The Mystery of Room 101

The Mystery of Room 101

It all started with a dare. Sitting in the back row of their history class, Ava, Liam, and Mia huddled together while Mr. Perkins droned on about ancient civilizations. The trio had always been curious-a little too curious for their own good-and when their friend Jake leaned over with a mischievous grin and whispered, “I bet you won’t go into Room 101 after school,” Ava’s competitive streak flared.

The Mystery of Room 101.

Room 101 was the subject of countless schoolyard rumors. Some said it was haunted. Others claimed it had been sealed off years ago after a teacher mysteriously disappeared. The truth, as far as anyone knew, was far less exciting: it was an old classroom that had been locked up and forgotten.

“We’ll do it,” Ava whispered back, earning wide-eyed stares from Liam and Mia.

“We will?” Liam asked, his voice a mix of disbelief and dread.

“Absolutely,” Ava said, her voice firm. “It’s just a classroom. What’s the worst that could happen?”

After school, the trio gathered by the hallway that led to Room 101. The area was eerily quiet, the usual hum of student chatter replaced by an unsettling stillness.

“I don’t like this,” Mia muttered, clutching her backpack like a lifeline.

“It’ll be fine,” Ava assured her. She pulled a bobby pin from her pocket. “I watched a video on how to pick locks. Easy.”

Liam raised an eyebrow. “Of course you did.”

It took a few tries, but the lock eventually clicked. Ava pushed the door open, and the trio stepped inside. The air was heavy with dust, and the room smelled faintly of mildew. Desks were stacked haphazardly against the walls, and old textbooks lay scattered across the floor. A thick layer of grime coated everything.

“Creepy,” Mia whispered, her eyes darting around.

“It’s just an old classroom,” Ava said, though her voice wavered slightly.

Liam wandered toward the chalkboard, which still had faint marks of writing. “Hey, check this out,” he called. The others joined him, squinting at the words. Faint but unmistakable, someone had written: “Help me.”

Mia stepped back, her hand flying to her mouth. “Who wrote that?”

“Could be a prank,” Ava said, though she didn’t sound convinced.

“Guys, look over here,” Liam said, pointing to the corner of the room. A dusty trapdoor was embedded in the floor, partially hidden beneath a pile of textbooks.

“No way,” Mia said, shaking her head. “We are not opening that.”

“Come on,” Ava said, already moving to clear the books away. “Aren’t you curious?”

“Not that curious,” Mia muttered, but she didn’t leave.

Ava found the handle and tugged. The trapdoor groaned as it opened, revealing a dark, narrow staircase leading down.

“What kind of school has a secret basement?” Liam asked, his voice shaky.

“The interesting kind,” Ava replied, pulling out her phone and turning on the flashlight. “Let’s go.”

Mia hesitated, glancing back at the door. “What if we get caught?”

“Then we’ll deal with it,” Ava said. “But we’ve come this far. Are you really going to back out now?”

Reluctantly, Mia followed as Ava led the way down the stairs, with Liam bringing up the rear. The steps creaked under their weight, and the air grew colder with each step. At the bottom, they found themselves in a small, dimly lit room. Shelves lined the walls, filled with dusty binders and jars of… something.

“What is this place?” Liam asked, his voice barely above a whisper.

Ava approached one of the shelves, her flashlight illuminating the contents. “These look like student records,” she said, pulling out a binder. She flipped it open and frowned. “These are… disciplinary files. But they’re decades old.”

Mia’s flashlight caught something on the far wall. “Uh, guys?” she said. “You might want to see this.”

They turned to see a bulletin board covered in photographs and newspaper clippings. The photos showed students, teachers, and events from the school’s past. But one photo stood out: a group of students standing in front of Room 101. The faces were circled in red ink, and beneath the photo, someone had scrawled: “They never left.”

The trio stared at the board in silence, the weight of the discovery sinking in. Then, from somewhere above them, they heard the unmistakable sound of a door slamming shut.

“Did you… did you leave the classroom door open?” Mia asked, her voice trembling.

Ava swallowed hard. “I think so.”

Liam’s flashlight flickered. “We need to leave. Now.”

As they scrambled back up the stairs, the air seemed to grow heavier, and the shadows in the corners of the room seemed to shift. When they reached the classroom, the door was indeed closed. Ava tried the handle, but it wouldn’t budge.

“It’s locked,” she said, panic creeping into her voice. “But I unlocked it earlier!”

“Let me try,” Liam said, shoving at the door, but it didn’t move.

Then, from behind them, came a soft, whispering sound. The three of them froze, turning slowly. The trapdoor was still open, and from the darkness below came the faint sound of footsteps—getting closer.

“Ava,” Mia whispered, clutching her friend’s arm. “What do we do?”

Ava’s mind raced. She pulled out her phone, trying to call for help, but there was no signal. “We stick together,” she said firmly. “And we don’t panic.”

The footsteps grew louder, and a shadow began to emerge from the stairwell. Just as the figure stepped into the light, the classroom door suddenly swung open, and a familiar voice shouted, “What are you kids doing in here?”

It was Mr. Perkins, their history teacher. The shadow vanished, and the trapdoor slammed shut with a deafening bang.

“I… we…” Ava stammered, unable to form a coherent sentence.

Mr. Perkins glared at them, but his expression softened slightly. “This room is off-limits for a reason,” he said. “You have no idea what you’ve gotten yourselves into. Now go home. And stay out of trouble.”

As they hurried out of the building, none of them spoke. But they all knew one thing: the mystery of Room 101 was far from over.