At eleven that night, the lights went out in the boys' dormitory at Xinhai No. 1 High School.
The three male students in Dorm 408 had already shut the doors and windows and climbed into their beds before lights-out.
"Teacher Cao, are you sure you saw five people in the dorm last night?" A burly student sat on Bed Two by the window. He wore a basketball jersey, and a poster of a famous player hung on the wall beside his bed.
"Why would I lie to you?" The student in Bed One was shirtless. Two emergency lamps sat beside his pillow, and a jade pendant hung around his neck. "At first, I thought the Cursed Letter was a joke and didn't take it seriously. Who knew someone really would show up in our dorm last night?"
Cao Fei, in Bed One, pointed at the window beside Bed Two. "His face was pressed against the glass. I watched him open the balcony door and come inside with my own eyes. He never stopped looking at me the whole time."
"Then he was standing right beside my bed? Shit! Why didn't you yell?"
"I wanted to, but I couldn't make a sound. You know what sleep paralysis feels like? It was just like that!" Cao Fei gestured frantically with both hands.
"Describe what he looked like in detail." The lanky student in Bed Three took off his glasses and rubbed his eyes. His name, Tian Yuan, was written on the textbook beside his bed.
"I can't remember clearly. I just knew he was a person. He kept looking at me as he slowly came toward me." As he spoke, Cao Fei turned on an emergency lamp. "I'm sleeping with the light on tonight. You guys don't mind, right?"
"Look at you,