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? Email us at
Comments
woowww!!! awesome storyy!!
Posted by: cutie | October 28, 2009 04:20 PM
Dis is freakin creepy!!! scared me half to death
Posted by: Crystal | October 29, 2009 11:22 AM
this story is soooooooooo scary it is the best scary story ever!!!!!Plus my name is Jenna so it akes it that moure scary!!!
Posted by: Jenna | October 29, 2009 05:58 PM
tis so kewl i have never heard anyfin like it really scared me so i got my sis to sit whif meh
Posted by: makayla | October 30, 2009 02:15 AM
I'M REALY SCARED IM NOT USEING A NIGHTLIGHT EVA AGAIN!!!!!!
Posted by: BobMan123 | October 30, 2009 10:15 AM
Very imaginetive, even tho this is probably the 2nd time ive heard its still enjoyable 2read. yet another very good urban legend!
Posted by: Shelley | October 30, 2009 10:26 AM
holy guacamole i am quite freaked
Posted by: elizabeth | October 30, 2009 06:31 PM
This was pretty weird and cool
Posted by: Anonymous | October 30, 2009 11:14 PM
wow
Posted by: courtney | October 31, 2009 09:07 AM
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.
Posted by: Tristyn | October 31, 2009 01:10 PM
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?
Posted by: Anonymous | October 31, 2009 01:48 PM
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
Posted by: NatSam | October 31, 2009 05:34 PM
O_0 why would she be doin a speard eagle?!•?!•?!•?!
Posted by: Sk8er Gurl | October 31, 2009 08:03 PM
this was very scary i almost died.
Posted by: Jolo | November 7, 2009 11:23 PM
that wasnt even scary
Posted by: tommy french | November 8, 2009 12:35 AM
AWSOME!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Posted by: Anonymous | November 9, 2009 09:05 AM
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
Posted by: makayla | December 1, 2009 08:27 PM
'Arent you glad you didnt turn on the light'
Posted by: KILLER | December 5, 2009 02:00 PM
it was sooo scary but the jersey devil made me get goosebumps
Posted by: sarah | December 8, 2009 07:56 PM
this real CREEPY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Posted by: Anonymous | December 9, 2009 10:22 AM
that was so scary I was shakeing
Posted by: Anonymous | December 9, 2009 08:57 PM
not even scary!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Posted by: brittney | December 10, 2009 11:54 AM
dude i have read scaryer and seen scaryer pics than that
Posted by: i lo0ve boby | December 17, 2009 01:24 PM
i't wasnt that scary for me
Posted by: Anonymous | December 24, 2009 01:43 AM
COOl:)
Posted by: person | December 27, 2009 06:06 PM
very scay
Posted by: Anonymous | January 4, 2010 06:18 PM
00 This was freeke. I red it bi miself. Wow!!!!!!!!
_
Posted by: kelly | January 6, 2010 07:02 PM
BOY THAT WAS PRETTY SCARY !!!
Posted by: Anonymous | January 9, 2010 01:07 AM
very scary i wont be able to sieep tonight
Posted by: Anonymous | January 11, 2010 04:59 PM
LoVe DiS sToRy!
Posted by: Anonymous | January 12, 2010 08:47 PM
LoVe DiS sToRy!
Posted by: pUnKsTeR! | January 12, 2010 08:49 PM
this was kinda stupid
Posted by: Anonymous | January 13, 2010 07:58 PM
WOW!!!!!! was not expecting that! amazing, sad but amazing!
Posted by: TJ | January 14, 2010 05:57 AM
who killed her? how was she breathing or was that the killer breathing? it was scary in a way.
Posted by: alexus | January 15, 2010 02:19 PM
holy crap dis is ****in skary
Posted by: Anonymous | January 17, 2010 02:16 PM
Nice post. Keep up the great work
Posted by: Kelli Ratulowski | January 17, 2010 04:30 PM
WOW
I think that the scaryest part is when she spelled out“Are you glad you did not turn on the light
Posted by: pritty gurl101 | January 23, 2010 09:38 PM
That is bloody scary. Scared the crap outta me!!!
Posted by: Tamsin | January 24, 2010 04:21 AM
this story was great i wish i could hear it everyday !!~! AWESOME!!!
Posted by: alex | January 27, 2010 12:15 PM
This is so freaking scary!!!! It scared the crap out of me.
Posted by: Justin | January 28, 2010 05:12 PM
OMG This is my FAVE SCARY STORY!!
Posted by: allycat | January 28, 2010 06:56 PM
woooooooooow arent you glad you didnt turn on the lights i sure am
Posted by: shelly | January 30, 2010 12:28 PM
dang its scary cause its midnight rit now sooo ya
Posted by: da | January 30, 2010 06:26 PM
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 :|
Posted by: bridget vreeland | February 3, 2010 05:09 PM
AAHAHAHAHHHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHHAHAHHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHHAHHHHAHHAAHAHHAHHHAHHHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHHAHHAHHAHHAHAHHHAHHAHAAHHAHHHAHHHAHHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHHAHHAHAAHHHALOLOLOOLOLLLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLO
Posted by: KATELYN | February 5, 2010 10:53 AM
help help what is soooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo spooky
Posted by: charlotte | February 6, 2010 01:42 PM
i didnt like this story
Posted by: Anonymous | February 8, 2010 09:35 AM
This one is the scariest one I think.
Posted by: Gina | February 8, 2010 01:12 PM
OMG THAT WAS SO SCARY AND NASTY THERE WAS BLOOD DRIPPING
Posted by: tori | February 9, 2010 01:32 PM
OMG THAT WAS SO SCARY AND NASTY THERE WAS BLOOD DRIPPING
Posted by: tori | February 9, 2010 01:33 PM
S
SC
SCA
SCAR
SCARY
SCAR
SCA
SC
S
Posted by: ALAINA | February 9, 2010 01:37 PM
Whoever believes that this will happen to them is and idiot. I mean, really!
Posted by: White Wolf | February 12, 2010 04:24 PM
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!!!!!!!
Posted by: angelique | February 14, 2010 10:44 AM
Dat wasn't scary it was just bloody I hav heard of better ones!!!
Posted by: nancy | February 14, 2010 03:35 PM
it was totally awesome
Posted by: hannah | February 15, 2010 04:23 AM
you must be tryin to make a 3 year old laugh
Posted by: L is my name | February 16, 2010 06:52 PM
omg not even scary jokin i will mever turn a light on again
Posted by: Ashleighn | February 17, 2010 11:37 AM
wow that FREAKED me out....
Posted by: Anonymous | February 20, 2010 06:31 PM
Weird ending.But by the way IT ISN'T SCARY!!!!!!!!
Posted by: Sierra Allender | February 22, 2010 08:36 PM
it waz brill and very scary
Posted by: Anonymous | February 25, 2010 06:33 AM
it was very borinzzzzzz make better oneszzzzzzzzz my friend said it was scary i thought it was very borin i even feel asleezzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz
Posted by: Anonymous | February 25, 2010 06:39 AM
Uh that was stupid and EWWWWWWWWWWWW BLOOD!
Posted by: alyssa | February 26, 2010 09:27 PM
Wow. That wasn't even scary. :l
Posted by: Kathleen | February 26, 2010 09:38 PM
omfg scaryyyyyy!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! from sdcc xxxx and also AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!we are now 2 scared 2 turn on the light :(
Posted by: jjbbcc angel of death 2010 | March 3, 2010 08:14 AM
great story!
Posted by: jasna | March 3, 2010 08:36 AM
OMG! that story is propa scary, it scared me half to death!! its a good story tho :)
Posted by: katie bates | March 15, 2010 04:18 PM
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!!
Posted by: samantha | March 17, 2010 09:27 AM