"Are you doing J-term this year?" Peter's fro brushed the top of the car as he nodded in my direction, glancing at me through the rear view mirror.

"An entire month of a free blow-off class and late night board games because the resident director doesn't care?" Nita laughed from the passenger seat, I nudged it from behind and smiled, "I'm down."

We had just gotten back from a trip to the mall, but we weren't ready to part ways. It had been a while since we got to spend time together. Sitting in his car, we shielded ourselves from the cold and talked about J-term classes when Nita brought up the white woman.

I'd heard her story a thousand times, we lived in the same dorm so she would come to me any time something weird happened. I usually brushed it off, I had been living in Stranger Hall for a year and nothing special came out to play. I remember how excited I was when I heard there was a haunted dorm on campus, I submitted my application to live there as soon as I could. I'm not sure why, but the paranormal was always really intriguing to me. You could only imagine my disappointment when nothing happened. It was quiet, the only thing off about Stranger Hall was the second floor community bathroom.

According to Nita, though, there were only certain rooms that would experience activity. Apparently, I just wasn't living in one of them. She, however, was. For the last month, Nita was waking up in the middle of the night-around 3am- and would see a woman in a white dress, with dark, long hair, hoovering on her closet door. I say "on" because there would be a noose around her neck.

I sighed as Nita excitedly reenacted her tale, she was exaggerating a bit this time, probably trying to play it up for Peter- they used to have a thing.

I checked my phone for the time, it was around 2:50 am. Having an early class tomorrow, I should have been in bed four hours ago. So, I said my good byes and exited the car. The cold air bit at my skin as I left the four wheeled safe haven and, at the same time, a sense of dread overcame me. I suddenly really didn't want to go back to my room. I brushed it off as anxiety for my early class and rushed up uneven stone steps, fumbling to get my key card out. With a high pitched beep and a satisfying click, I was in the lobby.

Entering the dorm was like stepping into a sleeping curse. I suddenly found myself struggling to keep my eyes open, or even keep balance as I ascended the stairs. While stumbling I got my room key out and shoved it in. Our door had a bad stick to it, so I shoved my body weight against its panels, not expecting the quick give. The wood swung violently out of my grasp, banging hard against the cheap plaster wall. I froze, staring into the dark abyss, listening to the silence, waiting for any sort of clue that I had woken one of my sleeping roommates. A soft snoring broke the silence, I was safe.

I crept in, avoiding a weak spot on the floor, and kept the door cracked. I used the sliver of hallway light as a guide around, stumbling through the dark grey in search of my night clothes. After changing, I moved to shut the door, grasping at the aged wood I felt it being yanked from my fingertips. It slammed shut, I figured it was just the wind. The radiators in Stranger Hall had no chill, so we kept the windows open and fans going to kepp the room at a normal tempurature. It made sense, but for some reason I had this pit in my stomach. Something felt... wrong.

My bed was closest to the radiator by the door. Since I had stepped in the room, I had felt it's waves of heat hitting me hard, making me even groggier. I pulled up my blanket and jumped on the raised bed, thinking nothing of a brief chill that ran up my spine. Goosebumps claimed my skin in the dorm that felt like a hot summer day. Something was wrong.

I did not lay flat on the bed for a good 15 minutes, the anxiety building in my stomach would not allow me the rest. I just listened, and searched for whatever was causing this reaction in me.

Beep.

A malfunctioning fire alarm down the hall called out. It had been off and on for the last two weeks, the RD had already called maintenance and the fire department to check it out, but both claimed there was nothing wrong. It had behaved while they were there. When they weren't it would beep randomly and loudly, echoing through the dorm. This one seemed softer than usual though. Somehow, that fact wasn't as comforting as it should have been.

I felt my heart rate increase. Every breath i took was not enough to fill my lungs, it wasn't suffocation but my head felt light and black spots dotted my vision. I laid down, covering my head with the soft red comforter as some sort of sheild against whatever was causing this raw anxiety. Tears burned my eyes, leaving cold wet trails down my cheeks. I was scared. Something was wrong.

Beep.

The chirping echoed through the dorm, it had picked up a sort of beat. But not rhythmic, it was chaotic, it made my heart race. In between each beep I could hear something else getting louder, an almost gasping sound. Coming from a corner in the room, instead of louder-it grew closer. It seemed to stop at my closet which sat about five feet away from the side of my bed.

I wanted to unhear all of this, I just wanted to go to sleep and ignore the fact that it kept getting colder under my heavy down comforter. To shut my eyes and roll away, as though I couldn't feel someones eyes resting on my shielded body. Fear consumed my body, but curiosity was an ugly beast which reared its head round this sinister corner. I wanted to see- no, I needed to see.

If I peeked my head out, what would I see? If it was nothing, then I was fine and that would be the end of it.

If it was something, if it was... someone...

Would I scream? Could my roommates save me? Would it put them in danger? What am I saying, if it is a person with malintent we were all in danger.

The fire alarm down hall became more persistent. Goosebumps rose on my skin, I decided to look.

In the dorm that felt like summer, cold air nipped at my fingertips as they reached like spies out from under the blanket. The small gap it created allowed a chill to rush down my body. I was awake. Slowly, I pulled the covers just over my eyes and turned my head to where the gasping had stopped. There she was. The woman in white. Standing, hoovering by my closet door.

Long black hair fell in waves down her form in direct contrast to her skin and white sun dress. There were faint patterns, but it was tattered like she had experienced a struggle in her final moments. I squinted to make out her face, but it was blotched... like someone hadn't finished a painting. Or maybe they did and they took their thumb to her features before the paint had the time to dry. She had no eyes, only round smudges, but I could feel her staring at me. She, she wasn't threatening- but she shared her fear with me. I didn't want it.

The beeping outside became erratic, each chirp pounded against my door furiously as my heart pounded against my chest. She reached out to me and I could feel a sob build in my chest, there was so much overwhelming pain and fear. I turned away and faced the white tattered wall on the other side of my bed. "Please, leave." I begged in a whisper. Her breathing came closer, I could hear more clearly the gargling of what I could only assume was blood in her throat. "Go away." I tried to sound more firm, but her breathing persisited and now there were cold fingertips brushing the back of my neck.

"LEAVE." I flipped over quickly, a surge of courage and power came through me and a loud long beep dominated the dorm. She flew back like she had been yanked by a chord and was gone.

Tears fell freely down my cheeks as I gasped for air. I just stared at the spot she had occupied in awe and terror.

BANG

BANG

BANG

My door shook, "THE FIRE ALARM WENT OFF, GET UP, GET OUT!" The resident assistants were banging on doors, trying to evacuate the building. My roommates were up in a moment, grabbing their shoes and blankets to cross the street outside until it was deemed safe. I scrambled after them. Kiki asked if I was alright when we had made it down those treacherous front steps. I just smiled and nodded bringing my comforter closer to my body. It was freezing out here, but- finally- I could feel the warmth of my blanket.

The fire department and campus security came within minutes and ransacked the place, banging on doors, making sure everyone had evacuated.  Jean, the resident director, asked the fire fighters to take out our broken alarm, as it had proven to be a persisting problem- they complied.  They took out the batteries and turned it fully off as security assured her and those living on the second floor that we would have a new one to replace it by the end of the week.  With that, we were allowed back into our rooms, and essentially sent to bed like misbehaving children.  

It was quiet the rest of the night.

That morning I awoke to a chirping sound echoing down the hall.  It hadn't been replaced or turned on, but it beeped once more for me before going silent for the rest of the semester.