With a sharp slap, Zhou Qian's boyfriend was knocked sprawling, a purplish-red mark immediately rising on his face.
"Shen Zitao, open the fucking door already..." He was so scared he nearly wet himself, scrambling up and burrowing into the crowd as he shouted.
He was usually very polite to Shen Zitao, but with his life on the line, he no longer cared about any of that.
"Okay... I'll open it now..." Shen Zitao was terrified too, so rattled he didn't even know which foot to move first.
"Don't go... stay and play with us... we're so lonely..." Several children's voices rang out, making Hu Jing and the other girls' hair stand on end.
Four paper effigies of boys and girls were mechanically twisting their bodies, slowly approaching them with a clacking sound.
"Mommy... I want to go home... waaah..." Zhou Qian broke down first, followed by Sun Yao and Hu Jing. The three clung to each other in a huddle.
"Are you scared?" Li Yichen turned to Fang Enmeng and asked with a smile.
"No..." Fang Enmeng shook her head. "I know you'll protect me, big brother..."
"That's right... that's exactly how you should think..." Li Yichen said with a smile. "As long as I'm here, neither people nor ghosts can hurt you..."
Just then, Shen Zitao finally stumbled his way to the door leading to the next stage.
His hands shook so badly that it took him three tries to get the key into the lock.
He twisted it hard, and the door opened with a click. Shen Zitao rushed through first, followed closely by Zhou Qian's and Sun Yao's boyfriends.
When Hu Jing and the other girls saw their boyfriends fleeing, they were both angry and frantic. They stopped crying and ran for the exit with every ounce