“Are you a manager at that theme park?” Han Fei was excited. He had caught a big fish.
“To be precise, I was once one of the theme park’s managers.” The man said with a bitter smile, “About 10 years ago, I just graduated from school. I couldn’t find a job. With a relative’s help, I became the theme park’s nightshift worker. However, I soon realized that relative had died a long time ago.”
“Are you telling me a horror story?” Han Fei tensed. He hadn’t fully trusted this man.
“Technically, you had saved my daughter’s life, so I’m sharing these stories with you.” The man studied Han Fei. He hesitated and said, “Mr. Fugitive, I have no malice towards you, and I can guess why you have killed. You and your female friends have participated in that killing game, right?”
“You know quite a bit.” Han Fei didn’t expect to be so famous overnight.
“But you look so weak. I don’t believe you’d collected 100 points.” Han Fei was straightforward.
The man chuckled. “I haven’t seen anyone collect 100 points either.”
“Then how did you clear the game?”
“You don’t need to, and you don’t need to collect 100 points. You only need to kill all the other players and become the last survivor to enter the deepest part of the theme park. Then, you’d be the manager.” The man’s face was filled with regret, “That was the biggest mistake I’ve done in my life.”
Han Fei couldn’t sense any blood from the man. He was just like a common man. “You said you were one of the managers, right? How many managers does the theme park have?”
“The number of managers is fixed. There will always be five. When a position is empty, the other managers will hold the game to find the new manager.”
“Five?” Han Fei’s eyes darkened. He thought the theme park only had one manager. “Then, do you know who those five managers are?”
“They don’t have actual names but only codenames. One of them is called Human, responsible for the theme park during the day; the second is called Ghost, responsible for the theme park at night; the third is called Dream, responsible for the Ferris wheel and children’s castle; the fourth is called Brain, responsible for the maze deep inside the theme park; the last is called Me, responsible for all the entertainment amenities inside the theme park.”
“Those are some strange names. Who were you in the past?” Han Fei studied the man, paying close attention to his expression.
“Can you see the maze tattoo on my body? I inherited the maze’s managerial position from my relative. I was a Brain.” The man touched the wound on his skin. He was crazy to use this method to cover up the map.
“Who is the most powerful among the managers? Do you know their power?” Han Fei asked.
The man shook his head. “I have forgotten many things. Of all the managers, Dream’s power is the strangest. They like to hide inside a black cocoon; Brain’s power is the weakest. They have no fighting capability, but they are the most crucial. They are the key and the answer; Ghost is the strongest who can stun the night; Me is the most mysterious. You’d rarely see them at the theme park, but their trace is everywhere. Lastly, I have to tell you, of the five managers, Human is the most terrifying. They are scarier than Ghost.”
“Then, who do you think is the one messaging your daughter?” Han Fei had no confidence he could take on all five of them. He decided to focus on one first.
“It should be Dream. They are very good at toying with the human heart. Human emotions are their weapon. As long as you show a bit of weakness, they will drag you into despair and make you lose yourself.” The man said confidently.
“Why would they do this?”
“Dream is probably coming after me. They do things without thinking about the consequences. They will do anything to achieve their goal. As long as their dirty deeds are not exposed, they don’t believe those things count. They treat humans and ghosts as toys. They are antagonized by the other four managers. Ghost wants to kill all the ghosts and completely destroy the night; Human plans to completely separate reality from the ghosts.” The man tried his best to think, but he only shook his head. “I’m sorry. That was everything I could remember. A Brain who can’t remember anything is useless.”
The man sighed.
“I suspect you’re hinting at something else.” Han Fei massaged his temples and considered the man’s words. The theme park was the microcosm of the city, and the managers represented five different futures.
“Should I join one of them or kill all of them?” While Han Fei mumbled to himself, the man stood up and walked to Yan Yue’s bedroom. He was worried about his daughter. “Yan Yue, I need to talk with you.”
“Only Mom loves me! It’s fine if you don’t want to help me because someone else will! Those who have once bullied me will die in the most horrible way!” Yan Yue locked herself up in her room. She shouted, “I will make everyone suffer my tragedy!”
Once she said that a sudden shrill cry came from upstairs. There was a woman crying for help. The woman’s voice sounded very young. She was about Yan Yue’s age.
“Haha! It has arrived! Since you won’t help me, someone else would!” Yan Yue’s laughter became twisted. Her father’s face darkened. He left Yan Yue and hurried to run upstairs.
…
They arrived at Room 405 on the fifth floor of building four.
“When you see this tape, I’m probably dead already. Really, I’m not kidding.
“My mother is acting stranger and stranger. She would argue with the air for no reason, saying things that no one could understand. She would sit up in bed in the middle of the night to stare at the corner of the living room silently.
“When it was very silent, she would laugh at the empty room.
“Unusual expressions would appear on her face. That night, I went to use the toilet, and I discovered her standing in the middle of the living room in white.
“I asked her what she was doing. She told me there was someone inside the toilet.
“Mother lacked security in the day. She added two more locks to the front door. She kept saying she could hear knocking and kept running to the peephole to look. She would often describe to me what was standing outside the door.
“One time, I was too curious. I went to open the door. There was nothing outside. Those things only existed in her mind.
“All of the above started when she received that call. A strange man with a black profile contacted her through someone. I have no idea what they talked about, but I felt like my mother was slowly moving away from me.
“She stopped trusting me. She was brainwashed by that man.
“They started to think I was sick and fed me strange pills. But the one who is sick is my mother, not me.
“I need to record all these. I need for you to know the truth…”
A female student knelt before the camera. She was very nervous. When she was recording, she kept paying attention to the footsteps. After she made sure her mother’s footsteps had receded, she only dared to continue, “I believe I have been kept captive. Mother no longer allows me to leave this house. Some kind of drugs is mixed into the food she made me. I would be sleepy after I had the meal. The scariest thing was after I fell asleep, I would feel like something had joined me in bed.
“No matter who you are, if you can find this tape, you have to help me. I’m living at Theme Park Family Housing Facility’s Room 405. My name is…”
The doorknob turned. The bedroom door opened. A middle-aged woman in heavy make-up asked, “What are you doing?”
“The camera is rather dirty. I was cleaning it.” The female student responded.
“It’s time for dinner.” The woman ordered the girl out of the room. They sat beside the dining table. The house with only two women looked rather empty but the two occupants seemed to be used to it already.
“We have a guest. You better start acting normal. Don’t blame me if you can’t get married.” The woman put on a red dress for the occasion. It was fresh as blood. The female student played with her hair. She didn’t dare to look at her mother. She hadn’t even done anything but she was already berated by her mother. “Don’t let the guest think that we’re uncultured.”
The sun was setting. The mother and daughter sat at the dining table until the last ray was swallowed by night.
The silent middle-aged woman stood up without warning. She turned to the front door. “Coming.” She opened the door, and there was no one outside. However, the woman’s face brimmed with smiles. “I’ve been waiting so long for this day.” She spoke to the empty corridor. About five seconds later, she closed the door. The middle-aged woman grabbed the chains and the two new locks and sealed up the front door. The rusted chain grated. The female student felt very afraid. Her lowered head moved toward the door and saw that her mother was looking at her from the corner of her eyes. The face hidden in the shadow was so unfamiliar. The mother’s eyes popped with blood. She was afraid of her daughter's escape. The girl’s neck rose with goosebumps. She pretended not to see this and turned back to her soup. “I definitely can’t fall asleep tonight…”
After locking the door, the woman in red walked back to her seat. She didn’t even pay attention to the girl but focused on an empty seat. There were only two people, but there were three sets of table settings.
“Why aren’t you eating? Is the food not suitable for your appetite?” The mother’s voice became so gentle.
“My stomach doesn’t feel so well, so…” The student raised her head and the rest of the sentence stuck in her throat. Her mother wasn’t even talking to her. She was staring at the empty seat with a strange smile.
Taking in a cold breath, the girl stood up. “I’m full.”
The middle-aged woman was so happy chatting that she didn’t even notice her daughter. The girl ran back to her bedroom and closed the door.
“Mother’s illness appears to have worsened today.” She leaned on the door. The mother was sitting alone in the living room, chatting with air. “Is my cooking suitable for you? Do you think there’s enough meat? I didn’t leave the house much lately, so this is all I have. Forgive me.”
“A big piece of meat? That’s right. There is a big piece of meat inside the bedroom. Thank you for reminding me.”
“Yes. I’m not in a hurry. It’s enough to last me for days.”
“Many people thought I was pretty when I was young. But I am old now. My beauty, health, and happiness have all been sucked away by her.”
“I’ll have to trouble you about my girl. She keeps saying that I’m sick. She doesn’t want to cooperate with me. It’s very troublesome.”
“Do you want to start the treatment tonight? Thank you so much. But I haven’t found everything you want me to. The dead body of a three-day-old baby and the bracelet with the thickest Yin energy inside the morgue is too hard to find.”
“You have found the replacement? I have to thank you again. I will never forget your kindness.”
“Okay. I’ll go after she falls asleep. We’ll do everything you say.”
The woman kept talking to herself. The tone was normal, but the content was horrifying. The student staggered backward. She had no idea what kind of treatment would use a baby’s body and a chain from the morgue.
“Mother is tricked by that thing!” The more she thought about it, the more fearful she became. She ran back to her bed. She opened the camera when she saw the picture frame on the bedside table. In the picture, she stood with her mom, holding the trophy. Both of them looked so happy. Other than this trophy, there were other prizes the girl had won in the bedroom. They were from singing competitions, swimming competitions, writing competitions, and so on. She was a very clever child, and she was pretty too. “We used to be so happy. Why would mother suddenly change?”
The student didn’t get it. She picked up the frame and looked at the picture. “Could it be related to her?” The picture captured half the face of the girl who got second place. She lived downstairs. She was a quiet girl.
“I heard from my friends that Yan Yue often talks to herself. My friends also discovered her cursing me in the school bathroom. I haven’t done anything to harm her, so why would she curse me for suffering the same as she did?” The student shook her head. “I’m probably overthinking this.”
The student started the recording again. But at that moment, all the lights went out. The sudden descent of darkness froze the girl. “What’s going on?” The girl slowly moved towards the bedroom door. The first she needed to do was to ensure it remained close. Her eyes needed some time to adjust to the darkness. When she was close to the door, she heard the door open.
“Not good!” She rushed towards the sound as fast as she could. She finally reached the door. Her body reacted faster than her mind. She closed the door instantly. She leaned against the door. Her heart palpitated.
“Why would the electricity suddenly go out? Why has Mother’s voice gone missing? I closed the door as fast as I could. There shouldn’t be something else in here with me, right?” The more she thought about it, the more fearful she became. The girl used her body to block the door. She sat in the dark, and she didn’t dare to breathe too loudly. About 10 seconds later, the girl’s eyes finally got used to the dark. She put her ears to the door to listen to the sound from outside. There was no sound at all from the living room. The girl slowly climbed up to grab the doorknob.
However, her body froze because she felt another hand on the doorknob. She slowly turned around. Her mother in the blood-red dress was standing behind her. Her face was exceptionally close.
“Where are you going?”
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2 comments:
thank you for the chapter, Lonelytree!
I'd just pass man
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