Studio

My senior high school has always been renowned far and wide for its strong artistic atmosphere. The art building on campus is like a shining pearl, attracting countless students who harbor artistic dreams. For art students, the art studio in the building is undoubtedly a sacred hall where they can unleash their creativity and passion. However, whenever night falls, this building, which is full of artistic flavor during the day, seems to be quietly shrouded by an invisible and mysterious dark cloud, exuding a spine-chilling aura.

I'm not an art student, but due to my deep interest in art, I've formed a profound friendship with my art student friend, Lin Yue. Lin Yue's obsession with painting has reached a selfless level. She often immerses herself in the art studio, forgetting the passage of time until it's late at night and everything is quiet.

One day, Lin Yue, with excitement and pride beaming on her face, couldn't wait to find me and declared that she had discovered a painting without a signature, whose standard could rival that of world-renowned masters. Her eyes sparkled with a fiery light, and she firmly insisted on dragging me to the art studio that night to admire her discovery. Unable to refuse her sincere invitation, I eventually gave in to her enthusiasm and nodded in agreement.

At night, the entire campus seemed to be enveloped by a huge black curtain. Only a few street lamps emitted a dim and faint yellow light, like candles shivering in the darkness. The art building stood alone in a remote corner of the campus. Its shape resembled an ancient and mysterious castle, and under the contrast of the night, it looked even more eerie and sinister, exuding a terrifying and mysterious atmosphere.

We slowly walked into the art building. A unique mixed smell pervaded the corridor, which was a combination of the pungent smell of paint and the musty odor of the canvas. The lights overhead flickered unsteadily, as if they would go out completely at any moment, throwing us into an endless abyss of darkness. Lin Yue tightly grasped my hand and, relying on her familiarity with the place, skillfully made her way towards the art studio.

Finally, we arrived at the door of the art studio. The door of the studio was ajar, and a faint ray of light seeped through the crack, standing out peculiarly in the dim corridor. Lin Yue gently pushed the door open, a bright smile blooming on her face, and she said excitedly, "Look, this is it!" As she spoke, she raised her finger and pointed at a huge oil painting on the wall.

What came into view was a gloomy and terrifying forest. The trees in the painting were distorted and strange in shape, with their branches stretching out recklessly, like monsters with outstretched claws, as if they would break free from the painting at any moment. In the center of the forest stood a dilapidated wooden house, and a strange and hazy light shone through the windows, adding a touch of mysterious and unpredictable atmosphere to the whole painting. The overall tone of the painting was dark and oppressive, dominated by cold colors, as if it had brought the viewer into a world full of despair and fear.

I was fully absorbed in admiring this painting, and I couldn't help but secretly praise the painter's artistic skills in my heart. However, at that moment, I suddenly felt a cool breeze gently blow past my back, and a layer of fine goosebumps immediately appeared on my neck. I instinctively turned my head to look, but I only saw the empty art studio, with nothing there. "Is there wind blowing in from the window?" I asked Lin Yue, feeling a bit nervous.

Lin Yue slightly shook her head and said softly, "The window is closed. Maybe this place is a bit eerie. Don't scare yourself."

Although Lin Yue comforted me like this, I still felt that something was not right deep in my heart. The feeling of being watched secretly became stronger, as if there were a pair of invisible eyes closely following my every move. I couldn't help but look at the painting again, and in a trance, I felt that the trees in the painting seemed to sway slightly.

"Lin Yue, look at this painting..." I was just about to remind Lin Yue when I heard her let out a shrill scream.

I quickly turned my head to look at Lin Yue. I saw her eyes wide open, her face filled with terror as she pointed at the painting on the wall. Her mouth was wide open, but she was choked by fear and couldn't say a word. I followed the direction she pointed and was instantly horrified, my heart shrinking suddenly. On the window of the wooden house in the painting, there赫然appeared a face as pale as paper. Those eyes were empty and lifeless, yet they stared straight at us, as if they could see through our souls.

Fear instantly welled up in my heart like a tide. I was so scared that my legs went weak, and I could hardly stand. Instinctively, I grabbed Lin Yue and turned to run towards the door desperately. However, when we reached the door, it suddenly slammed shut with a "bang". No matter how hard we pushed, the door didn't budge an inch, as if it was firmly locked by an invisible force.

"What should we do?" Lin Yue asked me with a sobbing voice, trembling.

I tried my best to suppress the fear in my heart and pretended to be calm as I comforted her, "Don't panic. Maybe the door is stuck. Let's see if there's another exit."

Just then, all the lights in the art studio went out without any warning, and the surroundings were instantly plunged into a pitch-black darkness where you couldn't see your hand in front of your face. The darkness was like a huge monster that swallowed us up completely. In this deathly silence of the darkness, a strange sound faintly came. The sound seemed like someone was sobbing in a low voice, filled with endless sorrow and despair; it also seemed like someone was muttering to themselves, with an eerie tone that made people shudder.

"I don't want to die... Let me out..."

"It's all because of you... You've killed me..."

These voices echoed in the darkness, like the wails of ghosts, constantly pounding on our fragile nerves. Lin Yue was terrified. She hugged me tightly, and her body trembled uncontrollably, like a leaf shivering in the strong wind.

Suddenly, a faint and strange light illuminated the art studio. I instinctively looked up and was surprised to find that the light was emanating from the painting on the wall. At this moment, the scene in the painting became even more terrifying. A thick fog filled the forest, rolling and surging, as if hiding countless unknown dangers. The door of the wooden house slowly opened, making a harsh "creaking" sound that broke the suffocating silence. A black shadow slowly emerged from the wooden house, dragging its feet in a mechanical manner.

The black shadow loomed in the fog and gradually approached us. As the distance between us shortened, the outline of the black shadow became clearer. It was a girl wearing a white dress. Her hair hung down like a waterfall, covering most of her face. Her hands hung limply on both sides, and she walked towards us with stiff steps.

"Who are you? Why are you hurting us?" I mustered up all my courage and shouted at the girl, trying to dispel the fear in my heart.

The girl didn't respond to my question. She still walked forward mechanically, and each step seemed to step on my heart. When she was only a few steps away from us, she slowly raised her head, revealing a bloodless face. Her eyes were empty and lifeless, like two bottomless black holes. Her lips were purple, dry, and cracked, as if they had been eroded by the cold for a long time.

"Let me go..." The girl's voice was icy cold, like a gust of wind from hell, making people shiver all over.

Just then, out of the corner of my eye, I saw another black shadow appear behind Lin Yue. This black shadow was a middle-aged man. He was wearing a tattered work uniform stained with various colors of paint. He held a paintbrush tightly in his hand, and a fierce and angry look was revealed in his eyes.

"It's all your students' fault for touching my things randomly!" The middle-aged man roared, and his voice echoed in the art studio, making our eardrums ache.

Before we could react, the middle-aged man raised the paintbrush and viciously stabbed towards Lin Yue. Lin Yue let out a heart-wrenching scream, her body swayed a few times, and then she fell heavily to the ground.

"Lin Yue!" I was heartbroken and rushed towards the middle-aged man regardless of everything. However, just as I was about to touch him, his figure and the girl's figure suddenly dissipated like smoke, leaving only the empty art studio and Lin Yue who was lying on the ground.

The lights came on again, and the art studio returned to its surface calm. I ran to Lin Yue's side in a hurry, squatted down, gently shook her shoulder, and called her name anxiously. Fortunately, Lin Yue was still breathing, but she had her eyes tightly closed and was in a coma.

Without hesitation, I picked up Lin Yue and, using all my strength, ran out of the art studio and rushed towards the infirmary. Along the way, my heart was pounding rapidly, and the terrifying scene from just now kept replaying in my mind.

Finally, I reached the infirmary, and the doctor immediately carried out emergency treatment on Lin Yue. After a period of intense busyness, the doctor informed me that Lin Yue was not seriously injured. She had just been severely frightened and needed to rest well. Hearing this news, the stone in my heart finally dropped a little. But I was also puzzled. I clearly saw that man stab Lin Yue with the end of the paintbrush, yet there was no wound on Lin Yue's body.

The next day, I told the teacher the entire terrifying experience from last night with a nervous heart. After hearing it, the teacher had a puzzled look on his face and said, "That art studio has been for a long time. Recently, no one has used it at all, and there are no paintings either."

I deeply doubted the teacher's words and firmly refused to believe that all of this was just my hallucination. So, I took the teacher to that art studio again. When we pushed the door open, the scene in front of us stunned me. The art studio was empty. The walls were clean, and the floor was also spotless. There was no such terrifying painting, nor were there any abnormal signs, as if everything that happened last night was just a nightmare.

But I knew in my heart that everything that happened last night was real. From then on, although Lin Yue gradually recovered physically, her mental state was not good. She often woke up in the middle of the night from a nightmare, haunted by the terrifying dreams, and she became haggard and vulnerable. As for me, whenever I passed by the art building, I would involuntarily feel a chill rise from the soles of my feet, as if there were a pair of cold eyes closely watching me in the darkness, making me shudder.

As the days passed, that incident still lingered in my heart and couldn't be erased. I decided to conduct an in-depth investigation to figure out the truth of the matter. So, I began to search for clues everywhere, not letting go of any possible place.

Finally, in the school's long-dusty old archive, I accidentally discovered some clues related to an incident that happened many years ago. It turned out that a long time ago, a talented but reclusive art teacher disappeared mysteriously in that art studio. At the same time, his most proud student, a young and beautiful girl, also disappeared.

According to the sporadic records in the archives and some vague rumors, this art teacher had a high pursuit and unique insights into painting. In his creative work, he had always been committed to exploring an artistic realm that transcended reality. During the teaching process, he discovered the girl's unique artistic talent and placed high hopes on her, pouring all his efforts into her. The two often discussed art in the art studio, from daytime until late at night. The art studio often echoed with their enthusiastic discussions and the sound of the paintbrush rubbing against the canvas.

However, as time went by, when the teacher was creating a mysterious painting, he gradually fell into a state of madness. He locked himself in the art studio all day long, neither eating nor drinking, and devoted himself wholeheartedly to this painting. He believed that this painting would be the peak of his artistic career and could break the shackles of traditional art and create a brand-new art style.

The girl noticed that the teacher's state was getting more and more abnormal. She was worried about the teacher's physical and mental condition and tried to persuade the teacher to stop and rest several times. But the teacher turned a deaf ear to the girl's advice and instead thought that the girl didn't understand his artistic pursuit. The conflict between the two gradually deepened.

Finally, on a stormy night, a fierce conflict broke out in the art studio. What exactly happened was not recorded in detail in the archives. But from some remaining clues and rumors, it can be speculated that the scene at that time must have been extremely chaotic and terrifying. In the end, both the teacher and the girl disappeared without a trace, and the unfinished painting that the teacher had spent countless efforts on also disappeared, as if it had been completely swallowed up by the darkness. All that was left at the scene was a pool of blood...