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Arc 1: University Thriller

Chapter 3: Elevator

After waiting for a long time outside, Lin Xiao Yan was unable to bear it and asked, "Su Min, when you went in…did it move?"

Su Min felt the coldness on his back disappeared.

He rubbed his face, returned back to a calm and collected state, and left the bathroom. He replied, "Yes." —But the movement was weird.

When she looked up for the last time, the expression on Liu Lili's corpse was clearly one of horror. However, there were not many things in this world that could scare a corpse.

Su Min suspected that it was due to that ghost.

The way Liu Lili drowned in the bathroom was truly awful and made one choke.

It was not to say that it was too much, it was just simply too rare. Moreover, the position she died in was even more strange.

Lin Xiao Yan tensely said, "It's better to wait for the police to come, okay?"

Su Min looked at Lin Xiao Yan's pale face and bloodless lips. She seemed to be scared out of her mind.

Is it really alright for the female protagonist of a horror movie to already be this scared?

Su Min asked, "Was anybody in the bathroom when Liu Lili died?"

The three girls shook their heads.

They were all sleeping in bed. How could they be together with Liu Lili when she went to the bathroom? If it weren't for Lin Xiao Yan discovering her body, they feared that they would not be in the know until morning.

Su Min hesitated, "Her body looked as if it was forced underwater."

It was impossible for normal people to die in the bathtub like this.

But, this was a horror movie. If a ghost was in the bathroom the moment she died, everything would make sense.

Lin Xiao Yan's complexion became even whiter.

n.o.body knew what to say.

The sirens of the police cars could already be heard, and several officers came in moments after.

They paused for a split second when they saw Su Min.

Although Su Min and the rest arrived after the crime was committed, they were still brought in for questioning. After a series of standard questions, they were immediately released.

Su Min wasn't as afraid as the others. In any case, if worse comes worse, he could just choose to leave the film.

Much later, the sun peaked out to signify the wee hours of the morning. Even with the death of a student, cla.s.ses still proceeded as normal.

When he woke up from his sleep, it was already 10 o' clock. Su Min quickly changed out of his nightgown right away. He originally planned to throw it away but after a moment of thought, he chose to place the nightgown on the bed and just let it be.

He was a little hesitant as he approached the bathroom.

Last night, there was a perverted ghost who groped his b.u.t.t. Perhaps they were currently crouching somewhere nearby, waiting for him to walk into a trap.

But in the end, his face still needed to get washed. Besides, it was now broad daylight. The suns.h.i.+ne illuminated everywhere, a far cry from the scene last night.

He walked inside and saw that the candle, apple, and peel were already thrown into the trash can.

Thanks to the roommate who tidied things up.

As he smeared toothpaste on his toothbrush, Su Min was a little diffident. Hesitantly, he looked up at the mirror and began to brush his teeth.

It was his habit to look into the mirror while he brushes his teeth. Today, however, one look made him think back to last night when he and that ghost were staring into the mirror together.

When he looked down again, the water running down the faucet changed into blood.

Su Min, "…"

This was a horror movie, alright.

In a blink of an eye, the blood turned back into regular tap water. He relaxed, recollected himself, and rinsed his mouth.

As if what he just saw was an illusion, no more strange incidents happened in the bathroom.

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After was.h.i.+ng up, the roommates went to the cafeteria together.

Exiting the dorms, Su Min saw a police car parked outside. A police cordon was pulled across the doors of the female dormitory.

It would be busy for some time, he thought.

Su Min withdrew his line of sight. Along the way to the dining hall, he heard discussions pertaining to Liu Lili's death. Even the school's group uploaded several photos of the scene.

n.o.body knew that a supernatural phenomenon had already been born in the school.

The name University Thriller wasn't just for show.

Suddenly, Su Min remembered the other roommate and asked, "The guy that went out yesterday, why isn't he back yet?"

Lin Yiri answered, "There was an accident at home and he had to go back. It'll be a long time before he returns."

Su Min didn't ask again.

They arrived in cla.s.s and saw Lin Xiao Yan.

The blows she received were not small. Her whole body looked haggard but as the heroine, her attractiveness was still high. All the male students were enquiring solicitously about her well-being.

Lin Xiao Yan's eyes lit up when she saw the two of them, and she came over.

The three sat together.

Lin Xiao Yan whispered, "I bought an amulet outside. Do you want to wear one, too?"

She couldn't get the memory of the corpse out of her mind.

Lin Yiri asked for one, but Su Min didn't.

If an amulet was useful, this movie wouldn't be able to go on.

Their major was English. During the 45 minutes of cla.s.s, the professor spoke with his spit flying while the students zoned out.

After the dismissal bell rang, the professor said, "To the students who have not turned in the last homework, bring it to my office as soon as possible. Else, you can say goodbye to your final grade."

The students all scattered out of the cla.s.sroom.

Lin Yiri uncharacteristically exclaimed, "I forgot to bring the homework today. Su Min, you also forgot. It's important so let's turn it in."

"I also didn't bring it," Lin Xiao Yan said, "Wait, come back with me and then we'll turn it in together."

She was afraid and didn't dare to return to the dorms alone.

Su Min and Lin Yiri trailed after her to the dormitory. They watched as she sprinted inside and ran out in a matter of seconds.

After she returned, she tidied up her messed up hair. "Let's go."

They had not walked far when a schoolboy suddenly stopped them. "Su Min, there's something I have to ask you."

Su Min had no recollection of this person.

Lin Xiao Yan and Lin Yiri said, "We'll go on ahead. Take care of this first."

The two of them left, and the boy took out his cellphone. "Su Min, the person wearing this nightgown last night…"

Su Min, "It wasn't me!"

The boy, "…I haven't asked yet."

Su Min ignored him. "I still have to hand in my homework. I can't talk to you, bye."

The matter of the women's clothing could never be admitted. Regardless of the boy's expression, Su Min didn't care and was gone after a long stride.

As he approached the office building, Su Min sent a WeChat, "I'm here. Where are you guys?"

Lin Yiti sent a reply moments later, "We've already entered the elevator. Wait for the next."

Was the school so wealthy that it had its own elevator?

Su Min's previous school had only had stairs, and they had toilets but no bathrooms. So to speak, they were really poor.

Only after he came into this horror movie did he realized schools like this existed in the world.

The entire office building itself had seven floors.

When Su Min arrived, the elevator had just closed. He caught a glimpse of Lin Yiri and Lan Xiao Yan waving at him.

In the elevator.

Lin Xiao Yan said, "If we waited a minute longer, Su Min would've made it."

Lin Yiri waved his hand, "We'd still have to wait anyway. Besides, Su Min won't get angry."

As his roommate, he understood Su Min's temperament the most.

The moment he said that the elevator abruptly shook.

Lin Xiao Yan cried, "What's happening? Is the elevator broken?"

Her voice just fell when the shaking stopped and the elevator stilled. It slowly began to ascend again.

Lin Xiao Yan was about to breathe out a sigh of relief when she saw that the number jumped from three to seven.

She let out an "ah" and reproached, "We're going to the third floor. Why did you press the seventh?"

Lin Yiri's expression became strange. "I didn't."

He had only pressed the b.u.t.ton for the third floor when they came in and from then on, didn't touch anything else.

The school strictly prohibited students from going up to the seventh floor.

"Then who pressed it?" Lin Xiao Yan was uneased.

She began to think about the strange happenings that occurred these past two days and the worry in her heart rose.

The elevator pa.s.sed the third floor.

The two people were alarmed.

In an instant, the appearance of the elevator changed. The silver linings rusted and dulled, losing its original s.h.i.+ne and gaining various stains.

Lin Xiao Yan thought her eyes were playing tricks on her. Before she could question her sanity, she felt drops of liquid falling on her head. "There's water!" she shouted.

Her hand reached up to touch her head and what came back was a handful of blood.

Lin Yiri was stunned, "This, this, this…"

The lights in the elevator changed into that of crimson red.

Lin Xiao Yan and Lin Yiri faced each other, raising their heads in unison. Then, the two people let out an ear-piercing scream, "AH–"

Above, the lights were covered and dripping with blood.

Like a gla.s.s bowl filled to the brim, it overflowed with every little sway, no longer able to contain the liquid within.

A sharp and clear ding sounded. The elevator halted on the seventh floor and the doors slowly opened.

Accompanying the banging of the doors was a crash. Behind the doors appeared two people, both terrified out of their minds.

Not a single light could be seen on the seventh floor; the corridors were a painting of darkness. Like the color of misty ink, curtains fluttered in the air.

Lin Yiri asked, "Is this the seventh floor?"

Lin Xiao Yan didn't know.

The two people timidly stepped out, intending to explore the things on this floor but immediately stopped.

In the darkness ahead of them, there were eyes that resembled that of beasts. Then, they saw a hazy shadow of a man moving to where they were.

But he wasn't the only one.

Like the man, a sea of figures floated in midair, following the darkness that gradually increased in speed as it made its way towards them.

Lin Xiao Yan and Lin Yiri didn't dare venture further and ran back to the elevator. The ghosts chased after them.

When they looked back, they discovered that the ghosts were coming closer and closer.

As soon as they entered the elevator, their fear rose and their heart sank when they realized it had been opened the entire time.

At last, the darkness that took the form of a man appeared before their eyes, about to step into the elevator.

Fear flooded their being.

Lin Xiao Yan and Lin Yiri's breathing grew heavier. They had a premonition that if the figure were to come in, they would die without a burial site.

Ignoring the school rules, they pressed on the b.u.t.ton to the first floor nonstop, the thought of leaving the only thing on their mind.

Suddenly, the elevator's door slammed shut, the shadows were trapped outside. One of them had half of their body inside, but when it was exposed to the b.l.o.o.d.y lights, it let out a strange screech and disintegrated into the floor like sand.

At that moment, Lin Xiao Yan thought she saw Liu Lili's face.

She subconsciously retreated back against the ice-cold walls.

Suddenly, her eyes widened with shock.

She unwittingly reached out to Lin Yiri, stuttering as she said, "You…you, look up."

Originally, Lin Yiri had his head hung down with his hands on his knees, gasping for breath. Hearing her words, he raised his head and instantly fell to the floor, terrified.

All over the walls were numerous handprints packed densely together!

From high to low, palms of varying sizes line the elevator walls, along with what seemed to be scratches in between the rusting stains.

It was as if countless people were once trapped inside, struggling to escape.

Hopelessly, they did all they could to get out, slapping and digging at the walls. In their desperation, they were able to create long marks on the hard surface with their fingernails.

The lights above were still dripping with blood.

……

Su Min raised his head and saw that number on the elevator had stopped at seven. He pressed the b.u.t.ton to go up.

In the elevator, Lin Xiao Yan and Lin Yiri nearly broke down.

At that moment, the elevator swayed oddly, and the numbers flashed. Slowly, it descended from the seventh floor, pa.s.sed the third, and finally stopped at the first floor.

The doors opened.

Two people were sitting on the ground, paralyzed. They looked outside and saw Su Min in the light, standing there with a folder in his hand. Su Min, an actual person. Not a ghost.

Still frightened, Lin Yiri cried out loudly, "I was almost unable to see you again!"

Su Min was bewildered, "Why are you guys still inside?"

He definitely remembered that the elevator hadn't stopped on the third floor.

***

The author has something to say:

Su Min: This is what happens when you don't take me with you.

Naeda's Log: こんにちは!

LXY & LY, in an elevator dripping with blood, where the outside just might be scarier than inside: leT's gO EXplOre!

There weren't any interactions with ML in this chapter so have this painting of ML embracing Su Min from behind. It was meant to be a quick sketch but then my too-much gene got the better of me and I overdid it–oops. (uwu) (In my headcanon, Su Min has a mole under his eye. Let me dream.)