The Mystery Room

When Lisa found a small apartment close to campus at Berlin street, just a few blocks away from her school, she was elated. Unlike the other houses she had been to, this one was perfect. Not only was it affordable, it also had constant power supply, running water and the environment was serene. A perfect place for a student to live in. The apartment was big enough to accommodate three other inmates.

The day she went to confirm the house, Mrs Harriot, the landlady showed her around. They were already two inmates living there. She noticed there were five rooms. And each had a bathroom and toilet in it. Perfect! She screamed in her mind. She won't have to share a bathroom with anyone. The other two inmates seemed nice and okay, she thought. There was a small garden at the back.

“This house couldn't get any better,” she thought.

By the time they were done checking out the place, Lisa was more than convinced she wanted the house. She immediately made the necessary payments to Mrs Harriot and began making necessary arrangements to move in.

However, Mrs Harriot had only one rule which she told all the other inmates too.

“Every part and corner of the house is open to you except the fifth room at the far end.” She said in a serious tone.

“Don't go near it, don't even stand close to it and most importantly, don't open it”

“But why?” Lisa asked curiously

"Some things are better left undisturbed, and once you disturb them. It might not be so silent anymore.”

Lisa scrunched her eyebrow up in confusion and looked at the woman like she was a weirdo.

“What in the world did she mean by that” she thought as she walked away.

Later that evening, her best friend Sarah helped her pack her things and move into the house. They made fun of the fifth room while eating pizza late at night. They talked about ghost stories and called the room cursed. However, by 2am something strange happened.

The sound of footsteps moving through the hallway echoed faintly, in the night, starring Lisa up from her sleep. Slowly she opened her eyes and listened, to confirm if her ears were playing pranks on her.

But then she heard a knock on the door, three taps

“Knock, knock knock”

She froze on the spot. No one was around except for her and Sarah. The two other inmates had told them to lock up as they wouldn't be back till morning.

“Did you hear that?” Sarah said in a whisper, while rubbing the sleep off her eyes.

“Yes, I thought I was dreaming,” she answered back.

The two friends sat still, listening, their hearts hammering heavily against their chest. Then a voice out of nowhere spoke this time around.

“Help me”

“Oh my God!” Sarah shouted, already jumping up.

“I think it's coming from the fifth door” Lisa said, eyes wide with fear, and curiosity as she was already at the door, peeking through the empty hallway.

The door to the fifth room was slightly open, as the voice whispered again, “help me, please”.

“No, we are not going down there” Sarah said vehemently looking at Lisa whose eyes were already pleading with her.

“What if someone is held hostage in there” Lisa reasoned.

“What if, whatever is in there isn't human” Sarah countered back.

Stubbornly, Lisa took a step forward, until she came in front of the door.

“Hello? Is anyone in there” she called.

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Suddenly, the door opened fully by itself. Lisa swallowed hard. A sudden shiver running down her spine. Inside was dark, cold and empty, almost devoid of life.

“Don’t go in.” Sarah whispered.

Lisa turned her head “ What if someone is in there?”

However, the door suddenly slammed shut against her face, the force of it pushing her back till she hit the wall. Lisa screamed, struggling to get up. Meanwhile Sarah ran forward, dragging her out of the hallway and back into their room.

“Okay, that's it, we're leaving this place right now” Sarah said firmly, quickly packing up a bag.

Outside, they ran into Mrs Harriot, about to go into her own house. Quickly they walked towards her, their eyes wide with fear.

“You opened the door didn't you?” She said in a calm voice unfazed by the fear in their eyes

“It opened by itself,” Sarah said.

“I think there is someone or something inside,” Lisa said.

“There used to be, a very long time ago. But now you've heard the darkness. Those voices don't just go away, until it chooses a vessel, a soul.”

“What? You knew this would happen didn't you” Lisa accused,

“I warned you didn't I, now you've disturbed the silence.”

“Sarah didn't wait to listen to what the woman had to say any longer, she grabbed Lisa hand

“Lets go”

The two friends left in a hurry, not looking back for one second. They didn't even wait till sunrise, or bother to carry their possessions, only a small bag of essentials. By the the time they were out of Berlin street, the only voices that could be heard was the sound of their heavy breaths and panting.