My House of Horrors

Qu Changlin had worked at Nightmare Academy for three years, and he had never expected such a day to ever come. The face was only a few centimeters away from him, and he could see every detail on it clearly, including the corner of the lips that was curved upward, the stubbles that needed a quick shave, and the eyes that were radiating iciness no matter where they looked.

“My boss wants to meet you.” The man’s lips opened and closed. It looked like he was speaking, but Qu Changlin did not think that he could hear anything. Perhaps the nerves responsible for auditory stimuli had stopped working, or perhaps his whole brain had gone into shut down.

This was no longer that important. It did not even cross Qu Changlin’s mind to understand why there was someone hanging behind him. His heart returned to normal after two seconds. Blood rushed to his brain instantly, and as he regained control of his body, Qu Changlin reacted the way most normal people would.

“Who’s there‽” His voice shook. Qu Changlin rammed into the door before him, and the thin mirror was pushed open. He wished to run out, but the door of the fourth cubicle was locked by someone.

Trapped inside the cramped space, Qu Changlin leaned against the door of the cubicle. His eyes were glued to the secret room where he had been hiding earlier. There was nothing inside the narrow space. Qu Changlin had his hands on his chest, certain that he had seen someone there earlier. His head had been dangling downward, and he had been hanging behind him!

“Where did he go?” The scene from earlier had become an emotional scar in Qu Changlin’s heart. If he did not get to the bottom of this, he believed that he would never have the courage to stay inside any dark, small spaces again.

The air-conditioning in the Haunted House blew. The temperature was very low, but sweat kept pouring down Qu Changlin’s forehead.

The cubicle door is closed, so the visitor should still be here.

Misery loved company. Just as Qu Changlin was contemplating this serious question, there suddenly came a knock from the cubicle door behind him.

The banging on the door was like a note from hell. It held a unique rhythm, and the constant knocking felt like it landed on Qu Changlin’s heart. He wanted to move, but his legs refused to listen to his orders. They turned into noodles and failed to support his body anymore. The man slid down the wall.

An extra person somehow appeared in the secret room. He wished to run out, but the cubicle door would not open. Qu Changlin realized that he was trapped in a corner. He stomped on the ground as he struggled to stand up.

If it is the visitor who is knocking on the cubicle door, then who was the person that I encountered inside the secret room?

Qu Changlin leaned heavily against the cubicle door. He reached into his pocket, attempting to find his phone and report the situation to his boss. However, just as he started to dial the number, before he even had the chance to say anything, he heard a completely unfamiliar voice. “It’s useless even if you try to hide. He will follow you home, hiding inside your shadow, leaning in from your window, lying in wait underneath your bed.”

The voice came from outside the cubicle, from the person who had been knocking constantly on the door. The man did not purposely use a scary voice to scare Qu Changlin. Rather, the man’s voice was level, like he was merely describing the truth.

Qu Changlin clamped his hands over his lips. The call was already connected, but he did not dare to speak. He could see a cold gaze looking at him, but he did not dare turn back, did not dare move a muscle; it was as if his whole body was frozen.

What should I do now?

…

Chen Ge was leaning over the wall of the fifth cubicle. He looked down at Qu Changlin, who was curled into a ball on the ground, and his eyes were burning with admiration.

He can stay inside this toilet with a horrible stench for so long even without wearing a mask. Professional etiquette aside, his professional skill is at least eighty marks.

With one hand on the wall, Chen Ge’s other hand was holding the mannequin that dangled from the ceiling, and he shook it constantly. The knocking sound that Qu Changlin had heard was actually the sound of the mannequin’s head banging against the door.

The sound of a head banging against the door was naturally different from when one used one’s hands. Without the man knowing about it, Chen Ge was conducting a simple test on Qu Changlin.

Good ability, very professional. The only thing left is his personality and morality.

When Chen Ge was contemplating that question, Ol’ Zhou silently materialized behind him. He was holding a thick notebook about human anatomy.

“What’s this?” As Chen Ge flipped through the notebook, he found that it was filled with pages of hand-drawn mannequin blueprints. They ranged from various styles and models.

“According to the clues, there is a spare red table lamp in the haunted house. I found this notebook underneath that lamp. It doesn’t seem like he wants people to see this.” Ol’ Zhou had spent quite a bit of time with Chen Ge, so he knew his boss very well and would sometimes prove to be quite astute and caring.

Hearing Ol’ Zhou’s words, the image of Qu Changlin in a ghost outfit hiding inside the toilet where visitors would rarely enter appeared in Chen Ge’s mind. Out of boredom, he used the light from the table lamp and studied the profession of mannequin making.

The front part of the notebook was mostly hand drawn designs by Qu Changlin himself, but the latter part felt more like his diary.

“1st September, the number of visitors coming to the Haunted House continues to drop. I can hear people walk past the door, but no one comes in. Sad.

“3rd September, I’ve updated the mannequin in the toilet. I only need to spend an extra fifty RMB on each mannequin, and they will bring a realistic feeling to the visitors! I’m sure everyone will be impressed!

“4th September, the cold drizzle washed out my face. Boss didn’t agree with my update idea. Oh well, the Haunted House is not doing so well—this is not his fault.

“15th September, a visitor finally wandered into the toilet today! Let me think, how shall I scare him‽ Ha ha ha ha!

“30th September, Xiao Die said that she wishes to focus on her career at the moment and has no time for a relationship. I will need to work harder so that I can support her in the future.

“15th October, why do they always say that I’m a boring person? I’ve done so many things that I didn’t like so that I won’t stand out anymore, but how come they still see me as a strange guy?

“30th October, so Xiao Die already has a crush.

“1st November, a new month has begun. I swear to become a more interesting person that can get well with others. Yes, you can do it!”

There were many other similar short entries. Each one of them sounded optimistic, but Chen Ge could sense the melancholy behind it. He put down the notebook, and his eyes wandered to the words on the walls of the fifth cubicle.

Unlike the Third Sick Hall, the scenario was decorated by their corresponding workers. Qu Changlin was responsible for the toilet, so the words on the walls should have been handwritten by the man.

The ghost story in the toilet was about a boy by the name of Xiao Lin. He was hated by everyone due to his prankster nature. In the end, everyone decided to gang up against him.

It was a simple story, but it reflected Qu Changlin’s life. The Xiao Lin in the story should be talking about him.

“Not all fish stay in the same ocean, so why push for things against nature?” Chen Ge thought about it and decided to stop messing with Qu Changlin. He called Ol’ Zhou to return to the comic, and he pulled open the door of the fourth cubicle.