By the time the clock hit seven, Ridgewood High had transformed from a regular, slightly gross school into something that could comfortably star in a low-budget horror-comedy. The fluorescent lights flickered like strobe lights at a haunted disco, and every shadow seemed just a little too eager to move.
Finn shivered, trying to look brave. "Okay… maybe the school is alive. Or… mildly annoyed by teenagers. Could be both."
Lucy, perched on the edge of a table, scanned the empty hallway outside the classroom. "I knew it. I knew something weird was happening. Did anyone else hear that… scraping sound?"
Hawk shrieked, clutching his head like it contained the sum of all his life's regrets. "Scraping! Yes! I heard it! It's coming for me!"
Sophie rolled her eyes. "It's just probably the janitor dragging something. Or rats. Or… rats possessed by ghosts. Pick your flavor."
Finn leaned against the wall, trying to look cool while sweating like a snowman in a sauna. "Yeah, I'm sure it's completely normal. Totally normal. Just our imaginations, right?"
A locker across the hall slammed open with a BANG! and a stack of books tumbled out. Hawk screamed, vaulting over a chair like a cartoon ninja. Finn muttered under his breath, "Yep… normal."
Lucy pulled out her phone. "I'm filming this. If we survive, TikTok is going to love us. If not… well, they'll get a very haunting reel."
Hawk squealed as the books seemed to float midair for a second, then landed neatly back on the shelf. "I'm not staying here! I refuse! I demand a principal, a lawyer, and a magic spell!"
Sophie sighed. "Maybe we should have brought snacks. Ghosts hate hunger, I hear. Or maybe they like it. I'm not sure which, honestly."
The lights flickered again, plunging the room into darkness for a heartbeat, then back. Finn swore he saw shadows stretching across the walls like the school itself was… leaning in to watch them.
Lucy whispered, "See? That's what I meant about the school being alive."
Suddenly, a soft tap-tap-tap echoed from the hallway. Then another. Then a door creaked open slowly… by itself.
Finn's jaw dropped. "Okay, maybe mildly alive doesn't cover it. This place is… sentient. And mischievous. Very mischievous."
Hawk ducked under the table. "I knew it! I'm not fighting this! I'm not doing it! Send someone else!"
Sophie flicked a pencil at him. "Grow up. Or the ghosts will do it for you."
A sudden scrape came from the janitor's closet. The door swung open violently, revealing… nothing. Just darkness, swallowing the faint smell of old cleaning supplies.
Finn crept forward. "I think… we should investigate. Carefully. Maybe there's… uh… something behind this? Some… normal explanation?"
Lucy raised an eyebrow. "You mean like… a portal to another dimension? Or maybe the ghosts of failed homework? Sure, let's go with that."
They stepped into the hallway. The fluorescent lights flickered rhythmically, casting long, wobbly shadows. The air smelled faintly metallic, and the faint giggle they'd first heard in detention returned—soft, teasing, like the school itself was mocking them.
Hawk shrieked. "I'm not moving one inch! I demand to be carried!"
Finn muttered, "Yeah, because carrying a screaming teenager is super stealthy in a haunted school."
Sophie sighed. "Honestly, this is all very cliché. Shadows, whispers… someone should have told the writers to be more original."
Then, out of nowhere, a janitor's cart rolled down the hallway. It moved on its own, bumping gently against lockers, leaving a trail of cleaning supplies like breadcrumbs.
Lucy whispered, "That's definitely not normal."
Finn tried to act brave, stepping toward the cart. "Maybe it's… playful? Like, the school wants to… show us something?"
Hawk groaned from behind him. "Or it wants to kill us. That's an option too."
The cart stopped at a locker, the lock clicking open by itself. Inside, they found a pile of… mannequin heads. Not creepy at first glance. Not until they noticed each had a slightly different, almost mocking expression—grinning, winking, frowning.
Sophie blinked. "Oh. That's… unsettling."
Finn laughed nervously. "Yeah, unsettling in the most friendly way, right? I mean… friendly mannequins. What could go wrong?"
From the shadows, a faint giggle echoed again. It was almost… encouraging.
Lucy frowned. "Nope. Definitely not friendly. Definitely not safe. Definitely—"
The lights flickered one last time, and when they returned, the hallway looked… longer. Stretching, twisting, like the school was bending around them.
Finn swallowed. "Well. That escalated quickly."
And as the first night of detention stretched on, the four teens realized: Ridgewood High wasn't just haunted. It was alive, chaotic, and extremely sarcastic.
Hawk whimpered. "I am not surviving this."
Sophie muttered, "Speak for yourself. I'm documenting. This is going in my gothic survival notes."
Lucy grinned. "Oh, it's going to be fun. I can feel it."
Finn sighed. "Fun… yeah… terrifying, weirdly hilarious, and probably deadly fun."
Somewhere deeper in the shadows, the school chuckled, invisible hands ruffling lockers and flipping papers in the windless hallways. The night had just begun.