The Door Wouldn't Open

Nightfall Crypt

After a routine Uber ride back to her college dorm, a cautious young woman finds herself trapped in the backseat by a silent driver with a chilling smile. What begins as a typical 10-minute trip takes a sinister turn when the door won’t open—and the man doesn’t say a word… until it’s too late. Was it just a child lock… or something far worse?

Transcript

00:00I don't remember what we talked about in the group chat that morning.

00:04Probably something pointless. Memes. Complaints about lectures. Maybe the leftover stress of

00:10being home with family for too long. I wasn't in the mood to text back.

00:15I just wanted to get from the train to my dorm in one piece. Simple. Ten minutes.

00:22It was warm for that time of year. It's one of those strange early spring days where the sun

00:28is out, but the air is still thin and cool, as if it's unsure whether to wake up fully.

00:34The train station was moderately busy. A few students like me with backpacks,

00:39some commuters in dark coats, and parents corralling tired children. Familiar sights.

00:46As part of my routine, I ordered a ride as I always did, without even glancing at the driver's name.

00:53The car was already waiting near the curb by the time I walked out.

00:56It's a navy sedan, clean enough. I climbed into the backseat and greeted him with a soft,

01:04hello. He didn't respond. He was on a call, speaking in a language I didn't recognize.

01:12His tone was quiet. Almost flat. I sat down anyway, keeping my backpack on my lap.

01:20The ride started without issue. I knew this road well, looping upward like a ribbon curling into the

01:27hills, switchbacks that wove toward the dorms perched above the city. You could walk it, but the

01:34sidewalks thinned in places, and the mountain felt never-ending. I'd done it once. Never again.

01:41His continued silence only added to my unease. I began to feel a growing sense of unease,

01:50a nagging feeling that something was amiss. I stared out the window. People passed in a blur.

01:59Storefronts. Red brick buildings. A guy pushing a stroller. I remember blinking a few times longer than

02:07I meant to. Sleepiness pressing at my eyes. I checked the route on my phone. Everything was

02:14fine. I'm still headed up. When we reached the halfway point, where most of the dorm traffic gets

02:21out, I leaned forward slightly and said, here's good. Just by those stairs. He didn't say anything,

02:30but the car came to a stop exactly where I asked. Smooth. It's almost too smooth.

02:38I waited for the soft mechanical clunk of the door unlocking. It didn't come. Instead, I heard the

02:46opposite. A click. One that vibrated faintly through the car's frame. I looked down. The door handle

02:55gleamed, untouched. I reached for it casually, trying not to seem alarmed. Despite my casual demeanor,

03:05the door wouldn't budge when I tried to open it. My grip tightened. I pulled again, harder. Nothing.

03:15I blinked quickly, my heart suddenly too loud. I could feel its beat in my ears like it had climbed

03:21into my skull. I tried again, tugging with a bit of performance, laughing lightly under my breath as

03:27if to say, oh, I must be weak. How silly of me. No movement. No give. The handle may as well have

03:36been made of stone. My heart skipped a beat as I realized he was no longer focused on the road.

03:42He had turned his entire body to face me, a chilling smile on his lips. He had swiveled fully in his

03:50seat, both knees turned sideways, and his entire upper body twisted to look at me. His smile, devoid

03:58of any warmth or friendliness, was unsettling, to say the least. Not a friendly smile. Not even a

04:08forced customer service smile. It was a smile that knew something. I froze. His eyes scanned me.

04:18Head to toe. Toe to head. Slowly. Like he was studying a photo. You can tell when someone's

04:27looking at you like that. You don't need to see their pupils move. You feel it. It rolls over your

04:34skin like oil. I didn't say anything. Then, finally, finally, he spoke.

04:43Sorry? He said, still smiling. Had my kids in here earlier. The child lock's still on. Let me get

04:51that for you. He opened his door and stepped out. He didn't rush. He strolled, too slowly,

04:59around the back of the car. Every second he was out of my sight felt like a vacuum opening beneath

05:06me. I wasn't sure if he was going to come to open the door. I didn't know if he was going to pop the

05:12trunk. I didn't know anything. My thumb hovered over the emergency call on my phone. Relief flooded

05:21through me when I finally heard the click of the door unlocking. I was ready to escape this

05:26unsettling situation. He stood there, still smiling. I mumbled something I don't remember

05:34and stepped out. No, launched out backpack tight against my chest. I didn't thank him. I didn't

05:42wave. I just walked up the stairs, fast but not running, and didn't look back. I only let

05:49myself breathe again when I was on the third floor and could see the other students by the

05:54entrance. Talking, laughing, tapping their ID cards. The ordinary world. Still here. But

06:04even as I stood there, I couldn't shake what had just happened. I couldn't stop replaying

06:10the details that didn't make sense. Child locks. I'd never owned a car, but I've ridden in enough

06:18to know they aren't usually engaged without intention. You don't accidentally activate

06:24one. And if you do, most modern cars have a way to disable them from the front seat. A

06:31button. A switch. He could have let me out without moving. But he didn't. He got out of the car.

06:40Walked around. Slowly. Smiling. And the click I heard. It wasn't the car staying locked. It was it

06:52being locked. I heard it right after we stopped. Before I ever touched the handle. And I know what

06:59I heard. That night, I barely slept. I kept thinking about his face. That smile. The eerie silence in the

07:10car. The sense that something had been building in those ten minutes. Something I couldn't name

07:16until it had already passed. I told my roommate. She brushed it off. Creepy, yeah. But he let you go,

07:25right? I didn't report him. I should have. Maybe. But what would I say? I felt scared. He smiled

07:36weirdly. The door wouldn't open. He didn't touch me. He didn't follow me. He didn't hurt me. But he

07:47could have. And that was the worst part. The horrible, lingering truth. He could have done anything.

07:56And I wouldn't have had time to stop him. And no one would have known why I didn't make it to class

08:03the next day. Weeks passed. I deleted the app for a while. I walked when I could. Took buses,

08:12even if they were late. I told myself to be more careful. I'm not paranoid, just aware.

08:19Then, two days ago, I got a notification. Your ride is arriving. Navy sedan. Driver. Max.

08:30I hadn't ordered a ride. The app wasn't even open. But there it was, waiting outside the same train

08:39station. I closed the blinds and waited for the click.

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