The 616 Paradox: Haunting Dormitory Secrets

The sun was a fiery orb, its descent a silent countdown to the dark of night. The air was thick with humidity, and the oppressive heat of the summer evening seemed to seep through the walls of the university dormitory. Room 616, a small space crammed with four beds and the detritus of student life, felt more like a tomb than a home.

The occupants, a motley crew of freshmen, were settling in for the night. Xiao Li, a thin boy with an ever-present frown, flipped off the lights. "Who's hungry for ramen?" he asked, his voice barely above a whisper.

The other three, Xiao Wang, Xiao Zhang, and Xiao Chen, were more interested in the chill of the cold air conditioner. "Not me," Xiao Wang replied, yawning. "I'm going to bed."

Xiao Chen, a gamer with a headset clamped over his ears, waved his hand dismissively. "I'm good, thanks. Another level of Call of Duty before I hit the hay."

The door creaked open, and Xiao Zhang, a quiet girl with a perpetually worried expression, stepped in. "Hey, guys, I'm just popping out for a snack. Don't wake up the others, okay?"

She nodded at Xiao Li, who was still frowning. "Got it," he grunted.

The room fell into silence. Xiao Chen's game was the only thing breaking the monotony, the sound of shooting and reloading the only noise to greet the darkness. Xiao Wang was the first to drift off, snoring softly, his breaths a rhythmic symphony.

Xiao Zhang returned, a snack bag in hand. She sat down at the desk, a few feet from Xiao Chen's bed. "You know, I've always felt like something's off about this room," she whispered, her voice barely audible above the hum of the air conditioner.

Xiao Chen glanced up from his screen. "You mean besides the ghosts?"

Xiao Zhang rolled her eyes. "No, seriously. I mean, there's this weird feeling, like something's watching me. And the room... it's cold."

Xiao Chen laughed, a sound that seemed out of place in the hushed atmosphere. "Ghosts, huh? I'm a gamer, not a ghost hunter. But I'll believe anything, I guess."

Xiao Zhang chuckled softly, but it died away as the room grew quieter still. Xiao Li's breathing was the only thing that remained consistent. Xiao Wang was snoring now, his face relaxed.

It was then that Xiao Chen's game suddenly froze, the screen flickering and going black. He sighed, and before he could curse, the lights in the room flickered, casting eerie shadows over the walls. A cold breeze swept through the room, causing the air conditioner to shudder to a halt.

Xiao Zhang gasped. "What the—"

The lights went out completely, plunging the room into darkness. A sound, faint at first, grew louder—soft, rhythmic tapping. It was coming from the floor.

Xiao Chen sat up, the game console clutched in his hand. "Is someone...?" His voice trailed off as he realized there was no one there.

Xiao Li stirred, his frown deepening. "I think someone's... there," he whispered, his voice barely audible.

The tapping grew louder, now a relentless drumming that seemed to be pounding on Xiao Li's mind. He sat up, his face pale, his eyes wide. "It's coming from the floor! Someone's... someone's under the floorboards!"

The others exchanged glances. Xiao Zhang's face was ashen. "I think we should leave. Now."

Xiao Chen, the gamer who claimed to believe in anything, felt a shiver run down his spine. "You think it's a ghost?"

Xiao Li nodded, his voice trembling. "I think it's... something. And it's... under the floorboards."

The tapping grew faster, a rhythm that felt like it was meant to disorient, to scare them. Xiao Chen stood up, his hand instinctively going to the knife at his belt. "We need to find it, Xiao Zhang. You have to open up the floorboards."

Xiao Zhang's eyes were wide with fear. "But what if it's...?"

"Then we fight it," Xiao Chen growled, stepping towards her. "This isn't a game. We're not safe here."

The room was pitch-black, the only source of light the red emergency strobe on the corridor outside. Xiao Chen, Xiao Li, and Xiao Zhang, weapons at the ready, made their way to the floor, their footsteps echoing through the silent room.

The floorboards were old, the wood creaking under their weight. Xiao Zhang hesitated, her hand trembling as she lifted the first board. A cold wind swept through the room, the tapping growing louder as they got closer.

Xiao Chen's heart raced. "It's... under there. We need to... open it up."

Xiao Zhang's fingers found the loose floorboard, and she pulled it up, revealing a small, dark space. She hesitated, then reached in with a flashlight, its beam cutting through the darkness.

The flashlight's light revealed a hollow, the sound of tapping growing louder, closer. Xiao Chen's heart sank as he saw the shape of a hand, reaching out from the darkness.

Xiao Li, Xiao Wang, and Xiao Zhang rushed towards the hole, the flashlight beam cutting through the darkness, revealing a face. A ghostly, spectral face, eyes wide with terror, lips pulled back in a silent scream.

But it wasn't just one face. There were many, a crowd of them, each with their own story, each haunted by their own fate. They were trapped beneath the floorboards of room 616, and they needed to be freed.

Xiao Chen's voice was a shout, filled with urgency and fear. "Get them out! We need to..."

The tapping grew louder, a cacophony of screams, and the floorboards gave way, a tide of spectral figures spilling out into the room. They were free, but the cost was high.

The dormitory's corridors were soon filled with students, the air thick with confusion and fear. Xiao Chen, Xiao Li, Xiao Zhang, and Xiao Wang were surrounded by the authorities, their story being told and retold.

The 616 Paradox had come to light, a mystery that would echo through the halls of the university for years to come. The students of room 616 would never be the same, haunted not just by the memories of their own past, but by the spirits of those who had come before them.

The lights flickered back on, the emergency strobe no longer needed. The room was filled with students, looking around in shock, whispering among themselves.

Xiao Chen, Xiao Li, Xiao Zhang, and Xiao Wang stood in the center of the room, the four of them now bound together by the chilling experience that had changed their lives forever.

The 616 Paradox had been solved, but the secrets of the haunted dormitory would never be forgotten.