My House of Horrors

“He was spooked, so he quickly turned the car around. But the road seemed unending like there was no way for him to go back. Just as he was about to give up, his phone suddenly rang. His grandmother was worried about him, calling him to ask for his location. He told her what had happened, and the strange thing was that while he was talking with his grandmother, the car for some reason drove out of Eastern Jiujiang.

“After he hung up the phone, he realized with a shock that his grandmother had passed away at home last year. He had been caught up at work, unable to return to see her on her last journey.”

“His deceased grandmother saved him?” When Chen Ge heard the story of the bus and the changing buildings, he believed that this patient was not crazy; he was telling the truth.

“Instead of saying that his grandmother saved him, it should be the good memory that he had of her in the subconscious of his mind saved him. From the perspective of psychology, he has been harboring guilt because he did not return to visit his grandmother at her death bed, and this guilt enabled him to retain his rationality when his mental state was flagging.” Doctor Pei stuck his hands into the coat. “I used this example because he was lucky, but there are many more patients here that were not as lucky. I’m telling you this because there are many weird happenings in Eastern Jiujiang, so be careful when you do your investigation. I know it’s strange for me as a doctor to tell you this, but I still hope that you’ll be careful.”

“Doctor Pei, do you have more patients like that driver here?” The more he listened, the more Chen Ge felt like he had come to the correct place. “Can you tell me more about them?”

“There are so many stories, but they will affect your worldview. Plus, this is the patient’s privacy. Even if you’re with the police, I’m not allowed to reveal their information to you without a warrant.” Doctor Pei rejected Chen Ge’s request.

“That’s fine. I still need to thank you for your help.” Chen Ge thought that Doctor Pei was a good man, at least compared to the other psychologist that he knew. After leaving the asylum, Chen Ge called a cab to return to New Century Park. He looked at the time; it was only 9 pm.

This is roughly the time for the last bus on Route 104 to arrive. Maybe I should go and try my luck tonight?

When Chen Ge returned the previous night, he had recharged the electricity in Fan Chong’s e-bike. He had been afraid that there might not be enough fuel when Fan Chong came to fetch his vehicle. However, Fan Chong did not show up in the morning, probably because he had something else to do.

I can follow Route 104 tonight to wait for the bus. Whether I run into the woman in the red raincoat or the bus, it’ll be fine. If it’s already too late when I arrive in Eastern Jiujiang, I can just stay the night at Fan Chong’s place.

Chen Ge plotted out the schedule in his mind.

It’s getting closer to the date that I’ve promised the woman in red raincoat. That is the most important mission; if I have time after that, I’ll send Men Nan back to the Third Sick Hall.

After inspecting his backpack, Chen Ge rode the e-bike to the gate of New Century Park. He greeted the guard. The guard was used to Chen Ge going out at night, and he never asked him any questions. It was worth noting that Chen Ge shared a good relationship with the guard.

When Chen Ge’s parents disappeared, Chen Ge had moved into the Haunted House. After the visitors and workers left, only the guard and Chen Ge would remain at the theme park. Sometimes, the guard would come to get help from Chen Ge. When he was in a particularly good mood or bad mood, he would secure two bottles of alcohol and have Chen Ge follow him into the cafeteria at night to ‘borrow’ the kitchen to cook supper.

When Chen Ge had been at the lowest point of his life, many people at theme park had reached out to help him, so when theme park faced its trouble, he would help it back without hesitation.

“Xiao Chen, you’re at least a boss now. Riding an e-bike is not that suitable with your current identity.” The aged guard held a cup in his hand. Even over the distance, Chen Ge could smell the alcohol.

“We’ll talk about that later. I haven’t even gotten my driver’s license. I swear the people at the driving school are prejudiced against me. They keep saying my driving style is too wild.”

“Then, why don’t you change? They’re only concerned about you—safety first.”

“It’s too late to change now. In the future, I’ll just hire a driver to ferry me around.” Chen Ge rode the e-bike out of New Century Park. After his exchange with the guard, he noticed a problem.

If I really do get the bus, I’m afraid I’ll only be able to ride it around the countryside; going to the city is still not that convenient. But I hear the number four subway is haunted, so perhaps I can go check it out in the future.

Riding the bike, Chen Ge rushed to the nearest stop for Route 104. He stood in the cold wind and waited for half an hour. There was no sign of the bus or the woman in the raincoat. “Does it need to be raining?”

Chen Ge did not give up; he followed the route and rode to Eastern Jiujiang. Chen Ge reached Eastern Jiujiang at 11 pm. He could feel the change in the air. There were suddenly no cars on the road.

“When I came last time, there was still the occasional taxi on the road. Is it because of me that even taxis don’t come here at night anymore?” Chen Ge shook his head. He felt like he was not that powerful; something else scary had probably happened in Jiujiang.

“Perhaps it’s not destined for me to meet them tonight. This is not my fault.” Chen Ge would stop at every bus stop. Initially, he had hoped that the bus would show up, but he slowly gave up hope as he neared Li Wan City. The condition of the road worsened. At 11:30 pm, Chen Ge felt a cold caress on the back of his neck. He reached out to touch it, and rain drop as soft as silk fell on his hand.

“It’s raining?” Chen Ge took out his phone and looked for the weather forecast. It said that it should not rain in Jiujiang for the few days.

“But rain is a good sign. The gathering of Yin energy means a higher chance of running into ghosts. The woman in the red raincoat might show up.”

Putting his phone away, Chen Ge looked around. Even though he had been to Eastern Jiujiang several times, he was still unfamiliar with the cityscape. The streetlights showered dim, yellow light. The light was barely powerful enough to banish the darkness.

“I’m still currently on the bus route for Route 104. Should I wait for it at the bus stop?”

The changes to his surroundings were similar to the description provided by Doctor Pei. Chen Ge had a feeling that the bus hearse might show up that night.

“Xiao Gu said that the woman’s child is on the bus. I only need to help her save her child and show it to her.”

Chen Ge had his own plan. He was only going to show the child to the woman in the red raincoat. He did not plan to return the child to her. He had only promised to help her find her child—whether he would return the child or how was he going to return the child, that was a completely different issue.