Five people filed in, stepping into a terrifying scene.
The temperature inside was frigid; even dressed in long robes, a chilling sensation crept through. The lights flickered intermittently, revealing mottled walls, decaying medical instruments, and a distinct odor that belonged solely to a hospital.
Both the environment and the horror atmosphere were excellently crafted.
Hao Meili couldn’t help but admire it. Yet, why did it feel so familiar?
Xue Wu began issuing orders: “Everyone, split up to find those two keys. Let’s try to complete this as quickly as possible. We’ll regroup at the operating room door in twenty minutes.”
No one responded to him, but they all headed towards different patient rooms.
Wu Yaoyao, who had been terrified since entering, felt even more frightened at the thought of splitting up. She quickly suggested, “Let’s stick together; it’s too scary to go alone…”
“If you’re scared, just follow me,” Hao Meili said, casting a disappointed glance at Wu Yaoyao. It seemed this girl wasn’t suited for work in a funeral home.
The four of them walked towards three patient rooms, while only Xuan Yun remained rooted in place, unmoving. He had no intention of searching for any keys; he just wanted to wander around and take a look. Later, he would tell Zuo Si that the evil spirits had been driven away, and he would collect his payment.
As he surveyed his surroundings, he suddenly noticed a camera mounted above him. It seemed that even slacking off couldn’t be too obvious. He might as well find a room to pretend to search.
*****
In the staff passage, Zuo Si took out the clown costume. He couldn’t shake off his unease without personally getting involved.
‘Hao Meili is the director of the funeral home; if I don’t put in the effort, I definitely won’t scare her!’
Having not slept all night, Zuo Si was already feeling extremely fatigued, but to establish a partnership with the funeral home, he had to give it his all. There was only one clown costume, but there were over a dozen masks, seemingly made of rubber. Each one bore a smiling face. Yet, no matter how you looked at it, that smile was unsettling…
On the costume, severed thumbs were sewn together in a string, bloodied and in various states of decay.
Zuo Si even suspected they might be real. He breathed a sigh of relief after touching them.
After some rummaging, he discovered something beneath the box. It was a rusty chainsaw; no wonder the box was so heavy. Curiously, Zuo Si pulled out the chainsaw. It was intentionally aged, with teeth that appeared sharp but were actually made of very soft rubber. There were two switches on it. One was for starting, while the other was a mystery.
Zuo Si pressed the start button.
Vroom vroom vroom…! The chainsaw immediately emitted a piercing noise, sounding just like the real thing. Watching the rotating teeth, it seemed capable of easily slicing a person in half. Out of curiosity, Zuo Si pressed the other button, and dark red blood-like liquid immediately flowed from the front teeth.
“This prop is incredibly well-made!” After a quick inspection, Zuo Si knew he couldn’t delay; he needed to change into the costume and scare people in the scene.
He donned the clown outfit and put on a mask. Zuo Si stared in shock at his reflection in the mirror. Was this still him? His body was adorned with bloodied thumbs, his mouth stretched into a grin that reached his ears, a cruel smile with sharp teeth. He held a chainsaw that was still dripping blood. He looked like a hellish demon who had just committed murder!
In that moment, even Zuo Si felt a wave of fear, instinctively taking a step back. This costume seemed to possess some kind of magic, instilling fear deep within anyone who laid eyes on it.
“It’s time to begin!” Zuo Si quickly scanned the positions of the others through the monitor and swiftly entered the horror scene.
*****
Xuan Yun was anxiously lingering in one of the patient rooms, having already heard several screams—both women’s and men’s!
He had an ominous feeling creeping in…
Could this haunted house really be haunted?
At first, he dared to pretend to draw talismans and perform spells, but now he could only stand there, not knowing what to do…
As soon as he entered the hospital room, the door closed automatically. When he turned around, he discovered a blood-soaked woman standing at the entrance, glaring at him with a vengeful gaze. No matter where he moved, her eyes followed him.
“When I just entered, I clearly didn’t see her… How did she appear? Is she a prop or a real ghost?!” Xuan Yun’s palms were drenched in sweat; he wanted to escape but dared not approach the door with the female ghost blocking it. “If I had known, I would have joined that group!”
Tick-tock… tick-tock…
A drop of viscous liquid fell onto his head. Trembling, he reached up with his right hand to touch it, feeling the cold, dampness.
“Is there something on my head?…” Xuan Yun slowly raised his head, instantly feeling as if his throat was stuffed with something, making it hard to breathe.
On the ceiling, a pitch-black child was staring at him with an evil grin, drool occasionally dripping from the corner of its mouth.
“Hehehe…”
The terrifying laughter echoed; he could no longer stay in this hospital room!
Gritting his teeth, Xuan Yun steeled himself and charged toward the door. The closer he got to the door, the wider the grin of the female ghost became, her mouth gaping open, revealing a bloody cavity without a tongue.
“Come play with me…” The child behind him suddenly spoke, its voice chillingly eerie. Turning around, he was horrified to see that the child was chasing after him!
“Ghost! Ghost! Help me!” Xuan Yun couldn’t help but scream; he was just a fake Taoist, even less courageous than Xue Wu, and had never been in a haunted house before. He had never encountered such a scene. But to his relief, the female ghost at the door had suddenly vanished! He immediately opened the door and rushed out.
Just as Xuan Yun thought he could breathe a sigh of relief and look for others, he raised his head and saw something even more terrifying. Not far in front of him, a grotesque clown was grinning cruelly at him, and hanging from its body were hundreds of severed thumbs, dripping with blood, as if they had just been chopped off. Xuan Yun felt his hands and feet turn icy, his head spinning. Faced with this clown, he experienced an instinctive sense of terror.
Vroom vroom vroom!
The rusty chainsaw roared to life, splattering blood all over Xuan Yun’s face! The stench of blood invaded his nostrils.
Xuan Yun could almost confirm that this clown was definitely a murderer and had just killed someone!!!
“Help! Help! There’s a murderer in this haunted house! Save me!!!” Xuan Yun shouted as he ran.
Vroom vroom vroom!
But the clown behind him continued to chase him with the chainsaw, laughing maniacally.
Suddenly… both the laughter and the sound of the chainsaw vanished.
Xuan Yun turned around and found that the empty corridor was devoid of anything. “What’s going on? Is this an illusion? Or… is that clown also a ghost?”
“I can’t worry about that now; I need to call the police! I have to get out!” Xuan Yun fumbled for his phone, only to remember that Zuo Si had taken it before he entered!
Calling Zuo Si for help? He had already shouted for help, but no one came!!
“I should find a room to hide in…”
Xuan Yun searched around and finally found a room without any props to hide in. He entered the bathroom, turned on the faucet, and washed his face, hoping to calm his nerves.
But he felt as if someone was watching him. He dared not wash his face any longer; he hastily wiped it a couple of times and quickly opened his eyes.
When he saw his reflection in the mirror, his face turned pale…
The female ghost hadn’t disappeared at all; she had been clinging to his back the whole time!!
That terrifying face was staring at the mirror alongside him, revealing a radiant smile…