The Dormitory's Phantom Residents: The Silent Scream

The dormitory at the University of Eldridge was known for its eerie reputation. The old brick building, with its creaking floors and drafty windows, whispered tales of forgotten souls trapped within its walls. Despite the warnings, young Li Wei had decided to live there, drawn by the allure of the unknown.

It was a crisp autumn evening when Li moved into his new room on the third floor. The dormitory was almost empty, save for a few students who had already settled in. As he unpacked his belongings, the silence was almost oppressive. He noticed a peculiar painting hanging on the wall opposite his bed, depicting a young woman in a long, flowing dress, her eyes wide with fear. The painting was titled "The Silent Scream."

Li dismissed it as a mere decoration and turned his attention to the other students. They seemed to avoid him, their eyes darting away whenever he made eye contact. Li chalked it up to the first-day nerves and the usual awkwardness of new acquaintances.

The next morning, as Li was walking to the dining hall, he heard a faint whispering from the hallways. It was a soft, almost inaudible voice, but it was there, clear as day. "Help me," it seemed to say. Li's heart raced. He dismissed it as a trick of his imagination, but the whispering followed him, growing louder as he moved deeper into the building.

The days passed, and the whispering became more frequent. Li began to suspect that it was coming from the room next to his, Room 312. He had never seen anyone there, but the whispering was undeniable. One night, unable to contain his curiosity, Li knocked on the door. No one answered, but the whispering grew louder.

One evening, as the sun began to set, Li found himself standing outside Room 312. The whispering was almost deafening now, and he felt a strange, overwhelming sense of dread. He knocked again, this time with more force. The door creaked open, revealing a dimly lit room. The whispering was coming from the bed, where a young woman lay, her eyes open and unblinking.

Li's heart pounded as he stepped into the room. The woman's face was pale, her lips moving silently as if she were trying to speak. She reached out to him, her fingers brushing against his hand. In that moment, Li felt a rush of cold air, and the whispering grew even louder.

"Help me," she whispered, her voice barely above a whisper. Li turned to see the painting on the wall. The woman in the painting was now staring at him, her eyes filled with terror. He looked back at the woman in the bed, and her eyes met his. For a moment, they seemed to lock, and Li felt a chill run down his spine.

Suddenly, the room was filled with a blinding light, and Li was thrown to the floor. When his eyes opened, he was back in his own room, the painting now hanging on the wall, its eyes still staring at him. He got up, his heart pounding, and looked at the clock. It was 11:15 PM.

The next morning, Li found out that Room 312 had been empty for years. The whispers had been the echoes of a woman who had died there, her spirit trapped in the dormitory. The painting was her last attempt to reach out for help, her silent scream for someone to listen.

Li never saw the whispers again, but the memory of that night haunted him. He often wondered if he had done enough to help the woman, if he had made the right decision. The dormitory at the University of Eldridge remained haunted, but the whispers had been silenced, for now.

As Li graduated and moved on to new adventures, he often thought about the dormitory and the silent scream that had changed his life. He knew that some things were best left unsaid, and some secrets were meant to remain hidden. The dormitory's phantom residents had left their mark on him, a chilling reminder that some truths were better left buried.