A Choice in theFog

As the evening slowly darkened, the ruins of the orphanage looked even more desolate and eerie under the fading light. Li Lin and Ye Xiao found themselves trapped in a pit of darkness, knowing that the closer they got to the truth, the more danger would follow.

Back at home, Li Lin couldn't shake the image of the little girl they had seen at the orphanage. Those empty eyes seemed etched into his mind, impossible to forget. Ye Xiao, on the other hand, had remained unusually quiet, still recovering from the disturbing scenes at the orphanage.

"We need to reorganize the clues," Li Lin finally broke the silence, his voice low but resolute.

Ye Xiao slowly raised her head and nodded. "But where do we even start? Is the massacre the old woman mentioned related to the fire at the orphanage? If so, what kind of secret could be hidden behind it?"

"Maybe we should go through some old newspapers and news archives. There could be suspicious details about the fire. We already know official records might be altered or covered up, but maybe civilian accounts might leave us some clues," Li Lin suggested.

The next day, they headed to a historical bookstore in the city. The bookstore owner, an elderly man with gray hair, had been one of the witnesses to the fire at the orphanage. As they walked into the shop, the air was thick with the scent of old paper, and the walls were lined with dusty books and newspapers.

"What are you looking for?" the owner asked, squinting at them.

"We're trying to find some old newspapers from sixty years ago, particularly about the fire at the Angel Orphanage," Ye Xiao said directly.

The owner's expression changed when he heard "Angel Orphanage." His face grew solemn. "Why are you looking into that?" he asked quietly, a hint of suspicion in his voice.

Li Lin gave a brief explanation. "We're investigating some supernatural occurrences, and we believe the fire might be connected."

The owner was silent for a moment, as though lost in thought. He slowly turned and pulled a few thick, dusty newspapers from a corner shelf, wiping off the dust before handing them to Li Lin.

"These are what you're looking for. But I have to warn you, some truths may not be what you want to know," the owner said, his tone heavy with meaning.

Without hesitation, Li Lin and Ye Xiao opened the newspapers, carefully reading through the reports from sixty years ago. The articles blamed the fire on a short circuit in the wiring, claiming the flames spread rapidly and that almost none of the children in the orphanage survived. Yet, the more they read, the more something felt wrong. There were no specific details about the time of the fire, and the identities of the victims were vaguely described.

"There's something off about this," Li Lin said, frowning. "They didn't even list the names of the children. It's too superficial."

"Could the real truth behind the fire have been covered up?" Ye Xiao's intuition told her that this was no ordinary accident.

Just as they were feeling stuck, Ye Xiao noticed a small article that seemed insignificant at first. It mentioned that a few children from the orphanage had mysteriously disappeared just days before the fire, and the authorities gave no explanation.

"Are these missing children the same ones who supposedly died in the fire?" Ye Xiao asked, puzzled.

Li Lin's eyes sharpened. He nodded, "It's very possible. This could mean that the fire wasn't just an accident—there might be a larger conspiracy behind it, and those missing children might not have died in the fire at all."

As they pondered this possibility, the lights in the bookstore suddenly flickered, then went out entirely, plunging the room into darkness. Both of them jumped, quickly turning on the flashlight function on their phones.

"This is too strange…" Ye Xiao's voice trembled slightly.

Li Lin felt uneasy as well, gripping Ye Xiao's hand tightly to reassure her. Just then, they heard the sound of slow, heavy footsteps approaching the store from outside.

"Is someone there?" Li Lin asked, his voice low and cautious.

The footsteps grew louder, closer, until they stopped at the store's entrance. The light outside flickered back on, illuminating a shadowy figure standing at the door. The figure was a man in a black cloak, his face hidden in the shadows, making it impossible to discern his features.

"You shouldn't be looking into this," the man said, his voice low and hoarse, filled with an unmistakable threat.

Ye Xiao felt a wave of fear rise within her and instinctively took a step back. But Li Lin remained standing, his voice steady as he asked, "Who are you? Why are you stopping us?"

The man didn't answer. Instead, with a wave of his hand, the store's lights abruptly turned back on, and he disappeared into the night as suddenly as he had appeared.

"What just happened?" Ye Xiao clung tightly to Li Lin, her voice shaky with fear.

Li Lin's mind was racing with questions. Whoever that man was, he clearly didn't want them continuing their investigation. But the fact that someone had tried to stop them only strengthened Li Lin's resolve.

"We can't back down," Li Lin said firmly. "No matter how dangerous this gets, we need to find the truth."

Ye Xiao nodded, a new determination rising in her as well.

They turned back to the old newspapers, determined to uncover the truth behind the fire. With each new piece of information, they began to realize that this was not merely a tragic accident or a simple case of missing orphans. It was part of a larger, more sinister conspiracy.

But little did they know, they were slowly stepping deeper into an even darker abyss than they had anticipated. The forces they were up against were far more terrifying than they could have imagined.