Old House
In the strange dead silence, I didn't dare to breathe. I held the flashlight tightly and backed away, with my back pressed tightly against the pole of the street lamp.
To be honest, being alone at this time put me under great psychological pressure. I was so nervous that I was sweating and my palms holding the flashlight kept slipping. It was quiet inside the door, which made me feel quite uneasy. I wondered if that thing was just behind the door waiting for me to get close.
But if I just leave it alone, I'm afraid that the ghost thing will succeed in opening the door and rush out, and start to bite me. I don't know if my small body can withstand it. It will be too late to regret it by then.
After weighing the pros and cons for a few seconds, I realized that any delay could lead to unexpected events, so I gritted my teeth, walked around the strange, long, narrow shadow on the ground, and carefully used my flashlight to push the mist toward the old house, all the while keeping my ears open to listen for any movement behind the door. I was determined to turn around and run away if that thing took a breath.
After walking a few steps, the long black umbilical cord-like shadow did not move, and there was still silence behind the door, as if nothing was trying to open the door from behind.
I felt a little relieved and took two steps forward, wondering what this shadow was. Could it be a misunderstanding? It was just the chair blocking the door, and the guy who opened the door must have left long ago.
Although it may be self-deception, it is not impossible. The main reason is that this long shadow does not look like a human being. It is too narrow, too long, and too thin, like a moldy fly swatter. It is indeed far from the image of Nian Huairen.
Unless Nian Huairen was stubbornly performing the One-Legged Stand behind the door and I was performing the Dance of the Four Little Swans for the sake of my presence, I could only admire his artistic attainments in ballet and his strong physical fitness. If he really took a bite of me, it would be considered paying for art.
Perhaps, this is just some kind of trick of light and shadow that happened by accident, and it really is a lame chair.
Otherwise, it's hard to explain why that thing is so dignified and quiet now, and why it didn't come out to chase me. It can't be that it saw that I, Comrade Xu, was alone and pitiful, so it was kind enough to let me go.
I walked for a while with trepidation and guessing this, basically taking three steps forward and two steps back. I was fully prepared to escape. The old house was already extremely clear in the strong light of the flashlight, and nothing unexpected happened.
I had almost relaxed, so I used the flashlight to slide left and right, trying to see what secrets were hidden in this former residence of Nian Huairen that almost scared me to death.
It was only five steps away, and it was still dark everywhere. There was a little metal reflection where the flashlight passed, which should be the rusty railing. Looking down, the thick fog was a bit heavy and hairy, and there was probably weeds growing underneath, and the mist condensed into a layer of fine dew after hanging up.
As for the light coming from far away, it turned out to be a small top-frame window, which was basically level with the ceiling. It was difficult to see inside without moving a chair or a ladder.
Now that I was here and there was no way to retreat, I simply took a deep breath and did not rush forward. Instead, I looked at the iron gate carefully and unscrewed the cover of the flashlight.
My idea was very simple. No matter what mystery the door held, whether it was Nian Huairen or some other weird thing behind it, all I had to do was prevent the door from being opened. Therefore, I had to use some dirty tricks at this critical moment.
After searching around, I found a lighter in my pocket. I don't know which guy left it to me, but there was still a thin layer of liquefied gas left in it.
I bit open the back cover of the unscrewed flashlight with my teeth, and then used my sleeve to stretch out the softer metal as much as I could, deciding whether I could use a lighter to melt some of the metal and pour it into the brass door handle in an attempt to physically block it.
The idea was good, but there were many problems in practice. I almost rubbed off a layer of skin on my fingertips after rubbing for a long time before I could finally unfold the metal skin I had bitten off. And because the night fog was too heavy and humid, I only smelled a little burnt smell after lighting the lighter for a long time. It seemed that it would take a long time to burn out the metal liquid.
At this time, one can't help but regret not bringing down the empty milk tea cup, otherwise burning some plastic would be much simpler and more efficient.
There were no candles or anything like that on hand, and I didn't have the habit of carrying beeswax beads. I couldn't help sweating for a moment, thinking how could I not have what I wanted? How unlucky I was.
Just as I was feeling nervous and speechless, I subconsciously sniffed and vaguely smelled a very faint burnt smell. It was not from my hands, but seemed to be coming from the door lock.
I was immediately surprised, thinking to myself, could it be that someone had a telepathic connection with me and had already done something malicious to the broken door, filling the keyhole with water, so that the things behind the door could not be taken out or turned. Then wouldn't my busy work be a waste of worry and flirting?
Confused, he took a small step forward, squinted his eyes and used the flashlight to look at the lock core.
After adjusting to the strong light, you can see a black mass in the keyhole of the brass door handle. You can't see clearly what's inside, but it seems that it has indeed been processed a long time ago.
I looked left and right, but still couldn't see clearly. After hesitating for a while, I took two steps at a time and finally walked to the door and bent down.
This time the vision was clear. It turned out that the lock core of the door lock was filled with some kind of wax and molten iron, and it was stuck firmly. Even if a superman came, he could only break it in its entirety, and it was difficult to twist it 90 degrees.
But this is strange, what was that noise of turning the door lock that I just heard?
The sound of the spring pulling back is quite peculiar. I guess I didn't mishear it.
What was that sound? What made it come from? I was puzzled, but I had a vague feeling that this must be a crucial detail.
Forget about the light-transmitting window that is too high. It is hard to reach even if I jump. And the jumping noise is too loud, so I dare not risk a peek.
...Perhaps, I could peek under the door?
You will know what is behind the door if you take a look.
My heart skipped a beat, and I don't know why I was so brave, and I lowered my head as if by magic.
At this time, I still had a little bit of rationality left. My instinct was that it would be too suicidal to lie down like this. If the door suddenly opened, I would not have enough time to react, get up and run away.
After thinking it over carefully, I reached out one hand to hold the door handle that was already sealed, so that I could notice any changes at any time. Then I continued to bend down, keeping a rather awkward posture, and with my other hand, I placed the flashlight horizontally on the ground.
It was at this time, and it might have been an illusion, that I heard something breathing very softly very close to my head.
My scalp tingled and cold sweat broke out. My legs almost gave out and I fell to the ground.
Half of my soul had already flown out, and I heard a faint and tortuous sigh, which was much louder this time. Then I realized it was a draft. I cursed countless times in my heart, and it was a little funny, thinking that this was the only courage I had.
My mood was completely calm at this point. I wiped the cold sweat off my forehead, smiled and moved my knees back. There was a faint draft coming from the crack in the door, and it felt very cold when it hit my face.
I was startled subconsciously, because of the fog around me, I couldn't tell whether I was breathing out white air or not, so I looked into the room along the horizontal flashlight. Then I was stunned for a moment, and found that there was a sealing strip under the door, and it was suffocated to death.
Due to years of disrepair, the sealing strip has some air leakage, but it is still very solid overall. Nothing leaks out except a few wisps of evening breeze, and the lighting and layout of the house cannot be seen from below.
I straightened up half of my body, rubbed my dusty forehead, and felt somewhat disappointed.
I was ready to face the old zombie head-on through the crack in the door, but who would have thought that the guy before me handled it so thoroughly and didn't leave me any loopholes at all.
Well, nothing goes wrong. When I get back, let me know who is so thoughtful and considerate. I will definitely treat that person to a buffet for a month.
But, there still seems to be something strange.
I propped myself up on my knees and grabbed the door handle to try to stand up. I wondered what else I had overlooked. What was it?
I was distracted, and when I touched the cold brass, I shivered twice. The gusty draft had not yet died down, especially the wind from above, which was much stronger than the wind leaking through the crack in the door below, and it basically brushed my scalp, freezing me so much that I shrank my neck.
etc.
The strange feeling passed by me in a flash, my fingers suddenly became a little stiff, and my heart beat faster.
In my peripheral vision, I could see a narrow path of fog being blown away by the wind. Without comparison, I would have found it difficult to see that there should have been a sealing strip on the side of the iron door, but it seemed to have been removed at some point.
It is precisely because of this, the lack of necessary obstructions, that when the night wind blows, I, who am lying down, can suddenly feel the clear and terrifying sound of the air passing through the hall over my head.
After discovering this detail, more uncomfortable feelings came over me.
I didn't wear much tonight, and the thick coat I brought back home was left in the trunk of the van. My brain was numb from the cold, and my teeth were almost chattering. I was so lost in thought, still in an uncomfortable half-lying position, wondering what went wrong. I was basically relying on my willpower and stubbornness to get to the bottom of it.
What was it? The disappearing sealing strip, the strange twisting sound, the spring retreating when it shouldn't have, and the sudden silence behind the door.
Also, there is this long strange shadow that is still quietly cast out from behind the door, right under my feet.
No, that's not right. It seems to be here. The gap at the bottom of the door is blocked by a sealing strip, so how did this shadow come from behind?
A thought flashed through my mind like lightning, and I suddenly felt cold all over. Then another extremely terrifying thought popped up in my mind, and I reflexively looked upward in the corner of my eye.
At this moment, all the details began to explode, and I finally saw a very terrifying picture in the thick fog and darkness.
There was no lock cylinder in the gap on the side of the iron door. The door had been completely opened long ago, or in other words, it was cut off from the gap by something, and the spring inside broke and made a popping sound when it was damaged.
As I approached, the door was still ajar!
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