By Myself

Walking down the winding hallway with no other light source than her phone scared Euna a bit, or at the very least, put her on edge. As a kid, she was always scared of the dark and had a fear something was endlessly pursuing her. Even though she was now grown up to know it was not realistic, she couldn't help but be frightened anyway.

Euna knew the maintenance room needed a key to open, but she wasn't quite sure where exactly to find it. She figured it would be in the staffroom and decided to look there. Euna began to quicken her pace as she took down the hallway of the staffroom. This hallway was slightly more well lit compared to the other, as there were small windows scattered about. The navy lockers were now barely more discernable than a cardboard cutout in this lighting. The setting didn't put Euna at much more ease, though some lighting is better than none, she told herself.

Euna passed by the cafeteria entrance and stopped in her tracks for a bit. The ticking of the clock opposite the doorway made Euna more frightened than she already was like something was about to jump on her. Her hands break into a tremble as she raises her phone to check behind her. The clock was a standard analog clock with black trim and the words 'quartz' just above 6 o'clock. Thanks to science class, Euna now knew the lettering was there to indicate what type of clock it is.

Euna turned back to the doorway of the cafeteria and flashed her light inside, revealing folded up tables and chairs along the perimeter of the space. Several creaks of things Euna could only assume were the tables and chairs made her feel uneasy. The sounds echoed through the desolate wide space and amplified it, making it sound far more unsettling. While Euna felt tempted to explore the cafeteria, that could be saved for after the dare.

Finishing the dare was really the only thing on Euna's mind. She couldn't stand being in the dark school any longer. As exhilarating as it was, Euna's fear of the dark was taking control of her. Euna broke into a fast-paced jog as she headed for the staffroom for the keys to the maintenance room. She could have sworn that she heard something behind her, as a light audible clicking would follow her regardless of where she was or how much she tried to get away from it.

With every step Euna made, her lit path shook with her. Euna couldn't exactly tell where she was in the hallway. All she knew was that the staffroom should have been somewhere around. Euna stopped running and scanned her phone light over the area. To her surprise, she was already by the staffroom. Euna took to the door and ripped it open, running inside as if to escape something which she clearly knew wasn't there.

"I'm being so unreasonable right now." Euna muttered to herself while leaning against the door. Lifting her phone to illuminate the area in front of her, Euna kept trekking forward into what little space she could see.

She spotted a desk and made her way to it, tugging at the drawer attached to it. Euna began to rummage through the contents, tearing at everything in every corner. To her dismay, there was no key. Drawing in a deep breath, Euna kicked the desk in frustration, sending it toppling on its side. The crashing sound of the clanky metal desk satisfied her as she turned to check the rest of the space. Not even a second goes by when she heard an ear-piercing glass shatter from across the room. She immediately froze up and almost stopped breathing.

"W-who's there?" Euna whimpered, choking back tears. She heard no response, only making her feel more unsettled. She took a shaky breath and continued scouring the staffroom, firmly gripping onto her phone flashlight as if it was her only hope.

If Euna were to put maintenance keys somewhere in this room, where would she put it? She would often try to ask herself this question while searching for the keys, just so she could convince herself that everything was fine and that she was being rational and logical with her decisions. She knew that she wasn't in a good state of mind, but she had agreed to do this dare and was fully committed. Euna brushed her hair to the side, feeling her neck doused in sweat and attempting to wipe it all off. It was no use, as it only kept coming back.