Becky stood in front of the old metal locker, her new locker. Rust crept around the edges like it had been there for ages, biding its time, and the number “13” was scratched and faded, barely visible in the dim hallway. She pushed her braided hair behind her ear and glanced over at Oscar, who was peering down the hallway like he expected a ghost to jump out at any moment.

“This is it?” Becky asked, more to herself than to Oscar. “They couldn’t have given me a better one?”

Oscar shrugged. “I told you, it’s cursed.”

“Come on, Oscar, there’s no such thing as curses.”

“Yeah? Then why is the old part of the school even open? And why did they stick you here?” He shivered and added, “The school’s been using this part again because we’re overcrowded. But still…”

Becky turned back to the locker. She could feel something strange—like the air was colder here, and it wasn’t just the shadowy hallway. The other students hurried by, avoiding the area, whispering and glancing over their shoulders. She could tell this wasn’t just about a broken heater. “I guess I’m gonna have to be the brave one,” she said, twisting the combination lock.

The lock clicked open, and the metal door creaked, revealing a dark, empty space inside. But as soon as it opened, she felt a chill run down her spine. She hesitated for a moment, then reached in, expecting to feel the cold metal back. Instead, her hand brushed something soft. She pulled it out—a yellowed, crumpled piece of paper.

“Whoa,” Oscar muttered, leaning in close. “What is it?”

Unfolding the paper, Becky read the message scrawled in uneven handwriting:

“Stay away from Locker 13.”

Her eyes widened. “Okay, that’s a little creepy.”

Oscar nodded, his face pale. “Told you it was cursed.”

“Or someone’s trying to freak me out,” Becky said, stuffing the note into her backpack. She wasn’t about to let some prank get to her. “Come on, we’re gonna be late for class.”

But as they walked away, Becky couldn’t shake the feeling that something—or someone—was watching them. She glanced back once more at Locker 13, its door slightly ajar, like a mouth waiting to whisper secrets.

The next day, Becky and Oscar sat in the back corner of the library, hidden behind rows of dusty books. The library was one of the oldest parts of the school, its shelves packed with yearbooks, newspapers, and dusty records. Becky had a plan, and Oscar—despite his reluctance—had agreed to help her.

“We need to figure out what’s really going on with that locker,” Becky said, her voice low but determined. She pulled out the note she found in Locker 13 and laid it on the table. “This isn’t just some dumb prank.”

Oscar glanced around nervously, making sure no one was listening. “Maybe it’s just an old rumor,” he suggested. “Like, someone made it up to scare new kids.”

“Maybe,” Becky agreed, “but there’s gotta be more to it. I mean, why would someone bother putting this note in there? And why does everyone avoid that part of the school?”

She reached for an old yearbook from the 1970s, its spine cracked and cover faded. Flipping through the pages, she looked for anything that might give her a clue. Then she stopped. “Look at this.”

Oscar leaned over, squinting at the page. It was a black-and-white photograph of a group of students in front of the school. A boy with a shy smile and thick glasses stood off to the side, half-hidden by the others.

“That’s Gus Lawrence,” Becky read from the caption below. “He looks…a little lonely.”

Oscar frowned. “Gus? I think I’ve heard that name before. Wasn’t there some story about a kid who disappeared?”

“Yeah, I remember now!” Becky said. She turned to another page and found a small article in the corner of the yearbook. The headline read: “Student Missing After Last Day of School.” The article mentioned Gus being last seen near the lockers, but no one had seen him since. The only thing found was his backpack, still hanging in his locker.

Becky felt a chill again. “They never found him…until three days later. Right in Locker 13.”

Oscar’s eyes widened. “Wait, you mean… he was stuck in there?”

“Yeah, locked in,” Becky said, her voice barely above a whisper. “He had asthma. Probably had an attack… and no one found him in time.”

They both sat in silence, the weight of the story settling over them like a cold fog.

“Okay,” Oscar finally said, swallowing hard. “That’s messed up. But why would Gus still be here? Why haunt that locker?”

Becky tapped her fingers on the table, thinking. “Maybe he wants someone to know what happened to him. Maybe he’s trying to warn us.”

“Warn us about what?” Oscar asked.

Becky looked around the library, the dim light casting long shadows over the dusty books. “I don’t know yet. But I think we need to find out.”

Over the next few days, the strange occurrences around Locker 13 intensified. Every time Becky walked past it, the temperature dropped. Once, she swore she saw the door open on its own, just a crack. And every time she opened it, another note appeared—each one more urgent than the last:

“Get out.”
“Danger is here.”
“They didn’t remove it all.”

The notes didn’t make sense at first. Becky showed them to Oscar, and his fear only grew. “I’m telling you, we should just leave this alone, Becky,” he said as they sat outside during lunch.

“But what if something bad happens because we ignored it?” Becky insisted. “Gus’s ghost is trying to tell us something. I can feel it.”

That afternoon, after the final bell rang, Becky and Oscar headed to the old hallway again. As they approached Locker 13, they saw Dani standing there, her face pale as a sheet.

“Dani?” Becky called out.

Dani jumped and whipped around. “What do you want?”

“What are you doing here?” Oscar asked. “I thought you were too scared to come to this part of the school.”

Dani glanced at the locker, her eyes wide with fear. “I—I just wanted to see if it was real. The ghost. Gus.”

Becky exchanged a look with Oscar. “What do you know about Gus?”

Dani hesitated, her tough facade crumbling. “My brother used to talk about it. Said kids would dare each other to spend a night here. But I heard someone died because of what they left behind when they opened this hallway again.”

“What do you mean?” Becky pressed.

“They say the asbestos and stuff—it’s still here. Some of it, at least,” Dani said, her voice barely a whisper. “They didn’t remove all the dangerous things.”

The hairs on the back of Becky’s neck stood up. She looked at Oscar, who seemed equally stunned. “Gus isn’t just haunting Locker 13,” Becky realized. “He’s trying to warn us about the danger in this old building.”

Suddenly, a loud clang echoed down the hall. The locker door slammed shut on its own, and a cold breeze swept through, chilling them to the bone. Becky took a deep breath. “We need to let the school know. They can’t keep using this part of the building. It’s not safe.”

“But what if they don’t believe us?” Dani asked, her voice shaking.

Becky stood tall, determination in her eyes. “Then we’ll show them.”

The next morning, Becky, Oscar, and Dani met before school started. Dani looked like she hadn’t slept at all; dark circles shadowed her eyes. “I told my brother what we found,” she said, her voice tense. “He says there’s no way they removed all the asbestos and lead paint. They rushed to reopen this part of the school.”

Oscar nodded. “My dad’s a contractor. He’s mentioned that sometimes places cut corners to save money. Maybe that’s what happened here.”

Becky clenched her fists. “Then Gus was trying to protect us all along. We need proof.”

They decided to meet again after school, bringing their phones to record any evidence they could find. That afternoon, as the last bell rang, they slipped away from the crowd and headed back to the old hallway.

The school was nearly empty now, the late afternoon sun casting long shadows through the narrow windows. The air was thick with dust, and every step they took seemed to echo louder than it should.

“We should start by checking around Locker 13,” Becky suggested. “If Gus is going to show up anywhere, it’ll be there.”

The three of them crept down the hallway, their eyes darting from side to side. The old lockers loomed like ancient sentinels, and the silence was heavy, almost oppressive. As they approached Locker 13, Becky felt that familiar chill in the air. She reached out and opened the locker door. It swung wide with a creak, revealing the dark, empty interior.

And then, they heard it—a soft, wheezing sound, like someone struggling to breathe.

“Do you hear that?” Oscar whispered, his eyes wide with fear.

“It’s coming from inside the locker,” Dani added, her voice shaking.

Becky took a deep breath. “Gus? Are you here?”

The wheezing grew louder, and suddenly, the temperature plummeted. A mist began to seep out of the locker, swirling and coalescing in the dim light. Slowly, a figure took shape—a boy with thick glasses and a terrified expression, clutching his chest as if he were struggling to breathe.

“Help… me…” Gus’s ghostly form whispered, his voice thin and raspy. “Not… safe…”

Becky stepped forward, her heart pounding in her chest. “Gus, we know what happened to you. We know you were trapped in here. But what do you mean, it’s not safe?”

Gus’s eyes widened, and he pointed down the hall. “They… never… cleaned it… all…”

Suddenly, the walls around them began to tremble, and the sound of lockers slamming echoed through the hallway. Gus’s form flickered, his expression growing more frantic. “Get… out…”

Oscar grabbed Becky’s arm. “I think we should listen to him!”

“No, wait!” Becky insisted. “We need to know where the danger is, Gus! We can help!”

Gus’s figure wavered, and his eyes locked onto Becky’s. He slowly raised a transparent hand and pointed to a door at the end of the hall—the old science lab.

“That’s where they stored the chemicals,” Dani muttered. “I heard my brother talk about it. They said they cleared it out, but I guess they didn’t.”

Becky nodded. “Gus, if we go in there, will we find proof?”

Gus nodded slowly, and then his form began to fade. “Hurry…”

As soon as his last word echoed in the hall, the temperature shot back up, and the wheezing stopped. The ghost was gone.

Becky turned to the others. “We need to go to that lab. Now.”

They hurried to the old science lab door, which was slightly ajar. Becky pushed it open, and they were hit with a musty, chemical odor. Dust coated the countertops and shelves, and faded warning signs about toxic substances were peeling from the walls.

“Look around for anything suspicious,” Becky instructed, her voice steady despite the fear creeping into her bones.

They split up, carefully checking each corner of the room. Oscar opened a cabinet, only to slam it shut immediately. “Yup, definitely asbestos,” he said, coughing as he waved the dust away.

Dani examined a rusty metal container in the corner. “Lead paint,” she muttered, running her finger over a flaking surface. “This place is a hazard.”

Becky took out her phone and started recording, capturing the condition of the lab and the lingering dangers. She found a clipboard on the floor with a checklist—some items were marked “cleared,” but most were left blank. She zoomed in on it with her camera. “This is proof that they never finished clearing the place out.”

Suddenly, the door slammed shut behind them. They turned to see Gus’s ghost standing there, his eyes wide with fear. “You… must… leave…” he warned, his voice more urgent now. “Before… they… find… you…”

“Who?” Becky asked, stepping closer. “Who will find us?”

But before Gus could answer, they heard heavy footsteps approaching from the hallway. Becky’s heart raced. “Someone’s coming!”

“Hide!” Oscar whispered urgently.

They ducked behind the lab counters just as the door creaked open. A man in a maintenance uniform entered, looking around suspiciously. He muttered something under his breath about “kids messing around” and “old buildings.”

As he turned to leave, he spotted the open cabinets and the clipboard on the floor. His expression darkened, and he quickly closed the door behind him, locking it with a heavy click.

“We’re trapped,” Dani whispered, panic rising in her voice.

“No, we’re not,” Becky said, her voice firm. “We’ve got everything we need to expose this. We just have to get out of here.”

Gus’s ghost reappeared beside them, his form flickering. “Follow… me…” he said, and this time, his voice was steady.

With Gus leading the way, they found a small, dusty window in the back of the lab that led to the outside. One by one, they climbed through, landing in the bushes outside the school. As soon as they were free, Becky felt a weight lift off her shoulders. They had the proof.

The next day, Becky, Oscar, and Dani went straight to the principal’s office. With their phones in hand, they presented their evidence—the recordings of the lab, the checklist, and the ghostly encounters.

At first, the principal was skeptical, but when he saw the footage and heard the urgency in their voices, he realized the danger. By the end of the day, an emergency inspection was called, and the old part of the school was closed off once more.

Gus’s ghost never appeared again after that. But his message had been heard.

A week later, Becky, Oscar, and Dani organized a small memorial for Gus at the school, right by Locker 13. Students gathered to hear his story, and the three friends took turns telling it, making sure Gus was remembered—not just for how he died, but for how he had saved them all.

And as they stood there, they couldn’t help but feel that, somewhere, Gus was finally at peace.

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