629 Familiar Faces

 

A broken clock hung on the wall. Time stopped at 12.01. The clock hand wasn’t moving, but there was a ticking sound from the room. Han Fei leaned against the wall. He had no idea who closed the bathroom light. He didn’t want to know. He just wanted to leave this unfamiliar ‘home’. He rushed to the front door. He grabbed the doorknob, and a light knocking answered!

Something triggered Han Fei. He pulled back his hands like he was shocked. The knocking became louder. Han Fei’s heart squeezed. He slowly leaned forward. As his face was about to reach the peephole, he suddenly released something. ‘Wait, the knocking isn’t coming from outside the front door.’

With a pale face, Han Fei turned around to look at his bedroom. As the knocking grew louder, he could confirm it came from his bedroom. Han Fei’s pupils trembled, and he noticed the bedroom door lock shook.

‘At 12.01, the guest knocked outside the house first, then inside the living room and finally from my bedroom…’ Han Fei had no idea when the thing entered his bedroom. It felt like someone had invited it there. Han Fei wanted to escape, but he knew there would be more danger outside. His breathing became difficult. Han Fei finally made the decision. He slowly turned the doorknob.

When the spring moved, he could hear a low breathing sound. It reminded him of a beast. The fingers around the doorknob were clammy with sweat. Han Fei lifted the lid on the peephole and looked out. He noticed the fat guard he saw before standing outside the door. The smiling guard appeared to have changed into a different face. Large veins pulsed on his face. He was waiting for Han Fei to open the door. He held something in his hands.

The guard heard the lock move, but the door didn’t open. He was confused. He leaned his face to the peephole, hoping to see what was inside. The round face enlarged in Han Fei’s vision. He immediately retreated and replaced the lid.

“I can’t leave. At least not now.” Different voices entered his ears. They influenced his decision, making him more anxious. “Why is he standing at the door?”

The clock was dead, but the ticking sound grew louder. Han Fei grabbed his empty mind. He started to feel dizzy.

“The guard is outside the front door, and someone is coming out of the bedroom. I need to find a place to hide.” The cupboard was full. His parent’s bedroom was locked. The kitchen was wide open. The bathroom’s light was off. Han Fei’s brain processed all the details in less than a second. At the same time, he moved towards the doll costume beside the door. The two costumes were piled together with dirty laundry. One looked old and torn, the other was stained, but at least it wasn’t tattered. “Should I hide inside the costume?”

His fingers touched the costumes. Han Fei wasn’t sure which set to pick. The complete costume could cover his whole body, but he was made uncomfortable by the stains on it. He was not a germaphobe. He merely felt that the stains looked like blood seeping out.

Han Fei grabbed the tattered doll costume and put it on. A normal person would take time to put on the heavy costume. However, Han Fei was very quick like he had remembered the steps from muscle memory. Putting on the heavy helmet, Han Fei had fully hidden himself inside the costume. He lay back down. Shrouded in the darkness, the outside sounds faded away. In the small darkness, he could only hear his heart and breaths. He forced himself not to make any sound.

He looked out through the gap of the doll’s eyes. Everything in the room appeared to have returned to normal. Everything earlier might be Han Fei’s imagination. Han Fei held his breath and didn’t move. Half a minute later, the doll costume that he didn’t choose moved on its own!

Its large cartoon head rolled down from its shoulders and knocked against the bathroom door. Then it was grabbed by something and disappeared into the darkness. Then, there was a strange sound. It sounded like someone was using their hands to pierce the doll’s fake eyes.

‘The pale hands pressed against my eyeball…’

Han Fei’s heart clogged. He adjusted his sight to look at the headless costume. The costume had clotted with blood, and some unknown worms were crawling on it.

Creak…

The sound came again. Han Fei couldn’t see into the bedroom from his angle. He had to rely on his ears. The bedroom door opened, and someone walked around the house. Then, there was a rummaging sound. The person was looking for him!

They left the bedroom, entered the kitchen, stopped at the bathroom door, and came to the living room. Han Fei couldn’t see anyone, but when the light hit the coffee table, a shadow appeared on the glass top. It stopped at the living room for a long time before discovering the doll costumes at the door. Han Fei couldn’t see anything approaching, but the dirty laundry around him was moved away. He didn’t dare to breathe. However, the nervousness made his heart beat stronger.

Someone grabbed the heavy doll helmet. As the force was about to yank the helmet off, an unfamiliar male voice came from the front door. “Liu Pang, what are you doing at my home so late at night?”

“Auntie said Han Fei is alone at home. She’s worried, so she told me to patrol this place.”

“In that case, you should get in and sit.” The male voice sounded mature but heavily fatigued.

“Never mind. Last time, Han Fei almost hit me when he acted up. He doesn’t trust anyone but you two.” The fat guard smiled and said, “Since you’re home, then I don’t need to stay here anymore. Goodbye.” As the fat guard moved away, the key moved into the lock. As the front door opened, Han Fei heard his bedroom door close. Four sounds entered his ears at the same time. He managed to isolate them individually, but he had no idea how he managed that.

“Han Fei?” The front door opened, and a weary-looking man entered the room. He appeared to be a coroner, and he just came back from the morgue. The man’s hair was half-white. After he entered the house, he placed his briefcase on the cupboard and then walked towards Han Fei’s bedroom. It was clear that he was worried about Han Fei.

When he was passed the bedroom, he was startled. He reached out to open the bathroom lights and then took out the doll’s head from the bathroom. Two large holes were dug out of the doll’s eyes. The doll smiled brighter. “Is he still awake?” The man walked into the bedroom. At that moment, Han Fei immediately climbed up and rushed out the front door. In the tattered costume, he raced down the corridor. ‘I can’t stay in the bedroom. I have to leave, or I’ll die! Something is hiding inside the dresser!’ The man in the house heard the commotion. He ran out to look. “Han Fei? Han Fei!” He chased after Han Fei. Due to the weight of the costume, the distance between them closed. Han Fei, who refused to take the elevator, tapped on the button madly. The doors opened. Han Fei rushed into the booth and pressed for the first floor. The man ran over, shouting Han Fei’s name. He was very anxious, but he was too late.

The doors closed, and the elevator descended. The man shouted Han Fei’s name, and then he dragged his tired body down the stairs. The elevator reached the first floor. Before the doors opened fully, Han Fei ran out. He didn’t dare to stay at this building. He left Apartment 4. The buildings in the neighborhood were like coffins in the dark. He ran through the garden. He knelt on the ground and hid inside the bush.

“No matter what, I can’t return home. I have to stay outside and head to that theme park at 8 am!” He didn’t have any related memory, but he felt this was very important. He already had the employment notice, so he only needed to wait until dawn. Han Fei rubbed himself into the soil.

“Han Fei!” The man’s voice echoed around him. He was afraid that Han Fei had left the neighborhood so he went to find the guards immediately. After the man left, Han Fei removed the doll helmet. He looked around to confirm the camera’s location. After he noticed he was on camera, he started to move.

The guards on duty were woken up. They worked with the man to look for Han Fei. Han Fei had a natural talent in hide-and-seek. He was almost discovered a few times. Han Fei was close to the finders. In fact, he could even hear the conversation between the guards.

“The crazy man from Building 4 is out again. Be careful!”

“This is just another trouble for us. Why haven’t they sent him to a mental hospital?”

“I hear he suffers from paranoia. He thinks the whole world wants to harm him. Since he has called the police too many times, he has already been blacklisted.”

“Are you serious?”

“He doesn’t even trust his parents. He thinks they’re trying to poison him. Don’t you think that’s ridiculous?”

“Stop wasting time! There have been disappearances in the old neighborhoods near the theme park. We can’t be too careful!”

The guards and the middle-aged man continued the search. However, Han Fei knew how to utilize the darkness better than them. The sky lightened. Han Fei knew he couldn’t hide there anymore. He jumped over the neighborhood wall, confirmed the theme park’s location, and then ran in his tatty doll costume. He had no memory. His only clue was the employment paper. ‘I can’t believe the memories others have of me. I need to find my own memory.’ Even though he had forgotten everything, Han Fei had that determination within him. He ran down the street in the lumpy costume. He finally arrived at the theme park around 7.30 am. The theme park hadn’t officially opened yet. Han Fei touched his pocket. He didn’t know what to do yet. He waited for a long time. The gate was still closed, but people were already lining up at the gate. Han Fei walked forward in his dirty and old costume. The people turned to look at him. The crowd’s gaze worried Han Fei. He moved to the front of the queue. He leaned on the ticket booth window and shouted for the two workers inside.

Han Fei took out the employment notice. He didn’t know what to explain. The worker checked the notice. It was official, but Han Fei’s action was strange. Who would run to the theme park in a broken costume in the early morning for work?

The two workers exchanged a glance and then called their superior. Five minutes later, a man with a goatee came to lead Han Fei into the theme park. At first, he was very passionate. But when he noticed the strangeness of Han Fei’s behavior, his expression changed. The theme park was about to open soon. The goatee didn’t dare to let Han Fei take any post. He gently directed Han Fei out of the theme park. He told the guard not to let Han Fei in anymore.

Holding the employment notice, Han Fei sat on the steps in his tattered costume. As the sun rose, more visitors arrived. Han Fei was afraid of the crowd. He hid inside the costume. He felt safe inside the costume.

Through the tall gates, the other costume actors had on pretty cartoon costumes. They were surrounded by happy adults and children. They shared presents and candies with the visitors. Han Fei stood outside the wall alone. He was afraid of crowds.

“There’s a single doll here. He’s so ugly!” A child said from behind him. Han Fei felt someone tap his helmet. His fear instinct triggered, and he nudged to the side. In this process, he bumped into the child who called him ugly. The child fell to the ground. The next second, he was pushed and collapsed too.

“How dare you hit my son?”

“Get the manager!”

The boy cried. His parents scolded Han Fei. The helmet got wet. Someone had splashed drinks on it. Han Fei retreated. The scolding grew louder. He wanted to escape, but there was nowhere to run. Someone smashed into the helmet. It hit Han Fei’s head.

“Your child bumped into him and you wanted to blame him?” A familiar voice warned. “I’ve recorded everything on my phone. Don’t push it!” The others joined in. The family finally walked away, grumbling.

Han Fei opened his eyes. He looked out through the gap.

A mother was walking over with a boy. The mother looked gentle. There was sadness in her eyes. Her son was more mature than kids his age.

“This doll is too sad. He didn’t dare to resist when bullied. I will work hard so that I won’t become someone like him.” The boy whispered. He didn’t want to get close the old, dirty doll.

The woman stopped and looked at her son.

“Why? Did I say something wrong?” The boy looked at his mother in confusion. “He’s in strange doll costume and bullied by children on the street. It’s so embarrassing.”

“You’ll see that life has many different facets as you grow up.” The woman didn’t scold her son. She knelt before him and kindly explained. “When Mummy was your age, I would think this age is shameful too.

“But when Mummy was your big brother’s age, I wouldn’t feel ashamed anymore. I only felt pity for them. I would help them whenever I could.

“When Mummy was your father’s age, I knew they are worth respecting. They are trying to earn their living through their own effort. No one should laugh or mock them.”

The woman then touched the boy’s head. “Do you understand, Fu Tian?”