was normal.
I sat up and rubbed my eyes.
"What was that?"
I looked at the time.
6:17 a.m.
My university orientation was today.
Today.
I was finally starting university.
I got out of bed and tried to forget the dream.
It wasn't difficult.
It was just a dream.
At least, that's what I told myself.
────────
By 9:04 a.m., I was standing outside the university gates.
Students were everywhere. Some were taking pictures. Some were dragging suitcases behind them. Others were already walking around in groups, laughing like they'd known each other forever.
I stood there with my bag hanging from one shoulder, trying not to look as lost as I felt.
"First year?"
I turned.
A girl with long braids was smiling at me.
I nodded.
"Is it that obvious?"
She laughed. "Very."
I smiled slightly.
"I'm Naomi."
"I'm Amara."
She pointed toward the main building.
"Orientation is that way. Unless you want to spend your first day wandering around looking confused."
"I was actually planning on doing exactly that."
She laughed again.
For the first time that morning, I relaxed.
Maybe university wouldn't be so bad.
We started walking together.
As we crossed the courtyard, I looked around. The campus was bigger than I had expected. Buildings surrounded the courtyard on almost every side. Students moved in every direction, and somewhere in the distance, music was playing.
Then I stopped walking.
Amara looked back.
"You okay?"
I didn't answer.
Something had caught my attention.
A building stood on the other side of the courtyard. It was older than the others. The windows were dark. There was a sign above the entrance, but I couldn't read it from where I stood.
For some reason, I couldn't stop staring at it.
"Naomi?"
"Yeah?"
"You coming?"
I nodded.
"Yeah."
I forced myself to look away.
We continued walking.
But something felt wrong.
I had never been here before.
So why did that building feel familiar?
────────
After orientation, Amara and I decided to explore the campus.
We passed lecture halls, the library, the cafeteria and several student hostels. I was beginning to feel less nervous.
Then we turned a corner.
And I saw it.
The hallway.
My steps stopped immediately.
The same white walls.
The same flickering lights.
The same long corridor.
My stomach dropped.
"No."
Amara looked at me.
"What?"
I couldn't answer.
At the end of the hallway was a black door.
A silver symbol was carved into it.
Exactly like the one from my dream.
My heart began pounding.
"Naomi?"
I slowly walked toward it.
"Naomi, where are you going?"
I didn't hear her.
I couldn't.
All I could hear was the voice from my dream.
"Naomi..."
I reached the door.
My hand hovered over the handle.
Then I noticed something.
A small piece of paper had been stuck underneath the door.
I bent down and picked it up.
There were only five words written on it.
YOU WERE NOT SUPPOSED TO SEE THIS.
My blood ran cold.
I looked at Amara.
She was staring at me.
"What does it say?"
I didn't respond.
Because suddenly, I heard footsteps coming from behind us.
Slow.
Heavy.
Getting closer.
I turned around.
The hallway was empty.
But when I looked back at the door...
The handle was moving.
Someone was trying to open it from the other side.
And I knew one thing for certain.
Whatever was behind that door...
It knew my name.