The two of them walked cautiously one behind the other into that deep corridor.
The beam of the flashlight cut into the darkness ahead, tearing a small opening.
But more darkness surged from the sides and behind, as if it could swallow that little light at any moment.
On both sides of the corridor were rows of closed hospital rooms, their small windows nailed shut with wooden boards, making it impossible to see inside.
Beneath the peeling walls around them, traces of dark red scratched with fingernails could be seen.
The stench in the air seemed to grow stronger.
It was as if the aged bloodstains were seeping out from the walls, mixed with a rotten odor that even disinfectant couldn’t cover.
Both of them softened their steps, almost tiptoeing forward.
After walking for about tens of meters, Xu Hao, who was in the front, suddenly stopped without warning.
Xiao Shuai trailing behind nearly bumped into him, and was about to ask what was wrong when he noticed Xu Hao’s awkward posture.
He stood motionless, slightly leaning forward, facing a rectangular mirror on the corridor wall.
The mirror was covered in dust, faintly reflecting their blurred figures.
"Hey, blockhead, what are you spacing out for?"
Xiao Shuai whispered, lowering his voice.
Xu Hao didn’t respond.
He seemed to have his soul hooked by something, slowly raising his hand, as if wanting to touch that filthy mirror.
A bizarre smile of relief even appeared on his face.
"...So that’s how it is..."
Inarticulate murmurs came from Xu Hao’s mouth: "Yes, you’re right... should have thought of it sooner..."
An ominous feeling suddenly gripped Xiao Shuai’s heart.
He immediately reached out, grabbing Xu Hao’s shoulder and forcefully pulling him away from the mirror.
Yanked back, Xu Hao staggered, the eerie smile on his face disappearing instantly, replaced by confusion and bewilderment.
He then shook his head, as if waking up from a dream.
"What? Why are you pushing me?"
"Who were you talking to just now?"
Xiao Shuai stared at him intently.
Xu Hao frowned, trying hard to recall, confusion gradually appearing on his face:
"I don’t know... I just saw someone in the mirror who looked exactly like me."
"He waved at me, saying he knew how to leave this damn place, there’s an absolutely safe hidden passage right behind this mirror."
"I didn’t believe him, and he said to step closer, so he could pull me over..."
Xiao Shuai’s heart tightened, immediately pointing at the mirror, his voice even lower:
"Did you forget the third rule of the ward? Don’t trust any reflections in mirrors!"
Xu Hao shuddered, and looking towards the mirror again, fear filled his eyes.
The blurry figure in the mirror still stood silently, as if nothing had happened.
But now, in retrospect, the smile of the "person" in the mirror looked eerily similar to the stiff smiles of those "patients" before.
If Xiao Shuai hadn’t pulled him away just now, would he really have run headfirst into the mirror, and then become...
A chill ran from his feet to the top of his skull, and Xu Hao quickly stopped this crazy thought.
"Damn, this place is really sinister."
He cursed softly with lingering fear, daring not to glance at the mirror again.
Just as the two of them were feeling unsettled, a sound like electrical interference came from the corridor ceiling.
The incandescent lights, which had already been off, suddenly began to flicker incessantly.
Immediately afterwards, a sharp, piercing alarm blared throughout the entire floor.
The sound was sorrowful, as if countless wronged souls were wailing simultaneously.
Xiao Shuai’s heart sank, instantly rushing to a nearby hospital room door, pulling hard with his hand. Orıginal content can be found at novel✶fire.net
But the door seemed welded shut, unmoving.
Xu Hao also responded instantly, kicking hard at another door, but it too was locked tightly.
Over the piercing alarm, Xiao Shuai shouted to Xu Hao:
"The second rule, close your eyes when the lights flash!"
Xu Hao didn’t hesitate for a moment, raising his hand to cover his face almost simultaneously with Xiao Shuai, shutting his eyes tightly.
The blinding white light was blocked by their hands.
Yet the sharp alarm seemed to penetrate their bones, spinning wildly in their minds, making their eardrums ache.
After an uncertain amount of time, all the sounds abruptly ceased.
The entire world plunged into deathly silence.
After waiting for a few more seconds, they slowly removed their hands from their faces, cautiously opening their eyes.
One second, two seconds, three seconds...
There was no movement around, and the corridor was still that corridor.
Like nothing had happened, the alarm and flickering lights just a hallucination.
Just as Xu Hao was speaking, Xiao Shuai suddenly covered his mouth, pointing ahead with an expression of terror.
Following his direction, Xu Hao’s pupils contracted sharply.
The scene before them instantly halted their breaths.
At the end of the originally narrow, dilapidated corridor, should have been a corner wall.
But what appeared instead was a dark hall.
The hall was densely packed with "patients" in hospital gowns, easily numbering in the hundreds.
They all stood perfectly still, heads lowered, bodies slightly hunched, like a forest of human-shaped silence.
The oppressive feeling from such a massive number and absolute silence nearly froze the air.
Only then did the two realize that they were standing at the entrance of this terrifying hall.