23:50.

I received a text message from my roommate:

“June! Can you come to the bathroom now? There’s someone standing outside my stall.”

The dormitory hallway has been quite unsafe lately. I was about to turn off my phone and pretend to be asleep, but she suddenly called me on video…

I remembered a post I had just seen on the school forum:

“After lights out at 23:30, a woman with a ruined face holding a rope will walk down the hallway of Girls’ Dormitory Building B, Third Floor.”

A few days ago, someone said they wanted to meet the woman described by the Forum. They updated their post every day, and two days ago, they said they seemed to have seen that person. The time was also 23:50. Since then, there have been no more updates from their post.

A chill ran down my spine. Girls’ Dormitory Building B, Third Floor—that’s where I lived.

Our dormitory was at the very east end of the hallway, next to a laundry room, while the bathroom was at the very west end of the hallway. In other words, if I wanted to go out, I would have to cross the entire hallway. The hallway was winding and complex, and I shuddered to think where the woman with a ruined face might be hiding.

I could only pray that the forum was just a prank by some bored people.

“June! Please come and get me. My legs are numb from squatting, and I don’t dare to go out. That person has been standing outside without moving, and I don’t know what to do. I’m scared to death.”

Ruby kept urging me. In the darkness, the screen’s glare hurt my eyes. I clutched my phone, debating whether to pretend I was already asleep.

It was summer vacation, and most of the students in the building had gone home. My two other roommates had gone on trips with their boyfriends, leaving only me and Ruby in the dorm.

I asked myself if I was a kind-hearted person. Ruby and I were just two ordinary, skinny female college students. If there really was a bad person standing outside her stall, going there would only add another victim.

Damn it, Ruby. Couldn’t she just pretend to make a phone call and walk out? She had to ask me to get her, even though I was more timid than she was. It was the critical moment for competing for graduate school recommendations. If I outright refused her and she went around saying I had bad character, it would surely affect my image in the teachers’ minds.

I steeled myself and decided to pretend I was already asleep, pressing the power button. But the next second, Ruby called me on video. My finger slipped, and I accidentally answered the call. My heart sank at that moment.

In the faint light from the bathroom window, I saw Ruby trembling all over. She desperately covered her mouth with her hand, signaling me not to make a sound, then turned the phone camera around. A pair of very dirty women’s sneakers stood outside. The person seemed to be waiting for something, just standing there quietly. In the dead silence, the night bugs’ calls were particularly eerie.

Suddenly, the shoes took two steps back. A few strands of hair hung down, and then, a face with indistinguishable features suddenly appeared in the camera. The woman was lying on the ground, staring inside. I clamped my hand over my mouth to smother a scream, my heart pounding wildly.

The woman with a ruined face—I was sure she was the eerie woman described in the forum!

Ruby didn’t seem to realize what was happening yet. When I mustered the courage to look at the screen again to warn her, the shoes outside the door were gone. Then, I heard the sound of a door opening in the next stall. It seemed the woman had entered.

I breathed a sigh of relief and was about to tell Ruby to quickly open the door and run out when I realized something was wrong. There were two rows of squat toilets—the north row, which was illuminated by moonlight, had two stalls. Ruby was in one of them, while the other was an abandoned stall used for storage. Why would the woman go in there?

I thought of something, and my face turned pale. The only explanation was that she wanted to stand on it, and then…

“Ah!”

Ruby suddenly screamed. The screen showed a dark figure pouncing from above. She crashed into the door, and her phone fell to the ground. I listened in terror to the sound of frenzied biting on the other end of the phone. Ruby frantically pounded on the door, her anguished cries gradually fading.

Guilt and fear twisted my heart like giant hands, squeezing tighter with every second.

The next second, a pair of blood-stained hands picked up the phone from the ground. The woman with a ruined face still had a few strands of hair hanging from her mouth. She gave me a terrifying smile. I could make out that she was mouthing the words:

“I’m coming for you.”

The video call was disconnected.

In the empty hallway, I heard the creaking sound of an old wooden door being pushed open. I immediately got out of bed, trying to escape, but it was too late. I heard the sound of rapid footsteps in the hallway, pounding in my heart. I quickly locked the door, praying in fear that she wouldn’t know which dorm room I was in.

Soon, the sound in the hallway disappeared. Everything returned to silence, as if nothing had happened. I pressed my ear against the door, trying to listen for sounds outside.

The next second, with a loud bang, the dormitory door was forcefully hit. That person had been standing outside the whole time! The sound scared me so much that I trembled as I tried to dial the police. Then, I heard the sound of the balcony window being pushed open. I watched in horror as the woman climbed in, using both her hands and feet. In the moment of my death, I saw the woman’s eyes, as white as mothballs.

23:40.

The sound of the door closing woke me up. My neck still throbbed with pain, the sensation of being bitten hard still lingering. I stared blankly as a familiar figure flashed by.

“Ruby!”

I immediately sat up and shouted. Her response came from the hallway:

“What are you yelling for? You scared me. I’m just going to the bathroom. You go back to sleep.”

I was stunned, then started gasping for air. Could it be that everything that just happened was a nightmare? But the dream was too real. Fortunately, it was just a dream. Thank goodness it was just a dream.

I patted my chest hard to calm myself down and opened TikTok to distract myself with videos.

23:50. Just as I was engrossed in the videos, a message popped up on Instagram, plunging me into despair.

“June! Can you come to the bathroom now? There’s someone standing outside my stall.”

Overwhelming fear hit me. I couldn’t tell if I had just had a nightmare or if I was already dead. As I was paralyzed with fear, not knowing what to do, Ruby quickly sent a second message:

“June! Please come and get me. My legs are numb from squatting, and I don’t dare to go out. That person has been standing outside without moving, and I don’t know what to do. I’m scared to death.”

Each word etched into my eyes. The feeling was so real. I immediately called the police, explaining the situation and begging them to come quickly. Meanwhile, I jumped out of bed, not even bothering to put on shoes. Yes, I had to escape.

I’m sorry, Ruby, neither of us can handle that woman. I’ve done what I could. Now, I just want to save my own life. Please understand.

My breathing was heavy as I trembled, opening the door and stepping into the hallway. If I could just make it to the stairs, I’d be safe. I tiptoed across the floor, afraid of alerting that woman. But I hadn’t taken more than two steps when my phone screen lit up. It was a video call from Ruby.

I suddenly realized that this time the events were progressing faster than before. The video call ended on its own. I was horrified to hear the creaking of the old wooden door in the bathroom being opened.

My legs went weak. The instinct to survive made me run madly, regardless of the noise. I screamed, nearly crawling as I rolled forward, tears streaming down my face. From the opposite end of the hallway, a figure emerged from the darkness, moving much faster than me. I heard the woman’s sinister laughter getting closer. Just as my hand was about to touch the stair railing, someone grabbed my hair tightly. Two fingers plunged into my eyes…

I woke up again at 22:00. Ruby hadn’t returned to the dorm yet. I suddenly realized I seemed to be stuck in a cycle. Each time, the time was moving forward. Each time Ruby died, I was the next victim. I was innocent. The cycle was a chance from the heavens for me to escape.

I immediately called Ruby. When she answered, I quickly explained everything. As I expected, Ruby didn’t believe me and thought I was playing a prank.

“I knew you wouldn’t believe me,” I said while packing my things. “Don’t say I didn’t warn you. Tonight at 23:50, no matter how urgent it is, don’t go to the bathroom. I’m not staying in the dorm tonight. Be careful.”

I packed my things, took a cab to the most bustling part of the city, and bit the bullet to stay in a slightly expensive hotel. I told the front desk in advance, hoping they could knock on my door at 23:50. I might encounter something tonight.

After checking in, I carefully inspected the room and locked all the windows and doors. I thought I was finally safe.

I encouraged myself, hoping to make it through the night and break the cycle.

23:30, Ruby asked where I was. I answered honestly and asked if she wanted to join me. She didn’t respond.

I turned off the lights and lay down. Only then did I notice a painting on the wall by the bed, showing the back of a woman. The money was well spent.

23:40, I video-called Ruby. She seemed fine, lying on the bed and snacking. I felt slightly relieved.

But just two minutes later, Ruby sent me an Instagram message:

“June, I’m sorry.”

My pupils dilated, and I questioned her, but she didn’t respond. I called, but she didn’t answer. Finally, at 23:45, Ruby answered my call.

“Ruby, what are you doing? What’s with the ‘I’m sorry’? Did you see that woman?”

“I’m sorry, June, I… I…” Ruby stammered, her voice choked with sobs.

“Tell me quickly!” I was on the verge of panic. “It’s okay, just tell me. I warned you earlier. You wouldn’t listen. Tell me now so I can prepare for any danger!”

“Haha, just kidding!” Ruby suddenly burst into laughter. “The class monitor was doing a dorm inspection. I helped you cover it up.”

“…Are you crazy?” My heart had just settled when there was a knock on my door.

“Hello, Miss, room service.”

I stiffly replied, “No, thank you.”

The person outside fell silent. My instincts told me she hadn’t left.

“Ruby,” I whispered, “didn’t you go to the bathroom tonight? Did you see the woman I mentioned?”

“I did go, but I didn’t see anything.” Ruby sounded like she was eating something, her voice muffled. “To avoid the time you mentioned, I went at 11:30. You scared me so much I forgot to bring my phone. When I came back, the dorm door was open. I thought we had a burglar.”

“…” 11:30. I looked at the message on Instagram, my heart sinking into despair. At that time, Ruby didn’t have her phone. So, who was messaging me and asking where I was?

“June, are you still listening? I think you’re just stressed from studying too hard, confusing your dreams with reality. As modern college students, we should believe in materialism, not superstition…”

I listened numbly to Ruby’s words, my back cold. Because I realized something even more terrifying. The wall by the bed was a window. I was staring at the city’s night view in fear. The woman’s silhouette had vanished.

Until—

A beep sounded.

The door was opened by someone. In the pitch-black hallway, a woman stood at the doorway, her half-ruined face giving me a terrifying smile. She clutched a thick rope and shut the Door.

In the instant I closed my eyes, I heard a voice from the front desk outside the door. Unfortunately, it was too late. When I woke up again, the time had moved forward by a whole week.

It dawned on me with chilling clarity that it wasn’t Ruby who caused my death; from the very beginning, the woman with a ruined face had targeted me. No matter where I hid, she would find me.

Ruby was just an unlucky person caught up in my situation the first two times. I was terrified and decided to use the week ahead to warn the students about this matter, hoping everyone could work together to catch the culprit.

But no matter how hard I tried to recount those three experiences, no one believed me. After all, no one had ever encountered that woman at night, so they all thought it was absurd, and some even suspected that I had a mental problem and wanted to report me to the instructor. I was speechless.

I suddenly remembered that post; the poster must know something. She likely lives on our floor too, and she would definitely believe me! But,no matter how I searched, I couldn’t find that post. It was as if it had vanished into thin air, leaving no trace on the internet.

Now it’s completely over; everyone will think I’m crazy, and no one will believe me. I have no way out but death.

That night, as I lay hopelessly on my bed, Ruby came back soaking wet. “Oh my god, is it raining outside?” I sat up immediately and found that Ruby had sent me multiple messages on Instagram half an hour ago. “Sorry, I didn’t see your messages. I’m sorry you got drenched!” I quickly apologized.

Ruby looked a bit pale, but she didn’t say anything and just waved her hand. I felt very guilty, afraid she was angry, so I made her a cup of coffee. After drinking it, Ruby’s complexion improved a bit.

She said to me, still visibly shaken: “Do you know? Something happened at our school!” “What?” I instantly thought of the story of the woman with a ruined face.

“Ahem, not what you’re thinking,” Ruby saw my reaction and whispered, “Do you know why you couldn’t find that post? Because a girl at our school was sexually assaulted.! The school initiated a clean-up operation to block the news and deleted many old posts, so it’s normal that you can’t find it.”

I shuddered. Maybe it was because Ruby was too close to me; the overhead light made her face look pale, and her eyes somewhat frightening.

“She was dragged into the garden by a drunken worker and raped. What’s worse is that she could have been saved. Someone was passing by at the time, but for some reason, no one heard anything and went to check.

Then, she…”

“It’s too tragic.” I sighed.

“Yeah,” Ruby said, “and the worst part is, the girl hanged herself after returning to the dorm.”

Ruby went to take a shower after speaking, and I stared blankly for a long time before coming to my senses.

What a pity, a young girl’s life ended so unjustly. Life is really fragile; death is so close to us. But I didn’t have time to lament and regret; in another week, I would face the same fate.

However, Ruby’s words reminded me that since the post was deleted, I could repost it from memory. As long as I stirred up public opinion, someone would believe me eventually. That night, I logged into the Forum with an old account I registered years ago but never used.

As soon as the post was made, many people bumped it up, but unfortunately, they all treated it like a story, not taking it seriously. Most of the comments were:
【This is so fantastical, but quite fun.】

【Exciting, exciting, looking forward to the next update.】

【I’m currently in the toilet, keep writing!】

Maybe because of this, the school didn’t delete my post again. Although no one believed me, I didn’t give up because I remembered that a brave adventurer would appear the next day.