Scariest Story Contest Runner Up

This story was selected as the runner up. It was written by Jabon Dix of American Fork, UT.

It’s just a room, nothing more I told myself then. So what if this is an abandoned prison, nothing is here now. Well other than these bunk beds, which were arranged so that if you laid in bed and turned your back to the cement wall you would be looking at the other bunk.

“#&$*ing sleepover!” I cursed only to have it echo back at me down the long hallway. Cell after cell arranged just like this one: two bunks, four beds across from each other the cell door open on every one. I was in the very middle cell, ‘To make it harder to get out, that’s the fun of it’ my “friend” had said, ‘and for five dollars.’ I had refused, but when every one of the six boys there had put in five dollars as well, I knew I was going to do it. I was a sucker for money, but as I unrolled my sleeping bag on the bottom bunk on the right side of the room I was intending to change that aspect of my personality.

SLAM!!

I jumped and hit the back of my head on the top bunk; cursing again I looked at the bars of the cell door which had slammed closed and bounced back open an inch. I stepped toward the door and a shiver scraped down my back as I touched the door. I pulled it all the way open. All the way so that it connected to the other bars, but when I let go it slowly sung closed. I intercepted it and again tried to get it to stay open, but over and over it swung closed. It would not stay open. I slammed it against the bars again, and held it there as the echo took painfully long to fade.

I was breathing fast, why wouldn’t it stay open? Didn’t it stay open when I first walked in? I couldn’t remember. Using my flashlight I scrutinized the door, and the lock, an old lock with a skull shaped keyhole. I looked in the end, the locking bar had been removed, I breathed a little easier, but my heart beat didn’t slow. I turned around and walked back to the bunk expecting the door to slam again any second.

Any second now.

Nothing.

Nothing.

I’m not looking, I told myself. Instead I sat down on the bunk, the old mattress was musty and I could feel all the springs through my sleeping bag. I wrapped myself up in it and feeling not at all ready for the night as I shut off my flashlight.

Please fall asleep, please fall asleep.

I looked at my watch, 2:00am

Please fall asleep.

The cement behind my back was cold. Not just cold though, it was emanating cold. I shivered and looked at my watch 3:30.
Please fall asleep, 4:00.

Please fall asleep 4:30

5:00am, that’s morning right. I opened my sleeping bag in the dark cell. I put my feet down on the floor and looked at the door. It was closed!

How? I never heard it, I should have heard it. I never fell asleep, how did I miss it?

I walked to the door, it hadn’t opened back up an inch like before. I pulled, and I couldn’t move it. Pulled again, and again, I couldn’t move it. I took out my flash light and could clearly see the door’s locking bar securely latched into place. “NO!” I screamed, NO!”

“Let me out!”

“Let me out!”

Voices.

I heard voices and they were…laughing, and I knew those laughs. It was my “friend”, and the others from the sleepover. Relief flooded over me they would find me and get me out.

“I’m in here!” I yelled, and their voices came closer. I could hear what they were saying.

“…bet he didn’t make it! I totally bet he ran away!” said my “friend” to the laughter of them all. “He probably didn’t even go into the cell.” More laughter. “This is the middle cell right, and surprise, surprise he isn’t here. What a moron!”

“NO!” I shouted, “I’m in here! You’re not to the middle cell yet!” I screamed, “Come here! Get me out of here!”

“He probably never even came down the hallway, I totally bet he didn’t even dare look in one of these cells. Come on, lets go eat; I want breakfast.”

I heard them start walking away, they couldn’t have been more than four cells away, maybe even three. “I’m in HERE! I CAN’T GET OUT!”

I heard their voices leaving. They were laughing farther and farther away. “THE DOOR LOCKED!” I pulled and pulled rattling metal against metal, still their sound was fainter. “DON’T LEAVE!”

“I’M IN HERE”

“I’M IN HERE”