Chapter Twelve: The Eerie Tenant
Perhaps it was because the building hadn’t been properly repaired after that fire, or maybe it was just too old, but the power frequently went out in this apartment. Normally, that wouldn’t be a big deal, but today? Today was a whole different can of worms.
This meant she was going to have to interact with all sorts of ghostly figures in the dark—a real horror show of a predicament.
Darkness tends to bring out fear in people; it’s just a natural instinct. Even a dim light in the hallway can make one’s heart feel a little less heavy.
With her phone flashlight illuminating the way, Zhao Mingyue found her trusty flashlight, but instead of rushing to open the door, she leaned against the wooden door, straining to catch any noise from outside.
She quickly got into the zone, taking the situation seriously. Even Bai Yu, lurking in the shadows, couldn’t help but nod in silent approval, thinking this girl had potential—no experience to speak of, but her attitude alone was commendable.
“You’re doing the right thing. The tenants around here aren’t exactly run-of-the-mill. The more you know, the better off you’ll be.”
In the darkness, Bai Yu’s voice echoed in Zhao Mingyue’s mind.
No sooner had she spoken than a commotion came from downstairs. It was the voice of a young man, and Zhao Mingyue was surprised to find he wasn’t Lu Liangting.
“There’s someone else moving in!” A flicker of excitement shot through her. She had lived here long enough to know the ins and outs, and in all her time, she had never seen anyone sneak in at this hour.
“No way, standing in here isn’t going to cut it.”
Since the power was out, the stranger wouldn’t see her right away if she snuck a peek. With that in mind, Zhao Mingyue cracked the door open just enough to poke her face out.
The newcomer seemed to be dragging a very heavy suitcase, the sound of its wheels clattering loudly. From his voice, he sounded to be under thirty.
With a creak, the iron gate swung open, followed by the familiar voice of the Old Landlord.
Their conversation was straightforward. The young man needed a place to crash for the night because it was pouring cats and dogs outside and he planned to skedaddle come morning.
After a moment’s hesitation, the Old Landlord agreed and handed over the room key.
“Here’s your key. You’re in room two on the second floor. Head on up. I’ll warn you though, no wandering around at night. Definitely stay away from the fourth and fifth floors, or you’ll be responsible for any ‘unexpected consequences.'”
“And listen, the room has all sorts of amenities—there’s hot water, but whatever you do, DO NOT take a shower. With the power out, I can’t say when you’ll have hot water again, so just… hang tight.”
With a bang, a heavy iron door slammed shut somewhere on the first floor.
Now that’s what I call an unwelcoming attitude! Zhao Mingyue could hear the man complaining, saying he wouldn’t have come to this creepy place if it weren’t for the rain.
“It’s raining?” Zhao Mingyue frowned, glancing out the living room window. There were indeed raging winds outside, but absolutely no rain—unless the weather was pulling a fast one and only planned to start pouring in the wee hours.
But oddly enough, the moment the man finished complaining, he began trudging up the stairs. His footsteps sounded strangely wet, as if he were wearing two drenched rain boots, each step accompanied by faint splashes. Since he was lugging around a heavy suitcase, his footsteps and breathing were both pretty labored.
“Something’s off. It’s definitely not raining outside; so where’s all that water sound coming from?”
“Dragging that heavy suitcase at this hour? With a taxi? If he’s coming from outside the city, he shouldn’t be staying here. There are plenty of inns nearby if he wanted to stay the night. Or why not just go home?”
“Drivers typically avoid this area at night, translating to a pretty low chance the driver willingly dropped him off here. He probably specifically requested it.”
“Normal folks try to get close to the city; this guy’s aiming the other way…”
Zhao Mingyue waited for a while, confirming that the man had entered a room, yet there was no noise thereafter.
Without even starting a game, she began to feel pressure—she was starting to understand Bai Yu’s words: sometimes, humans are scarier than ghosts.
As minutes ticked away, she glanced at the clock: it was already eleven. No sign of Lu Liangting yet; maybe he had changed his mind last minute.
Before it could strike midnight, Zhao Mingyue sensed a change in the atmosphere—an eerie quiet enveloped the building alongside a cold wind that seemed to come from nowhere, sending chills down her spine. It felt like a water pipe somewhere was leaking, dripping ominously.
Suddenly, she heard scuttling noises against the wall, as if some creature was crawling through the piping. Was it just her imagination, or was the overpowering scent of disinfectant getting stronger?
That pungent smell wasn’t leaving her with any thoughts of cleanliness—it rather felt like it was masking something far more sinister.
Quickly dashing back into her room, Zhao Mingyue threw on her backpack. Inside were her trusty wand, a kitchen kn*fe, and her bl**d-stained rabbit plush toy.
“Bai Yu, Sister Bai, can I go out now?”
Her plan was simple: if ghosts really start showing up at midnight, then at eleven, why not get a head start and investigate the other tenants on the fourth and fifth floors?
Despite living here for so long, she had no clue how many other people were actually living here—just that there were indeed others sharing the space.
“You can go. I’ll remind you when the time comes.”
“Awesome!”
Since Lu Liangting was still MIA, Zhao Mingyue quietly slipped out, taking precautions to ensure no one could slip into her room in her absence. She deliberately plucked a hair from her head and stuffed it into the keyhole.
Leaning against the door, she looked into the darkness of the hallway, a nagging feeling of unease clawing at her insides.
Whether it was the chilling wind or the sharp tang of disinfectant in the air, those sensations were truly rattling her nerves.
The apartment building had a ‘T’ shape on each floor, with the stairs in the middle and only one way up.
She was on the fourth floor, right at the turn of the ‘T’. On her left side were four rooms, two more at the corners, meaning there were a total of eight rooms on her floor.
Tiptoeing to room 403, her neighbor, she tapped lightly on the door and listened intently. All she could hear was an eerie silence.
Pulling out her flashlight from her pocket, she illuminated the iron door, which was coated in a thick layer of dust—definitely no one home.
“The landlord forbids that man from going to the fourth and fifth floors for a good reason.”
Muttering internally, Zhao Mingyue crept carefully towards the staircase.
The smell of disinfectant was at its strongest near the stairwell.
“The landlord almost repaints these walls every two months. What could possibly be lurking under all this paint?”
She reached the staircase, confirming that the adjacent room also bore a thick layer of dust. Zhao Mingyue directed her flashlight at the unsettlingly pale wall.
Crouching down, she retrieved her wand from her backpack and, using the pointed end, scraped at the wall. To her surprise, the white putty came off easier than she’d anticipated, but what lay underneath sent a shiver racing down her spine.
“What is this… bl**d?”
