Classroom Death Rules

Classroom Rules:

Remember, there are only thirteen girls in the class.

A doll in a red dress might appear in your locker, but remember, the doll does not smile. If you see it smiling, report immediately to the homeroom teacher.

The school bell signals the start of class, and everyone must be seated before it stops.

Evening study hall ends at 10 PM, and no one is allowed to leave early.

Finally, trust no one's words.

I was placed in Class 25 of sophomore year. Unlike other classes in the newly built teaching wing, ours was in the oldest part of the Gothic-style school building. The first day, I saw the class rules written in red ink next to the chalkboard, surrounded by what looked like bloody handprints, chilling me to the bone.

Suddenly, my phone beeped with a new message. I'd been added to a group chat named "United Class 25." The group admin, a girl named Nora, I didn't recognize, had a profile picture of a doll in a red dress. She wrote: "It's been a while, everyone. I'm Nora. Remember the class rules. Ignoring them could be deadly. You can ask me anything here, but I'll only answer 'yes' or 'no.' The game starts in three minutes."

The chat quieted for a second, then erupted.

"Who is this? There's a limit to jokes!"

"These rules are ridiculous."

"Life-threatening? Who'd believe that?"

…

As the bell for class rang, the chat fell silent. Instead of a traditional bell, a nursery rhyme played: "The little girl with her doll, walking to the garden to see the blossoms, crying for her mother…" Its eerie tone echoed through the room, sending shivers down our spines.

"The bell's about to end! To your seats, now!"

Someone yelled amid the confusion. Scrambling, we all found our seats. Today had been unnaturally weird.

Each seat had a name tag. I found mine and sat just as the rhyme stopped.

A boy named Alex stood in the middle of the classroom, seatless. Everyone eyed him nervously, waiting. Nothing happened. Alex smirked: "Guys, it's just Nora's trick. Don't fall for it. See, I'm fine."

Relieved but annoyed at being fooled, we dismissed it. But Nora didn't respond to the flurry of messages. Near class end, Alex suddenly ran out, clutching his stomach. I stopped him, "Class isn't over. Where are you going?"

"To the restroom," he answered, rushing away.

The loudspeaker announced a drill after class. We met our teacher, a kind-looking middle-aged woman, but her eyes were filled with anxiety. She kept emphasizing the rules. Her earnestness gave me an ominous feeling.

On my way to the restroom, I accidentally entered the boys' room. What I saw made me stagger back in horror. Blood and a mutilated body in the janitor's sink. The upper body was shoved into the drain, face unrecognizable. The creepy rhyme started again. I remembered the rule and ran back to class, followed by others. But when the rhyme ended, Emily, a delicate-looking girl, wasn't back yet.

"Didn't Alex return?"

We looked around; Alex and his desk were gone...

We gasped. The corpse in the restroom was undoubted. Emily realized too, turned pale, and sat down, crying, "I don't want to die. We should call the police." But our phones had no signal. Someone must have activated a signal jammer.

I noticed cameras in every corner, watching our every move.

Emily stood up, resolute, "I won't die here!" She ran out, trying to leave the school. Today's events were surreal, our class was the only one outside during the drill. It felt like we were the only ones in the whole school. But Alex's death made us hesitate.

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Emily didn't return by class end. At lunch, we were ushered to the cafeteria. Each meal had a name tag, and no one else was there. The empty cafeteria was deeply unsettling.

After lunch, our teacher appeared: "You may freely move in the building now, but remember, do not leave and follow the rules." But entering the building, we smelled something strange. "Do you smell that?" I asked a girl beside me.

Before she could answer, something dripped on her head. "Is there a leak?" I thought until I saw her face, pale with shock. "That's... blood on you."

She screamed, touching her bloodied hand.

Looking up, we saw a girl tied up, kneeling in penance, dead and covered in blood. It was Emily, her face twisted in terror.

Then, Tom, another classmate, collapsed, pointing at Emily, "Alex is dead, Emily too. She's back for revenge..."

"Her? What does that mean?" Tom had barely finished speaking when several boys visibly paled, and a girl burst into tears. It was clear they knew something. With two people already dead, who would be next? A chilling silence enveloped the hall, as if an unseen force was controlling our fate.

I had to remain calm. Only with a cool head could there be a chance of survival. I clenched my fists so hard that my nails broke the skin, bringing my mind back to focus. "Let's all return to the classroom. As for the 'her' Tom mentioned, I hope you can tell us the truth. If we don't catch the killer, we're all in danger!" I gave a cold glance to the students whose faces had turned ghostly white.

Back in the classroom, we learned the truth from Tom about what happened three years ago. Tom, Alex, Emily, and Nora were classmates. Emily was the class beauty, confident and charming, while Nora was the exact opposite, introverted and isolated, her face marked by a large birthmark.

Emily, with her friendly nature, was Nora's desk mate and often included her in activities. They soon became best friends. However, things changed when a new, handsome student arrived. Both Emily and Nora developed feelings for him, but he was interested in Emily. Nora, out of jealousy, fell out with Emily.

After Emily's death, Nora went mad, believing Emily had caused the death of the boy she loved. She began to take revenge on Emily, even threatening her.

Tom, Alex, and a few other boys, who were close to Emily, tried to defend her by scaring Nora off. But in a scuffle, Nora fell and scarred her face. After that incident, Nora disappeared.

"We didn't mean to push her," Tom said, his voice raspy with fear. "She started bullying Emily. We just wanted to scare her."

The others associated with Nora nodded in agreement.

I frowned, deep in thought. According to them, Nora might have returned after three years for revenge. But something felt off about their story.

"It's okay. If Nora really is the killer, she can't do anything in front of so many of us. Both Alex and Emily were alone when they were killed. If we stick together for the rest of the time, we should be safe," I said calmly.

"Let's count everyone now, to make sure no one goes missing."

But after counting, I realized there were eight boys and... thirteen girls.

The class rule was clear:

Remember, there are only thirteen girls in the class.

With Emily dead, there should only be twelve girls left in the classroom. So who was the extra person?

Almost everyone thought the same thing. The extra person must be Nora, who had somehow infiltrated our group and was watching us.

I scanned the other girls cautiously, looking for any sign of Nora.

Suddenly, Tom stood up. "The killer is definitely among you. If the killer dies, we all live," he said with a voice that sounded like it came from hell.

Our eyes met. His gaze was cold and serpent-like, slowly moving across my face.

A cold sweat broke out on my back. My intuition sensed danger.

Tom's words made my heart skip a beat. Among the thirteen of us, one had to be the killer. Finding the real culprit would mean safety for all. But what if we couldn't find the killer?

If all thirteen of us died, then they would be safe...

The atmosphere became incredibly tense.

According to Tom and the others, Nora was supposed to be a gloomy girl with a large birthmark on her face. But none of the thirteen girls had such a mark.

The clue ended there.

Time passed slowly as I watched everyone from a corner, thinking.

Then I remembered Nora's words in the group chat. She had said we could ask her anything, though she would only answer 'yes' or 'no.'

I quickly checked my phone and surprisingly, it had a signal again.

Hesitating, I thought of calling the police, but before I could, a girl named Lila suddenly collapsed, foaming at the mouth. The unfinished emergency call was still on my screen.

I gasped in shock. I was almost the next victim.

Clutching my phone, a wave of unprecedented panic swept over me. Our phones were being monitored. Whoever tried to call for help would end up like Lila.

We all stayed silent, our eyes expressing various emotions, but we unanimously put down our phones.

But how did Lila die? Poisoned?

Then, I remembered the boxed lunches we had at noon. A shiver ran down my spine.

The loudspeaker suddenly came to life...

"Please dispose of irrelevant personnel in the abandoned classroom on the first floor. Remember to strictly follow the classroom rules," a cold, mechanical voice announced.

Irrelevant personnel?

Everyone hesitated, then turned their attention to Lila's body.

"Who will do it?" a male voice asked from the crowd.

There was a long silence. No one dared to be alone, fearing they might be the next victim.

"Let's go together, it's safer with more people," I suggested.

This proposal was met with approval from the others.

The light on the first floor was flickering, casting eerie shadows.

At the end of the hallway was the abandoned classroom mentioned in the announcement, with a set of class rules posted on the door.

Do not share anything you see in the classroom with others.

You can message Nora privately with any questions.

Do not take anything from the classroom.

Finally, remember to be kind and caring to each other.

The last rule in particular gave me an ominous feeling. There was more to this abandoned classroom than met the eye.

After the door was pushed open, we saw a messy, dust-filled room. Lila's body was carelessly thrown into a corner.

Suddenly, a gust of wind blew the door shut, and a shadow passed by, locking us inside.

With no way out, we began to search the room.

The desks were covered in dust, but strangely, each one still had our names on it. Even more bizarrely, the classroom also contained desks for Alex, Emily, and Nora!

Their desks were the only ones that were spotless.

What did this mean?

I approached Nora's desk and found a diary inside. The pages were yellowed with age.

But as I opened the first page, I was stunned.

November 24th:

"They mocked me again today, dunked my head in the sink, tangled a mop in my hair."

November 27th:

"A new student arrived. He's handsome. He greeted me, but I couldn't speak back. They were watching me."

December 11th:

"The new student talked to me. His voice is so nice."

December 12th:

"They took me to the abandoned classroom. Punches landed on me, cigarette butts pressed into my hand. I couldn't speak from the pain. The one pulling my hair was my best friend, Emily."

She said, "People like me, like the birthmark on my face, should never be seen, don't deserve to speak to the new student."

…

The last page was scrawled hastily, stained with blood.

December 28th:

"I'm dead. They are all murderers…"

A chill ran down my spine.

If Nora was dead, then who was the killer?