Anna was the last to leave the office that evening. Everyone else had gone home hours ago. It was quiet, too quiet. She gathered her things, turned off her computer, and checked her phone. No new messages. Just another lonely Wednesday.
As she walked down the corridor toward the lift, the lights flickered. She paused. That hadn’t happened before. Maybe the building was just old.
She pressed the button for the lift. Nothing happened. She pressed it again. Still nothing. Strange.
With a sigh, she turned and decided to take the stairs. On her way past the meeting room, she noticed something odd. The door was slightly open, and the light inside was on. That was unusual. She clearly remembered turning off all the lights before locking the meeting room earlier.
Cautiously, she stepped closer. “Hello?” she called, her voice echoing down the corridor. No answer.
She pushed the door fully open. The room was empty. A single chair was tipped over, lying on its side. The whiteboard had writing on it that hadn’t been there earlier.
It read, in thick red marker: “DO NOT TRUST HIM.”
Anna stared at it, confused and a little shaken. Was this a prank? A message left by a colleague?
She heard footsteps behind her.
She turned quickly, heart racing.
It was Daniel, the night security guard.
“You’re still here?” he asked with a small smile. “I thought everyone had gone.”
Anna nodded slowly. “I was just leaving, but… this door was open, and someone left a message on the board.”
Daniel stepped into the room. He looked at the message and frowned. “That’s odd. I haven’t seen anyone come in or out. The cameras didn’t show anyone either.”
“You saw the cameras?” Anna asked.
He nodded. “I watch them from the control room. There’s been no one on this floor for the last hour.”
Anna stepped back. Her phone buzzed. A new message appeared from her manager:
“Call me ASAP. There’s something wrong with Daniel. Do NOT let him near you.”
Her blood turned cold.
Slowly, she looked up at him. He was smiling. But something in his eyes had changed. It wasn’t a friendly smile anymore, it was fixed, unnatural.
“I think you should come with me,” he said calmly. “Let’s go check the control room together.”
She took a step back. “I think I left something upstairs,” she lied.
He tilted his head. “I don’t think so, Anna. I’ve been watching.”
She ran.
He chased her.
Up the stairs, through the empty halls, she ran until she found an old supply room. She slipped inside and locked the door, heart pounding in her chest.
Silence.
Then, his voice through the door: “There’s no way out, Anna.”
She looked around the small room. No windows. Just shelves and boxes. But then, on the floor, she saw a square panel. A trapdoor.
She grabbed a wrench from a shelf and forced it open.
A narrow tunnel lay below.
Without thinking, she climbed in and pulled the door shut behind her.
She crawled through the darkness, not knowing where the tunnel led, but knowing one thing for sure:
She was not going back.
Look out for Part 2, next
Vocabulary Notes
Flickered (verb)
Definition: To shine with a light that is sometimes bright and sometimes weak
Example: “As she walked down the corridor toward the lift, the lights flickered.”
Explanation: The lights were not steady, they turned on and off quickly, like they were broken or faulty.
Similar words/phrases:
Blinked
Flashed
Glimmered (softer, more poetic)
Cautiously (adverb)
Definition: In a way that shows you are careful to avoid danger or mistakes
Example: “Cautiously, she stepped closer.”
Explanation: Anna moved slowly and carefully, because she didn’t know if something bad would happen.
Similar words/phrases:
Carefully
Nervously
Alertly (watching closely for danger)
Shaken (adjective, past participle of “shake”)
Definition: Feeling shocked, afraid, or upset
Example: “She clearly remembered turning off all the lights before locking the meeting room earlier.” later: “Anna nodded slowly. ‘I was just leaving…’” (implied that she was shaken)
Explanation: Anna felt disturbed and scared because things weren’t normal.
Similar words/phrases:
Disturbed
Scared
Rattled (informal but common)
Fixed (smile) (adjective)
Definition: A facial expression that does not change, often false or unnatural
Example: “But something in his eyes had changed. It wasn’t a friendly smile anymore, it was fixed, unnatural.”
Explanation: The smile stayed on Daniel’s face in a strange way, not like a real smile.
Similar words/phrases:
Forced smile
Fake expression
Stiff grin
Lied (verb, past of “lie” – to say something that is not true)
Example: “I think I left something upstairs,” she lied.
Explanation: Anna said something false on purpose to protect herself.
Similar words/phrases:
Made something up
Told a lie
Pretended (if using actions instead of words)
Supply room (noun)
Definition: A small room in a workplace where office items or tools are kept
Example: “She found an old supply room. She slipped inside and locked the door…”
Explanation: A storage space for equipment, usually not used by many people at night.
Similar words/phrases:
Storage room
Utility room
Back room
Heart pounding (phrase)
Definition: When your heart beats fast and hard, usually because of fear or excitement
Example: “…locked the door, heart pounding in her chest.”
Explanation: Anna was very afraid and could feel her heartbeat strongly.
Similar words/phrases:
Heart racing
Breath quickening
Full of adrenaline
Without thinking (phrase)
Definition: Doing something quickly or automatically, without planning or pausing
Example: “Without thinking, she climbed in and pulled the door shut behind her.”
Explanation: Anna acted on instinct because she was afraid, she didn’t stop to consider.
Similar words/phrases:
Instinctively
Automatically
On impulse
Don’t forget to look out for Part 2, next
Story written by ChatGPT AI
Image created by ChatGPT AI
CC Music: Drifting at 432 Hz – Unicorn Heads
Reading Short Stories/Content for English Learners 
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