“Follow our plan. Everyone, take their places.” F used the black blade to cut through the vines. He grabbed Worm by his shoulder and used him as a shield. “Scout is missing. Without his talent, I can’t tell the location of the ghost for sure.” Worm tried to shrink back. He liked to self-mutilate, but he didn’t want to die.
“Don’t worry. Just follow the original plan.” F and Thousand Nights kicked down the briar-covered door. The tenth floor had mutated to a completely different state. The carpet was sewn with patches of cat skin. Most of the cats were still alive. They winked from time to time. The briars on the wall looked like centipedes. The foundation of the walls was littered with shattered pots. The walls were no longer cement but giant children.
This sinful room was chilly. The couple used children to earn their money to buy the house and now the children used their own method to support this house.
“Is this humanity in the ghost’s eyes?”
“Perhaps we’re really in hell. I haven’t even seen something like this even in my nightmare. This is madness.”
The four rooms on the 10th floor were connected together. The room was quiet and macabre.
“Go in.” F, Thousand Nights, and Worm entered the room on the left. They stepped on the cat skin rug. It felt like they had entered a swamp. He’d sink if they took the wrong step.
“Be careful. There’s another space under the cat's skin.”
“The children are cats. If you’re wrapped in the cat skin, you’ll be forever trapped in darkness.” F knew the deeper meaning of everything, but he didn’t share all of his knowledge. The three worked together to carve out a safe passage. The other players followed behind them. Everyone moved past the giant children. Of the whole tenth floor, only one bedroom was different from the other rooms.
The bedroom was covered in various colorful paintings. There was a giant painted window inside the dresser. Outside the window was an amazing view. The room was like a bubble under the sun. It was colorful and fragile. It was surreally beautiful. It was just like a children’s dream. Opening the dresser revealed a staircase that led upstairs. The stairs would lead to the rooftop and away from this depressing home.
“The bedroom in real life won’t have these things. So this room and the things we’re about to see might just be a wishful imagination of the ghost. They are illusions. Do not be tricked by them.” F became alerted. He was used to seeing things from different perspectives.
“Understood.” Thousand Nights touched the stairs. It was scattered with flower petals. They smelled heavenly, completely different from the horrible smell of medicine in the house. He pushed the petals away. A message was written on the steps—Even the most despairing person will have a theme park in his heart. Welcome to my small theme park, my secret garden. I hope you’ll like it here.
The players moved up the stairs. Only Han Fei stood beside the dresser. He stared at the window. Compared to the bedroom’s actual windows, he felt this painted window looked more real.
“The scenery outside is really beautiful. Unfortunately, no one can leave.” Han Fei saw the message on the stairs. His heart trembled, “Is there a theme park in my heart too? Are all my missing secrets there?”
Urged by the other players, Han Fei came to the rooftop. The air became cleaner. The smell of decay and disinfectant was gone. However, there was a faint scent of blood. No. 11’s building rooftop had been made into a theme park. The floor was filled with red flowers and toys. There were see-saws, swings, and slides. Who would have thought a place like this would be hidden at the top of an old building. Blood enveloped the neighborhood. All the buildings appeared to be covered in a layer of red mist. The small theme park was out of place here.
“They are over there!” Worm screamed while pointing at the corner. The monster couple placed Scout into a large grindstone. They appeared to be the gardener here. They planned to turn Scout into fertilizer.
“The gardener has stolen the flowers from the garden…” F narrowed his eyes. He shared a look with Thousand Nights. They charged at the monster couple from both sides. “The rest, be careful!”
Actually, F didn’t want to make his move so soon, but if he didn’t, Scout would be killed. The husband growled. He worked with his wife to tear at Scout’s body. The red grindstone moved. Scout’s fingers were about to be crushed.
“Move!” Thousand Nights exploded in speed. He appeared to have achieved the second occupational update. His stamina was higher than normal players. He didn’t hold back to save his teammate. Compared to Thousand Nights, F slowed down. He could sense the danger.
“The pair has more than enough time to kill Scout, but they didn’t. This is a trap. They are purposely luring us there.” Han Fei whispered. He believed F was thinking the same way. When Thousand Nights was beside the grindstone, children’s silvery laughter came from the rooftop’s carpet of flowers. The flowers bloomed. They looked like children's faces. The red wind made the flowers dance. The flowers fluttered, and an enormous and ugly monster climbed out. Its heart was exposed on the outside. It was carved with 22 names. There were patches of injured wounds on its skin. They were written with prayers. The giant mouth dripped with horrible-smelling saliva. The monster’s face was too twisted to tell what it was. The sea of flowers was torn apart. The monster’s twenty-two arms reached out from below. Each arm held something. Some held toys, others pills.
“Retreat! Now!”
The monster was much bigger than the players anticipated. The twenty-two arms were covered in blood. It rampaged on the rooftop. Everything near it was torn apart.
“Isn’t this supposed to be a theme park? Why is there such a monster here?” Worm retreated with the other players. Han Fei, who was in the middle of the group, was dragged to the back by Lee Guo Er. They stopped close to the door.
“Is this the ghost we need to capture?”
Something didn’t feel right for Han Fei. His fear of death didn’t come from this monster. He was not afraid of this monster!
‘The real ghost hasn’t appeared yet!’ Just as he had that thought, an unfamiliar voice echoed in Han Fei’s eyes.
“It is not a ghost. It is the bliss wanted by the ghost.”
When the voice spoke, the fear within Han Fei reached its peak. He didn’t even dare to turn around.
“The bliss in my eyes is a monster that will kill without remorse, the love of my twenty-two parents. What about you? What does your bliss look like?”
Han Fei pressed his chest. He turned around when he almost couldn’t breathe anymore.
A figure stood at the back of the group. He exposed half of his ruined face.
He covered his destroyed face with clown makeup. He wanted to use bright colors to distract from his facial disfigurement.
The human head balloons flew out of the entrance. The figure slowly spoke. “Mothers and Fathers are painted on the balloons. They are afraid. They don’t dare to sleep too soundly at night, to stay at home alone, and show their backs to me.”
1 comment:
Is the painter somehow involved in this? It mentioned painted windows again. I really wonder who he is, definitely isn't a simple character.
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