I don’t know how to explain this, but I’m still in my high school. I should be home by now, but somehow, I’m stuck here, and nothing feels right anymore.
It started innocently enough. I was packing up my bag after my last class, just like every other day. The bell rang, and students started filing out, talking about whatever plans they had after school. I grabbed my jacket, said goodbye to a few friends, and made my way toward the stairwell. I figured I’d be home in 20 minutes, just like always.
But as soon as I stepped out into the hallway, everything felt... off. It wasn’t the usual, familiar hallway I’d walked a thousand times. No, this was different. The walls seemed to stretch farther than they should’ve. The tiles on the floor—ones I’d been walking on for years—looked new, but not in a good way. Like they were trying to look older than they were.
At first, I thought I was just tired, maybe a little distracted. So, I took the stairs down to the ground floor, expecting to see the familiar hallway that led to the front doors. But when I reached the bottom, there was another hallway that I didn’t recognize. I stared at it for a moment, trying to make sense of it. There had never been a hallway there before. The walls were lined with old lockers, the kind that were supposed to be gone years ago. I could’ve sworn I was walking in circles.
I started walking down the new hallway, thinking maybe I was just on the wrong floor. But the more I walked, the more I realized this didn’t make sense. I was still in the same place, but it didn’t feel right. The lockers were all closed, but some of them were slightly ajar, like they hadn’t been used in years. And the light flickering above me—it was like the school was glitching, like it wasn’t quite real.
I walked past the classroom doors—some of them were cracked open, but there was no noise coming from inside. No students. No teachers. Just silence.
That’s when I ran into someone I knew. It was Jessica from my history class. She looked... fine. I mean, she looked the same, but there was something off about her. When I waved at her, she gave me this weird look, like she didn’t recognize me. She smiled, but it didn’t reach her eyes. There was a blankness in her gaze that made my stomach churn.
“Hey, Jess,” I said, trying to shake off the uncomfortable feeling in my chest. “What’s up?”
She didn’t answer. Instead, she just nodded and walked past me, as if I wasn’t even there.
I don’t know why, but I felt an overwhelming urge to follow her. Maybe I was just trying to make sense of everything. But the more I walked, the more everything felt wrong. I started seeing other faces—students, teachers, but they weren’t... they weren’t real. They moved like they were going through the motions, but none of them looked like they were actually there. Like ghosts in a loop.
I went down to the cafeteria to try to clear my head. I figured if I could just get a snack or sit down for a minute, I’d feel better. But when I walked in, it was completely empty. No students, no lunch ladies, just... silence. I grabbed a bag of chips from the counter, but the whole place felt cold, sterile. No one was eating. No one was even sitting at the tables.
I tried to shake it off. Maybe the lunch period had ended early, I thought. But then the bell rang again, and it wasn’t the usual bell. It was deep, echoing through the walls, like it was calling to me.
I couldn’t take it anymore. I bolted out of the cafeteria, hoping to find the exit, but the doors wouldn’t open. The hallway stretched out in front of me, and suddenly, I realized I had no idea where I was. Every turn I made just led to another hallway, another set of stairs, another door that wouldn’t open.
I’ve walked for hours. I know it sounds crazy, but it’s true. Hours. I’ve tried everything. I’ve gone up, down, tried to retrace my steps, but the school just keeps... changing. It’s like the walls are shifting, pulling me deeper inside. And the people? They’re still here, but they don’t act like they used to. They just... stare at me, like they’re waiting for something.
I saw Mr. McCarthy, my old chemistry teacher, near the science wing. He looked exactly the same, but when I asked him where the exit was, he just stared at me with this strange expression, like he hadn’t even heard me. Then he pointed down the hallway, but I swear the hallway wasn’t there a second ago. I turned to thank him, but when I looked back, he was gone.
I don’t know what’s happening. I don’t know if this is some kind of nightmare or if I’m just losing my mind, but I’ve been trying to get out for hours. I keep opening doors that lead to more hallways, and the more I walk, the more the school feels like it’s alive.
And the worst part? Every time I look at the clock, time is going by slower. It’s almost like the seconds are stretching out, holding me in place. I feel like I’m never going to get out of here.
I think something’s waiting for me. I don’t know what it is, but it’s here. It’s always been here.
And now, I’m just waiting for whatever comes next.
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