My House of Horrors

” Pei Hu! ”

Chen Ge was fixing the heads onto the mannequins in the sealed classroom when he suddenly heard a man’s scream coming down from the far end of corridor. The scream was a mixture of complicated emotions.

That doesn’t sound like the scream of fear. It is mixed with surprise, anger, and terror. Chen Ge fixed the last mannequin and exited the classroom. This batch of visitors sure is energetic.

…

Pei Hu, who had rushed into Room 303, had his back against the door, and his forehead was covered in cold sweat.

“Damn, Wenlong is still inside the well!” Pei Hu’s palms were slick with sweat, and he looked at Wenlong’s phone in his grasp. “I’ve even taken his phone away. The well is so dark, and there seems to be mannequins buried underneath.”

Pei Hu did not dare continue that thought. He looked around the room. Room 303 had retained its original look; there was a bunch of dirty laundry sitting in the middle of the room, but the stench was missing.

“Why would they leave a pile of clothes in the middle of the room? This place gives me the creeps. To be safe, I’ll just stand by the door,” he mumbled to himself when someone knocked on the door behind him. However, curiously enough, the source of knocking came from the spot that was around his feet.

“People normally wouldn’t knock at that spot, so this definitely isn’t Wenlong.” The only thing that could walk outside the corridor… other than Wang Wenlong, there was only one other option left. Pei Hu’s face fell, and he stared at bottom of the door, which was creating the knocking sound. “It’s the head! The mannequin head is knocking on the door!”

The thought caused Pei Hu’s legs to go weak. He wanted to lock the door and realized with horror that the lock was merely a decoration. A slight push, and the door would be opened.

“There should be a window inside this room, right? But what if the mannequin head enters the room after I leave the door?” Pei Hu scratched his chin in thought, but it would not work if he just stood there, blocking the door throughout the night either. The knocking continued, and each knock resounded in Pei Hu’s head. “I need to figure out a way to get out of here.”

Pei Hu started to look around the room and then walked over the pile of dirty laundry. After an examination of the room, he came up with nothing. “It’s a thick cement wall outside the window; there’s no exit. Will I have to stay here until the game ends?” Pei Hu stood in the middle of the room. “How did a visit to the Haunted House turn into something like this? The winking mannequin, buried bodies in the well, and a detached head that chases people around. Is the boss a magician? How did he manage all this?”

Before Pei Hu could get an answer, there was a loud bang on the door.

“The force has suddenly increased? Is it the mannequin? Has she found her head?” The thought of it chilled Pei Hu. He looked around, and in the urgency of the moment, he hid inside the bedroom.

“Why doesn’t this bedroom even have a door‽” He regretted it after entering the room, but everything was already too late. The only hiding place inside the bedroom was under the bed. He shone the phone underneath the bed, and after seeing that there was not anything weird, he crawled into it.

Please just leave me be! He snuck under the bed, pocketed the phone, and focused his pair of eyes at the room door. The darkened room was very quiet, and the smallest sound was amplified. A few seconds later, the living room door was pushed open. After a tense silence, a very light sound reverberated through the living room.

Sounds like something is rolling on the floor… The thought flashed through Pei Hu’s mind, and one second later, his legs froze, and a chill travelled from the balls of his feet to the top of his head. I seemed to have forgotten one thing!

The rolling sound neared, and when Pei Hu turned his head toward the door, a detached mannequin head that was smiling rolled to a stop at the bedroom door!

Two pairs of eyes looked at each other, and time seemed to stop.

…

Wang Hailong led Xia Meili and Dou Menglu to the female dormitory. Even though Brother Long had cried earlier, before his girlfriend, he had to act tough and calm. He walked ahead of the girls. They looked into the bedrooms before stopping at the one with the Pen Spirit.

“This room looks different.” A few chairs were placed in the middle of the room, and there was a piece of white paper that had something written on it. Brother Long picked up the piece of paper and read it out loud. “The Pen Spirit knows the location of three nametags.”

“No wonder this feels so familiar; it’s the Pen Spirit game.” Dou Menglu wandered closer out of curiosity. “I’ve seen this in the movies many times, but I didn’t expect to run into one in real life.”

“It’s all fake, just a gimmick.” Wang Hailong tossed the paper back onto the chair. “But we mustn’t miss out on three nametags. Do either of you know the rules?”

“I do.” Dou Menglu sat on one of the chairs and had Wang Hailong sit beside her. “Just follow my lead.”

“Could you two be a bit more careful? Playing a game like this inside a Haunted House might attract some unwanted spirit.” Xia Meili stood at the door. Looking at the banter between Dou Menglu and Wang Hailong, she was feeling rather uncomfortable.

“If a Pen Spirit really appears, that would be awesome. I want to ask whether I’ll be Brother Long’s future wife.” Dou Menglu grinned as she picked up the pen that was glued together with clear tape and held it in the middle.

“Ask away.” Wang Hailong did not seem to mind. Ignoring the fact that Xia Meili was there, he grabbed Dou Menglu’s hand directly. Xia Meili pouted, and she turned to walk away. “You two have fun; I’ll go take a look around.”

“Don’t wander too far, Meili.”

“She knows how to take care of herself. Now, listen to me, Brother Long, there are several taboos to the Pen Spirit game. One, you mustn’t ask about death; two, you cannot stop the game abruptly…”

When Xia Meili exited the room, even the air felt fresher. That room stinks of sour sweetness; I hope the Pen Spirit teaches them a lesson.

She walked to the end of the corridor, and the place became even creepier. Xia Meili was about to turn back when she heard Wang Wenlong’s scream coming from the other end of the corridor.

What happened? Based on the scream, Wenlong doesn’t sound scared but more like he’s angry. Xia Meili retraced her steps, but this time, she entered the other corridor.

Where are they? There’s another split in the road? Which way should I go? Xia Meili stopped at the junction between the old well and the few rooms from Hai Ming Apartments. She hesitated. Pei Hu has lost his phone, so I should call Wenlong to ask for an explanation.

The phone’s ringtone came out from one of Hai Ming Apartments’ rooms, but no one answered it.

They’re inside one of these rooms? The ringtone sounded weirdly creepy in the Haunted House. Xia Meili ended the call and walked toward the three doors.