"413? That number rings a bell — I think I saw it on the crumpled paper next to the ghost doll earlier." Lan Dong pulled the ring of keys from his pocket. "One of the students spotted the ghost doll in the corner on the way to Room 413. If there's a key for 413 on this ring, it'll corroborate my earlier theory."
"The red light that just ran into the dorm hasn't come back out yet. If you go in now, you'll probably run right into it." The cameraman had been the first to spot the red light, and he lowered his voice to offer a word of caution.
"We've been in this haunted house for ages, and I still haven't seen a single actor. Now's my chance to check one out." Lan Dong pushed up his black-framed glasses, his dark eyes concealed behind the thick lenses — no one could tell what he was really thinking. "There are four of us and only one of them. We can corner it in the room and let the viewers on Kang's stream get a good look at what the actor actually looks like."
"Aren't you scared?" The cameraman was tall and broad, but in the dim corridor he was starting to feel uneasy.
"Hasn't there been a saying going around online? The best way to eliminate fear is to face it. That's exactly what I'm doing — helping you all overcome yours." Lan Dong's smile was unsettling; he seemed quite pleased with himself.
Keys in hand, Lan Dong and the others stopped in front of Room 413. "Meng Nan, you're sure that thing ran into this room?"
"The camera caught it all. If you don't believe me, ask the viewers in the stream." Plenty of people in Liu Kang's broadcast had seen the red light too — even in broad daylight it had been enough to give them a scare.
"I'm not doubting you. Relax — we're here to tour a haunted house, we're here to have fun." Lan Dong picked up the keys and began trying them one by one. "This haunted house is a little scary, I'll give it that, but compared to the places we've tested our courage before, it's not even close. At the end of the day, this haunted house is just a second-rate imitation."
*Click...*
With a soft sound, the dormitory door swung open.
"Just as I suspected." Lan Dong gripped the door handle. "Where do you think the actor is hiding to scare us? Behind the door? Under the bed? Or maybe behind the curtains?"
The words seemed deliberately aimed at whoever might be inside. The corner of his lips curled upward as he glanced back at the others. "Why's everyone gone quiet?"
"Dong-ge, I really think we shouldn't linger on this bottom floor too long. Xiao Chun's instincts have always been on point..." Ali was the cautious one.
"You really can't appreciate the fun of a haunted house at all. Encountering a scare you never see coming in an unknown environment — how thrilling is that?" Having obtained a key item from the ghost doll and solved another puzzle, Lan Dong was riding a wave of confidence. "This is how you're supposed to enjoy a haunted house — savor the thrill of solving puzzles, let go of all that everyday stress."
He pushed the door open and swept his phone's flashlight around the room.
At first glance the dormitory looked perfectly ordinary, but the longer you stayed, the more things you noticed that were deeply unsettling.
A bloodstained nightshirt hung behind the door. A knife handle peeked out from under a pillow. It was clearly a boys' dorm, yet a pair of women's shoes sat beside one of the beds — and the total count was odd, suggesting not all of the shoes were meant for wearing.
Shredded textbooks and homework assignments were scattered across the floor, most of them bearing the same name — Lin Sisi.
The cabinet bore scratch marks left by a small blade. The armrest of the bed farthest in was stained red with blood, and it was the only bed in the entire room piled high with miscellaneous belongings and garbage.
"Stop hiding — come on out!" Lan Dong called out toward the interior of the room. No response came.
He checked behind the door, pulled back the curtains, and opened every wardrobe in the dormitory, but the red shadow was nowhere to be found.