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The original was posted on /r/nosleep by /u/02321 on 2024-10-31 23:28:10+00:00.

My younger brother wanted to visit a haunted school for Halloween. He recently fell in love with ghost-hunting YouTube channels but wasn’t ready to buy all the equipment to go on a hunt himself. But he wanted to still go to any haunted locations. I didn’t exactly have the time to drive him around. I kept putting off hanging out with him until now. At first, the plan was to just drop him off at the school and pick him up later. Ben was fifteen after all. The principal refused to let him explore the school alone which I understood. I traded my shift and packed up my sibling for a boring day out.  

“Sorry, you’re stuck with me for a few hours. Wouldn’t you rather go to a Halloween party instead of hanging out with me?” I joked to him on the drive to the school.  

He didn’t look as excited as I expected when he got into the car. Maybe he was a bit nervous.   

“I wasn’t invited to one.” He said in an even voice but I could tell he was upset.  

I shouldn’t have brought up his lack of social life. He was a shy and nerdy kid. It’s not as if he didn’t have any friends. They just preferred to play games online rather than hang out together.  

“Well, I bet they’re all lame parties anyway. Who cares about drunk people dressed in skimpy costumes when you could explore a haunted school?” I said trying to lighten the mood.  

He smiled and I relaxed a little.   

“Sorry, you gave up a shift for me.” Ben commented and the mood shifted again.  

I shook my head not wanting to have this sort of conversation.  

“I traded a shift, not gave it away. Don’t worry about it.”  

Money has been tight for us the past few years. We all made sure Ben got what he needed and some of what what he wanted. I got a job early to help pay for things. He wasn’t a dumb kid. He noticed the extra shifts and penny-pinching. I think he felt guilty that he hadn’t been able to find a side hustle that brought in money aside from mowing lawns in the summertime.  

We arrived at the school after nearly an hour of driving. The light of the afternoon was orange due to the season. I didn’t know how long Benny wanted to stay here. An hour? Two? Until nighttime? The building didn’t appear special. It was older. Ben told me it was built in the 60’s. And it was still in use aside from some rooms being off limits.  

A man met us at the front doors inside. He was tall and thin with tied-back black hair. I didn’t expect the principal to look like him. Instead of a balding middle-aged plump man, he was a handsome slightly older man with hints of wrinkles at the corner of his eyes.  

“Thank you for sharing your time and letting us explode tonight.” I said to the man and shook his hand.  

Ben awkwardly did the same, nodding and acting nervous around a stranger. Normally he wasn’t this shy.  

“This is Ben. He was the one who asked permission right Mr…?” I trailed off not remembering his name.  

“Chambers.” The principle was helpfully added. “I don’t mind giving up my Halloween to help a young man with a report. It’s not often students are interested in the history of this building.” He explained.  

Report? I glanced at my brother and he looked away. So that’s why he was acting weird. He lied to be able to hang around this building tonight. It was a harmless white lie but I decided to make my brother actually do a report and send it to Mr. Chambers as a thank you for his time.  

A gust of wind rattled the front doors. I looked over my shoulder to see the sky suddenly grey. I didn’t remember seeing dark clouds when we walked inside. A small rumble came under our feet. It wasn’t as loud as thunder but what else would it be? No one else seemed to notice. Mr. Chambers gestured for us to start walking down the hallway as he started to go into details of the school. I only half paid attention.  

I had graduated high school a year ago. Since then, I worked my butt off to save up for college. I was accepted into a course and would start next fall. Being inside a high school felt odd. I never expected to be back in one.  

We stopped in front of a long line of lockers but oddly enough a door had been removed from one. The metal was dusty from years of neglect.  

“In 1971 six students and a staff member went missing. There had been rumors they found the head of one student inside this locker. However, there are no official reports detailing such events. The idea remained causing any student to be assigned the locker to be tormented by their classmates. We removed the door years ago to avoid such bullying.” Mr. Chambers said in a calm voice.  

He was a good speaker. His tone was even and easy to follow. I hadn’t looked into any history of the place beforehand. All I knew was the it might be haunted thing. I stood behind Ben and placed a hand on his shoulder causing him to slightly flinch. I liked teasing him and didn’t get to do it very often now. 

Ben wrote a few things down and took a photo of the locker with his phone.  

“Sorry, I don’t know much about this place. Were the students ever found?” I asked the principal as we walked down the hallway to the next location.  

“Not all of them.” He answered with a slight shrug.  

“So, they found at least one of them alive or…?” I said following behind Ben and the man.  

“Oh, no I meant they found some parts of them.” Mr. Chambers corrected himself.  

Normally I wasn’t affected by ghost stories but the casual way he spoke about such a gruesome crime made my skin crawl. It bothered Ben as well. Reaching down, I grabbed his sides and made a noise at the same time to make him jump. His face flushed red as his leg kicked out trying to get me. Mr. Chambers smiled, the wrinkles at the corners of his eyes making him appear older for a moment.  

We finally stopped in front of a locked classroom. A sign had been taped to the door warning people to stay out. Our guide stepped next to the door ready to dump more information before unlocking it.  

“All photos and reports of the event have been destroyed or lost. All we have left are second-hand accounts of the people who witnessed the gruesome sight that was found on Halloween night in 1972.” Mr. Chambers started.  

“Wasn’t it 1971?” I spoke up unable to help myself.   

Ben glanced at me. The principal didn’t appear offended but was glad to see I had been paying attention.  

“Yes, the seven people went missing in 1971. Their bodies only appeared a year later. Pieces of the six students were found inside this classroom arranged in a way people described to be a part of a ritual. All the heads were missing. They all appeared healthy before their deaths as if they were taken care of over the year they went missing. Since there are no photos and sparse eyewitness accounts, no official details of the ritual-like crime are available.”  

Benny appeared interested. He was so engrossed in the story I bet he would jump out of his skin if I grabbed him again. I held off crossing my arms. This all felt like a weak story to me.  

“Did the ritual thing even happen? Or do you think stories got exaggerated over time?” I suggested only to have Ben kick my shin.  

Mr. Chambers softly laughed at us and nodded his head.  

“That’s entirely possible.” He agreed which disappointed my little brother. “There are simply not enough facts in this case. What is known for certain is the seven people disappeared. Six students were found inside this classroom a year later with pieces missing. The staff member was never found. Due to the lack of information countless rumors spread. A few stuck. Most claimed the staff member killed the students in some sort of Satanic ritual. The police handling the case was a small inexperienced department and never solved the case. That added to the rumors.”  

“It was a long time ago. They didn’t have computers and all that back then so I don’t blame them for losing records. I heard there had never been a murder in this area, let alone six. I think I read one of the students was a deputy’s niece. He killed himself years later because he could never find her murdered.” Ben said showing off just how much he researched this crime. 

I wish he put the same kind of effort into his math homework. Mr. Chambers was nodding along but he looked a little concerned over something.  

“Was 1971 really that long ago?” He asked mostly to himself.  

He didn’t look to be in his 50s until I squinted a little. I bet he was having the same kind of crisis I did whenever I heard kids speaking in newer slang. I understood the feeling of suddenly being aware of your graying hair.  

“Anyway, you’ll be able to take photos for your report. I just ask you to not enter the room.” Mr. Chambers said then reached over to unlock the classroom door.  

For some reason, I felt my heart start beating faster. I unconsciously held my breath almost expecting to see the still dead bodies of the students trapped inside. It was a silly idea and yet, the mental image didn’t leave.   

A burst of cold dry air came from the room when the door was opened. Just before Mr. Chambers let go of the handle a sound echoed down the hallway causing all of us to jump. A phone rang loud and angry. The older man chuckled over his reaction and told us he needed to answer the phone or call the person back. We assured him we would be fine alone for a few minutes and let him rush down the hallway.  

Ben raised his phone and carefully started to take photos of the dark classroom. He needed to put his flash on to s…

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