Scary stories

Don't Turn on the Light

excerpted from Spooky Maryland

retold by S.E. Schlosser

She commandeered the room in the basement of her dorm as soon as she realized she would have to pull an all-nighter in order to prepare for tomorrow’s final exam. Her roommate, Jenna, liked to get to bed early, so she packed up everything she thought she would need and went downstairs to study . . . and study . . . and study some more.

It was two o’clock, when she realized that she’d left one of the textbooks upstairs on her bed. With a dramatic sigh, she rose, and climbed the stairs slowly to her third-floor dorm room.
The lights were dim in the long hallway, and the old boards creaked under her weary tread. She reached her room and turned the handle as softly as she could, pushing the door open just enough to slip inside, so that the hall lights wouldn’t wake her roommate.

The room was filled with a strange, metallic smell. She frowned a bit, her arms breaking out into chills. There was a strange feeling of malice in the room, as if a malevolent gaze were fixed upon her.  It was a mind trick; the all-nighter was catching up with her.

 She could hear Jenna breathing on the far side of the room—a heavy sound, almost as if she had been running. Jenna must have picked up a cold during the last tense week before finals.

She crept along the wall until she reached her bed, groping among the covers for the stray history textbook. In the silence, she could hear a steady drip-drip-drip sound. She sighed silently. Facilities would have to come to fix the sink in the bathroom…again.

 Her fingers closed on the textbook. She picked it up softly and withdrew from the room as silently as she could.

Relieved to be out of the room, she hurried back downstairs, collapsed into an overstuffed chair and studied until six o’clock.  She finally decided that enough was enough. If she slipped upstairs now, she could get a couple hours’ sleep before her nine o’clock exam.

The first of the sun’s rays were beaming through the windows as she slowly slid the door open, hoping not to awaken Jenna. Her nose was met by an earthy, metallic smell a second before her eyes registered the scene in her dorm room. Jenna was spread-eagled on top of her bed against the far wall, her throat cut from ear to ear and her nightdress stained with blood. Two drops of blood fell from the saturated blanket with a drip-drip noise that sounded like a leaky faucet.

Scream after scream poured from her mouth, but she couldn’t stop herself any more than she could cease wringing her hands. All along the hallway, doors slammed and footsteps came running down the passage.

Within moments other students had gathered in her doorway, and one of her friends gripped her arm with a shaking hand and pointed a trembling finger toward the wall. Her eyes widened in shock at what she saw. Then she fainted into her friend’s arms.

On the wall above her bed, written in her roommate’s blood, were the words: “Aren’t you glad you didn’t turn on the light?”

Comments

woowww!!! awesome storyy!!

Dis is freakin creepy!!! scared me half to death

this story is soooooooooo scary it is the best scary story ever!!!!!Plus my name is Jenna so it akes it that moure scary!!!

tis so kewl i have never heard anyfin like it really scared me so i got my sis to sit whif meh

I'M REALY SCARED IM NOT USEING A NIGHTLIGHT EVA AGAIN!!!!!!

Very imaginetive, even tho this is probably the 2nd time ive heard its still enjoyable 2read. yet another very good urban legend!

holy guacamole i am quite freaked

This was pretty weird and cool

wow

This is scary! My dad's in the other room, so I don't feel safe, and I had to keep looking around to make sure I was alone.

That was the best story ever even though the film urban legend was a big copy cat of THIS urban legend P.S. was this true?

me and my best bud were reading this and it freaked the p**p out of us-nat

Yeah I agree! It totally freaked me out! Though, I heard this story before, it still scares me! :)-sam

O_0 why would she be doin a speard eagle?!•?!•?!•?!

this was very scary i almost died.

that wasnt even scary

AWSOME!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

she was in a spread eagle cause the dude raped her then killed her and if that girl fainted then shes probably not going to wake up any time soon

'Arent you glad you didnt turn on the light'

it was sooo scary but the jersey devil made me get goosebumps

this real CREEPY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

that was so scary I was shakeing

not even scary!!!!!!!!!!!!!

dude i have read scaryer and seen scaryer pics than that

i't wasnt that scary for me

COOl:)

very scay

00 This was freeke. I red it bi miself. Wow!!!!!!!!
_

BOY THAT WAS PRETTY SCARY !!!

very scary i wont be able to sieep tonight

LoVe DiS sToRy!

LoVe DiS sToRy!

this was kinda stupid

WOW!!!!!! was not expecting that! amazing, sad but amazing!

who killed her? how was she breathing or was that the killer breathing? it was scary in a way.

holy crap dis is ****in skary

Nice post. Keep up the great work

WOW
I think that the scaryest part is when she spelled out“Are you glad you did not turn on the light

That is bloody scary. Scared the crap outta me!!!

this story was great i wish i could hear it everyday !!~! AWESOME!!!

This is so freaking scary!!!! It scared the crap out of me.

OMG This is my FAVE SCARY STORY!!

woooooooooow arent you glad you didnt turn on the lights i sure am

dang its scary cause its midnight rit now sooo ya

it wasn't all that scary u kind of knew what was going to happen even before the ending...sorry to all who disagree i don't mean to be rude it is just my opinion :|

AAHAHAHAHHHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHHAHAHHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHHAHHHHAHHAAHAHHAHHHAHHHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHHAHHAHHAHHAHAHHHAHHAHAAHHAHHHAHHHAHHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHHAHHAHAAHHHALOLOLOOLOLLLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLO

help help what is soooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo spooky

i didnt like this story

This one is the scariest one I think.

OMG THAT WAS SO SCARY AND NASTY THERE WAS BLOOD DRIPPING

OMG THAT WAS SO SCARY AND NASTY THERE WAS BLOOD DRIPPING

S
SC
SCA
SCAR
SCARY
SCAR
SCA
SC
S

Whoever believes that this will happen to them is and idiot. I mean, really!

wow i had to keep reading that last prgh over and over again to get what it said i will never ever turn on a light again !!!!


WOW!!!!!!!

Dat wasn't scary it was just bloody I hav heard of better ones!!!

it was totally awesome

you must be tryin to make a 3 year old laugh

omg not even scary jokin i will mever turn a light on again

wow that FREAKED me out....

Weird ending.But by the way IT ISN'T SCARY!!!!!!!!

it waz brill and very scary

it was very borinzzzzzz make better oneszzzzzzzzz my friend said it was scary i thought it was very borin i even feel asleezzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz

Uh that was stupid and EWWWWWWWWWWWW BLOOD!

Wow. That wasn't even scary. :l

omfg scaryyyyyy!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! from sdcc xxxx and also AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!we are now 2 scared 2 turn on the light :(

great story!

OMG! that story is propa scary, it scared me half to death!! its a good story tho :)

Ethan:
He is not scared to turn on a light just because of a scary story.

Samantha:that was so great i was about to pee in my pants!!Whooooo!!

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