My House of Horrors

The bloody faces looked like balloons whose air had leaked out. The wrinkly faces stuck to the ground. If not for Zhang Ju and Zhu Long, those things would have crawled onto Chen Ge already.

“Looks like our friend is not in the mood to talk.” Blood was spreading within the art room. Chen Ge stood behind Zhu Long and Zhang Ju, studying the Red Specter before them with his Yin Yang Vision. Blood splattered everywhere as the red uniform waved around. Various torture tools hung from the skin. With each step, broken faces fell from inside his uniform. There were levels to Red Specters, and unfortunately for Chen Ge, they had run into the extremely dangerous type.

However, there was something that drew Chen Ge’s attention. When facing against this Red Specter, Zhu Long and Zhang Ju showed no fear. They were different from Xu Yin, who was maddened to the core. Zhu Long and Zhang Ju were extremely rational, and their expressions were calm. It was as if there was a voice in their heads telling them that there was no need to be afraid.

When the Red Specter saw Zhu Long and Zhang Ju, he did not launch an attack directly. He slowly lifted his head, and his face was covered behind a curtain of wet hair. Chen Ge could make out a face covered in black veins through the gap. It was pale and crazed. He seemed to be smiling.

Drip drop.

A middle-aged man’s face slid down the man’s sleeve and dropped between him and Chen Ge.

“Save me, this demon likes to peel people’s faces off. Save…”

Pa!

Before the man could finish, a blood red boot landed heavily on the face. His words were forcibly interrupted, and his face shattered into pieces. The room was very quiet. Because it was so quiet, the sound of blood dripping became very clear. The blood on the boot deepened. Originally, the color had faded, but now, it felt like the boot had been red from the very beginning.

“Move out of the way. We are not his target.” The weak Zhou Tu lifted his head to glance at the Red Specter; there was no uncertainty in his eyes. “This monster stayed here for this day. He wishes to be the first to see inside the art room because he is the custodian and also a participant.”

“Participant?”

“He’s the creator of the sixth painting, the monster that connected the two inverted worlds!”

While Zhou Tu said that, he kept his eyes on the Red Specter. His memory had awakened. Even though he was still weak, there was an extra presence about him. The Red Specter at the door did not get mad from being called a monster. If anything, he seemed to like that. The sound of footsteps echoed inside the art room. The Red Specter walked past Chen Ge, leaving a trail of blood behind as he headed to the middle of the room. He finally stopped beside the sixth painting and looked at the painting that had already morphed into something unrecognizable.

Chen Ge could remember part of the sixth painting. There was someone carrying a big mirror, but he tripped, and the mirror was shattered. The ground was littered with glass shards, and each shard reflected a blood red human face.

“Ignore him, we’ll leave now.” Zhou Tu was being supported by Wang Yicheng as they headed toward the door. Chen Ge also did not want to mess with the monster at that moment, so he followed the other members out of the building. “Are we still going through the window?”

Wang Yicheng pulled open the door of the classroom next door. The mannequin that was covered under the white cloth started to change. Blood stains silently appeared under the cloth.

“Most of the painting ingredients and props inside this building were made by that monster.” Zhou Tu still looked weak. He did not look better even after they had left the art room. “Including the red paint and those foul-smelling painting canvases.”

Zhou Tu did not need to go into details, and everyone already knew what had gone into making of these materials.

“So many people died at this abandoned school?” Chen Ge was confused. “I saw several storage rooms on the fourth floor, and they are filled with painting materials.”

“I know many things but not everything.” Zhou Tu treated Chen Ge strangely. Compared to before, it was not better or worse, but there was a trace of caution in his tone. Suddenly, a loud crash came from the art room. The group turned to look. The red monster’s back was split open, and his back expanded. His spine expanded outward, and tools meant for cruelty dangled from each bone. He stood facing away from the door. He appeared to be using those tools to edit the painting.

“Stay away from him.” Zhou Tu had Wang Yicheng open the window. The glass window was opened, and Zhou Tu and Wang Yicheng left first. Chen Ge followed close behind, but he paused when he stood beside the window. There was someone standing in the shadow at the north western corner of the building. He was wearing a pair of black leather shoes, and his face was pale while his gaze was dim. He was hugging a little girl’s pajamas and a dog collar.

Mr. Bai?

With his Yin Yang Vision, Chen Ge caught sight of Mr. Bai easily. He also saw the blood stains on the pajamas.

Has something happened to his daughter?

Mr. Bai, who hid in the shadow, spotted Chen Ge as well. He had been lying in wait for a long time. He had not made his move probably because he did not expect Chen Ge to be in the company of so many people.

This is the real Mr. Bai. I stole his identification and his identity. I don’t think that will make a good impression on the members if I’m found out.

Chen Ge felt like Zhang Ju and the rest should have already guessed by now that he was not a member of staff there, but no one had torn down this lie. At least on the surface, everyone tried to maintain this disguise.

I’ll have to find a reason to get rid of him first. Destroying evidence should be something familiar to many around me.

There was another Specter hiding in Chen Ge’s shadow. He was the one who had set the curse on Chen Ge, but now he had become one of Chen Ge’s chess pieces. With the decision made, the way Chen Ge looked at Mr. Bai softened. He moved faster and only took one minute to get to the bottom of the building.

Where is he?

When he landed, Chen Ge looked toward the corner again, but Mr. Bai was already gone.

“What are you doing?” Zhou Tu’s voice dwindled like he was going to disappear at any moment. “I don’t have much time left. I have something to tell all of you. This is not only related to whether I can find myself but also related to all of your survival.”

“Do tell, we’re listening.” Zhang Ju and Zhu Long stood adjacent to Chen Ge. They were huddled together.

“The thirteen paintings in the art room represent thirteen people. Each of them are like the Red Specter we just encountered, incredibly scary.” Zhou Tu gasped for air. After Wang Yicheng carried him into the brush and away from the lab, he continued. “The order has nothing to do with their strength. It’s completely randomized, but there is an exception.”

“An exception?”

“Number One is an exception. I have no memory of Number One; I only know that he likes painting and is a painter.”