The hallway was almost empty.
Just minutes ago, it had been crowded with students rushing toward the exit. Now, it stretched out before him—quiet, hollow, and far too still.
Andi's footsteps echoed.
Too loud.
Too sharp.
The windows lining the corridor rattled faintly, though there was no wind. One of them creaked open on its own.
He stopped walking.
"…Okay, that's not funny."
A flicker.
The lights above him blinked once.
Then again.
Flick. Darkness. Flick. Darkness.
Andi's heartbeat quickened.
"Come on… don't do this."
The lights snapped off completely.
For a second—
Nothing existed.
No sound.
No shape.
No sense of space.
Then—
The lights came back.
Andi froze.
The corridor… had changed.
The walls were no longer clean and white. The paint had peeled away in long, jagged strips, exposing something dark and damp beneath. Cracks spread along the floor like veins, and a foul, humid smell filled the air—thick enough to taste.
This was not the same place.
"…What is this?"
His voice sounded smaller now.
Weaker.
Behind him—
BANG!
The classroom door slammed shut.
Andi flinched violently, spinning around.
"Who's there?!"
No answer.
Instead, from the far end of the corridor—
A sound.
Slow.
Dragging.
Srrrtt… srrrtt…
Something was moving.
And it was getting closer.