My House of Horrors

“Inspector Lee, I’ve found one of the suspects from the mental hospital. She’s currently hiding in Xin Kang Apartments.” Chen Ge told Inspector Lee the physical features of the woman.

“Are you mistaken? The woman you described sounds completely different from the person we’re looking for. Furthermore, she shouldn’t have the ability to detain someone.”

“Her information matches Patient No. 2 from the third sick hall very well. She might have a partner. In any case, I’m fifty percent sure of my suspicion.” Chen Ge was afraid that the driver might overhear him and arouse unnecessary misunderstanding, so he kept his voice low.

“Okay, I’ll personally take a look.” After getting Inspector Lee’s reply, Chen Ge ended the call and returned to Fang Hwa Apartments. He entered through the backdoor and made sure to avoid the cameras.

The drunkard in the elevator saw the white shadow several months ago, and it ran without sound. That thing has to be a ghost. There’s a ghost living in the building, but for the past few years, there have not been any injury report at Fang Hwa Apartments. Are people purposely hiding the information, or is something else going on here?

After sneaking into the third building, Chen Ge moved the cleaver to a spot where he could reach it easily. If there was a nasty surprise, he would be able to pull the cleaver out at first notice. He climbed up the stairs and used half an hour to familiarize himself with the layout of the building. There’s no basement, so only 23 floors in total. Why does the elevator have twenty-four numbers?

This was a question that Chen Ge did not understand. However, due to the warning from Wang Xin’s mother, he did not dare take the elevator. After a few more turns, Chen Ge returned to the 13th floor. With Inspector Lee watching, he did not need to worry about Xin Kang Apartments. His responsibility was to stay put and watch over Room 3.

If it really is Patient No. 2 staying in Room 3133, the white shadow is probably the thing that possessed Patient No. 2.

If the creatures inside the door wanted to survive outside the door, they needed to possess a living person. Their relationship was quite symbiotic. The corridor was very quiet because most of the tenants of this floor had already moved away.

I wonder if I can run into the white shadow tonight.

He looked down the corridor and saw one of the doors open. The light from inside the room filtered out into the corridor.

Someone’s home? Chen Ge walked toward the door, and the closer he got, the weirder he felt. Wait, isn’t this Room 3133?

The paper that was pasted to the door had been taken down, and it had been crumbled up and tossed to the floor. Chen Ge glanced into the room. The floor was tiled, and there was little furniture. There was a curtain that sat in the living room to split it into two.

The owner has returned? After Chen Ge left Xin Kang Apartments, he had taken thirty minutes to tour around the building, so this was entirely possible. He waited by the door, and two minutes passed, but there was still no sound coming from inside the room.

Chen Ge pulled the cleaver out from his backpack and silently pushed the door open. He snuck into the room and pushed the door back to its original angle. He made sure he did not leave any footprints before entering the room.

The room was tiny, and two anomalies caught Chen Ge’s attention. There was a very large bathtub in the bathroom, and other than a fridge, there was a locked freezer in the kitchen.

Is it hiding a body?

There was no other logical explanation than this. All the doors in the room were open. After exiting the kitchen, Chen Ge entered the bedroom. There were several dark coats hanging in the closet, and on top of the closet was a large black leather suitcase. The case looked old, and just as Chen Ge stood on his tiptoe to pull the case down, there was clicking of high heels coming from the outside corridor.

He looked around and carried his backpack to hide inside the closet. If I’m discovered, it’s over.

Chen Ge looked through the open slit of the closet. The front door was pushed open, and a man and woman stood outside of the door. The man walked in front, holding a police baton. He was wearing the security’s outfit and looked to be in his twenties.

“You really saw the white shadow?”

“Yes, around half an hour ago. When I was opening the door, a flash of white appeared from the elevator! I was so scared; I didn’t think to close my door and dashed into the stairwell to save my life.”

The woman who trailed behind wore a pair of red high heels. She was very fashionable. Her frame was on the slighter side, and she had a head of luscious black hair. Chen Ge could not see her face clearly because she was wearing a mask.

Chen Ge had seen them both tonight. The male was Gu Feiyu, the new night guard, and the female was the woman who had taken the elevator from the 13th floor and run in a hurry to the underground parking lot.

“Stay here, I’ll go to the elevator to take a look.” Gu Feiyu was not only straightforward, he was very brave as well.

“Don’t leave me here alone…” The woman pulled on Gu Feiyu’s uniform.

“I won’t go too far.” Gu Feiyu did not care about the woman’s feelings. He grabbed his baton and flashlight as he ran to the elevator. He inspected the corners seriously but did not find any trace of the white shadow.

“Did you see wrongly?”

“Impossible.” The woman’s voice was trembling. “Do you think that thing has entered my home?”

She stood behind Gu Feiyu, watching her own home, but did not dare step forward.

“According to the captain, this place is haunted. If you’re that afraid, you should consider moving out,” Gu Feiyu said what was on his mind without filter. “The earlier tenant was a mad woman, so you might have been cheated when you bought this place.”

“It wasn’t me who bought this place. The mad woman you mentioned is my big sister. After her disappearance, this apartment got transferred to my name.” When the woman mentioned her sister, her expression fell. “All of you say that she’s mad, but she’s the person who treated me with the most kindness in this world.”

The woman walked into the room. The sound her high heels made against the tiles was very crisp. “Don’t just stand out there. If you keep the door open, something might slip in.”

“It’s okay. I still need to return to my patrol.”

“Please come in and help me find the white shadow. You can leave after we make sure it’s not here.” The woman dragged Gu Feiyu into the room and closed the front door.

“Okay…”

Gu Feiyu walked through the living room to the balcony while the woman turned into the bedroom. Chen Ge held his breath as the woman got near. If she opened the closet door now, she would get a ‘surprise’ that she would never forget.

After closing the bedroom door, the woman walked to the make-up table and removed her mask in front of the mirror. She pulled out many cans and bottles from the drawer and started to touch-up her make-up. When she was done, she slipped a small plastic canister into her pocket and left.

“I’ve checked the bedroom; the white shadow is not in there.”

When the woman turned, Chen Ge caught a glimpse of her face. Her skin was pale, and she looked very familiar.