The Night the Hallway Watched

After my parents separated, we moved in with my mom’s new partner, Leo. His town was unfamiliar, and I felt like an outsider. I soon met a curious girl in my class who believed in signs and spirits. We had both grown up in a strict religious community and were starting to question the teachings we had always known.

One evening, hoping to find some clarity, we used a spirit board that belonged to her older brother. We asked it many things about life and the future. The answers we got were confusing and didn’t really help. We gave up and went to her bedroom to talk instead.

Later that night, as we lay in the dark trying to sleep, a soft scraping sound started in the hall. We were too scared to look. We switched on the lamp and stared at the closed door, hoping it would stay shut.

But it didn’t. It wasn’t a slow, gentle opening. The door flew inward with a sudden force, and the empty, black hallway stood waiting beyond.