In the middle of the night, Caroline woke up to a darkness that wasn't complete. The room was dim, washed in a faint, uneven glow reflected through the windows from the lamp posts outside the building. The light fell in soft, broken lines across the floor and walls, barely strong enough to define shapes, but enough to tell her where she was.
She sat up slowly in her bed, careful not to make the mattress creak. For a few seconds, she stayed still, listening.
Nothing.
Her eyes adjusted, scanning the room methodically. Marcus and Kevin lay on the floor in their sleeping bags, their breathing steady and deep. Kevin lay flat in his sleeping bag, arms loose at his sides, his breathing deep and unbroken. Marcus lay the same way, completely still, their expressions slack in the way that came only after a sleepless night finally gave way to exhaustion.
Caroline swung her legs off the bed and stood, placing her feet down lightly. She moved toward the window, but not directly. First, she checked Daisy.
Daisy's face was calm, her breathing even. No tension in her brows. No restless shifting. Satisfied that she was deeply asleep, Caroline stepped closer to the foot of Daisy's bed. She bent slightly, just enough to part the curtains a fraction and peer outside without exposing herself.
Below, the campus was not as quiet as it should have been.
Students were stepping out of their dorm buildings in small groups.
Caroline straightened and stepped back from the window.
Her movements became deliberate. She returned to her bed, turned the pillow upright, and covered it carefully with the blanket, shaping it just enough to suggest someone still sleeping there. She picked up her phone and the jacket she had kept nearby.
Barefoot, she tiptoed toward the door. She slipped her feet into her sneakers, lifted them quietly, and opened the door as slowly as she could. Despite her care, the latch made a soft click.
She froze.
Caroline turned back toward the room, watching for any sign of movement. Seconds passed. Marcus didn't stir. Kevin didn't shift. Daisy remained asleep.
Only then did Caroline step out, pulling the door closed behind her and locking it from the outside with the key.
The building layout worked in her favor. The girls' and boys' wings stood twenty meters apart, separated by an open space with an elevator, staircases, and rows of large potted plants lining both sides. Unlike most other dorm buildings on campus, Hollow Hat and Ginger were exceptions—most dorms were designed so boys and girls never crossed paths on the floors unless they were near the elevator.
As long as no one lingered there, she could move without being noticed.
She slipped on her jacket, pulled the hoodie over her head, and waited. No sound from the elevator. No footsteps on the stairs.
Caroline entered the stairwell, checking above and below before descending. At the bottom, she cracked the door open slightly and scanned the area outside. Seeing no one, she stepped out and immediately crouched behind a large potted plant near the building, lowering herself into its shadow.
From there, she watched.
Students from Apple and Bat dorms—all boys—were moving together toward Fountain Frog. Some moved cautiously, glancing around as if unsure whether they were allowed to be there. A few laughed too loudly, pretending this was normal. Others walked with forced casualness, shoulders stiff, their heads lowered, glancing back at figures trailing behind them—probably seniors, making sure no one broke formation, Caroline guessed.
Caroline waited, counting silently. She expected them to enter Fountain Frog.
They didn't.
They walked past it.
A but few students from Fountain Frog joined them, merging into one group. Together, they entered Hollow Hat.
Damn.
That's the only building on campus I know almost nothing about.
She cursed under her breath and followed at a distance, keeping to the shadows, using trees and structures as cover.
Caroline stayed outside, hidden among the trees, watching the entrance. Thankfully, KITS had dense greenery between buildings. Even with bright lamp posts lining the paths, the shadows gave her room to move.
She pulled out her phone and opened the campus map.
There was a forested area nearby—useful for escape, but dangerous if someone guarded the exits.
Caroline stayed still for a moment, scanning the darkness.
I can't just sit here, she thought. I need to understand this place.
She circled the building, scanning every angle. From one of the ground-floor windows, she peeked inside.
The cellar was empty, lit by dim yellow lights. Dust clung to the corners of the walls, and old paintings hung crookedly, their frames dulled by neglect. Unlike other dorms, Hollow Hat didn't have a canteen on the ground floor—only a wide hall. The building itself was narrow and tall, unlike the other dorms, which were broader but not nearly as high.
Two sofas sat opposite each other near the center. A single elevator stood between them, flanked by two doors marked Emergency Exit.
Two emergency exits?
She frowned.
After waiting and watching, Caroline realized she had lost track of the students entirely. No voices. No movement. The area outside was empty now—just her and the hum of distant lights.
After a brief hesitation, she entered.
Her eyes immediately locked onto the sofas. If someone appeared suddenly, she could duck behind one. She tested the first emergency exit door, opening it just enough to peek inside. Stairs leading up. No sound.
The second door opened to stairs going down.
She paused.
Something told her this mattered.
Caroline descended slowly. At the bottom, she found an iron door. She pressed her ear against it.
Nothing.
She turned the handle.
The door opened to a narrow corridor. Two iron doors faced each other, each fitted with a small, round viewing window of lightly tinted glass. She moved carefully, every step measured.
A faint light glowed behind the small window of one of the doors.
She muted her phone, opened the camera, and raised her hand slowly to the glass. Shapes moved inside. People. She took photos from different angles, careful to keep the phone close to the frame.
After a few shots, she switched to video.
She recorded the basement. Then the hall upstairs.
Footsteps.
Two people. Close.
She didn't have time to hide behind the sofa. Movement would be visible.
She bolted for the other emergency exit, climbing the stairs and stopping just behind the first-floor door, ready to react if it opened.
Five minutes passed.
Silence.
Her hand slipped inside her jacket, brushing the small spy camera and recording device she had packed earlier—without anyone noticing.
No CCTV in the basement, she thought. But there was one in the cellar. I can't place this yet.
Leaving now felt risky. Staying felt safer.
She stepped onto the first floor. The corridor was dark—unnaturally so. Other dorm corridors kept their lights on even at midnight. Here, there was nothing. Only a faint glow from the lampposts below reached the corridor through the window at the far end.
She turned on her torch briefly. Two small plants near the elevator were withered. She walked to the window and looked down.
Caroline opened her notes app and typed in the time she had left her room.
Then she waited.
Watching.