Whispers in the Dormitory

As the moon hung low in the sky, casting an eerie glow over the campus, the dormitory's corridors echoed with the faintest whispers. The students of Meng County University had grown accustomed to the silence that enveloped them at night, a silence that was suddenly broken by the sound of footsteps padding softly along the hallway. It was the sound of a girl, her heart pounding with a mix of fear and anticipation.

Her name was Xiao Li, a quiet and reserved student who had always kept to herself. She had heard the rumors, the whispers that had begun to circulate about Room 312, the dormitory room that had been abandoned for months. The stories were wild and varied, from tales of a ghostly presence to whispers of a dark secret that had driven the last tenant away.

Xiao Li had always been skeptical of such things, but the recent events had left her feeling uneasy. She had seen the fear in the eyes of her classmates, and the way they would cross to the other side of the hallway whenever they passed Room 312. It was as if the room itself held a malevolent force, one that seemed to grow stronger with each passing day.

One evening, as Xiao Li was returning to her dormitory, she noticed a figure standing outside Room 312. It was a young woman, her face obscured by the shadow of a hood. The woman watched her intently, and Xiao Li felt a shiver run down her spine. She quickened her pace, determined to avoid any further interaction.

As Xiao Li reached her own dormitory, she couldn't shake the feeling that she was being watched. She turned around to see the hooded figure still standing outside Room 312, her eyes locked onto Xiao Li's retreating form. It was then that Xiao Li realized she had seen the same woman before, at the library, where she had been studying late into the night.

Curiosity piqued, Xiao Li decided to investigate further. She gathered a small group of friends, each of whom had their own theories about the mysterious room. Together, they ventured to Room 312, their footsteps echoing in the silence.

The door creaked open, and they stepped inside. The room was dimly lit by a single flickering bulb, casting long shadows across the walls. The air was thick with the scent of old wood and dust. Xiao Li's friends whispered among themselves, their voices barely audible.

As they moved deeper into the room, Xiao Li noticed a small, ornate box sitting on a table. She approached it cautiously, her fingers trembling as she lifted the lid. Inside, she found a collection of photographs, each one depicting a different woman, each one with a look of terror on her face.

Xiao Li's heart raced as she flipped through the photographs. She recognized one of the faces immediately; it was the woman she had seen outside Room 312. She had been a student at the university, a girl who had vanished without a trace.

Suddenly, the door to the room slammed shut, and a cold wind swept through the room. Xiao Li's friends gasped, their eyes wide with fear. The room was dark, save for the flickering bulb, and the sound of their own rapid breathing filled the space.

Xiao Li's hand reached out, and she felt the cool metal of a knife handle. She had found the weapon that had been used to silence the women in the photographs. She turned to her friends, her voice trembling, "We need to leave now."

But it was too late. The figure from the hooded woman appeared in the doorway, a knife in hand. Xiao Li's friends tried to run, but they were trapped. The hooded woman moved with a swift, deadly grace, her knife slicing through the air with each strike.

Xiao Li watched, helplessly, as her friends fell one by one. She knew she had to act, or she would be next. She reached into her pocket, pulling out a small, emergency whistle. With a desperate cry, she blew it, the sound echoing through the dormitory.

The hooded woman turned, her eyes locking onto Xiao Li. The girl took a deep breath, her heart pounding in her chest. She had no choice but to fight.

Xiao Li lunged at the woman, her fingers grasping at the knife. They struggled, the blade moving back and forth, each strike a potential death sentence. The room was a whirlwind of motion, a blur of bodies and steel.

Finally, Xiao Li managed to wrestle the knife from the woman's grasp. She pushed her away, and the woman stumbled backward, falling to the floor. Xiao Li stood over her, her breath coming in ragged gasps.

The door to the room burst open, and the dormitory residents flooded in, their faces filled with relief and shock. The hooded woman tried to rise, but Xiao Li stepped on her hand, pinning it to the floor.

The police arrived shortly after, and the woman was taken away. Xiao Li was hailed as a hero, but she knew that the true hero was the woman she had saved, the one who had been silenced for so long.

As the police questioned her, Xiao Li couldn't help but wonder about the other women in the photographs. Who were they? What had happened to them? And most importantly, why had they been targeted?

The answers would come in time, but for now, Xiao Li had a new understanding of the darkness that could lie beneath the surface of even the most ordinary places. She had faced the monster that had been lurking in Room 312, and she had won.

But the whispers in the dormitory had not stopped. They continued to echo through the halls, a reminder that the secrets of the past could never be truly buried.