"Bang! Bang! Bang! Open the door! Dormitory inspection!"

Hearing this, the four of us immediately quieted down.

Just as I hesitated whether to go down and open the door, there was a cracking sound, and the door was unexpectedly opened.

"It's already 11 o'clock. Why haven't you turned off the lights? Why are you still using electronic devices?"

I recognized this voice. It was the young dormitory inspector, Sister Qin, from today, but her tone had become very stern.

Dormitory rule: Lights must be turned off at 11 p.m. After lights out, electronic devices cannot be used. Otherwise, the dormitory staff will come and confiscate them.

Upon hearing this, we realized that they were not inspecting our room, but the neighboring dormitory.

At that moment, I felt Wang Jiayi and the others breathe a sigh of relief.

"Understood, we will turn off the lights immediately. Sorry, dormitory inspector," I heard one of the girls say.

"Violating the rules! One more offense!" the dormitory staff's voice grew louder.

"What's the big deal? It's just five minutes past. Why are you shouting? Besides, we had already turned off the lights. It was the other dormitory staff who came in and turned them on. It's none of our business!" another girl said.

"You're violating the rules and still arguing? Double the punishment!" the dormitory staff angrily said.

"What are you shouting about? What's with your attitude? Even if we didn't turn off the lights, so what? Do you know who my dad is? With just a word from him, he can get you fired!" the girl also refused to back down, seemingly having some influence.

"Violating the school rules means accepting punishment! Accepting punishment!"

As soon as the words fell, I heard a commotion from the neighboring dormitory, followed by heart-wrenching screams.

"Ah! Ah!"

The screams were bone-chilling.

I wanted to get out of bed to see what was happening, but Li Yingying held me tightly, trembling, and said, "Guan Xin, don't... don't go. Dormitory rules!"

Right, I almost forgot. It was pitch black all around, and if I wanted to go out and see what was happening, I had to turn on the lights and use my phone for illumination, which would violate the dormitory rules.

At that moment, my roommates Wang Jiayi and Zhang Shiyun also dared not speak.

After a while, the screams finally stopped.

I also felt that the dormitory inspector, Sister Qin, had left our floor.

I slowly climbed out of bed, stretched my neck outside the mosquito net, and looked through the transparent glass window on the dormitory door.

But what I saw next shocked me.

The four girls from the neighboring dormitory were now stuck to the walls on both sides of the corridor. Upon closer inspection, their hands and feet were actually nailed to the wall with wooden spikes, blood flowing all over the floor, and their mouths were sewn shut with needle and thread.

I rubbed my eyes, unable to believe what I was seeing.

At this moment, we suddenly heard a knocking sound at the door.

"Giggles, giggles, giggles!"

"Dormitory inspection, open the door!"

What? Dormitory inspection? But just now, there was no one in the corridor except for those four girls from the neighboring dormitory. How could there be someone inspecting?

I lowered my gaze from the window and, to my surprise, there was a person standing at the entrance of our dormitory.

She had a long braid, lowered her head, wore a black cloak, and had a pair of red embroidered shoes on her feet. That emaciated right hand, with only skin and bones left, was knocking on our dormitory door. I recognized that hand—it was the horrifying hand I saw earlier today.

"Dormitory inspection, open the door! If you don't open it soon, you will all receive punishment!" the knocking and shouting continued.

Hearing the word "punishment," Wang Jiayi and Zhang Shiyun immediately sat up on their beds. They both looked at me simultaneously, while Li Yingying became even more frightened, clinging to me and trembling.

"Openthe door! Don't make me repeat myself!" the mysterious figure outside the door demanded with an eerie voice.

My heart raced as I glanced at my roommates, unsure of what to do. Should we open the door and risk whatever punishment awaited us, or should we stay hidden and hope this terrifying presence would go away?

Before we could make a decision, the voice outside grew more impatient.

"Time is running out. Open the door now!"

Feeling a mix of fear and curiosity, I slowly approached the door. As I reached for the doorknob, I couldn't help but wonder who or what was on the other side.

"Wait!" Li Yingying exclaimed, her voice filled with fear. "We can't open the door. It's too dangerous."

Her words echoed our concerns, but the relentless knocking and the voice outside made it clear that our disobedience would not go unpunished.

"We have to do something," I whispered to my roommates. "We can't hide forever."

Wang Jiayi nodded with determination. "You're right. Let's face whatever it is together."

With a deep breath, I mustered the courage to turn the doorknob and slowly open the door. As the door creaked open, we were met with a chilling sight.

Standing before us was a figure wrapped in tattered black robes, her face obscured by a long, unkempt braid. Her eyes glowed with an otherworldly red hue, and her emaciated hand reached out toward us.

"Welcome to the punishment chamber," she hissed in a voice that sent shivers down our spines.

We hesitated, unsure of what lay beyond the threshold. But the figure beckoned us forward, and as if drawn by an invisible force, we found ourselves stepping out of our dormitory and into a dimly lit corridor.

The corridor stretched endlessly, with countless doors lining both sides. Each door bore a number, and eerie sounds emanated from within. As we walked further, we noticed other students emerging from their dormitories, their faces filled with terror and confusion.

"What is this place?" Zhang Shiyun whispered, her voice trembling.

Before any of us could answer, the figure in the black robes spoke once again.

"You have violated the dormitory rules, and now you must face the consequences. Behind these doors lie the punishments you have earned."

Her words sent a chill down our spines, but there was no turning back. We had entered this twisted realm, and we had to confront whatever awaited us.

With a mixture of trepidation and curiosity, we approached one of the doors. The number on it read "Room 13."

I exchanged a glance with my roommates, and together, we pushed open the door.

Inside, we found ourselves in a room filled with mirrors. The mirrors reflected our own terrified expressions, amplifying our fear. The door slammed shut behind us, trapping us inside.

"What is this punishment?" Li Yingying cried out, her voice echoing in the confined space.

Before any of us could answer, the reflections in the mirrors began to distort. Our own images twisted and contorted, revealing grotesque versions of ourselves.

As we watched in horror, the distorted reflections reached out from the mirrors, their hands grasping at us, pulling us deeper into their twisted reality.

We screamed and struggled, but there was no escape. The punishment had begun, and we were trapped in a nightmarish realm of our own making.

What happened next... well, that's a story for another time.