Episode 4

Maya didn’t dream that night.

Or maybe she did, but the dream felt too real to call it one.

She was in Hallway B again, though this time the light was brighter than she’d ever seen it. Lockers lined both walls, each one dented and streaked with something dark. She couldn’t tell if it was rust or dried blood.

At the far end stood the girl—Lila, it had to be. She was smiling, but it wasn’t the sharp, predatory look from before. This smile was softer, almost pleading.

“Find me,” she said again.

Then, behind her, a figure appeared—a tall shadow, broad shoulders, a ring of keys glinting in his hand. Before Maya could see his face, the lights snapped off.

She woke with her heart racing, the words still in her head: Don’t let him lock me in again.

---

By morning, she’d made a decision.

If Lila wanted her to “find” something, she’d need to start with the obvious—what actually happened in 2002.

In the cafeteria, she dropped her tray across from Eli.

“I need to know about Lila Martin,” she said.

Eli looked up from his fries. “Dangerous territory.”

“So you know something.”

“I know rumors.”

“Then tell me.”

He hesitated, leaning back in his chair. “She was a junior. Honor roll, choir, all that golden student crap. Then one October, she disappears for two days. Comes back acting… different. Quieter. Jumps at noises. And then…” He paused. “Then she’s found dead in Hallway B. They said she fell. Broke her neck. End of story.”

“That’s not the end of the story.”

Eli studied her. “You think she was murdered.”

“I know someone locked her in there. She told me.”

For once, Eli didn’t have a joke ready.

---

Between classes, Maya made her way to the library. Franklin High’s librarian was an older man with thick glasses and a voice like gravel.

“New student,” he said when she approached the desk. “What can I do for you?”

“I need old yearbooks,” Maya said. “From 2002.”

His brows lifted, but he didn’t comment. “Back wall, top shelf.”

The yearbooks were dustier than she expected, their covers cracked from years of handling—or maybe years of being ignored. She pulled the 2002 edition down and carried it to a table.

Flipping through, she found Lila easily. The photo didn’t match the ghost she’d seen—this Lila was bright-eyed, hair curled neatly over her shoulders, a shy smile frozen in black and white.

She scanned the names in her year: classmates, teachers, staff. Then she saw it.

Mr. Lowell – Custodian

The same Mr. Lowell who still worked here. The same man who told her to stay away from the gate.

---

The rest of the day passed in a haze. She couldn’t stop replaying the dream, the glint of keys in the shadow’s hand.

By last period, she’d made up her mind. She needed to talk to Mr. Lowell.

She found him mopping outside the science wing. His eyes flicked up when she approached.

“You’re supposed to be in class.”

“I have a question.”

“Make it quick.”

“Did you work here in 2002?”

He stopped mopping. The silence stretched too long.

“Yes.”

“You knew Lila Martin.”

His grip tightened on the mop handle. “You need to leave that alone.”

“She told me someone locked her in the hallway. Was it you?”

He stared at her for a long, cold moment. “You have no idea what you’re talking about.”

And then he turned and walked away, leaving the wet floor behind him.

---

That night, Maya’s phone stayed silent. No texts, no whispers. The quiet was almost worse.

She sat on her bed, scrolling through the scanned archive of the local paper. The 2002 article about Lila’s death was vague: accidental fall, structural damage to the east wing, tragic loss to the community. But in the comments section—buried under years of spam—she found something strange.

A post from “Anonymous_72” dated two weeks after Lila’s death:

> She didn’t fall. She was pushed. And the door was locked from the outside.

Her skin prickled.

---

The next day at school, Jade intercepted her near the lockers.

“You’re digging,” Jade said.

“You’ve been talking to her,” Maya shot back.

Jade’s jaw tightened. “It won’t help. She doesn’t want the truth. She wants revenge.”

“I think she wants both.”

Jade leaned in close, her voice a sharp whisper. “You think you can control her? You can’t. The longer you play her game, the closer she gets.”

---

At lunch, Maya cornered Eli again.

“You have access to the school paper archives?”

“Maybe.”

“I need anything written about Lila. And about Mr. Lowell.”

Eli smirked faintly. “You’re starting to sound like me.”

“I’m starting to sound like someone who wants to survive.”

---

That afternoon, she went back to the library. The librarian was shelving books, leaving her alone with the yearbooks. She flipped through again, this time checking the faculty pages from 2001, 2003…

In the 2003 edition, Mr. Lowell’s name was gone.

---

She was heading toward the bus when she heard it again—the soft patter of bare feet against tile.

She froze. The hallway was empty, lockers stretching on both sides.

Then, just ahead, Lila appeared. Her hair was dripping again, a trail of water following her as she moved.

“You’re close,” Lila whispered.

“Close to what?”

Lila tilted her head, and for a moment, her smile almost looked human. Then she stepped backward, fading into the air like steam.

In her place, on the floor, was something small and metallic.

Maya crouched and picked it up. It was an old brass key.

***Download NovelToon to enjoy a better reading experience!***