My House of Horrors

“What is that?” There were red human shadows showing in the blood fog. Because they were of the same color as the fog, Chen Ge could not see them clearly. “Oh well. Even if the sky falls, there’s someone taller to hold it.”

Chen Ge turned his gaze away and opened the door. The students were studying on their own. Since they heard the door open, they all turned to look at the door.

“Carry on. We’re here for one person.” Chen Ge walked to the podium. His eyes scanned the class but could not find Yin Hong. “Where is she?”

He walked to an empty seat at the third row. “Is this Yin Hong’s seat?”

The nearby students did not appear like they were familiar with the girl, and no one spoke.

“Aren’t you guys classmates?” Chen Ge looked through the girl’s textbook. It had Yin Hong’s name in it. “That’s right. This is her seat, but where is she?”

Chen Ge turned to Yin Hong’s deskmate with a scary expression.

“Just now, an old man came to fetch her. He said he was Yin Hong’s grandfather.”

“Do you know where they’ve gone?”

“He said that he has something to tell her, but they have been gone for quite some time already. I believe she will be back soon.” Yin Hong’s deskmate was a bit scared of Chen Ge, or rather, he was more scared of Xu Yin and Bai Qiulin, who carried the mirror behind Chen Ge. Those two did not appear normal.

“The old headmaster has led Yin Hong away. He sure moves fast, but today, I’m not going to let him escape from me.” Chen Ge shoved Yin Hong’s stuff into his backpack and then passed it to Xu Yin. He stood before Yin Hong’s deskmate. “Which way did they go?”

“The western corridor…”

“Okay, I won’t disturb your class anymore. It’s very dangerous outside. You might survive this ordeal if you stay obediently in the classroom.” Chen Ge led his people out of the room. They stopped at the corner of the corridor. “Yin Bai, your grandfather is now in the school.”

Chen Ge did not know how to break the news about Yin Hong to Yin Bai. The girl looked kind, but she seemed to have purposely forgotten every memory that was related to Yin Hong. Perhaps those memories were too painful, and this was the body’s defense mechanism.

“Grandpa is here? Why hasn’t he come to see me?”

“He would have gone to you first since he loves you that much. This only proves that something has happened to him.” Chen Ge had Xu Yin search through Yin Hong’s bag to look for clues. At the same time, he took out the comic and told Yin Bai, “Your grandfather is the kindest person I’ve met. We can’t let him suffer this danger alone. Everyone wishes for a reunion. Only with him present will the family be complete.”

In few sentences, Chen Ge had convinced Yin Bai.

“I understand your grandfather’s personality. Even if he’s in danger, he’ll try not to get us involved. He’ll take it on alone, so our only option is to go find him.” Chen Ge grabbed Yin Bai’s cold hand. “Yin Bai, you are the only one who can help your grandfather.”

When Chen Ge said that, Yin Bai understood the severity of the situation. She bit on her thin lips and whispered, “I made a promise with grandpa before. If, one day, I was very afraid and helpless and felt like I could not hold on anymore, I should go to the old campus on the western side of school…”

“Wait.” Chen Ge shushed Yin Bai and had Bai Qiulin carry the mirror away. He led Yin Bai and Xu Yin away from the mirror. “Continue, what about the old campus?”

“He told me to look for a burned building. There is a red door hidden inside the ruin. I was to find it and then push it open.” Yin Bai was the kind that would not lie to others.

It can’t be that simple. If one could leave by pushing open that door, the old headmaster would have escaped with Yin Bai a long time ago instead of waiting for so long.

Chen Ge looked into Yin Bai’s eyes. The latter’s eyes were clear and clean, and they had nothing to hide. “Is that all?”

“Yes.”

“Okay, we’ll head there now. Perhaps we might run into your grandfather on the way.” Chen Ge got everyone to rush to the western side of campus. As they moved, he accepted the backpack from Xu Yin. This was a normal school bag used by a girl, but Chen Ge found many doodling in Yin Hong’s textbooks and study materials. There were patches here and there. They looked ugly and unsightly, unlike a girl’s books.

“Why does she like doodling so much? Is it to cover up something?” Chen Ge looked through the books and finally found some spots that had not been fully doodled over. He held the page up to the light and managed to see some faint writing.

“Why hasn’t she died? Why isn’t she dead?”

“All the doodles are covering the curses toward someone?” Chen Ge put the textbook back. He picked out several balls of paper at the bottom of the bag. These had been discovered inside Yin Hong’s drawer. At the time, Chen Ge did not want to miss anything, so he had shoved them into the bag as well. Opening the crumpled paper, the front side had some math formula, but the back was covered in tiny lines of words.

“I am unable to control myself any longer. I can always see her, but she has forgotten about me. That shouldn’t be.

“Blood fell on my eyes. It was not a happy experience. I have helped her so many times. Why couldn’t she help me once?

“How hard is it to die? Just like what I did to them. She has forgotten the promise she made me. It is because of me that she is alive.

“Those who loved her have never appeared, and those who said they will take care of her disappeared at the most crucial moment. I am the only who stayed. She should be the most thankful toward me.

“Again and again, why can’t she see what I have sacrificed for her?

“I have done so much, and I ask for nothing but for her to die. I just need her to die, but don’t worry, I will live on her behalf.

“Why does she refuse to die? In this world, no one will love her other than me. What else is she hoping for?

“I think I understand it now. That fake person with a mouth full of lies is here.

“A liar who has never fulfilled any of his promises. Is that the reason she refuses to die? I understand what to do now.

“Just like those who have bullied her. Hahaha!”

The handwriting on the paper was hard to read. When Chen Ge reached the end, he sucked in a cold breath. “I’m afraid we have to move faster; the old headmaster is in real trouble.”

The old headmaster was a truly kind person. With Chen Ge’s understanding of him, even if Yin Hong wanted to kill him, he would not fight back.

That was because Yin Hong possessed Yin Bai’s appearance, and the old headmaster had always felt guilty toward her.

“Quick! The western side!” Chen Ge really did not wish for tragedy to befall the old headmaster. “Unprincipled kindness is cruelty toward ourselves. I hope he is safe.”