MYSTERY BEHIND THE HALLWAY
Chapter 3B: Block B Whispers (Part B)
The rustle of the wind outside grew louder as midnight inched closer. Block B stood in chilling silence. The cold hallway that connected the classrooms to the faculty annex was bathed in a strange, blue-tinged glow coming from an old security lamp outside. It flickered. Once. Twice. Then steady. Dara watched it from her hostel window, her breath fogging the glass.
Zainab was asleep, or at least pretending to be. The events of the last few days had put a wedge between them—Zainab insisted they were overreacting, and Dara… well, Dara had seen things. Heard whispers. Unnatural ones.
The whisper in the mirror still echoed in her head.
"Don't turn around."
But she had. And what she saw could not be explained by science or logic. A tall silhouette behind her reflection that vanished the second she looked back in real life.
1:00 AM – Faculty Archives, OAU Biological Sciences Library
Dara tiptoed into the dusty, dimly lit archives room, her ID tucked into her sleeve in case the night supervisor caught her. Uche had managed to forge a temporary clearance pass by piggybacking on the digital ID of one of the night-duty lab assistants. Ifeanyi had visited this very room two days before his disappearance.
She found the faculty logbook.
Page after page of scribbled student names, date stamps, and times.
Then…
"IFEANYI NNAJI – 02/04/2024 – 10:43PM – Requested Timetable Archives: 1989-1992"
Why would he be requesting a timetable from the early 90s? Dara's brow furrowed.
She reached for the old box labeled "Semester Archives – 80s/90s", her fingers grazing the dusty manila folders. She pulled one out: Semester II, 1991. Inside was a barely legible printout timetable. Biology students, Room ANA 204.
Her eyes widened. Asterisks were scribbled beside certain dates in red ink—probably annotations from that year. But something was odd. On one of the pages, under the Wednesday slot, she saw a faint, smudged line.
"11PM – Compulsory Night Practical – Only 3 return."
What kind of timetable listed a class for 11PM?
Her heart pounded. That couldn't be real.
She took pictures with her phone and closed the file, locking the cabinet back up.
Outside, the air felt… heavier.
2:08 AM – Hostel Room 4B
Zainab tossed in bed, drenched in sweat. She was muttering something in her sleep.
Dara stepped in quietly, trying not to wake her. She sat on her own bed and reviewed the photos she had just taken. The note on the timetable was clear as day. She zoomed in on the phrase—
"Only 3 return."
A chill ran down her spine.
Suddenly, Zainab let out a soft shriek. Dara rushed to her side.
"Zee!"
Zainab sat up abruptly, her eyes wide. "I saw her again," she whispered.
"Who?"
"That same girl. From the mirror… she looked like me. But her face was blank. No eyes. No mouth."
Dara stared, horrified. "You saw the mirror thing too?"
Zainab nodded slowly. "And she… she spoke. With my voice."
"What did she say?"
Zainab's lips trembled. "She said… 'Block B still remembers.'"
Next Day – Departmental Notice Board
The morning brought no relief. Students bustled about, chatting, submitting assignments, oblivious to the creeping dread Dara carried.
She spotted Tolu by the board.
"Tolu," she called.
He turned, expression curious. "What's up?"
"I need to ask you something. Did anyone ever… mention strange night classes? Or students disappearing?"
He chuckled. "What is this, another horror podcast you're starting?"
"I'm serious," she said. "I found old files. Timetables listing 11PM classes."
Tolu paused, the smile dropping slightly. "Actually… my cousin studied here in the 90s. He once said something about Block B being 'haunted.' But you know, that era—everything was haunted or possessed."
"Did he ever mention the lab coat?"
Tolu's eyes widened just a little.
"Yes. He said that sometimes a folded lab coat would appear on the hallway floor. No one dared to touch it."
Dara clenched her jaw. This was real. She wasn't imagining it.
Back at the Hostel – That Night
Zainab refused to talk about the dream. "Let sleeping demons lie," she mumbled, folding her wrapper tighter.
But Dara couldn't let it go.
She pulled up Uche's secure chat.
DARA: I found something. Timetables from 1991 listing 11PM practicals. One entry said 'Only 3 return.'
UCHE: WTF. That's not normal. I'll scan the names from that year. Maybe something links to today's registry.
DARA: What if… we're part of a pattern?
UCHE: If you are… then someone doesn't want the pattern broken.
Suddenly, the lightbulb in the room flickered, then burst.
Pop.
Darkness.
Then a whisper, clear as day, echoed from behind the curtain.
"Turn around, Dara."
She froze.
Zainab sat up again. "Did you say something?"
"No."
But she had heard it. And this time, it had used her name.
To be continued...