“It’s normal for newcomers to be nervous. You’ll slowly get used to it.” Brother Lee patted Gao Ming’s shoulder. “However, you’re lucky to have been assigned to our team.”
“Stop acting.” Ou Yang Susu pulled Brother Lee back. For some reason, she felt something special about Gao Ming, “Look at yourself before you go giving others advice.”
“Stop arguing,” Fan Li moved Ou Yang Susu away, “Teacher Liu ran into us as she escaped from the building. Not much time has passed. Xiao Guo and her parents should still be in this building. While the monsters are gathered in the activity room, we need to check this place. Then, we need to move before the monsters come to find us.”
After confirming Xiao Guo’s family was not at home, Fan Li planned to inspect the whole building for clues.
“Gao Ming, Youyou, you two are new at this. You can stay here to guard this place. Bai Shu, Ol’ Lee, you can guard the corridor to warn us if anything happens. The rest will search the other units with me.” Fan Li said quickly, “If something happens, you have to ensure your own safety before considering saving others.”
After assigning everyone’s mission, Fan Li and Ou Yang Susu left the front door and headed upstairs. Each horror game mission was the entrance to hell. If they were slightly careless, they would fall into the deep abyss. Fan Li didn’t look different from normal, but he was highly alerted. He moved lightly like a cat. His eyes scanned the corridors, leaving no stone unturned. There were more shredded fabrics in the corridor. Fan Li found a single children’s shoe. He paused when he was on the seventh floor. A lot of torn clothes were spread on the lightless staircase. A naked man was hanged among the heaps of smelly clothes. He was facing away from Fan Li. He had light breathing. His body was covered in heavy bruises.
“What is going on?” Ou Yang Susu squeezed over and took out a lead ball from her bag.
“Wait. I don’t think he’s a ghost.” Brother Lee stopped his wife. He and Fan Li approached the man from both sides. They untied the man and lay him on the ground. The man’s eyes were closed. He shivered in fear when he felt people coming. His face was ruined by wounds. It was harrowing to see.
“Don’t be scared. We’re here to save you.”
Fan Li and Brother Lee turned to look. The door on their left was open. A family of five stood in the living room, facing away from them.
“I wonder how Xiao Bai is doing.” Youyou heard nothing from the corridor. She paced inside the room. Suddenly, she found a security camera inside the living room. “With this, I can find out what happened here!”
Youyou switched on the computer and found a copy of the security video. She picked the content of the latest week and started to play the video.
Xiao Guo’s mother was a kind, loving, hardworking and optimistic person. She was a little bit vain. She had a good relationship with the neighbours. However, a few nights ago, Xiao Guo’s mother came home late. Xiao Guo’s father was worried. They argued about it in the living room.
In the video, Xiao Guo’s mother’s status was not right already. Her head dangled weakly like she was drunk.
After entering the bedroom, Xiao Guo’s mother sat before the mirror and smiled dumbly. Then, she started to put on make-up. She painted her face beautifully, like she was going out on a date. Xiao Guo’s father was by her side. He was nervous and scared. When he made the decision to call the police, a few old ladies from the neighbourhood committee came to visit them. The elders escorted Xiao Guo’s father out. Then, the scary things happened.
At midnight, Xiao Guo’s mother stared at herself in the mirror and started to cackle. Her laughter became louder and louder. Her hands scratched her face uncontrollably. Her nails pierced into her mouth and eyes. The made-up face was slowly torn apart, but not one drop of blood leaked out. The woman was laughing, but crying came from the mirror. She slowly stood up. Her upper body leaned forward until her face was touching the mirror.
Her body started to convulse like something had left her body and entered the mirror.
Hearing the commotion, Xiao Guo, who was woken up from her sleep, entered the bedroom. She looked at her mother in fear.
Youyou paused the image. Her heart couldn’t stop racing. All her teammates had left. Only she and Gao Ming were left at home.
She was afraid, but curiosity compelled her to keep watching. She pressed the play button, and her eyes were glued to the screen.
The woman, who was about to be swallowed by the mirror, started to struggle. Her hands smacked against the mirror. She used the last bit of her energy to tell Xiao Guo to leave. Ɍ
Ten seconds later, the woman and the mirror returned to normal. Xiao Guo’s mother’s face seemed to have been left inside the mirror. Outside the mirror, the woman was like a body without a soul. Inside the mirror, she became more beautiful and a few years younger.
Her reflection looked at her child and smiled. Her gaze was so gentle that it felt as if she were looking at her favourite food. She moved her body inside the mirror. Her head slowly eased out of the mirror’s surface.
The video flickered, and the screen died. It short-circuited.
Youyou tried to restart the computer, but it was to no avail. She wanted to call Gao Ming for help. As she turned her head around, she caught sight of the bedroom. Her back chilled. There was a woman’s head inching out of the bedroom mirror. She wore heavy make-up. Her eyes and mouth were deep hollows. Her face was pulled taut like it could be stretched through at any moment.
“The video is continuing in real life!”
Chills curled around her legs like snakes. Fear froze Youyou in place. Her mouth fell open. As she was about to scream, Gao Ming, who was also in the living room, charged over!
He held a rice cooker that had some leftovers inside. Without any hesitation, he smashed the rice cooker on the woman’s head.
Gao Ming kicked the woman and then landed one after another fist on the mirror. The mirror cracked into smithereens. The blood that oozed out of the mirror drenched Gao Ming’s hands.
Youyou swallowed her scream back. The rice cooker rolled to the ground, and the ghost disappeared.
“Wait… Is this how we can chase the ghosts back?”