The night air was frigid as it swept through the desolate streets of Jönköping, Sweden. Halloween had transformed Jönköping University into a ghost town. Five friends huddled together in a dimly lit study room on the third floor of the JIBS building, surrounded by scattered textbooks and the looming dread of their impending exams.
“Guys, it’s past ten,” Sara said, her voice barely above a whisper. She glanced at her phone, its glow flickering ominously in the darkness. “We should go home.”
“Go home? On Halloween?” Leo scoffed, his laughter echoing hollowly. “That’s just asking for a ghost story.”
“Or maybe a real ghost,” Amira said nervously, her eyes darting to the shadows that crept along the walls.
Finn, who had been unusually quiet, shifted in his seat. “It’s just one night,” he murmured, unease hanging in the air.
Reluctantly, they decided to stay. Finn excused himself to the bathroom, and Max headed to the microwave on the third floor to heat up food. The remaining friends leaned back, the laughter dwindling into a thick silence.
In the bathroom, Finn washed his hands, the cold water sending a shiver through him. As he turned to leave, he heard the unmistakable sound of a toilet flushing next door.
“Is someone else here?” he called out, expecting a friendly reply.
“Yeah,” came a low, deep voice.
Finn’s heart raced. “Just checking,” he stammered, feeling the oppressive weight of the room. When he opened the door, the restroom was empty. Panic gripped him, but he shrugged it off, convinced it was just his imagination.
Meanwhile, Max stood in the microwave area, his food spinning lazily. A girl with long hair faced away from him, absorbed in her phone.
“Hey, is that you, Sara?” he asked, his voice hesitant.
“Waiting for you,” she replied, her tone oddly distant.
Unease washed over him. “You should be with the group,” he said, stepping back slowly. As dread settled in, he turned and rushed back to the study room.
When he entered, he was met with a shocking sight: Sara was at the table, buried in her notes.
“Who was that?” he gasped.
“The only one here is us,” she said, confusion spreading across her face.
Just then, the lights flickered, plunging the room into darkness. A cold breeze swept through, carrying a whispered warning: “You shouldn’t have stayed…”
“What was that?” Leo’s voice trembled as they clutched their phones, their flashlights illuminating trembling hands.
The door creaked open, revealing a tall figure in a security guard’s uniform.
“ID check,” he said, his voice heavy and foreboding. “You shouldn’t be here. It’s late.”
“Thanks, man,” Amira replied, trying to maintain her composure. “We’ll head out soon.”
The guard’s eyes glimmered with something unsettling. “Stay together. It’s not safe.” Once the guard left, they hurried to the entrance, only to find the doors locked tight. Panic surged through them as they pushed against the heavy barriers, fear coiling in their stomachs.
“Why won’t it open?” Max shouted, his voice rising.
“Maybe we should go back,” Amira suggested, glancing at the dim hallway that felt increasingly suffocating.
As they retreated to the study room, the temperature plummeted. A bone-chilling draft enveloped them, like icy fingers grasping at their skin.
“Did anyone else feel that?” Sara whispered, her breath visible in the frigid air.
Then, as if summoned by their fear, their phones lost signal. “This is ridiculous,” Leo muttered, his voice edged with panic.
Desperate to escape the creeping dread, they gathered in a huddle, flashlights flickering. Shadows loomed larger, stretching across the walls, whispering secrets that sent shivers down their spines.
The whispers grew louder, filling the room with a haunting melody: “You shouldn’t have stayed…”
“What the hell is happening?” Finn gasped, his voice shaky.
The lights flickered back on, illuminating a horror beyond comprehension. In the corner stood the security guard again, but his face was pale, ghostly. His eyes bore the weight of a thousand souls lost.
“Why?” Amira asked, heart pounding. “What do you want from us?”
The guard took a step forward, the shadows swirling around him. “You’re trapped… trapped in a cycle of the past.”
Before they could react, the lights went out again, plunging them into suffocating darkness. The walls seemed to pulse with a life of their own, breathing in sync with their rising panic.
“We need to get out!” Leo shouted, but the words echoed back in a mocking tone.
Suddenly, the laughter of the guard reverberated through the darkness, a twisted sound that sent waves of fear crashing over them.
“Help!” Finn yelled, but it was swallowed by the oppressive silence.
When the lights flickered back on, they found themselves alone in the study room, books stacked neatly as if untouched. A chilling realization washed over them: they were caught in an endless loop, reliving the same horror over and over.
“What just happened?” Sara whispered, her voice trembling.
“I think we’re trapped,” Max replied, dread pooling in his stomach.
A loud bang echoed from the hallway, making them jump. They exchanged terrified glances, and the air thickened with a sense of impending doom.
From the darkness, the guard reappeared, his form flickering like a broken film reel.
“I died here… twenty years ago,” he hissed, his voice filled with anguish. “You shouldn’t have stayed.”
As his words sunk in, the room began to twist and warp, the walls bending, the air growing thicker.
“Get out!” a voice screamed, but it wasn’t any of theirs.
The floor trembled beneath them, and the lights flickered wildly, casting grotesque shadows that twisted into horrifying shapes.
Then, everything went dark.
When the light returned, they were back in the study room, but something had changed. The atmosphere felt charged, alive with dread. The friends looked at each other, their faces pale and eyes wide with horror.
And outside, the streets of Jönköping remained silent, a chilling reminder that some nightmares never truly end. They were trapped in a realm between worlds, lost in an eternal cycle, forever haunted by the choices they made on that fateful Halloween night.
Writer: Linh Nguyen
The Halloween writing competition was sponsored by Wiener Konditoriet. Visit them in the city center to receive the 15% discount for all students. For more information follow them on Instagram: @wienerkonditorietjkpg.
