Self-study at night

That was an unforgettable and nightmarish experience from my high school days. Even though many years have passed, whenever this memory creeps up in the dead of night, it still makes the hair on my body stand on end and sends chills down my spine.

Our school was a boarding high school, and evening self-study was an essential part of our daily routine. On the night of the incident, the initially clear night sky was somehow quietly engulfed by large dark clouds. The moon and stars seemed to be afraid of something and quickly hid themselves. The entire campus was instantly wrapped in thick darkness. The pale lights in the classroom struggled to shine, but they could only dispel a small patch of the darkness. Outside the window, the wind howled like roaring beasts, crashing violently against the windowpanes, making a disturbing "bang" sound.

Mr. Chen, our math teacher, came to patrol the evening self-study as usual. Mr. Chen had a serious and rigid aura about him on a daily basis. He always wore a slightly faded Zhongshan suit, with every button fastened neatly. His hair was combed in perfect order, as if even the strands of hair dared not disobey his will. He rarely smiled, and his square face always carried an air of majesty, making people feel intimidated. At this moment, he paced slowly in the classroom with steady steps. The sound of his leather shoes hitting the ground, a rhythmic "tapping" sound, struck our tense nerves precisely with each step, making us not even dare to breathe loudly. The classroom was as oppressive as the stillness before a storm.

I was fully focused on solving the exercises when suddenly, a girl in the front row let out a scream that she tried desperately to suppress but still burst out. I jerked my head up and saw a huge black moth frantically flapping its wings, jumping up and down around the fluorescent tube. This moth was really strange. Its wings were covered with extremely eerie patterns. At first glance, it was like a pair of sinister eyes. Under the pale light, it glowed with a terrifying faint light, as if it was peeking at every move in the classroom!

The classmates' attention was immediately drawn to this unexpected incident. The originally quiet classroom erupted in an instant, and the commotion spread like a tide. Mr. Chen's eyebrows knitted tightly into a "chuan" character, and a trace of displeasure flashed in his eyes. He quickly stepped onto the podium and reached out his hand, trying to drive away this troublesome moth. Just as his hand was about to touch the moth, the moth seemed to be controlled by some force and suddenly changed direction, rushing straight towards Mr. Chen's face. Mr. Chen was obviously startled by this sudden change. His body trembled violently, and he instinctively waved his hand to drive it away. However, the moth became even more aggressive, hovering around his head like a ghost, as if provoking him wantonly.

Finally, the moth seemed to have tired of this prank and flew away. The classroom gradually returned to its surface calm, but an indescribable tense atmosphere, like a ghost, quietly pervaded and tightly wrapped around everyone. Mr. Chen's face was as阴沉 as water. He silently straightened his slightly messy collar and continued to walk around the classroom for inspection. A trace of barely noticeable panic was revealed in his eyes.

After a while, I suddenly felt a sharp pain in my bladder and an urgent need to urinate. So I quickly raised my hand to signal Mr. Chen. After getting his permission, I got up in a hurry and rushed out of the classroom towards the toilet. The lights in the corridor were dim and faint, like candles in the wind. Each light emitted a weak and unstable glow. In this eerily silent night, it looked particularly lonely and helpless. My footsteps echoed in the empty corridor, making a monotonous and hollow sound, as if countless eyes were peeking at my every move in the darkness.

When I reached the door of the toilet, I found that it was pitch black inside, so dark that I couldn't see my hand in front of my face. The light had somehow broken. A sense of unease welled up in my heart immediately, but my physical need didn't allow me to hesitate. I could only brace myself and carefully grope my way in. There was a pungent mixed smell in the toilet. The strong smell of urine was mixed with a damp and rotten smell, which was nauseating. Relying on my memory, I groped my way to the urinal. Just as I was about to relieve myself, suddenly, a faint strange sound came from one of the compartments.

The sound was extremely faint, as if someone was sobbing in a low voice in the dark. The sobs were filled with endless grief and resentment. It also seemed like someone was chanting some ancient and obscure incantation, with a strange intonation that made people shudder. My heart began to beat wildly, as if it was about to burst out of my chest. An unprecedented fear engulfed me like a tide. Without caring about anything else, I finished quickly and then turned around and rushed out of the toilet, as if there was some terrifying monster chasing me behind.

Back in the classroom, I tried hard to calm down my trembling body and attempted to concentrate on doing the exercises again. However, not long after, an even more诡异 situation occurred in the classroom. A faint singing voice came from somewhere. This singing voice was melodious but carried an eerie chill that went deep into the bones. It seemed to have traveled through the tunnel of time and space, floating in from some distant and unknown depth, and it also seemed to be whispering something softly right next to my ear. The classmates all stopped writing and looked at each other. Their eyes were full of fear and confusion, and the originally quiet classroom was shrouded in an invisible fear.

Mr. Chen also heard this spine-chilling singing voice. His expression was severe. He suddenly stood up and shouted loudly on the podium, "Who's causing trouble? Stop it!" His voice echoed in the silent classroom, but it failed to dispel this strange singing voice. On the contrary, the singing voice became clearer, as if mocking our efforts in vain. Mr. Chen's face turned as pale as a sheet of paper, and beads of sweat kept rolling down his forehead. He took a deep breath and tried to look calm, then walked out of the classroom, attempting to find the source of this singing voice.

After a while, Mr. Chen came back. His appearance shocked us. His face was as pale as paper, without a trace of blood. His forehead was covered with cold sweat, and his eyes were filled with extreme fear and panic. He tried hard to make his voice sound steady and said, "There's no one outside. Maybe you're all too tired from studying and having hallucinations. Concentrate on your studies!" But we could clearly feel that his voice was trembling slightly. Under that pretence of calmness, there was an inescapable fear.

However, the singing voice didn't stop. It still echoed in the classroom, like the death knell from hell. Gradually, I noticed that the classmates around me were all undergoing a terrifying change. Their eyes became empty and lifeless, as if their souls had been sucked out. Their movements were mechanical and stiff, as if they were being controlled by some evil force and had become mindless puppets. I looked around in horror, wanting to do something, but I felt as if I was frozen in place and couldn't move!

Suddenly, the lights in the classroom began to flicker violently, going on and off, as if they were about to be completely swallowed up by the darkness. In the flickering light and shadow, a vague figure gradually emerged in the corner of the classroom. The figure looked like a person dressed in ancient scholar's clothes. The wide robe fluttered in the wind in the darkness, adding even more a sense of eeriness. His face was hidden in the darkness, and his features couldn't be seen clearly, but one could clearly feel the bone-chilling cold emanating from him, as if it could freeze the surrounding air.

As the lights kept flickering, the figure became clearer. He walked slowly and heavily, step by step towards the podium. With each step he took, the temperature around seemed to drop a few degrees, and the cold air quickly spread. Mr. Chen stood on the podium as if he was rooted to the spot. His eyes were fixed on the figure that was getting closer, and his body was shaking uncontrollably. Cold sweat poured down his forehead like rain.

When the figure finally reached the podium, he stopped. He slowly raised his head, revealing a bloodless and deathly pale face. In the sunken eye sockets, a pair of eyes glowed with a strange faint light. His lips were purple, dry and cracked, and there was a terrifying smile on his face. His gaze fell on Mr. Chen, and his voice was hoarse and dry, as if it came from the depths of the earth: "You're finally here..."

Mr. Chen's eyes widened in horror, filled with endless fear and despair. He wanted to turn around and run away, but he found that his feet seemed to be firmly nailed to the ground and he couldn't move at all. "Who are you? Why are you hurting us?" Mr. Chen asked with all his strength, his voice trembling.

The figure let out a sinister sneer, and the sound echoed in the classroom like a ghost's wail. "It doesn't matter who I am. What matters is that none of you can escape..." After saying that, he slowly stretched out his long and pale fingers, pointing the tip of his finger at Mr. Chen, as if pronouncing the arrival of death.

Just then, a terrifying scream filled the classroom. The sound pierced the silent night sky, as if it was going to tear the whole world apart. My eyes went black, my mind went blank, and I completely lost consciousness.

When I regained consciousness again, I found myself lying on a bed in the infirmary. The classmates around me also woke up one after another. Everyone's eyes were filled with fear and confusion, as if they were still trapped in that terrifying nightmare and couldn't get out. We looked at each other, trying to find answers in each other's eyes, but we all found that our memories of what had happened were blurry. All we could remember were that chilling singing voice, the flickering lights, and that extremely strange figure.

Later, we learned that Mr. Chen didn't survive that ordeal. He died a strange death on that terrifying night. It was said that his death was extremely horrible. His eyes were wide open, as if he had seen the most terrifying thing in the world, and the fear and despair on his face were frozen into an eternal nightmare. The school strictly sealed off the matter and announced externally that Mr. Chen had died of a sudden illness. But we all knew in our hearts that this was just a pretext for the school to calm people's nerves. That terrifying night had long been deeply engraved in our souls and had become a shadow that could never be erased in our lives. From then on, whenever night fell, I would involuntarily think of that terrifying evening self-study. The chill that welled up in my heart lingered for a long time. The nights at that school seemed to be forever shrouded in a mysterious and terrifying haze, making people dare not touch that sealed memory easily.