My House of Horrors

Did some passenger sit here earlier with their wet clothes from the rain?

Xiao Gu touched the seat; it felt wet but not like water. He could not really describe it.

I’d better switch seats.

The bus drove safely. The sights on both sides flew past very fast, and he could not feel the bus tumble. Standing up, Xiao Gu looked around. There were few people on this last bus—including him, there were only six of them.

The first three rows on the left were empty, and an old lady sat on the fourth row. She kept looking out the window like she had something on her mind.

A woman sat on the same row on the right, and she kept her head lowered as she played on her phone. She looked about thirty and dressed fashionably. Xiao Gu believed that she was an employee from nearby company and had been working overtime until she had to take the last bus.

Xiao Gu sat in the middle of the bus alone. Behind him was a woman around forty or fifty who was hugging a young child on her lap. The woman was seriously obese, and her face was filled with freckles, but the child on her lap looked handsome and beautiful, completely unlike her.

Looking further back, there was a student sitting at the last row. He carried a school bag, and his uniform was drenched. He looked like he had just finished tuition.

Students nowadays sure are under a lot of pressure.

Xiao Gu was about to turn his head away when the student suddenly raised his head to meet his eyes before quickly averting his gaze.

His face looks so pale, and his body is shivering—is he sick?

He changed his seat and sat near the back door. Playing a crazed murderer inside a Haunted House was hard work. He needed to run back and forth, and sometimes, to create a surprise, he needed to follow the boss’ orders and run the long route to block the visitors’ way on the other end of the path. After a whole day of work, Xiao Gu was feeling tired. He leaned against the seat, and his eyelids became heavy.

Just as Xiao Gu was about to fall asleep, something hit him lightly on the back of his head. He turned to look and saw a ball of paper on the ground. “Was this from that student?”

Xiao Gu picked up the paper. He thought it was a prank, but on second thought, thinking back to how the student looked, he did not think that was it. Holding the paper, Xiao Gu turned back to look. The student had his head turned downward. There was no sign that it was him who had tossed the ball of paper.

Xiao Gu opened the paper and saw a sentence that had hastily been written on it.

‘Don’t fall asleep or you’ll miss your station.’

It was a normal reminder, and Xiao Gu knew that the person who wrote it had written it out of kindness. He kept the paper and turned to smile at the boy at the last row, and he said softly, “It’s okay. I’m going to get off on the last stop.”

He purposely lowered his voice, but because there were no other people on the bus, it was very quiet, and his voice came out much louder than he expected. When the words ‘last stop’ left his lips, the bus suddenly turned. Gu Feiyu glanced at the driver’s seat, and he realized that the driver was actually watching him through the rear-view mirror.

The driver was wearing the uniform from Jiujiang’s public transport company. The jacket looked old, and his Adam’s apple jumped up and down. His face was filled with sweat—he looked nervous and scared. He had both hands on the steering wheel. Like the student, the driver quickly moved his gaze away.

What is he afraid of?

Xiao Gu was confused. The way the driver looked at him was weird, like he was trying to tell him something.

The rain turned heavier. It was two different worlds inside and outside the bus. Xiao Gu lost his desire to sleep and turned to silently study the other passengers on the bus. The bus flew in the night, and it soon arrived at the next station. The bus entered the station, and when it was safely stopped, the electronic voice said, “Ding! We’ve arrived at Central Hospital. Departing customers, please make sure that you have all of your belongings with you, and please alight from the back door.”

Both front and back doors opened at the same time, and the rain outside dripped into the bus. Soon, a middle-aged man with a red thread around his wrist stepped onto the bus. He was wearing a white coat, so he was probably a doctor at Central Hospital.

The doctor rummaged through his pocket for a long time to look for change, but he could not find it. The driver saw that it was raining, so he waved for the man to get in first, and he could look for the change at his seat.

The front door closed, and the doctor walked onto the bus, holding the rails. When he passed Xiao Gu, he paused and turned to look at him. Sitting in his seat, Xiao Gu raised his head to look at the doctor. He realized that the doctor had a strange look. His brows were thick, and when he looked at people, his eyes would bulge like they were going to fall out.

“Hello…” Xiao Gu felt awkward, being stared by the doctor. He stood up and prepared to leave at the next stop.

Seeing Xiao Gu stand up, the doctor moved backward and smiled apologetically at Xiao Gu. He sat on the seat on the other side of Xiao Gu. The bus was dark, and Xiao Gu believed that he had seen that the doctor’s mouth had no teeth when he smiled earlier. He held the paper in his pocket and did not stay long at his seat. He moved to the backdoor directly.

Maybe I should just call for a taxi.

Holding the rail, Xiao Gu moved to the door ,and when he arrived, his body froze, and his face filled with disbelief.

Standing at the bus stop was a woman in a red raincoat. The woman had her head lowered, and her wet hair stuck together to block her face.

The same woman from before? Why is she here? This isn’t the same stop, right‽

Gu Feiyu was stunned when the cold voice began again. “The vehicle will start soon. Please take your seat. Welcome to the driverless bus for Route 104. Dear passenger, please move closer to the backdoor. Our next stop is Hong Si Restaurant.”

The backdoor slowly closed, and Xiao Gu snapped back to reality. Why would the woman in the raincoat appear at the station near Central Hospital? And she was closer to the door compared to before! Is she following me?

With sweat sliding down his face, Xiao Gu’s expression was no different from the driver’s earlier. He held the railing tightly and did not return to his seat instantly.

“Are… you feeling okay?” A chilling voice suddenly came from behind him—the doctor was staring at Xiao Gu.

“I’m fine.” Xiao Gu went back to his seat, and he lowered his voice to ask, “Sir, did you see a woman in a red raincoat standing near the backdoor at the stop earlier?”

“Red raincoat?” The doctor shook his head. “I don’t think so.”

“Impossible.” Xiao Gu turned to ask the student at the last row. “Did you see that woman earlier? She was standing at the bus stop!”

The student ignored Xiao Gu. He did not even turn his head to him. He kept his face on the rain outside the window, but his hands kept moving inside his bag like he was looking for something.