My House of Horrors

Screams filtered up from underground. Even though the soundproofing was well done inside the Haunted House, Big Ghost and Ol’ Zhou heard it clearly.

“Small Ghost!” Big Ghost pressed the button crazily, but the elevator was stuck on the fourth floor. The elevator only started to move when the screaming stopped.

“I heard the screams from the two students as well. That doesn’t sound like they’re acting…” Ol’ Zhou’s voice was filled with fear and concern. “Could we have misunderstood them?”

“Shush, they probably purposely led us here.” Big Ghost was anxious. Sister Ghost was missing, and now Small Ghost was in trouble. Of the trio, he was the only one left. “When the elevator arrives, if they are not inside the elevator, we’ll go down together! This place is not that complicated. If they are leading Small Ghost, they won’t be too far ahead of us!”

“I think we should leave Small Ghost behind. Have either of you noticed this?” Bai Buhui pointed at the warning sign next to the elevator. “When the elevator was going down, it stopped at every floor. The two students are very cunning. They are clearly playing with us, hoping that we’ll explore each floor.”

The elevator came up slowly. When Bai Buhui was explaining his theory, the door opened, but the three visitors inside had disappeared.

“Don’t go in there. The elevator is a completely enclosed space. This kind of space is the most dangerous in a Haunted House,” Bai Buhui reminded them, but the stubborn Big Ghost still entered the elevator.

“If you want to come along, then be quick. If not, I’ll go down alone.” After hearing that, Bai Buhui stood where he was and shook his head. Ol’ Zhou and Duan Yue were conflicted. They knew full well how the four-star scenario would strip people of their disguises and have them explore their truest nature. Therefore, Big Ghost’s personality and attitude aside, at least his concern for Small Ghost was sincere.

“Sigh, I guess we will accompany you. It’ll be safer in numbers.” Ol’ Zhou hesitated for a long time before making the decision. He and Duan Yue also entered the elevator.

“Thank you.” Big Ghost nodded at Ol’ Zhou and shot him an appreciative gaze.

“The three of you have lost your minds.” Bai Buhui pushed on his glasses, and his expression was cold. “I’ll wait for you here. Good luck.”

The door closed. Big Ghost looked at the number on the screen, and his expression was stern.

“Don’t worry, we’re just visiting a Haunted House. Nothing is going to happen to Small Ghost and Sister Ghost.” Out of kindness, Ol’ Zhou tried to console Big Ghost.

“You wouldn’t get it.” Big Ghost turned to look at Ol’ Zhou and Duan Yue, and his eyes were starting to get a bit maddened. He pointed at his ear. “I’ll tell you a story. If you don’t believe me, just forget about it.

“I was in a car accident when I was nine. When I was unconscious, there was a voice in my ears. I think it was apologizing to me. I didn’t care about it initially, but after I was rescued, the family of the culprit wanted to get my forgiveness. They came from a less than fortunate background, and the driver died in the car crash. The person supporting the household collapsed, and the mother and daughter had trouble even surviving daily life.

“I forgave them. Then, when the police came to me with the phone recording of the driver, I realized that his voice was the one I heard when I was unconscious!

“Since then, I’ve been able to occasionally hear things that others couldn’t. It’s difficult to make out, but it’s there.

“It’s because of this ability that I dare take Small Ghost and Sister Ghost to places like cemeteries and crematoriums to do our challenges because I know those places are relatively safe.”

The elevator soon arrived at the second floor. Big Ghost looked down the dark corridor, and his expression deepened with concern.

“That story made me feel some chills, but what does that have to do with this visit?” Ol’ Zhou was confused.

“Ever since I entered this scenario, many different voices have echoed in my ears. I don’t know whether it’s because I’ve lost my mind or because there are too many haunted things hiding here.” Big Ghost looked down the long corridor. He took a deep breath and took out his phone to look at the time. “I have a bad feeling.”

“People are kind enough to give you reminders. How can you label them as haunted things?” Ol’ Zhou moved his body to look at Big Ghost’s phone. “What time is it?”

“9:44. Why did you suddenly ask about that?” Big Ghost was still looking outside the elevator.

“Whether you believe me or not, actually, something scary happened to me too.”

“What?” Big Ghost turned back to look, and he saw Ol’ Zhou’s expression, which had never been so severe before.

“One night, I took the elevator alone, and I saw a couple who had their faces lowered inside the elevator.” Ol’ Zhou’s face slowly turned place. “I was so afraid, I stood as close to the door as I could. When the door closed, the guy suddenly asked me this question—what time is it?”

“How did you answer him?” Big Ghost turned his whole body around to face Ol’ Zhou. He suddenly felt a sense of déjà vu.

“I told him it was 9:44.” Ol’ Zhou slowly lowered his face.

“And… and then?”

The air in the elevator froze. Ol’ Zhou slowly lifted his face, and a nasty gash appeared on his pale face!

“And that time became my time of death!”

The door slowly closed, and Duan Yue stood at the door to block his exit…

Ding!

When the elevator opened again, Big Ghost was already unconscious. Ol’ Zhou dragged him out from the elevator and had Duan Yue message Chen Ge and remind him that Big Ghost could hear ghost whispers. Moments later, Chen Ge called. “Ignore the remaining person. Take Big Ghost to the school’s nurse office as fast as you can. Doctor Wei and the other doctors are there. Let them take over.”

“We don’t have much time. Can Doctor Wei make it?”

“The few patients that Doctor Wei cured have all forgotten their painful past. Do you still have doubts about his ability?”

“Understood.”

…

Bai Buhui guarded the door, and soon, he heard the screams of Ol’ Zhou and Duan Yue. It was harrowing, hard to imagine what they had been through.

“Looks like they have been tricked by the actors. This is really a man-eating elevator. I can’t stay here anymore. Now that I am alone, they will surely come to get me.” Bai Buhui was calm. “Combining the document from Mr. Bai’s supernatural phenomenon observation club’s reports, the reports about heaven and wishing well were inside the same room, so there has to be a connection between the two. The wishing well is probably the real way out.”

The map that he had seen at the door to the education block appeared in his mind. Bai Buhui took out his phone to call Liu Gang, but it went unanswered.

“What is this idiot doing?” He messaged Liu Gang and told him that the library was a trap and that the real exit was the well.

After doing all that, Bai Buhui ignored his previous teammates and ran all the way to the western campus, the location where he remembered the well was.