My House of Horrors

Staring right at the wooden chair in the middle of the corridor, Chen Ge stood at the ready, gripping the mallet tightly. He waited for ten seconds, and the chair remained unmoved.

Is it because I’m watching it?

Chen Ge walked forward and turned on his phone’s recording function before cradling it within the chains on the door. Then, he walked back to the abandoned garden outside the building and waited patiently.

The school at midnight was unsettlingly quiet; there was not even the sound of a bird or insect chirping. About three minutes later, Chen Ge returned to the dormitory; he had prepared himself for the worst. However, when he stood at the glass door, he saw that the chair was still where it was, just one meter away from the broken hall light.

Didn’t move? What’s going on?

Chen Ge walked to the door and picked up the phone from the chain. He looked through the video and saw nothing out of the ordinary. The chair sat in the middle of the corridor just as it should.

It’ll only move when it’s around a living human?

When the thought appeared in his mind, Chen Ge instantly felt something was wrong. He turned to look down the corridor, and the chair had moved two meters ahead again; it was now incredibly close to the glass door!

It moved forward again? What does that mean? It only moves when I am close, does this mean it wants something from me?

It would have been a lie to say he was not afraid, but Chen Ge’s tolerance for fear was much higher than most, so he managed to maintain a clear mind under such situation.

The school is clearly haunted, but before I understand why, I should try my best to avoid these things.

Chen Ge actually wanted to smash the glass door and rushed in to bash the chair into pieces. However, considering the blind spots inside the building, he was afraid there were threats hidden in corners that he could not see. He was afraid that after entering the building, it was not the chair that would snap but himself.

Tonight’s main mission is to locate that pair of red dancing shoes. As long as this weird stuff doesn’t interrupt with my progress, there’s no reason for me to interact with it. Chen Ge grabbed his phone and retreated from the door. I’d better go investigate other places first. I can always return if I can’t find the dancing shoes. After all, the mission is considered successful as long as I locate them before sunrise; there is still plenty of time.

Chen Ge committed the location of the girl’s dormitory to memory before retracing his step back to the school gate. He switched his phone off and squatted near the main gate, holding the mallet in his hand.

Based on the time, the taxi behind me should have arrived already, so why is the road still so dark?

A car’s headlights would be extremely eye-catching against the total darkness, but Chen Ge waited for a long time without seeing any source of light heading toward the school.

Could there have been an accident?

This detail had not left his mind. Chen Ge knew there was no such thing as coincidence in this world; the person who followed him to Western Jiujiang’s Private Academy had some motive of their own.

The opponent probably knew that I would wait for them, so they came out from the car earlier and walked the rest of the way on foot? If that’s the case, then this is troublesome.

Chen Ge wished that he was wrong. He already had more than enough on his plate as it was.

In any case, I’ll need to pick up pace. I have two advantages on my side: I’ve familiarized myself with the surrounding since I got here first, and I have Zhang Ya on my side. She won’t watch me get bullied on her home turf, right?

Perhaps Chen Ge’s eyes had gotten used to the darkness, or maybe it was the effect of the Ying-Yang Vision, but things were no longer that blurry in the dark.

Those in the light open themselves to being hunted by those in the dark.

Chen Ge did not turn on his phone but headed toward another building in the dark. The tallest building in the school was the education building. It was five-stories tall, and behind it was a field that was unkempt and overgrown. On the other end of the field was a building that sat itself apart from other buildings.

The building stood out because it had faded red paint.

The education building is for classes, so the dancing shoes won’t be there; the possibility is even lower for the boy’s dormitory. I’d better go take a look at the red building then.

Chen Ge walked along the outer perimeter of the field before he reached the front door of the curious building.

The building was as tall as the girl’s dormitory, but it was only two thirds the size. Once he got close, Chen Ge noticed how truly unusual this building was. There was a wooden sign that was placed before the front door, and two conspicuous words were painted on it with red ink—NO ENTRY!

What is the purpose of this building?

Curiosity is part of human nature. Chen Ge’s desire to enter the building only rose after reading the warning sign. Something must have happened here several years ago—maybe the red dancing shoes I’m looking for are inside.

Chen Ge walked around the wooden sign and saw the front door was sealed up with two locks.

I could break the door down with the mallet, but it’ll create too much commotion; that might attract the attention of the person who is following me.

Chen Ge thus shied away from the door and walked around the edge of the building. There, he saw a window that was seriously worn—even a large piece of the glass was missing.

This can be my point of entry. Chen Ge extended his hand through the window to open the lock from within. To play it safe, he waited for several minutes to ensure that no one was inside before he jumped in.

He closed the window and moved everything to how it was before. Chen Ge did not dare lower his guard as he surveyed his surroundings. He had landed himself in an artist studio. The walls were pasted with the students’ handiwork, and marble models sat on the shelves.

This place does look creepy, but it is no competition for my Haunted House.

Chen Ge walked through the rows of marble models as he headed for the room’s back door. He looked through the door’s window and saw a banner with the words ‘Arts Activities Center’ hanging on the corridor.

Looks like I’m at the right place. Chen Ge pulled the door open slowly. Perhaps because it had not been used for a long time, the sound of the door sliding on its hinges was grating on Chen Ge’s ears.

Calm down, just leave immediately after you find the shoes.

Since he was inside an enclosed building, Chen Ge switched on his phone again. The dim light did not bring him any comfort. If anything, it only heightened the fear in Chen Ge’s heart.

Chen Ge looked through the first-floor rooms one by one. All of them were artist studios. In fact, some of them still had easels and paintings that had been left behind.

This building has four stories; the dance studio I’m looking for is probably on another floor.

Armed with his phone and the mallet, Chen Ge headed up the stairs. When he reached the second floor, his heart started to race, and his back was covered with chills.

Because as he turned to look down the corridor of the second floor, there sat a wooden chair.

This thing again?

The muscles in Chen Ge’s hand grew taut, as he gripped the mallet even tighter.