National Center for Science and Research High School, in short, NCSRHS or "Naks". Honestly, nobody knows why that is the shortened terminology of this school I considered my personal hell for the past four years, but it is what it is. It is a government-funded prestigious school with over 6 campuses across the Philippines and is notable that almost all of its students are overachievers with graduates getting admission from not only big universities across the Philippines but also abroad. Naks is a school where the government, notably the Institute of Science and Technology, sponsors your tuition and honors monthly stipend. Additionally, it is also a school that is not just for the general public, aspiring students of this school need to take the National Science and Research Examination or NSRE in order to have some sort of an admission chance. Although it sounds fancy and all, the pressure the students hold is no joke. You can't get anything non-STEM related as a college course as part of the contract, and that really sucks especially for art prodigies. The lessons this school has in its curriculum are also much harder. To cope, students utilize the existence of some freedom wall on Bookbuddy, a social media application, to air their thoughts, which we call "Naks Daily".

"Ezekiel, let's go!" said the vexing Viktoria. "We still need to pass our application form, so we can let the admins approve our club."

A woman with dark hair and gloomy eyes dragged the adroit Ezekiel from his current location. However, her slender body couldn't beat him an inch.

"Why are you so hyped about it?" Ezekiel asked genuinely as he resisted the pull, "Either we pass now or a couple of minutes later, the signatories would still approve our application at a much later date. And besides, we are already conducting our club's initiatives without getting approved."

Viktoria halted from pulling and paused for a brief moment. "You know what..." she picked up her phone from her long school-issued skirt and opened up Bookbuddy, placed the forms back on her envelope, and sat on the floor next to the wall. "Let's pass it tomorrow." she sighed, "I feel kind of lazy today."

"See? What have I been telling you?" Ezekiel sat next to the lady complaining a short while after. "This day just feels off, and we should not push our luck more."

The two friends, just sitting there instead of actually doing their responsibilities, stare into nothingness. The late-day dust from the ground and the scent of the tropical weather envelopes the two personas as the breeze from the outside tips down a smudge on the roof.

"Check this out." Viktoria giggled. "Someone confessed to me on Bookbuddy. They recently updated, quickly! Check the post I sent you."

"Let me guess..." Ezekiel tapped into his pockets. "You posted it yourself." the taps got harder and harder.

"It's free clout, what did you expect."

"Shit, I think I left my phone in the utility room." he stopped tapping his pants and resorted to tapping his sling bag. "I really did leave it there." devastated, his heart pounded repeatedly.

"What were you doing there in the first place?"

"I tried looking for bleach." immediately, he stood up. In an utter tense, he pulled Viktoria out of the floor, making her stand up with him.

"For what? What did you need the bleach for?"

Ezekiel dodged the question and just pulled Viktoria's hands making her run with him towards the stairs. "Just come!"

As they were running in the hallway, which was strictly prohibited, they came across the innocent Davila and the skittish Sue.

"What are the both of you speeding for?" asked Davila which was holding a bottle of a commercial lemonade.

"Have you both submitted the club forms?" asked Sue. "The Curriculum Chief said that they would only accept up until this day."

"Wait, he said that?" inquired Davila trying to remember. "He really did, huh..." she just acted to know anyways.

"We're actually headed to the utility room, we'd just pass by the Curriculum office on the way there. Why don't you all come with us?" said Ezekiel. "I actually left my phone there."

"No way! We're also headed to the utility room!" soft yelled Sue with a joking tone.

"We were?" Davila held her juice tighter.

"Davila, you really are helpless." they all sighed frustrated at the fact that Davila was too dense to understand the tone was sarcastic. "Let's just go finish the paperwork for the Supernatural Club."

Did you know this text is from a different site? Read the official version to support the creator.

The Supernatural Club was yet to be another student-initiated organization that aims to tackle the issues of mysticism and so-called magic in the school. Though it's weird to have some premonition-based interest in a science-oriented school, the faculty adviser of this club, Miss Hashbrown, actually supported its existence because in her words, "Reading conspiracy theories is a decent hobby.", and thus, she allowed it. And here they are, the founding members, running through the stairs with no clear objective of what to do first: submit the forms or search for Ezekiel's lost phone?

"Where should we go first?" asked Viktoria as she scrolled through her phone on her other hand while sprinting through the spiral stairs of the building. "Hey, check it out! Someone from our campus, a year lower, made a beef with someone from the main campus."

"That's so valid", said Sue. "Everyone should be like that, to be honest."

They reached the utility room with chuckles. "I really need my phone.", said Ezekiel.

The four of them stood in front of the lavish door. With no stray students or teachers ravaging the hallways, it really was only them seemingly catching their breaths. The marble tiles soon got drenched in Ezekiel's sweat, and so were Viktoria's knees.

"Hey, guys." the unfazed Davila who did not even break a sweat moaned, "Had the utility room door been this so red?"

The breeze of the eve was not helping. Chills of the angels of afternoon circulated the four of them as an eerie sense of unease entered each of every one of the students. Contrary to what the students remember, the door was different from what was familiar. It was now coated in red and the doorknob was... gold?

"Maybe it's just been painted...?", the uncertainty in Viktoria's voice was the only thing certain.

"But, it doesn't smell?" said Davila and approached slowly, checking if the paint on the door was still wet. "It's not wet. Is it just fast-drying?"

Catching his breath, Ezekiel was truly shocked to see the oddly painted door. "This was just plain white not too long ago when I left my phone inside." he cleared his throat. "And the fact that bloody red just simply does not fit the overall theme of the school. What is going on?"

"Should we point it as something supernatural?" added Sue. "It's just funny that a supernatural case unraveled right in front of us, yet we didn't pass our club's application form yet."

"Is it really supernatural?" said Davila as Sue walked closer to them. "Open it, Sue.", she said.

"Are you sure?" she hesitated for a brief moment but eventually recollected her thoughts." You know what, okay..." she slowly opened the door.

There was a bit of noise when the door opened. Kraaaa! That kind of noise you hear in horror films, yet you cannot really pinpoint which soundbite.

"What's inside?" asked Ezekiel lying on the floor, in sweat.

Sue's pupils dilated as the scent of humidity circulate through her sinuses. "This isn't really the utility room... W-what is this?" her eyes swelled with the burning light pouring in from the opened door. "W- why is the room so big?!" she stuttered in shock.

She opened it further to let her fellow students see. In their vision, it was something that logic wouldn't even accept. In fact, the interior of the room was too large to the point where you wouldn't be so sure how it would fit inside the building. The room design still has the classic popcorn walls on it, yet it visually was wet as if water is dripping from the ceiling. The huge room smelled of new incense and the walls were wallpapered in a low-hue yellow. The feeling is very memorable to anyone who sees its courtyard. Compared to the dark and seemingly full utility room they remember, the room was vast- resembling infinite.

"Huh?" Viktoria, Davila, and the one lying on the floor, Ezekiel, caught glimpses of what Sue was seeing. "Shit... what is that?"

The three were mesmerized to see such mystery lying at the back of their heads. Are they intrigued? Are they scared? The three only looked at the very wide room which was worrying for them. The sound of water dripping from the room was evident and each drop was irritating. Drip, drip, drip.

The room was cold, one could feel it in every breeze that flowed on the skin of the three. The eerie chill of the afternoon, but far worse. Should they run? After all, it felt like a hallucination, yet so mundane at the same time.

After stealing some glances back at the three, curiosity killed the cat. Sue slowly entered the room, trying to hint that maybe it was just an optical illusion in her mind and the real utility room or whatever room was just there. "..."

"Sue, don't go in! You may get hurt!" concerned they may look, but curiosity also submerged Davila's mind. "Wait!"

"No, I'm fine..." she comforted her friend as Sue took more steps inside the room. "Look at me!" the light of the eerie room consumed Sue's skin.

Viktoria, as curious as Sue, touched the edges of the door trying to look even further. "What really is this place?"

While the three outside were looking at Sue entering the room, a bell-like noise rang making the door suddenly close with haste. Viktoria, which was holding the door edges, was suddenly struck. The door slammed so hard that the three jumped away from the door, leaving Sue inside. However, though escaped, Victoria's left index finger was caught in the sudden door slam leaving her with intense pain. "Fuck!" she yelled.

Bang! The door closed on itself.

The three fell down and were now on the floor. "Where is Sue?" hastily mumbled Davila on the floor.

"Shit!" Viktoria looked at his bleeding finger. "It hurts so much!"

"Viktoria... Davila..." Ezekiel, who was once speechless, looked at his friends, which were already lying on the floor. "Look at the door..." flashes of light made a tango with the place as if some fairy-like being spread some sparkle unto the surroundings.

From red, now back to the old form of just wood with a little white coating. There was no gold doorknob or anything else that could be touched to open it as it was always open with the broken knob hole. It had an empty hole as there was no doorknob. Further inspection of the hole inside would just reveal that everything came back to normal. Yet, it isn't. Sue is not with them.

They all looked at each other. "Where's Sue?" the anxiety intensified as silence hugged the place.