The Dormitory's Midnight Call: A Tale of Echoing Shadows

The dormitory was a labyrinth of echoing halls and flickering lights, a place where the lines between the living and the departed seemed to blur. It was a Thursday night, and the moon hung low, casting a silver glow through the windows. The students of the Sigma dormitory were nestled in their beds, their faces illuminated by the glow of their phones, as they scrolled through endless streams of social media.

Lena, a senior, lay in her bed, her phone glowing softly in her hand. She had just finished reading a chapter of her horror novel when her phone buzzed with an incoming call. The number was unfamiliar, and she hesitated for a moment before answering. The line was silent for a beat, and then a voice, cold and distant, echoed through the phone.

"Hello," Lena said, her voice tinged with curiosity.

There was no response. Lena waited, her heart pounding in her chest, but the line remained silent. She ended the call and tossed her phone aside, assuming it was a prank. She rolled over, trying to get comfortable, but the eerie silence of the dormitory clung to her, a shadow that refused to be chased away.

The next night, the phone call came again, and this time it was louder, more insistent. It was a female voice, whispering in Lena's ear, "You can't escape me."

The voice was chilling, almost familiar. Lena's mind raced as she tried to place it, but she couldn't. She stumbled out of bed, her heart racing, and grabbed her phone. The number was still the same, but this time, the call went straight to voicemail. Lena listened to the message, her breath catching in her throat.

"Hello, Lena. I'm here. I need your help. Please, come to me."

The message ended with a chilling laugh, and Lena's mind was flooded with questions. Who was this person? Why was she calling her? And why did she sound so desperate?

Over the next few nights, the phone calls became more frequent, more insistent. Each call brought a new message, each message more disturbing than the last. Lena's friends began to notice the change in her behavior, the fear that seemed to grip her every time her phone buzzed.

One night, as Lena lay in bed, the phone call came again. This time, it was different. The voice was not whispering, but screaming, "Lena, I'm here! I'm here!"

Lena jumped out of bed, her heart pounding. She looked around the room, searching for the source of the voice, but there was nothing. She picked up her phone and dialed the number, but it went straight to voicemail again.

"Hello, Lena. I'm here. I need your help. Please, come to me."

Lena's friends, concerned for her well-being, decided to investigate. They followed the trail of unanswered phone calls, leading them to an old, abandoned building on the edge of campus. It was a place where no one dared to go, a place where legends whispered of the departed returning to claim their due.

The group of friends, led by Lena, ventured into the building, their flashlights cutting through the darkness. The air was thick with the scent of decay, and the walls were adorned with faded photographs and handwritten notes. Lena's phone buzzed in her pocket, and she hesitated before answering.

"Hello?"

There was no response, but Lena could hear faint whispering, the same voice that had been haunting her for days. She ended the call and continued deeper into the building, her friends close behind.

The whispers grew louder, more insistent, and Lena's heart raced. She felt as though she was being pulled forward, drawn by an unseen force. Her friends tried to pull her back, but she was too caught up in the chase, too determined to find the source of the voice.

Finally, they reached a room at the end of the hallway. The door was slightly ajar, and Lena pushed it open, revealing a small, dimly lit room. In the center of the room stood a single chair, and seated in it was a woman, her eyes wide and wild, her face twisted in terror.

"Lena," she whispered, her voice trembling. "You have to help me."

Lena stepped closer, her heart pounding. She reached out to touch the woman, but as her fingers brushed against her skin, the woman's eyes rolled back, and she fell to the ground, her body convulsing.

Lena's friends rushed into the room, but it was too late. The woman's eyes opened, and she looked directly at Lena, her voice a scream of terror. "No! No! No!"

Lena turned to run, but her legs felt heavy, as though they were chained to the ground. She looked back at her friends, but they were gone, vanished without a trace. Lena was alone, trapped in the room with the woman, who was now standing, her eyes burning with an otherworldly glow.

"Lena," the woman hissed, "you can't escape me."

Lena tried to scream, but no sound came out. The woman moved closer, her fingers reaching out, and Lena felt the chill of her touch. She closed her eyes, willing herself to disappear, to escape the horror that was closing in around her.

But she couldn't. The woman's fingers brushed against her face, and Lena felt the warmth of her breath on her skin. The world around her began to fade, and Lena knew that this was the end.

As the final moments of her life slipped away, Lena realized that the woman was not just a ghost, but a curse, a reminder that some things were better left forgotten. And as she faded into the shadows, Lena's last thought was of the unanswered phone calls, the echoes of the past that had come to claim her.