My House of Horrors

The red number on the display was rather eye-catching. When 24 showed up, the elevator door opened. There were wet blood stains in the corridor and many more scratch marks on the walls. There was the smell of blood in the air like something horrible had just happened. Chen Ge removed the cleaver from his calf and hid it inside his sleeve.

“Let’s go in.”

Chen Ge did not turn back to look; based on the chill coming from behind him, he knew Zhang Ya was following. The corridor was silent, and he could hear every sound. When he was a third of the way down the corridor, Chen Ge heard the sound of sawing. He took several more steps forward and confirmed that the sound came out from the room Chen Ge had seen the birdman exit when he first arrived.

There were ten seats around the table. They probably represented the ten initial patients, and the birdman is responsible for the odd jobs. But what exactly is his role in the ghost stories society?

Chen Ge thought about it before shaking his head. There was no need to consider that. He was not there to get to know the society; he was there to ruin it. They’re both from three-star scenarios, so Zhang Ya should be able to hold her own against them.

Standing outside the room, Chen Ge peered through the door, and his brows involuntarily creased. The birdman was squatting in the corner with some tools in his hands. There was an old man lying before him, and a mask was lying to the side. Chen Ge had seen that mask before; new member No. 1 had worn it earlier.

“What are you doing?” Chen Ge blocked the door and suddenly spoke. The birdman jumped at the sudden intruder. The man did not turn around and spoke while facing away from Chen Ge. “Everyone has left; why are you still here?”

“Are you guys serving dinner? I just left for a while, and you’re already done?” Chen Ge had some regret. No matter the reason, the plan that night had to be changed.

“There was a small problem. One of them received a message from the chairperson, and they had to leave.” The birdman still had not turned around. His upper body seemed frozen. He kept his back to Chen Ge and his face to the old man on the floor.

“A message from the chairperson?” Chen Ge thought that the man was acting funny. He walked into the room. “Can you tell me where they have gone?”

“No idea.” The man paused before adding, “I suggest you stay away.”

“There’s only one elevator at the end of the corridor, and I did not leave the elevator. Is there another exit here?” Chen Ge managed to gain many clues from what the man said. Now that everyone had left, this birdman was his sole source of information.

“In the future, people will inform you about that, but now, please leave.” The birdman’s actions were stiff, like he purposely did not want to turn his face around. Chen Ge was not there to discuss things with him. After the birdman said so, he not only did not leave but moved deeper into the room.

“Why didn’t you follow them and leave then? Do you stay here?” Chen Ge kept his questions coming.

“I’m only responsible for cleaning and cooking.”

“Interesting.” Chen Ge had his suspicions regarding the birdman. He could stay at the 24th floor for as long as he wished, and he had access to everything. Could he be the chairperson? Perhaps the chairperson was not one of the other members.

Chen Ge wanted to prove that, but he knew that even if he asked directly, the birdman would not be honest with him. Therefore, he decided to go for the most direct method. Regardless of whether he was the chairperson or not, as long as he disappeared forever, he would not be the chairperson.

The birdman realized that Chen Ge coming close, and he raised his voice. “Newbie, no matter what you’ve done outside, now that you’re here, you’d better follow the rules of the ghost stories society.”

“The rules? But there’s only one rule, right? I only need to tell ghost stories. What are the other rules?” Since Chen Ge realized that this person was suspicious, he was not going to leave so easily.

“You’ll have to pay if you see things that you shouldn’t. Now that all the members have left, you and I are the only one left on this floor.” The birdman stood up, and at the same time, there was sound of water falling. Chen Ge looked at the bottom of the man’s body. His pants were drenched with blood, and the blood was sliding down his pants.

“I don’t understand what you’re trying to say. All the members have left; that should be bad news for you.” Chen Ge continued to move forward like he did not notice the blood on the birdman’s clothes.

“Is that so?” The birdman moved to the side to reveal the old man’s body. His face was carved in terror.

“Occasionally, there are newbies who mysteriously disappear, and everyone has gotten used to it.” He seemed to be talking to himself, but he wanted to let Chen Ge hear him as well. Then, the birdman turned around. Compared to the weird tools in his hands and his bloodied clothes, the point of attraction was his face.

He did not need a mask!

The man’s mouth protruded out of his face like a beak, and the blood vessels that were unique to the monsters behind the door swam across his cheeks. This man was not a human being!

“I’ve given you the chance, but you don’t want to appreciate it.” The birdman waved the tools in his hands to create a weird sound. “I’ve been meaning to do this since I first met you. Alas, there were too many people, but you came back on your own.”

Things were different from what Chen Ge thought; he had thought that he was talking to a human.

If I’d known, I wouldn’t have wasted so much time.

Chen Ge stared at the man’s face. If the monster behind the door wanted to survive outside the door, they needed to attach themselves to a living person. The monster that seemed to grow out of the man’s head should be a new monster that he had not seen before.

Their relationship should be similar to Xiong Qing and the thin monster. The monster behind the door grew on them, and the living human controlled them to a certain degree by satisfying the monsters’ desire.

All the real members of the ghost stories society will have monsters attached to them. This is rather difficult, especially if they have a Red Specter among them.

Chen Ge stood where he was, thinking about this problem. The birdman thought he was scared witless, and a cruel smile appeared on his face. He liked to see people struggle; it was the little enjoyment in life he allowed himself. It was because of that there were so many bloody scratch marks around the elevator.

He loved to yank people down into the depths of despair when they thought they saw hope.

“The ghost stories society is not a charity. If you wish to have salvation, you need to pay the price!”

The birdman rushed toward Chen Ge with his tools, his beak-like mouth calling shrilly.

Suddenly, his neck was strangled by black hair, lifting him off the ground. His legs kicked about out of desperation, and his face turned purple as the blood vessels dispersed.

“What is this‽”