The Footsteps Behind

Yang Jian's legs nearly buckled beneath him, and he gasped for air, his breaths ragged. Only then did he feel the cold sweat on his forehead trace a path down his cheek, dropping with a soft plop to the ground.

It was as if he had danced with death itself, teetering on the edge of the abyss.

"No, I can't stay here," he thought, his heart pounding in his chest. "I must leave, and quickly..."

Having narrowly escaped the clutches of a ghost, he had no time to reflect on the harrowing encounter.

He hastily grabbed his phone, switched on the flashlight, and pulled himself to his feet.

Lurking in the darkness was an unknown specter; the longer one remained, the higher the stakes with death.

He moved forward into the gloom.

His entire body trembled slightly, a manifestation of the intense anxiety or perhaps an unnameable dread.

After a few steps, as the flashlight pierced the shroud of darkness, he saw Duan Peng and Zheng Fei. Their faces were etched with terror as they pounded against a wall, its surface mottled and moldy.

"Who's there?" Zheng Fei's voice wavered, filled with fear as he turned towards the sound.

He caught sight of a dim light.

Yang Jian, his face set in a stern expression, announced himself, "It's me, Yang Jian."

"Yang Jian? You're alive?" Relief mixed with shock in Zheng Fei's voice.

"Do you wish for my death as Fang Jing does?" Yang Jian retorted.

Duan Peng, with a mix of agitation and trepidation, rushed towards Yang Jian, clutching him and shouting, "Why did you involve me in this? We have no grudges, why would you harm me?"

But Yang Jian responded with a punch to his face, his voice laced with anger, "We have no grudges, yet you were also willing to see me dead. You blame me for what you've done, yet I said before, if we must die, we die together. I regret not dragging Fang Jing here as well, he should have felt the terror of being seized by a ghost."

Duan Peng fell to the ground, disregarding the pain, his voice choked with tears, "I don't want to die, I just want to live. It was Fang Jing who made me do it... If we hadn't, everyone would have died. Isn't it better for one person to die than everyone?"

"So I should be the sacrifice? Ridiculous. Why don't you sacrifice yourself if you're so noble? Why force others?"

Yang Jian continued, "And do you really think you could have escaped by sacrificing me? Don't forget there's still a ghost out there. And stop being naive; Fang Jing has always wanted me dead. He must know something, that's why he's been after me. I will avenge today's wrongs if I ever make it out of here alive..."

But before he could finish, Duan Peng shuddered, his face drained of color as he looked back in horror.

In the thick darkness, he saw nothing, yet felt the icy grip of a hand around his wrist.

A powerful force emanated from that cold touch.

Duan Peng was helpless, dragged backward.

"Help, Yang Jian, help me..." Duan Peng's terrified screams echoed.

Yang Jian felt a jolt in his heart... Without a doubt, the ghost had returned.

Instinctively, he reached for his phone to play the audio file, hoping to repel the ghost as before.

But he stopped.

Was Duan Peng worth saving?

No.

Not at all.

His predicament was entirely due to Fang Jing, Duan Peng, and Zheng Fei.

Now, facing danger, why should he save them? They didn't help him; they only thought of escape. And even if he wanted to save them, how? The audio file could only scare the ghost, not harm it.

He was merely bluffing.

You want to live, don't I?

Fang Jing was right; he had been naive. He had heard of Fang Jing's intentions in the classroom but did nothing.

It won't happen again.

He lowered the phone, stepped back, and watched Duan Peng being pulled into the darkness, unresponsive to his pleas and screams.

Eventually, Duan Peng's figure, etched with fear, vanished into the darkness, along with the pale hand.

And with the darkness that swallowed Duan Peng, his cries for help ceased.

The silence returned, broken only by the soft dripping of water, crystal clear.

Yang Jian turned, took a deep breath, trying to calm his tense body and quell his fear. Then, as if nothing had happened, he picked up his phone and searched for a way out.

The ghost was still here; staying any longer meant risking another attack.

Fang Jing had said that using a person could temporarily delay the ghost.

He had been pushed in here because Fang Jing wanted to use his life as a distraction.

Now that Duan Peng was taken, the ghost would likely take a break before striking again.

If his analysis was correct, he was safe until the next attack.

He could only hope.

With this thought, Yang Jian immediately began searching for an escape.

"Yang Jian, where are you going? Take me with you."

Seeing Yang Jian about to leave, Zheng Fei hurriedly tried to follow.

But Yang Jian ignored him, coldly refusing, "Figure it out yourself. Don't follow me. Do you really expect me to lead you out of here? Remember, it's because of you that I'm in this hellhole."

With that, he quickened his pace and disappeared into the darkness.

Not taking revenge on the spot was already being considerate, given their past as classmates. The ghost would come for Zheng Fei after killing Duan Peng, buying him some time.

If the ghost attacked again, Zheng Fei would likely be the first target.

Startled, Zheng Fei tried to follow, but Yang Jian was nowhere to be seen, only the endless darkness remained.

"Yang Jian, where are you? Come out, please. I didn't mean it, I'm sorry, I apologize..."

His voice choked with tears, he felt around in the dark, but touched nothing.

He walked around but soon realized he was lost.

He couldn't find Yang Jian, and even the wall they had been leaning on was gone.

This place was no longer the familiar restroom but seemed an infinite space of darkness.

Fear crept up, drowning the last bit of courage he had.

Then, he heard footsteps approaching from behind.

The sound grew closer and closer.

"Duan Peng, is that you?" Zheng Fei's voice trembled as he cautiously asked.

Before he could finish speaking, a pale hand emerged from the darkness, grabbing his neck from behind.

Cold, stiff, not of the living.

A blood-curdling scream pierced the silence.

But Yang Jian didn't hear it; he was facing his own dilemma.

He was lost again in the darkness.

"This can't be the restroom..." he thought, alarmed.

The darkness had no end; the distance he had walked far exceeded that of a restroom.

He checked the time on his phone—twenty minutes had passed.

Twenty minutes without finding a restroom, not even a wall or a toilet in sight, defied logic.

The only explanation was that he had walked into an unknown place.

"Damn it, what is this ghost realm? Zhou Zheng didn't explain it in his lecture," Yang Jian was anxious.

Without enough information, he couldn't analyze the situation, let alone find a way to break through the ghost realm.

"Drip, drip."

The sound of dripping water from a faucet echoed.

"Wait, that dripping... it disappeared for a while, why is it back now?"

Yang Jian's expression changed, and without hesitation, he moved towards the source of the dripping sound.

The sound of dripping water meant a restroom was nearby. If he could return to the familiar restroom, he could find the door and escape this place.

He should have paid attention to this detail earlier.

With a direction in mind, he gained some confidence and quickened his pace.

But soon, he heard the low battery warning on his phone, which startled him. He hesitated for a moment, then gritted his teeth and turned off the phone.

dark, he was more afraid of the ghost wandering here.

This bit of electricity must be kept for the key time.

Walking forward in the dark, cautious and careful.

In the dark, only the sound of dripping water, tick tick, rang out, nothing else.

It was so quiet around that he could hear his own breathing clearly.

But not long after he turned off the light and moved forward.

Suddenly.

"Step, step ~!"

A series of footsteps sounded from behind Yang Jian, heavy and clear.

The footsteps came closer and closer, gradually approaching him.

In an instant, Yang Jian's body stiffened, his whole body tense, he suddenly turned on the phone light and looked back.

The light illuminated about one meter, there was nothing behind, only thick darkness.

But the footsteps were getting closer and closer.

"Absolutely impossible to be Zheng Fei and Duan Peng..." Yang Jian's face stiffened slightly.

It is impossible for people in the dark to follow themselves so accurately.

If it's not Zheng Fei and Duan Peng, then it's probably the ghost that has been lingering in the toilet.

"Hurry up."

Feeling the footsteps getting closer, Yang Jian's heart sank, and he hurriedly quickened his pace.