“The man in Room 3003 said there was a hidden safety hazard on the fourth floor. That was why it was sealed. I feel like he’s hiding something.” Bai Feng grabbed the bars. They were thick.
“He said we might encounter beasts at night. It’s quite scary.” Yao Yao moved close to Zhi Ge.
“Beasts are not scary. The scary thing is other things disguising themselves as beasts.” Bai Feng glanced up at the fourth floor. There was no light coming from there. It felt like all the windows had been sealed up. One could feel chills just looking at it. “Normally, a cage is used to lock something up. There has to be something that the visitors can’t see on the fourth floor.”
“What do you think it is?” Gao Ming wanted to hear Bai Feng’s analysis.
“It might be a crazed murderer or a giant ‘pet’. It could also be a ghost beyond our mortal comprehension.” Bai Feng calmly uttered the word ghost. The temperature around them dropped.
Yao Yao cowered and asked, “Sister Feng, have you really encountered ghosts in the dream before?”
“What do you think?” Bai Feng forced a smile and changed the subject, “The man in Room 3003 is the first living human I’ve seen in the nightmares. Even if he’s not the nightmare owner, he must be deeply related to the dream owner. I suggest we split into two groups. One group will search inside the manor, and the other will search outside the manor.”
“Yes. Based on the direction in which the window in Room 2001 was broken, the culprit threw the ice from outside the manor. In other words, there’s another ‘person’ outside the manor.” Bai Feng provided a general direction, “Tang Qing is right. To clear the nightmare, we have to investigate the nightmare owner’s memory clearly. To confirm their identity is very important to us.”
“Alright.” Bai Feng didn’t mind it. “First, focus on the storage and the kitchen. We need to find anything that can help us through the night.”
Following the man’s direction, the testers came to the end of the first-floor corridor. Behind Room 1007 was the storage. Gao Ming pulled back the thick curtain and saw many old tools and machinery. There was also a ruined generator.
“Oil lamps, lighters, candles, ropes, a short knife, a fire-chopping blade, and a sturdy backpack.” Bai Feng ordered Silly to remove the items from the dusty shelves. After she packed everything, she handed it to Silly, “Carry them with you at all times. The fire might be critical after dark.”
Silly scratched his head. He didn’t know what was happening. He walked confusedly to Gao Ming’s side. Zhi Ge’s group also started searching for important objects inside the storage. Xu Deyi even considered snatching the generator. Only Bai Feng didn’t touch any of the stuff. She stood before the shelf and stared at the other testers seriously.
“Why are you on such high alert?” Gao Ming stopped beside Bai Feng. He also had nothing in his hands.
“Things in the nightmares can be helpful, but if you rely on them too much, you’ll start to suspect yourself. You will fail to differentiate the dream from the reality. In the end, you won’t be able to leave.” Bai Feng turned to Gao Ming, “No. By then, the nightmare will be your reality. It doesn’t matter if you leave or not.”
“Indeed.” Gao Ming took a deep breath. “I woke up from my coma with the help of many doctors. However, I’ve been trying to search for the way back after I woke up. For me, the memory in the nightmare feels to be more important.”
“I can understand that feeling. You’re different from those who enter the brain games for money.” Bai Feng saw through Gao Ming’s uniqueness instantly, “Are my two kids… well in your nightmare?”
“I can’t remember.” Gao Ming shook his head.
Ten minutes later, everyone came out with the useful things they had found. Silly carried a heavy bag and a big axe. Zhi Ge was carrying about as many things. They seemed to be competing.
“We’ll leave the inside to you.” Bai Feng signalled for Silly to follow her. They came to the front door. After removing the heavy wooden bar that blocked the door, Bai Feng and Silly pushed the giant wooden door open. The snow was so heavy that it turned Silly’s brows white instantly.
Bai Feng walked against the wind and exited the manor. The snow swallowed everything. The undulating mountains were like white graves. The paths and trees were swept by the whiteness.
Xu Deyi could barely open his eyes. “The east lake! The owner mentioned a lake behind the manor!”
“Do we need to chop some firewood to bring back?” Silly shouted into the wind.
“Let’s check out the courtyard.” Bai Feng ignored Silly and Xu Deyi. She stepped on the thick snow and scanned all the windows. In the end, her eyes landed on a particular window.
“What are you looking at?” Xu Deyi ran over. Even though it only took a moment, his head was already dusted by snow.
“You can’t see the fourth floor on the outside. The roof is a triangle that expands outwards. The shape cleverly blocks all the windows on the fourth floor.” Bai Feng picked up a snowball and tossed it at the broken window. The snowball flew through the open window into the room.
“I don’t see any ice around here. The culprit moved the ice from somewhere else. But why did he pick that particular room?” Bai Feng stood in the snow. She stared at the wall like she just discovered something.
There were sets of icy handprints frozen on the wall. It looked like hands made fully from snow were climbing on the wall.
“The handprints kept going up. Room 2001 is the first room at the corner. It is the closest room to the staircase that leads to the fourth floor.” Bai Feng was contemplative. Xu Deyi didn’t dare to disturb her. He turned to Gao Ming and realised Gao Ming was also staring somewhere.
“What are you looking at?”
“When I was upstairs, I saw a snowman with red lips in the corner of the yard.” Gao Ming narrowed his eyes. “But it’s gone now.”
The snow took away their footprints. The clouds fell lower in the sky. The place was already dark even though the sun was still in the sky.
A flash of light flickered on the glass window. The melodic violin tune continued. A pair of eyes was watching everyone.