Reality check

Tap... tap... tap...

Maya's eyes snapped open. She froze, her ears straining. The sound was faint yet clear, a slow, deliberate tapping echoing through the room.

It's that sound again...

Her gaze flicked toward the wardrobe. The door was shut, but somehow it seemed... off. The air felt colder than before, and the shadows in the room felt thicker, clinging to the corners like something unseen was lurking within.

I'm not imagining this...

Heart pounding, Maya slid out of bed and hurried to Sana's side. "Sana... Sana, wake up," she whispered, shaking her friend's arm.

"Mmm... what?" Sana groaned, her voice muffled beneath her blanket.

"Wake up!" Maya's voice shook. "I heard it again, the sound from the wardrobe."

Sana let out an irritated sigh and peeked out from under her blanket. "Seriously?" she grumbled.

"I'm serious!" Maya insisted, her grip tightening. "I know what I heard!"

"Oh, come on..." Sana groaned louder and rubbed her face in frustration.

"What's happening?" Liya's groggy voice mumbled from her bed.

"She's freaking out again," Sana muttered. "Says she heard tapping from the wardrobe."

"I did! I swear!" Maya hissed. "Liya, you heard weird noises before too, remember?"

Liya sat up slowly, rubbing her eyes. "Yeah... but it wasn't... like that." Her voice faltered, unsure.

Sana scoffed. "You guys are seriously losing it. First Maya's nightmare, now this? You're both just overthinking stuff."

"I know what I heard," Maya said stubbornly. "I'm not making this up."

"Fine," Sana muttered. "Let's just check the stupid wardrobe then."

Maya stiffened. "I... I'm not opening it."

"Oh, for God's sake," Sana groaned, throwing back her blanket. She stomped across the room and grabbed the wardrobe handle.

"Sana, wait!" Maya's voice rose, panic clear in her tone.

With an exaggerated sigh, Sana yanked the wardrobe door open.

Nothing.

"See?" Sana gestured at the empty shelves inside. "No ghosts. No demons. Just your imagination messing with you."

She shut the door with a sharp thud.

"Now can we all go back to sleep?" Sana muttered, climbing back into bed.

Maya stood frozen by her bed, her face still pale. "It's not just my imagination," she whispered.

"Well, whatever it is," Sana said tiredly, "I'm too exhausted to care." She yanked her blanket over her head.

"Yeah... let's just sleep," Liya mumbled. "We're probably just... stressed or something."

Maya hesitated, then slowly returned to her bed.

As silence settled back into the room, Sana closed her eyes, her mind already drifting.

---

Sana fell asleep faster than she expected, the warmth of her blanket and the stillness of the room pulling her into unconsciousness.

But sleep didn't last long.

---

She was in their dorm room again.

But something was wrong.

The air felt thicker, damp and stale like a room that had been locked away for years. The colors around her seemed dull and drained, as if life had been sucked from the walls.

Maya's and Liya's beds were empty, their blankets twisted, pillows pushed aside.

Where are they?

"Sana..."

A voice, thin and distorted, slithered from behind her.

She turned sharply, eyes scanning the room. Nothing.

"Sana..."

The whisper came again, closer this time.

Her gaze drifted to the wardrobe.

The door... was open. Just slightly. A shadow lingered behind the narrow gap, unmoving but unmistakable.

Her breathing quickened.

Don't look. Just leave.

She turned toward the door, but her feet felt like they were sinking into the floor, her muscles sluggish and unresponsive.

Move. Move!

"Sana..."

The whisper rasped again, now louder and clearer.

She couldn't resist anymore, her eyes flicked back to the wardrobe.

The door was open wider now... and something was there.

A figure began to emerge, twisted and disjointed, like its bones didn't fit together properly. Its body jerked with unnatural movements, limbs bending at sharp angles.

Then it looked at her.

Its face was stretched and gaunt, skin pale and leathery. The eyes were dark hollows, endless pits that seemed to pull her in. The grin, that twisted, unnatural grin, spread wide across its face.

The figure staggered forward, one twisted leg dragging behind it.

"Sana..."

The voice cracked again, broken yet somehow unmistakably calling her name.

Her chest tightened, panic surging through her.

Wake up. Wake up. Wake up.

But she couldn't move.

The figure's arm shot out, bony fingers latching around her wrist. Coldness seeped into her skin, spreading fast like ice in her veins.

"Let go!" she gasped, voice barely a whisper.

The grip tightened.

---

Sana shot upright in bed with a strangled gasp. Her heart pounded against her ribs, her skin damp with sweat.

For a moment, she sat frozen, staring into the darkness.

The room was still. Liya and Maya lay sound asleep in their beds. The wardrobe door was closed.

Her breath slowed, but her fingers trembled as she rubbed her wrist, the spot where the cold grip had clutched her. The skin there felt strangely numb.

Just a dream... just their stupid stories getting in my head.

She lay back down, pulling the blanket up to her chin. The room seemed colder now, and the shadows in the corners felt deeper.

"It's just my imagination," she whispered to herself.

But no matter how tightly she shut her eyes...

She couldn't forget that smile.

For a moment, she considered waking Maya or Liya... but the thought made her hesitate.

No... they'll just think I'm being dramatic.

Instead, she lay back down, turning her back to the wardrobe. The room was quiet, too quiet, but she closed her eyes anyway.

---

The next morning, Sana woke feeling drained, as if her sleep had done nothing to ease her exhaustion.

She moved slower than usual, taking longer to brush her hair and pack her bag. Her head felt heavy, thoughts clouded with the remnants of that awful dream.

By the time she joined Maya and Liya for breakfast, she was quieter than usual. Maya noticed.

"You okay?" Maya asked, studying her closely.

"I'm fine," Sana muttered, stirring her tea.

"You sure?" Maya's voice softened. "You look kinda... off."

"I said I'm fine," Sana answered a little too firmly.

Maya exchanged a glance with Liya. "Weird night?" Liya asked casually.

"I just didn't sleep well," Sana said. She forced a smile. "Probably because of you two filling my head with nonsense last night."

Maya stiffened. "It's not nonsense."

"It is," Sana said flatly. "You're both overreacting. You keep talking about weird noises and nightmares... obviously, it's going to mess with my head."

"Wait…" Maya's brows furrowed. "You had a nightmare?"

"No," Sana lied instantly. "I just didn't sleep well, that's all."

Maya stared at her for a beat too long, her suspicion clear.

"Well," Sana added with a forced shrug, "if either of you wakes me up again tonight over some stupid noise, I'm locking you out of the room."

Liya chuckled, but Maya didn't smile. Her gaze lingered on Sana's wrist, the one Sana kept rubbing absentmindedly.

"You sure you're okay?" Maya asked one more time.

"I'm fine," Sana insisted, standing up. "I'm going to class."

She grabbed her bag and walked out before Maya could say anything else.

---

In the hallway, Sana paused and leaned against the wall, exhaling slowly.

It's just their stories getting in my head... just a dream.

But her fingers kept finding her wrist, pressing into the cold spot that hadn't quite gone away.