Room 313

I never believed in ghosts. I thought all those stories were just for movies and books.

Until I stayed in Room 313.

It happened last winter, during a solo trip. I reached a small hotel in the hills. It was off-season, so most of the rooms were empty. The man at the front desk gave me a key and said quietly,
“Only Room 313 is available.”

I didn’t care. I was tired. All I wanted was sleep.

The room looked normal — a single bed, an old cupboard, a mirror, and a window showing the snowy street. But something felt... off. Cold. Not the weather kind of cold. It was like the air itself didn’t want me there.

At night, I tried to sleep. But around 3:13 AM, I heard knocking.

Knock. Knock. Knock.

At first, I thought it was someone at the door. I opened it — no one.

Then the knocking came again.

This time, from inside the cupboard.

I froze.

I didn’t want to open it. But I had to.

Slowly, I pulled the cupboard door open…

Empty.

But inside, scratched into the wood, were the words:
"I never left."

I backed away. My hands were shaking.

The mirror across the room began to fog up, like someone was breathing from the other side. And then, I saw it — a blurry shadow behind me.

But when I turned around, no one was there.

I left that room without even wearing my shoes. Ran straight to the reception.

The man at the desk looked at me, sighed, and said,
“I told them to stop giving that room to people.”

“What happened there?” I asked, my voice trembling.

He looked away.
“Five years ago, a girl stayed there. She disappeared. Her body was never found. But some nights… guests say they still hear her trying to get out.”

                                               ~AISHMEEN