The taste of the medicine was terrible, like the ashes of burnt bones, choking my throat.

Fortunately, when Wang Miaomiao and I returned to the dormitory, it disappeared.

Xia Cui and Xu Yanyan were chatting and laughing, warmly greeting us.

It was as if it had never existed.

Wang Miaomiao and I breathed a sigh of relief for the moment.

I whispered to her, "As long as we abide by the dormitory rules, nothing will happen."

Wang Miaomiao replied cautiously, "Anyone who has been to the restroom on the right side of the corridor will be tracked by it. Once we talk to it, we will be tempted and become abnormal."

I deduced, "It should target those who violate the rules. So we don't know if the classmates around us are humans or it."

Wang Miaomiao looked terrified.

I made up my mind, "The best way is to ignore the classmates outside and not pay attention to anyone."

Wang Miaomiao and I remained silent.

Xia Cui and Xu Yanyan were sociable, chatting with everyone they met.

I had no idea whether the students I talked to were humans or it.

At night, Wang Miaomiao and I finished washing up, but there was still no signal on our phones.

I wanted to let my parents know I was safe, so Wang Miaomiao and I went to the reception room on the first floor to make a call.

When I heard my mom's voice, tears almost welled up in my eyes.

"Mom, this school is really strange..."

Crackling...

A piercing sound of electrical interference came from the receiver.

The dormitory auntie leaned against the window, her sunken eyes staring straight at me. "Don't waste your phone bill. You only have three minutes. Report good news, not worries. Speak more about positive things to avoid retribution."

I was stunned. Could it be that the school's mysteries were not allowed to be spread outside, so this landline was being monitored?

Once we mentioned the secrets of the dormitory building, the signal was immediately cut off?

"Mom, I'm fine. I just miss home a little," I choked out.

On the other end of the line, my mom's comforting voice came, "What's the use of missing home? Study hard, repay me and your dad in the future, earn more money, and take care of your younger brother. That's the most important thing."

"I know, Mom. This is the school's phone. Our dormitory has poor signal, so I can't receive messages on my mobile."

"Alright, if anything happens, your dad and I will contact you through this number."

When I hung up the phone, my suspicions were confirmed.

Wang Miaomiao and I exchanged glances.

She contacted her family in the same way.

Only by praising the school and expressing well-being in casual conversations could our families hear us.

Once we mentioned anything strange, the signal was immediately cut off.

It was as if something was constantly eavesdropping on our privacy.

This feeling of being watched was chilling.

I angrily warned the dormitory auntie, "The school will have winter and summer vacations. When we go home, we will expose the secrets of the dormitory building."

The dormitory auntie smirked, her words filled with meaning, "Follow the rules seriously, and live until that day."

She glared at me and closed the door and windows.

Wang Miaomiao and I went upstairs, determined.

9:30 p.m.

All four of us went to the restroom on the right side to avoid being unable to leave after the lights went out at ten.

When we lay back on our beds, it was already 9:50.

Before falling asleep, I checked the doors and windows.

There were no clothes hanging outside, everything was safe.

The bright lights suddenly went out.

The room plunged into darkness.

In an instant.

A scream echoed through the corridor, "Why is the restroom still in the dark?!"

"Which idiot doesn't turn on the lights in the restroom at midnight? What kind of lousy school is this?!"

The sound of footsteps hurriedly approached.

I heard Xia Cui's voice, "I'll go and check."

The door creaked open, and I saw a faint light from the corridor shining into the room.

Xia Cui's figure disappeared into the darkness.

After a while, her voice came from the corridor, filled with panic, "The switch is not working! It's pitch black in the restroom!"

Xu Yanyan's voice trembled, "What should we do? Should we wake up the dormitory auntie?"

Wang Miaomiao and I exchanged glances in the dark.

We had experienced the terror of the restroom on the right side of the corridor.

If Xia Cui and Xu Yanyan encountered it...

We couldn't just sit here and do nothing.

Together, Wang Miaomiao and I rushed out of the room.

We felt our way along the corridor, following the direction of Xia Cui's voice.

The darkness seemed to swallow everything.

As we approached the restroom, we heard faint sounds.

It was Xia Cui and Xu Yanyan's terrified screams.

We pushed open the restroom door.

The scene before us was horrifying.

Xia Cui and Xu Yanyan were standing in the middle of the restroom, their bodies trembling uncontrollably.

They were surrounded by a group of translucent figures, each emitting a faint glow.

The figures resembled humans, but their eyes were hollow, devoid of life.

They were the previous victims who had disappeared from the dormitory.

Wang Miaomiao and I were frozen in fear.

One of the figures turned its head slowly and stared at us with its empty eyes.

I felt a chill run down my spine.

But then, something unexpected happened.

The figure opened its mouth and spoke, its voice filled with anguish, "Help us... Please, help us..."

The other figures joined in, their voices blending into a desperate chorus.

"Save us... Release us from this torment..."

Wang Miaomiao and I exchanged a glance.

Without thinking, we reached out our hands and touched the figures.

As soon as our hands made contact, the figures dissipated into thin air.

Xia Cui and Xu Yanyan collapsed to the ground, their faces pale.

Wang Miaomiao and I helped them up.

Xia Cui looked at us with tears in her eyes, "Thank you... Thank you for saving us."

It was then that we realized the truth.

The figures were not monsters or ghosts.

They were the trapped souls of the students who had disappeared.

They were victims, just like us.

And somehow, we had the power to release them.

But the question remained: what had caused their souls to be trapped in the dormitory building?

And what was the connection between the mysterious restroom and their disappearance?

We knew we had to find answers.

But for now, we had to focus on comforting Xia Cui and Xu Yanyan.

We led them back to the room, holding each other tightly.

Little did we know that this was only the beginning of a much larger, more terrifying mystery that awaited us in the depths of the dormitory building.