The Haunting Hour: The Lament of the Abandoned Ward

The sun dipped below the horizon, casting an eerie glow over the Guangdong College campus. The wind whispered through the empty corridors, carrying with it the faintest of sounds, a reminder of the living and the long forgotten. The infirmary, once a place of healing, now lay abandoned, its walls stained with the passage of time and the sorrow of those who never left its confines.

The night was dark, and the students, driven by a mix of curiosity and fear, approached the old building cautiously. They had heard the tales, the whispers that danced through the night, tales of the Haunting Hour, a time when the spirits of the departed roamed free. It was said that at midnight, the veil between worlds thinned, and those who dared to venture into the infirmary during this hour would witness the most chilling of spectacles.

The first to arrive was Xiao Li, a senior with a penchant for the supernatural. He had heard the rumors of the Haunting Hour since his freshman year and had always been intrigued. His friends, a mix of skeptics and believers, followed closely behind, each carrying a flashlight that flickered uncertainly in the darkness.

"Stay close," Xiao Li commanded, his voice tinged with a mix of excitement and trepidation. "We don't know what we might encounter."

They pushed open the creaky door and stepped into the dimly lit interior. The air was thick with dust and the scent of old wood, a reminder of the building's age. The sound of their footsteps echoed off the walls, an unsettling reminder of their presence.

Midnight approached, and the students felt a strange sense of anticipation. They had gathered here for a reason, to uncover the truth behind the Haunting Hour and the spirits that haunted the abandoned ward.

As the clock struck twelve, a cold breeze swept through the room, sending shivers down their spines. Xiao Li's flashlight flickered, and he felt a strange presence in the room. His heart raced as he turned to his friends, his eyes wide with fear.

Suddenly, the walls of the infirmary seemed to come alive. Shadows danced, and the air seemed to thicken, as if the spirits were reaching out, drawing them closer. Xiao Li's flashlight caught sight of a ghostly figure, translucent and ethereal, hovering near the window.

"The old nurse," one of the students whispered, his voice trembling. "She's back."

The ghostly figure moved towards them, its eyes hollow and filled with sorrow. Xiao Li felt a chill run down his spine, a chill that seemed to come from within himself. The figure passed through the wall, leaving a trail of mist in its wake.

"What do we do?" one of the students asked, his voice barely audible over the cacophony of ghostly whispers.

"We need to find the source of this haunting," Xiao Li replied, his voice steady despite the fear that gripped him. "We need to find the heart of the curse."

The students ventured deeper into the infirmary, their flashlights casting flickering shadows on the walls. They passed rooms filled with old medical equipment and forgotten medical charts, each one a reminder of the lives that had ended here.

Finally, they reached the heart of the infirmary, a room that seemed to pulse with a life of its own. In the center of the room stood a large, ornate mirror, its surface cracked and tarnished. Xiao Li approached the mirror cautiously, his heart pounding in his chest.

As he looked into the mirror, he saw not his own reflection, but the face of a young woman, her eyes filled with despair. She was the nurse, a woman who had devoted her life to healing, only to meet a tragic end.

"You must break the curse," her voice echoed in his mind, a voice filled with sorrow and longing.

Xiao Li knew what he had to do. He reached out and touched the mirror, feeling the cool surface beneath his fingers. As his hand made contact, the mirror shattered into a thousand pieces, and the room seemed to shake.

The spirits of the Haunting Hour, no longer bound by the mirror, dispersed into the night. The students, exhausted and frightened, made their way back to the door, their hearts still racing with the events that had transpired.

As they left the infirmary, they felt a strange sense of relief. The curse had been broken, and the spirits were free to rest in peace. But Xiao Li knew that this was only the beginning. There were many more secrets to uncover, and many more spirits waiting to be released from their eternal slumber.

The Haunting Hour had ended, but the journey of discovery had just begun.