Daniel worked the night shift at Westbridge Hospital. The building was modern and full of light during the day, but at night it felt different. The long white corridors seemed to stretch forever, and every sound became louder. A cough from a patient, the wheels of a trolley, even the soft buzz of the lights above his head.

He did not believe in ghosts. He believed in tired minds and overactive imaginations. That was what he told the new nurse, Aisha, on her first night.

“You will hear strange things,” he said with a small smile. “But there is always a simple reason.”

Aisha laughed, but she looked nervous. She was young and had only started working there that week. Daniel had worked at Westbridge for twelve years. He knew every corner of the hospital.

Or so he thought.

At the end of the third floor there was a corridor that was painted a deep red. It led to a storage area that was no longer used. Years ago, the hospital had planned to build new operating rooms there, but the plan was cancelled. Now the red corridor ended at a heavy metal door that was always locked.

Daniel had never been inside. There was no reason to go there.

Just after two in the morning, the hospital was very still. Most patients were asleep. Aisha was checking the medicine cabinet, and Daniel was writing notes at the nurses desk when he heard it.

A slow, steady knocking.

Knock. Knock. Knock.

He looked up. Aisha froze.

“Did you hear that?” she whispered.

Daniel listened. The sound came again. It was coming from the direction of the red corridor.

“It is probably a pipe,” he said calmly. “Old buildings make noises at night.”

But this building was not old. It was only fifteen years old.

The knocking continued. It was not loud, but it was clear. It was not the sound of metal or water. It sounded like a hand.

Daniel stood up. “I will check it,” he said.

Aisha grabbed his arm. “Do not go alone.”

He gave her a quick nod, and they walked together down the hall. Their shoes made soft sounds on the clean floor. The lights above them flickered once, then became steady again.

As they turned the corner, they saw the red corridor ahead. The colour looked darker at night, almost like dried blood. The knocking was louder now.

Knock. Knock. Knock.

It was coming from behind the metal door at the end.

Daniel felt a cold wave move through his body. He told himself that it was just fear. Nothing more.

He tried the handle. It was locked.

“Who would be in there?” Aisha asked.

“No one,” Daniel replied.

The knocking stopped.

For a moment, there was complete silence.

Then a voice spoke from the other side of the door.

“Please let me out.”

The voice was weak and dry. It sounded like an old man who had not drunk water for days.

Aisha stepped back quickly. “That is not possible,” she said.

Daniel felt his heart beating faster. He pulled out his phone and called security. While they waited, the voice spoke again.

“I am still here.”

Daniel knew something was wrong. The storage area had been empty for years. No one had the key except the building manager, and he was not on site at night.

The security guard, Mark, arrived within minutes. He was a large man with a serious face.

“What is going on?” he asked.

“There is someone inside,” Daniel said. “We heard him.”

Mark frowned. “That room has been sealed since the accident.”

Daniel felt a strange pressure in his ears. “What accident?”

Mark looked at the red walls. “A patient got lost during construction, about ten years ago. He was confused and walked into that area. The door closed behind him. The builders did not notice. He was found days later.”

Aisha covered her mouth.

“The family tried to sue the hospital,” Mark continued. “But the case ended. The room was closed, and the project stopped.”

The knocking started again, harder now.

Bang. Bang. Bang.

“Let me out,” the voice cried.

Mark stepped forward. “There is no one in there,” he said firmly. “That man is dead.”

The lights flickered again. The red walls seemed to grow darker.

Daniel felt something change inside him. He no longer believed in simple reasons.

“Open it,” he said.

Mark hesitated, then took out a large ring of keys. After a few seconds, he found the right one. His hand shook as he pushed it into the lock.

The door opened slowly with a long, painful sound.

Inside, there was nothing.

The room was empty. The floor was covered in dust. Old boxes stood in the corners. There were no windows. No other doors.

And no person.

The knocking stopped completely.

Daniel walked inside. The air was cold and dry. He looked at the walls. On the far side, he saw something that made his blood run cold.

Deep scratch marks.

Long lines cut into the paint. Hundreds of them.

Aisha gasped. “He was trying to get out.”

Mark said nothing.

On the wall, under the scratches, were three words written in faded black ink.

“I am here.”

The letters looked old, but as they watched, a thin red line appeared under the words. It was fresh, wet, and slowly dripping down.

The lights went out.

In the darkness, Daniel heard the voice one last time, right next to his ear.

“You are here too.”

The lights came back on.

Daniel was standing alone in the red corridor.

The metal door was closed.

There was no sign of Aisha.

There was no sign of Mark.

The corridor was silent.

From behind the door, he heard a soft knock.

Knock. Knock. Knock.

Daniel turned and ran, shouting for help. Other staff came quickly. He tried to explain, but no one believed him.

Security checked the cameras. They showed Daniel walking alone to the red corridor. Alone. Talking to empty air.

There was no Aisha on record as a new nurse.

There was no guard called Mark on duty.

The hospital director told Daniel to take some time off work.

The next night, a different nurse heard a slow, steady knocking from the red corridor.

When security opened the metal door the following morning, they found new scratch marks on the wall.

And beneath them, written in fresh black ink, were four words.

“We are still here.”

---

Vocabulary Notes

Flicker
Meaning: To shine unsteadily or to turn on and off quickly, usually for a short time.
Example: “The lights above them flickered once, then became steady again.”
Similar words: flash, blink, flutter, shimmer

Sealed
Meaning: Completely closed so that nothing can enter or leave.
Example: “That room has been sealed since the accident.”
Similar words: closed, shut, secured, locked

Hesitate
Meaning: To pause before doing something, often because you feel unsure or afraid.
Example: “Mark hesitated, then took out a large ring of keys.”
Similar words: pause, delay, falter, doubt

Faded
Meaning: Having lost colour or strength over time.
Example: “On the wall, under the scratches, were three words written in faded black ink.”
Similar words: pale, weak, dull, worn

Dripping
Meaning: Falling in small drops of liquid.
Example: “A thin red line appeared under the words. It was fresh, wet, and slowly dripping down.”
Similar words: trickling, dropping, leaking, flowing

Story written by ChatGPT.

Image created by ChatGPT.

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CC Music: Drifting at 432 Hz – Unicorn Heads.

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