Chapter 12: The Silence Around
This novel is translated and hosted on bcatranslation
The sports field lay just a stone’s throw away from the imposing school structure. Usually bathed in powerful floodlights, it was now swallowed by an intimidating darkness as all the lights had been extinguished. Its haunting dimness projected an eerie, oppressive atmosphere that hovered heavily in the air. Yet, compared to the overwhelming, all-consuming abyss inside the main building, the intimidating aura of the sports field was somehow more bearable.
Upon finally escaping to this spot, the terror that had taken hold of the students’ hearts began to subside slightly. Nevertheless, the panic-stricken group found themselves unable to stand, weakened and breathless, their bodies slumped onto the grass. This state wasn’t a reflection of their physical endurance, rather the emotional and mental exhaustion of being entrapped in the educational structure, fleeing from an unknown threat that had completely sapped their vitality.
“The inside… it’s terrifying. I was so close to that infant creature when it attached itself to Coral’s shoulder. I swear it was staring directly at me when it crawled towards us,” admitted a male student, his voice still trembling with residual fear.
“That baby, it has to be a ghost. This whole place, it’s swarming with ghosts. We’re doomed!” A visibly shaken female student, her face ghostly pale, was on the verge of losing her sanity as she vocalized her terror.
Suddenly, Grace, another student, voiced a fresh concern. “Wait, we saw that ghost grab Coral, but why is Miles also gone?” Her query drew attention to the absence of their fellow classmate.
Grace, who shared a desk with Miles and had known him since their junior high days, had an innate tendency to keep an extra eye on him compared to the others.
William, another student, glanced around, indeed confirming Miles’s absence. Overcome with sorrow, he brushed the corner of his eye, “Miles sacrificed himself for our safety, that I’ll never forget. I’ll honor his memory annually, and should his family hold a funeral, I pledge to contribute more to guarantee a respectful farewell. He was a decent, honorable man.”
Grace, don’t get too disheartened. We can’t resurrect the dead. Let’s all take a brief rest here. I’ll go back and confirm if Miles has indeed perished. If that’s the case, we can strategize our escape plan,” William declared, steeling his nerve to venture back despite the grim prospect.
“William, after listening to your statement, I can definitively say our friendship is nothing more than a shallow illusion. If danger threatens us again, don’t count on me to rescue you. You’ll be left to your own devices,” an unexpected voice retorted from behind the group.
To their amazement, it was Miles, appearing somewhat battered but alive while supporting Coral.
“Miles, you’re safe!” exclaimed Grace, her voice laced with relief and joy.
Seeing Coral and Miles, bruised but unharmed, rekindled a spark of hope in the group. It was the first piece of good news they had received that day after losing too many classmates already.
“Just barely made it,” Miles nodded, acknowledging his narrow escape.
Feeling a rush of excitement, William quickly retorted, “Miles, I was confident you’d come out alright. My previous words were just idle chatter, not meant to be taken seriously. You can’t just abandon me, my life is quite literally depending on you.”
“I’m not one to play the hero for other men. I prefer rescuing damsels in distress. At least they can reciprocate the favor either in more intimate ways or help me out with homework. What good comes from saving a fellow man? To fetch a dropped soap bar?” Miles shot back, his words dripping with sarcasm.
At this, Coral’s cheeks flushed a soft pink, her eyes twinkling with a shy glint.
“Don’t be so cold-hearted, Miles. I’ve shared my entire collection of adult content with you, holding back nothing. We’re comrades and should watch each other’s backs, particularly since we’ve weathered such adversity together. But wait, something’s amiss here!” William suddenly grew serious, “Under the circumstances, how exactly did you and Coral manage to escape?” His gaze fixed on Miles, a thread of suspicion seeping into his expression.
“It’s plain and simple, I landed a punch on that eerie kid and hustled Coral out of there. What else could have happened?” Miles retorted, keeping his reply brief.
Looking even more grave, William responded, “Bro, that building is infested with ghosts. I can believe tales of Wu Song combating a tiger, but you facing off against a ghost? That’s stretching it a bit too far! Now, I’m genuinely questioning if you’re actually Miles. You could just be a ghost attempting to infiltrate our group, scheming to lead us all to our doom. It’s a classic horror movie plot.”
His words incited fear among the already edgy group, causing them to shift their anxious gazes towards Miles as if he might indeed be a ghostly entity.
“Can’t you maintain a normal train of thought for once? You’re constantly suspecting everyone around you of being a ghost. Had you truly encountered one, you would’ve been long gone by now and definitely wouldn’t be standing here chattering away,” Miles retorted.
“My phone’s battery is dead. Does anyone know what time it is?”
“My watch appears to have stopped functioning. It’s stuck at four in the morning,” Grace remarked, looking puzzled at her cartoon-themed wristwatch.
“Strange, my phone displays it’s past five in the morning, but just a few moments ago it was only half-past eight.”
“When did so much time elapse?”
That was the moment everyone realized something was amiss with the passage of time.
Miles threw a glance back at the ominously dark school building looming in the distance and mused, “The time isn’t our primary concern right now. What worries me more is why there hasn’t been any response from outside the school, despite such a significant incident unfolding here.”
“I had called the police earlier.”
“I even tried reaching out to my mom.”
Everyone’s efforts to contact the outside world seemed to have fallen on deaf ears, further escalating their unease.
The surroundings were unnervingly silent. Typically, at this hour, the bustling sounds of traffic from outside the school would permeate the atmosphere, but now, there was a striking absence of any auditory cues. Not a single vehicle’s lights were discernible.
Miles lifted his gaze towards the sky. It was pitch-black, devoid of any luminescence as if enshrouded by an oppressive blanket of despair. The absence of the usual celestial glow from the moon and stars seemed abnormal.
“What’s happening, Miles?” William questioned, his voice laced with apprehension as fear gripped him once more.
“We’ve been trapped within a ghost domain this entire time,” Miles began, his expression turning gravely serious, “We never actually escaped it. The ghost domain isn’t confined to the school building, it extends to include the sports field, and perhaps even beyond. The school structure was likely at the core of this ghost domain, and we might have managed to make it to its periphery, or it’s also possible… the ghostly entity is mobile, and its domain shifts in tandem with its movement. However, since we haven’t encountered the elderly ghost in any direction, we haven’t been heavily impacted.”
“But, I suspect that this ghost domain is a peculiar, isolated space. Irrespective of whether we’re at its center, edge, or the extent of our entanglement, the challenge of escaping it remains constant. The distance from its core doesn’t seem to be the key to breaking free from this realm. To put it simply, we’re essentially trapped like birds in a mobile cage. The cage is shifting, forcing its captive occupants to move along, yet we remain oblivious to the motion.”
“So, what’s our next move?” Coral interjected, her voice quivering slightly. Her hand clung onto Miles’s arm, her body unconsciously pressing against his as if she had already entrusted him with her safety.
The terrifying incident at the staircase was something she was desperate never to relive.
The other students turned towards Miles, their faces a mix of trepidation and anticipation, silently praying he would devise a plan to guide them out of this cursed place once and for all.
Miles stayed silent, his fingers tracing the closed eyes tattooed on the back of his hand.
There seemed to be only one way out of this nightmare: to continue harnessing the power of the malevolent ghost.
However, Right had warned him: every time the malicious ghost’s power is utilized, the ghostly entity within him gains a bit more life force, inching him closer to his demise. It was akin to ingesting a potent poison.
“No wonder Right said becoming a ghost tamer isn’t just about helping others, but also a means of self-preservation. Sometimes, it’s not just about rescuing others, you have to save yourself when dealing with a vindictive ghost,” Miles pondered.
“But, before I confront that, there are certain unresolved issues, personal scores to be settled. If not, I won’t rest in peace.”
Having made his decision, Miles asked, “Does anyone here have Jing’s contact saved on their phone? Can I use it? If my hunch is right, he’s likely trapped here, just like us.”