I froze.
Close-up, I could finally see the features of the first ever creature I'd encountered.
Despite the disturbingly elongated proportions of its gigantic body, its head remained the same size as that of a regular human.
Its skin was dull and stretched tight, like that of a desiccated corpse.
So tight, that its mouth stretched all the way to its ears in a permanent, pained grin that exposed its rock-like teeth.
But the worst part was the eyes.
They were completely black.
No sclera. No iris.
Just two cold, black pools staring right into my own.
I swallowed down an embarrassing whimper.
…It was probably too late to pretend to be asleep now, wasn't it?
From the corner of my eye, I saw one of its long arms suddenly curl towards at me.
It moved at an incredible speed.
Before I could even react, a large hand had gripped my torso from the back. Spidery fingers curled around my sides in a death grip.
I was lifted off the bed like a ragdoll, and swung around towards a bare patch of the wall.
Then, I felt it flex its arm and pull slightly back.
My heart pounded in my chest. I finally understood how this curse killed.
It would smash its victims' bodies against the wall.
I didn't try to struggle, because I already knew that doing so would achieve nothing.
Instead, I waited.
And, sure enough,
'What caused me?'
The voice seemed to scrape and scratch against my eardrums like knives on a board.
I didn't wait for it to repeat its question a second time.
'The intern teacher, June Hill, believed that someone was sneaking into her room and watching her sleep,' I said. 'So, she decided to confront the intruder by secretly staying up one night.'
'This part of the curse built itself upon the fear and paranoia of her final days.'
I heard the creature slowly exhale.
In the next moment, it disintegrated into dust, and I fell to the floor in a heap.
Shadows surrounded me again, playing another scene.
A young woman lay alone in her bed at night.
Her sleep seemed disturbed. She would roll over and mumble incomprehensible words at times.
In the faint glow of the string lights taped to the wall, I could see her a frown form on her face.
I could also see a dark figure sitting at her desk, just staring at her in the dark.
The scene changed to show her sitting at her desk in the staff quarters.
She looked nervous and jittery.
A kind-faced, middle-aged man sitting nearby saw her, and rolled his chair closer.
'Are you still having those nightmares?' he asked with a sympathetic smile.
June sighed. 'I haven't been able to sleep all week,' she admitted. 'And with everything that's going on… That kid hasn't even come to class this week!'
There was a loud scoff, and the two of them turned around to see a pretty, dolled-up lady frowning down at them.
'This, again?' she exclaimed.
It was the crazy lady I'd encountered.
'He's under the weather, June. Or maybe, he's skipping because you've been embarrassing him by treating him like a damn kid you need to coddle,' she rolled her eyes. 'They're teenagers. Leave them be, and start focusing on your internship. Your performance has been terribly disappointing thus far.'
June opened her mouth, then shut it and nodded.
'Yes, Ms Smith,' she said numbly.
The middle-aged man, too, just helplessly shrugged.
Giving June an encouraging nod, he rolled his chair back to his own desk.
The scene shifted back to her quarters.
June was lying in bed again, moving less than before.
When the shadow leaned over her, she suddenly snapped her eyes open.
For a moment, she and the intruder simply stared at each other in silence.
Then, she jumped out of her bed and hit the light switch.
'Mark?' she exclaimed. 'What do you think you are doing here?'
Her tone was stern, but couldn't mask the small tremor in her voice.
Mark was blinking in the sudden brightness.
'I-I wasn't going to – I didn't actually do anything –' he started.
'Enough! I've had enough of you!'
June stepped forward and grabbed his arm.
'You're coming with me,' she said firmly. 'We're going straight to your grandfather. I heard that Eli isn't leaving his room because of something you did. And now, this? Breaking and entering? Stalking!?'
She glared at the taller boy. 'You can explain everything to the Director right now!'
She tried to drag him along, but the teenager barely budged.
He was staring down at her, an odd look in his eyes.
'What? Been that worried about your fucking boyfriend?' he growled.
'Boyf -!?' June's eyes widened. 'Eli? That is disgusting, Mark! He is my student! And so are you!'
'Like anyone would fucking believe that shit,' Mark yanked his hand out of her hold. 'You've had your eye on him since the day you first showed up, and like the filthy, easy woman you are –'
SLAP!
June hit him so hard he actually stumbled. She looked seriously angry now. 'You're coming with me,' she repeated, trying to grab the boy's arm again.
'Or what?' Mark pushed her away. 'Fuck off!'
The young woman grabbed the front of his shirt, and the two of them started struggling against each other in the small room.
Suddenly, Mark pushed her too hard.
June stumbled, her foot catching on the edge of a chair, and fell backwards.
CRASH!
The back of her head smashed against a medium-sized ceramic vase kept on a shelf.
The vase shattered on impact. It exploded into a mess of shards, water, and fresh flowers.
Everything fell down to the floor, along with June herself.
Mark, panting heavily, stared down at the woman lying still in the puddle of water.
Her eyes were shut.
A bright red color was gradually started to mix into the water, starting from the back of her head.
'No…' he whispered hoarsely. 'No, no, no. Shit. Shit!'
The scene faded to black as the rushing shadows took over again.
I was still trying to make sense of what I'd just seen.
Mark hadn't meant to kill June.
Just like he hadn't directly caused Eli's death.
Two people at this boarding school had died within the same week, all because of that one kid's cruel, crazed, and entitled behavior.
But even so, he hadn't meant for it to happen.
I was suddenly very grateful that I hadn't given the lights-out creature a more definitive answer.
If I'd directly said that Mark had killed June, I'd probably be lying dead with a shattered skull on the floor of my dorm room.
I let out a shaky breath, realizing how close I'd come, yet again, to dying a horrible death.
I'd have to keep that in mind, and be more careful with my next answer…
I braced myself as the shadows cleared away again.
This time, I was standing alone in a long, empty corridor.
Tap-tap. Tap-tap. Tap-tap…
I heard the disembodied footsteps slowly approach me from behind.
But I couldn't move an inch. My legs were locked in place.
Tap-tap. Tap-tap…
I took in a deep breath and waited.
Tap-tap. Tap-tap…
And it finally caught me.
I felt an uncomfortable, building pressure at the base of my throat as an icy appendage snaked around it from behind, holding my head in place.
Then, a powerful, invisible hand tightened itself around the top of my scalp.
It readied itself to twist my head off.
Then, a haunting, whispery voice spoke.
'What caused me?'