13

Panting sounds emanated from the darkness of the corridor. My lips trembled with fear, and cold sweat broke out from every pore. I wanted to run, but I couldn't. I could only stare blankly at the source of the sound, my eyes unable to adjust to the darkness. I could see a certain distance, but I couldn't move forward. In the darkness, I could vaguely see the outline of a human figure.

"Who is it?"

I forgot my illegal intrusion and shouted loudly, but the person on the other side didn't respond, didn't even move, and couldn't even hear a breath.

I finally managed to make out the person. They were much shorter than me, not an adult. Their overall build was very thin, and they overlapped with the person in my memory.

"Li Zitong?" I couldn't help but call out her name. The fear vanished, like a sudden change in scenery during a play. My legs and feet could move again, and I took an unconscious step forward.

The figure suddenly disappeared, and I heard footsteps and the sound of a door closing.

"Wait, it's me!" I chased to the end of the corridor, but bumped into the door.

I rubbed my nose, but there was no sign of bleeding. I struggled to get up and felt for the doorknob. I twisted it, pushed it, and the door swung open to the inside.

My eyes lit up, my pupils constricted, and I was instantly blinded. I instinctively covered my eyes and quickly took a few steps back, my back hitting the wall and sending a sharp pain through my spine.

The pain wasn't scary; what was frightening was that I couldn't see anything at that moment, feeling as vulnerable as a newborn. I was terrified, thinking the person might be hiding behind this door, waiting for this moment to pounce from the darkness and stab me between the ribs.

I held my abdomen, huddled for a long time, but nothing happened. My pupils gradually adjusted to the light, and when I opened my eyes, I saw an empty room.

There was no one inside.

As if to deceive, the room was completely silent, devoid of a single soul. The half-drawn curtains swayed in the wind, swaying like the skirt of a playful girl. The morning sun filtered through, and I could vaguely see dust floating in the air, like the flutter of wild bees.

The room was simply furnished, even spartan. There was a single iron bed, similar to those found in student dormitories. The quilt and blanket were neatly folded, the sheets flawless, showing no sign of recent sleep. The wooden table by the window could hardly be called a desk; aside from the piles of books, it looked like an ordinary four-legged wooden table. The only thing missing was the wardrobe, which took up the entire north wall and was unwieldy.

Most of the books on the desk were textbooks. I picked one up and found it was an exercise book with answers already written on it. The handwriting looked very familiar. I flipped back to the cover and saw Li Zitong's name and class. In other words, this was her room.

Although it's completely different from what I imagined a girl's room to be, on closer inspection, Li Zitong's personality is actually tougher than most of the guys I know. I've never seen her wear anything other than hairpins, if hairpins can be considered jewelry.

Suddenly, a faint sound came from behind me. I turned my head quickly, but still no one was there. Was it an illusion caused by nervousness? No, I definitely heard it. Something was creating sound waves, and although they were subtle, they were definitely vibrating my eardrums.

Could it be in the closet? I immediately opened the door. It was completely silent, the only sound coming from inside was the rustling of air. The closet was several dozen centimeters deeper than I'd expected, easily enough for two adults. Hanging and stacked, it contained a vast array of women's clothing, many of which were particularly fancy, pieces I'd never seen Li Zitong wear. I brushed aside the hanging clothes, and sure enough, there was no one hiding.

I leaned over to check under the bed, and this time I was startled. In the shadows beneath the bed, a pair of childish eyes stared back at me.

"Don't come over here..." The voice was very sharp and childish, as if it came from a little boy.

"Don't be afraid, I'm not a bad person."

But he became even more frightened and tried to shrink back.

He should be Li Zitong's younger brother. She mentioned him several times when we were chatting. I searched hard in my mind and finally remembered his name. "You are Li Tianci, right? I am your sister's friend, from the same school."

There was no answer. But he stopped moving, perhaps calming down somewhat.

"Why are you hiding under the bed? Where are the rest of your family?"

Still no answer. I thought he nodded, but the light from beneath the bed was dim and I couldn't be sure. I sighed and said, "I'll be out now and wait outside for your family to come back."

Just as I stood up, I heard another muffled voice from under the bed, "Dad is in his room..."

I quickly leaned over again and asked, "Is your father home?"

"He's in the room and hasn't come out..."

I asked which room he was referring to but got no answer.

I left Li Zitong's room without closing the door. A little light streamed into the hallway, revealing that the hallway and living room were integrated. The small living room was barely big enough for a dining table for four. This was a typical layout for staff housing units from the 1980s. There were three unopened doors. One of them was adjacent to the kitchen, with a non-slip mat in front of it; it must have been the bathroom. The remaining two doors faced different directions, east and west. Since Li Tianci said his father was in his own room, he must have been referring to the master bedroom, which faced east.

"Is anyone in there?" I knocked on the east-facing door, but there was no movement. I turned the doorknob, but nothing happened. Just as Gao Yang had said, it must be locked.

An idea struck me, and I remembered the barbed-wire window I'd seen outside. Judging from its location and orientation, it must be this room's window. I went back outside, pushed my bicycle against the wall, and planned to hop on it to take a look. Then, I smelled the faint scent of blood again, as if it were coming from the window. Fear filled me, but curiosity kept me scrambling to get on the bicycle seat.

This is probably the most regrettable decision I have ever made in my short life of more than ten years.

A chill spread across the back of my head, and my entire body felt like it was turning to stone. The room was occupied by a single middle-aged man, slumped on his back, fingers pressed against his neck. His eyes, sunken into the hollows of his gray lids, were tightly shut like shutters. His mouth was slightly open, but he didn't breathe, not even a tremor. His blood splattered everywhere, leaving the walls a vibrant, glaring mess, as if smeared with ketchup. Scattered across the bed, the floor, and the man's body were a staggering number of videotapes, blood-stained.

The bike flipped over and I fell to the ground. Ignoring the scrapes on my wrists and ankles, I ran in the opposite direction, using my hands and feet until my back hit the wall.

The sound of a police car sirens rang out at the entrance of the alley.