Nightmare (4) - The Stairwell

The weather is getting cooler, the nights are getting longer and colder.

Zhou Xue drove into the residential area without saying a word the entire time, except for the host on the car radio who spoke humorously to his partner about the day's topics.

In the darkness, streetlights lit up one by one, and tall buildings, like giant beasts lurking beneath concrete and steel, swept past the car window with a chilling and menacing presence.

Zhou Xue's parking space was right downstairs from her apartment building. As she looked up at her home getting closer and closer, a sense of resistance and fear welled up from the bottom of her heart.

Her restlessness made her breathing quicken. She glanced at the time; it was only 7:30.

She worked two extra hours today to refine and revise the plot, and when she came back, it was pitch black.

The residential area was newly built in the last two years, and the streetlights are brand new. It's rare for them to flicker like this, as if due to a malfunction.

Just then, the broadcast suddenly stopped, and Sasa's signal was particularly noticeable in the quiet, deserted space.

Zhou Xue's forehead twitched, and she immediately reached out and turned off the radio, finally getting rid of the background noise that could easily lead to unpleasant associations.

But after the doors were closed, the car fell into a deathly silence.

Whether it was her imagination or not, she kept feeling someone breathing on the back of her neck, the wind was cool, and it made her shiver from her spine to her scalp.

Moreover, she felt that the car was heavier than usual today.

The road gradually shortened, finally stopping in front of a residential building. The lights in the apartments were all on, and the square patches of light made Zhou Xue feel a sense of security.

As she prepared to turn off the engine and get out of the car as usual, she suddenly heard a muffled thud.

Thump.

With the sound, the car swayed slightly, as if something was pushing it.

Zhou Xue froze for a moment. After a long while, when no new sound came out, she mustered up her courage and looked back.

Even though there was nothing there, she had already conjured up in her mind a pale, White Ghost that contrasted sharply with the red.

Perhaps because she was too focused, she let out a brief scream when the car made another muffled thud right under her nose.

"... Is that you?"

After calling out, Zhou Xue hurriedly covered her mouth, and then surprisingly let out a tentative sound.

No one answered her.

She got goosebumps all over her body. After thinking for a moment, she got out of the car as if it were a hot potato, closed the car door, and hurried upstairs.

The sound of her shoes hitting the empty hallway caused the motion-activated lights to briefly turn on. However, on a certain floor, the motion-activated lights seemed to be broken, as they did not respond to any sounds Zhou Xue made.

Distracted, Zhou Xue snapped out of her reverie and took a closer look. The staircase above her head was located between the fourth and fifth floors... and her home was on the fifth floor.

At times like this, she didn't believe it was a coincidence at all.

Something was nearby... that thought flashed through her mind.

With her hands trembling inside the sleeves of her coat, Zhou Xue forced herself to walk upstairs, only to suddenly stop at the corner.

She saw the silhouette of a Black Shadow looking down at her!

A sliver of light shone through the small skylight in the hallway, casting a glow on the shadows of people.

The figure was slender, with arms hanging down, one of which seemed to be holding something. It stood directly in front of her, blocking her path.

By the time Zhou Xue saw "it," it was too late. It was already too close to her, and it was impossible for her to pretend she hadn't seen anything.

Her lips moved, unsure whether she was dreaming or in reality, so she pinched herself hard. The sharp pain traveled through her still-forced grip, leaving her feeling somewhat bewildered.

... Not a dream?

The things Fang Xing that day flashed through her mind, and the description of the relative who was foaming at the mouth became increasingly vivid.

Now there's a problem.

Should she run... or not?

These thoughts lingered in his mind for only a moment before the figure above spoke, "Zhou Xue? You're back?"

"Huh?" Zhou Xue uttered a single, questioning syllable.

That voice sounds so familiar.

A beam of light appeared in the hand of the figure in front of her, emanating from the back of a mobile phone flashlight.

The flashlight beam swung in a different direction, and a face she saw every day came into view.

The neat bun hairstyle made the figure look playful and cute, instantly losing all traces of horror. The person even waved the trash bag in their other hand. "I came out to throw out the trash and found the light was broken. You just happened to be coming upstairs, which gave me quite a fright."

"Liu Ruru..." Zhou Xue breathed a huge sigh of relief. Anyone would feel fortunate to see a female neighbor with whom she had a very good relationship in this environment.

"What's wrong?" Zhao Ruru asked with concern, looking at the task target she had finally been waiting for all day.

In her live stream, the chat, which had been silent for most of the time, finally became active again as she made contact with the mission objective.

Zhou Xue continued walking upstairs, responding to Zhao Ruru's concern. "It's nothing, I'm just a little tired from work, and I've been feeling restless lately."

"Let's have a nice meal and relax!" Zhao Ruru's identity information includes a hint about the relationship between the characters she plays, Liu Ruru and Zhou Xue. They are residents on the same floor and have a very good relationship, to the point where they can go shopping together on holidays.

To create better conditions for Zhou Xue's protection, she casually asked, "Have you had dinner yet?"

Zhou Xue was working overtime today and hadn't had dinner yet. She had originally planned to just grab something quick when she got home, but then she shook her head.

Zhao Ruru laughed, "Then come to my house for dinner tonight. I just bought a lot of groceries and I'm itching to cook, but I can't eat it all by myself."

Faced with such a high-EQ invitation, Zhou Xue naturally had no reason to refuse. Looking at the dark stairwell, she suddenly lost the courage to go home alone, and simply said, "Let's go take out the trash together."

The two went downstairs together. Zhou Xue tried to stay close to Zhao Ruru, keeping her eyes straight ahead, while Zhao Ruru did not overlook the license plate number of Zhou Xue's car that she had found during the day.

She glanced towards the car and frowned.

Is it just my imagination?

Why does the car feel so unsettling?

As a fortune teller, she sometimes has vague premonitions like this, but they are usually right.

Zhao Ruru kept a close eye on Zhou Xue's car, but did nothing. She hadn't yet obtained information about this stage of the mission and wasn't clear on the source of Zhou Xue's crisis, so it wasn't convenient for her to interfere.

During dinner tonight, she can use her intelligence-gathering advantage to get Zhou Xue to speak freely!

Taking out the trash was just an excuse; she had simply calculated the time Zhou Xue would return and was waiting in the hallway beforehand.

Two women, each with their own thoughts, walked upstairs side by side, leaving behind a trail of footsteps.

"Don't you feel...?" Halfway through the walk, Zhou Xue's ears twitched, and she lowered her voice to a whisper, "It seems... someone is following us?"

It seems that their footsteps are always mixed with an inappropriate third sound; if it were other residents in the building, their footsteps wouldn't be so light.

Always half a second slower, as if intentionally coinciding with their footsteps, not wanting to be discovered, but because of the distance, he couldn't control it well.

That's precisely why it seems so suspicious.

Zhao Ruru listened intently and realized it was indeed true. A chill ran down her spine; she wondered if she was about to be attacked by a ghost before she even had a chance to know anything.

She hasn't met up with Yu Xing and Zhao Yijiu yet; it's not appropriate for her to face a ghost head-on alone!

At that very moment, a sudden change occurred!

The person following their footsteps downstairs seemed to realize they had been noticed, and suddenly stopped trying to hide it, quickening their pace and stomping heavily on each step!

Zhao Ruru broke out in a cold sweat instantly and grabbed Zhou Xue: "Run!"

Before she and Zhou Xue could say anything, they ran with all their might to the fifth floor. As she ran, Zhao Ruru took out her key and inserted it into the lock before the people below could catch up. With a click, the door opened.

"Come in quickly!" Zhao Ruru pushed the panting Zhou Xue into the room, then slipped inside herself. As the door closed, footsteps followed her to the doorway.

Zhou Xue leaned against the door, not daring to speak loudly. She could only stare wide-eyed in terror from the unlit entryway and ask, "What's going on... what is that?"

I had the same question for you!

Zhao Ruru thought to herself, her heart racing. She wasn't much better off than Zhou Xue. She peered through the peephole.

There was indeed a tall person outside the door.

In complete darkness, only the outline of the upper body could be seen. Judging from the angle and height, the figure was conservatively estimated to be over 1.8 meters tall. The figure stood outside the door, with broad and straight shoulders... Wait a minute?

The more she looked at it, the more familiar the figure seemed.

Zhao Ruru paused, staring suspiciously at the figure.

The figure guessed she was looking through the peephole, turned on her phone's flashlight, and immediately, a smiling face appeared.

Zhao Ruru: "..." Damn it.

It was Yu Xing.

That scared me again!

Then, she saw Yu Xing fiddling with her phone for a while before holding the lit screen up to the cat's eyes.

That's the phone's notes interface.

Zhao Ruru's eyes nearly went blind before she could decipher the words on it.

After a while, the screen was moved away, and Yu Xing, using the light, gave Zhao Ruru a "V" sign.

"..." Zhao Ruru realized that Yu Xing deliberately created a flaw in the sound of footsteps and then quickly caught up to create a sense of urgency, all to help her undermine Zhou Xue's mentality.

Presumably, Yu Xing had already met with Zhou Xue during the day, but for some reason, Zhou Xue did not fully trust Yu Xing, so Yu Xing followed her home.

But... seriously?! Do you think you're some kind of sunny and cheerful person?!

In Zhao Ruru's live stream, the viewers who saw everything through her gaze were all astonished.

Zhao Ruru turned her face away from the cat's eye, and said fearfully, "They're gone... What was that? Why were they chasing us? Was it me or you?"

Zhou Xue said tremblingly, "It's probably because of me..."

Zhao Ruru didn't give her a chance to make an excuse. "Has something happened to you lately? Should we call the police?"

Zhou Xue hurriedly said, "No!"

Zhao Ruru reached out and turned on the light, instantly illuminating the room. They both saw each other's pale faces, filled with fear.

Her eyes held a hint of inquiry. "Why didn't you call the police? I saw him holding a knife! Maybe he's a psychopath, or even worse, a serial killer? What if he comes back next time!"

"The police won't believe me. They'll just say I'm mentally ill. Believe me, that's what they'll say." Zhou Xue leaned against the wall. "I still have to work. If I'm delayed..."

Zhao Ruru astutely picked up on the key phrase. "You're still thinking about work at a time like this? You're so dedicated!"

"If I don't complete the 'Nightmare,' they really will come after me..." Zhou Xue covered her face with her hands. At her feet was her handbag, which had fallen to the ground at some point.

Zhao Ruru is no longer scared at all. After the false alarm, she learned that Yu Xing, her powerful ally, was nearby. Even if a ghost came, she wouldn't be completely helpless. Her teammates' protection is also a form of self-defense!

She softened her tone, patted Zhou Xue's back, and said reassuringly, "You... I believe in you. What exactly happened to you? You can tell me. Trying to bear it all alone will only lead to the worst outcome. How about this, I'll make dinner first, and we can talk while we eat?"

The character "Liu Ruru" is much closer to Zhou Xue than "Fang Xing" in terms of their relationship, and being a girl, Zhou Xue wasn't on guard. After thinking for a moment, she nodded. "Okay... thank you, I'm sorry to trouble you."

Yu Xing calmly turned off his phone light and leaned against the corner of the stairwell to eavesdrop.

His five senses were all more acute than those of ordinary people, including his hearing. He easily overheard the conversation between the two women through the door.

In that case, information gathering would be left to Zhao Ruru, which is exactly what she should be doing.

He waited until the two left the entrance area, then took a thin wire out of his jeans pocket.

Fortunately, this community doesn't use fingerprint locks, but rather key locks, which have become very common in recent years. Given his lock-picking skills...

A short while later, Yu Xing carefully opened the door and went inside.

A chilling sensation instantly seeped into my entire body.

He pressed the light switch on the wall, and instantly, a beam of reddish light shone on him.

"This color?" he murmured, squinting as he surveyed the room's furnishings.

The house wasn't big; it looked like something Zhou Xue, a girl who had only graduated a few years ago, could afford.

The decorations weren't very well done, and there wasn't much personality to them, except for one thing: a paper effigy next to the TV.

Yu Xing began to suspect that this ghost might be able to affect a person's mind; otherwise, who would keep a paper figure used in funerals at home for their own enjoyment?

He walked over slowly, his gaze sweeping over the corner of the wall.

... long hair that was tangled up.

... dirty nail clippers.

These horror movies are full of things used to create atmosphere.

Suddenly, a rustling sound came from behind.

He turned his head again.

In the entryway, the women's shoes that had been neatly arranged on the shoe rack were now scattered all over the floor. In the very center, a pair of red cloth shoes that hadn't been seen before were now neatly placed there, their toes pointing in Yu Xing's direction.