Chapter 17
The wind outside grew stronger, trees bent sideways, and fallen leaves whirled through the air, carrying a few delicate peach blossom petals. Dark clouds loomed, and rain was on its way.
The small town seemed trapped, with evil spirits lurking in the darkness and a stormy night approaching. This was not a good sign.
Bright lights pushed back the darkness inside the room, but Ye Nianchu’s unease grew. She had a sinking feeling that something bad was about to happen tonight.
She opened her backpack to grab some dinner and noticed the snacks she had. Chocolates, lollipops, biscuits, and bread—gifts from the teenager next door. The packaging was fancy, not what you'd find in a small-town convenience store.
Ye Nianchu unwrapped a lollipop, trying to reassure herself with a sweet treat. The wind howled outside, but the room was eerily quiet.
After eating, she pulled out the 'rusty knife.' In the dim light, the symbols on the knife glowed faintly. She had checked the knife several times before; in daylight, it looked like a piece of junk. But now, it seemed almost magical.
A flash of lightning split the dark sky, and thunder rumbled in the distance. The night felt unusually long.
"Tick-tick-tick—"
The sound of dripping water was clear despite the storm’s noise. It seemed to hit her hard, sending a chill down her spine.
The temperature dropped suddenly. Ye Nianchu sat on the bed, clutching her items tightly. The overhead lights flickered with each thunderclap, but soon, the room was engulfed in darkness.
Before her eyes could adjust, she heard chaotic footsteps in the hallway, like people running and playing outside. She hadn't expected her earlier joking words to come true.
Were there really footsteps in the hallway? Ye Nianchu focused all her attention on the noise outside, unsure if the other guests in the B&B had heard it too.
After a while, the footsteps moved away, heading toward the stairs. Her tense body began to relax.
Suddenly, the glass door next to her bed rattled violently, creating a chilling noise that made her skin crawl. Someone was knocking on the door!
Ye Nianchu’s face turned serious as she turned to look. Just then, another flash of lightning illuminated a pale, stiff face right in front of her. It was Deng Lan’s face!
It was pressed against the glass door, dark eyes staring inside with an eerie, twisted smile. The sight was horrifying.
Her earlier fears seemed to have come true. She remembered that when she had looked outside earlier, she hadn’t secured the curtains properly. Karma, she thought, mentally scolding herself.
Outside the glass door, ‘Deng Lan’ began to knock, its face distorting more and more. Ye Nianchu saw clearly now that ‘Deng Lan’ had only a face, with the rest of it a dark shadow.
Heavy rain poured down, making the sky and earth blend into one. The leaves outside rustled in the wind, and the air smelled of damp mold and rust.
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