NOOOOPE

Earlier this evening, after getting out of class, I decided to go to the library to try to get some work done before meeting my lab group to work on our report. I couldn't find anywhere quiet to sit and work, the library was, as always, incredibly packed and loud. I decided I'd go check out some classrooms to see if any were empty so that I could work in peace. I ended up just settling down in a hallway on the second floor of one of the nearby buildings. All the classrooms had been locked up for the day; the rest of the building was empty - good enough.  

After attempting to work proved unproductive, I figured I could browse the web a little. Somehow, the details escape me, I ended up on Chatroulette. After attempting to filter all the perverts that seem to be so prevalent on the site, this girl, about my age, appeared on the screen. She looked like she was crying, but she had her hand on her mouth, like she was trying to keep herself from making any noise. I was about to skip her, figuring I was about to be pranked and end up on some YouTube video or something, but then she started typing: "please please help."

I asked her what was going on. She instantly replied, saying she needed me to call 911 for her. She had been walking home from class, when someone tried to grab her. She had run into the closest building, and was hiding in a classroom from her pursuer. She couldn't call 911 herself, her phone was dead, so she grabbed her laptop out of her backpack. The page open on her browser was Chatroulette and I was the first person that it connected her to. I wasn't sure what I should do. I could be the victim of some bullshit prank, but what if this girl genuinely needed my help? I decided I would call 911, just to be on the safe side, but before I could do anything, I asked her for her name and location. She told me her name was Nikki. While she was in the midst of typing her location, I was already dialing 911 on my phone and getting ready to call. I looked back at my screen, and my body went numb. The location she had sent me was Daniel Hall at Clemson University. The building I WAS IN!

I felt a chill running down my spine. I went weak and dropped my phone. I could hear the nearby sound of something hitting tile floor reverberating through the speakers of my laptop. I just sat there at my desk, staring at her. She was begging for me to call them, quickly. After about 20 or 30 seconds of nothing, I decided I had to do something. I slowly got up from where I was sitting and walked toward the classroom on my left, carrying my laptop in one hand. When I went to try the knob, the door was unlocked, and I cautiously opened it. Nobody was there, but the girl was still on the webcam, crying. I went back into the hallway and shifted to the door to the other side of me. It was room 205: my English classroom. I could hear my footsteps coming from the laptop as I approached the door. I knew this was it. I gripped the knob and started to turn it. A scream the likes of which I'd never heard came from inside the room. My heart was racing. I held my eyes on the girl as I thrust the door open. A sharp glare appeared on the screen and she disconnected. There was nobody inside the classroom, just a bunch of empty desks.

I ran out of that building as fast as I could. I ran as far across campus as I could. It felt like someone, or something, was chasing me. That scream kept echoing in my head over and over. I was exhausted and felt nauseous, but I wasn't about to stop running... I don't think I could have stopped.

You may not believe me, you might say I'm full of it, but I don't plan on stepping foot in that room this Friday. I probably won't ever feel safe in that classroom again, but I'll need at least the weekend and fall break to recover from this incident. If that's not enough to get you to cancel class Ms. B, I don't know what is.