chapter_001 : The First Victim

In a dark room.

When he opened his eyes, he thought he was still in a dream. Where was this...

After his eyes finally adjusted to the darkness, he saw that he was in the living room. But he didn't understand why he was in the living room. Didn't he go to sleep in his bedroom?

At that moment, he suddenly had an eerie feeling, as if something was staring at him from above. This feeling was so real that he could almost hear someone's heavy breathing from above.

There was something right above him. And it was very close.

But he didn't dare to look up. It was impossible for such a ridiculous thing to happen. If there was someone behind him, it might be his parents, but... how could there be someone above him?

He tried to make some noise to dispel a bit of his fear. But for some reason, his throat seemed to be blocked, and he couldn't utter a single sound.

Then, a strong urge to urinate hit him. He wanted to move his legs and go to the bathroom, but his body wouldn't budge, and the urge was getting stronger and stronger.

What on earth was that thing above him doing? Was it just staring at him? The more he thought about it, the more terrified he felt, and his heart started pounding faster.

His eyes were fully accustomed to the darkness, and he could see everything clearly around him. However, what he saw next made his hair stand on end. Almost at the same time, he felt a warm sensation down below.

How could this be... No, it must be a nightmare! His pupils dilated, and his mouth opened and closed, but no sound came out. He felt like a puppet being manipulated. Or perhaps, he really had become one.

He couldn't believe what he was seeing. The image was so vivid and so terrifying. He found...

Ah, no, this must be a dream.

He closed his eyes.

Wake up! Wake up from this nightmare! He silently pleaded in his heart. But then he felt as if that thing had come in front of him. No, it couldn't be!

If he opened his eyes, he would know if there was something in front of him. If there was nothing, then the feeling of something above him must have been an illusion. Maybe, when he opened his eyes, he would find himself lying in his warm bed.

But... what if there really was something?

The feeling that it was getting closer and closer to him became stronger and stronger. It seemed that it was almost brushing against his face. No, it couldn't be...

Was it just an illusion? He felt a puff of breath on his face. No, maybe it was just the wind. He hadn't noticed if the window was open before.

Calm down... Calm down... At that moment, he felt a cold sweat trickle down his forehead to his nose, and then another one. His body was also freezing cold... Right, his body...

He remembered what he had seen of his own body just now...

It was impossible. No matter what, it couldn't be real. It wasn't...

Opening his eyes was just a simple matter of lifting his eyelids slightly. But this action that took less than a second had been a huge struggle in his mind.

Yes... it couldn't be real. He must have been seeing things. He kept recalling the scene he had seen after his eyes adjusted to the darkness, but the image was starting to get blurry in his mind. No matter how he thought about it, he believed it was just an illusion.

His confidence began to build up, but the feeling that something was watching him still lingered.

He slowly opened his eyes just a tiny bit, only able to see a narrow slit filled with pure darkness.

It was too much for his heart to bear to open his eyes little by little. He gritted his teeth and finally made up his mind.

In that instant, he opened his eyes wide.

And what greeted him was...

Violet knew that something terrible must have happened.

She had developed that ability seven years ago. And every time this feeling came over her, something extremely horrifying really did happen.

She had moved to this city three years ago, but her ability to sense danger hadn't weakened; instead, it had grown stronger.

"Something must have happened yesterday..." she murmured as she sorted through the news articles in her hands. After careful scrutiny, she finally identified a particular piece of news.

This news was about a homicide that had occurred in a high - rise apartment in a community. The newspaper had just received the news that morning, and she wasn't the reporter sent to cover the story. She could only analyze it based on the interview process and the photos.

The police had completely blocked the media from this case. All that was known so far was that the victim was a high - school student named Alex Daniel Green. According to the neighbors, they had heard cries and screams coming from Alex's house in the morning. Worried about what had happened, they called the police. When the police forced the door open, the situation was said to be very strange. Then, within just ten minutes, a large number of police cars arrived and sealed off the scene. At least ten forensic scientists showed up. Many neighbors were curious to see the scene of the body being carried out, but a wall of police officers deliberately blocked them. Even the reporters were stopped at the entrance of the community.

What was even more exaggerated was that the body was being transported in a big truck, escorted by four police cars as it left the community. For the death of an ordinary high - school student, was it really necessary to make such a big deal? Violet was sure that there was something fishy going on. This case had already attracted a great deal of attention from the local media. It had been about six hours since the incident, and the news was already spreading on the Internet.

The deadline for the news report was approaching, but there were still so many mysteries surrounding this case.

At lunch, because Violet had just gotten a raise, her colleagues asked her to treat them to a meal, and she readily agreed.

"It really seems to be a big case," said Jack, the reporter who had been sent to cover the story at the table. "When I got there, I saw several police officers guarding the entrance of the community, saying that no one was allowed to enter or leave. I showed them my press pass and said I wanted to go in for an interview, but they were even more strict and refused me. Then I saw a big truck drive out, followed by four police cars! I couldn't go in to interview until the police left. The victim's parents went crazy after finding the body and were taken away by an ambulance. The residents in that apartment building are all panicked."

Violet had no appetite at all. She had sensed this, but she still couldn't stop it.

About a week ago, she had a strong premonition that in a week, someone somewhere would encounter something extremely terrifying. And with each passing day, the premonition grew stronger. Last night, she even woke up from a nightmare, clearly realizing that it had already happened.

And this morning, a new premonition emerged. Tomorrow night... another person would suffer the same fate.

"Jack..." she made up her mind and asked, "Are you going to continue interviewing about this case?"

"Yeah, the boss attaches great importance to this case and told me to investigate it thoroughly and try to get some exclusive news before other newspapers."

"Can you pass the interview task on to me? Well, I can give you the content of my interview to organize, and you can still publish it under your name. I'll talk to the boss..."

Some of her colleagues laughed and said, "Sure enough, our workaholic is at it again!"

"So, if Violet can't get a raise, there's really no justice..."

"Don't make fun of me..." Violet wasn't in the mood to joke with them at all. She was only thinking about the interview. If she couldn't find out the situation in time, she wouldn't be able to stop what was going to happen tomorrow night...

"Okay, got it. Don't look so serious, Violet!" Jack patted her on the shoulder and said, "I'll go talk to the boss and give this task to you! Of course, the article will be published under your name."

Violet gave a grateful smile and said, "Thank you, Jack!"

It had been three years since she moved to this city. She had finally settled down and became a reporter, and she got along well with her colleagues.

"Violet, look, isn't that your brother's new book?"

Jack interrupted her train of thought. She immediately looked at a nearby table where a man and a woman were having a meal, and there was a book on their table. The title of the book was "One More", and the author's name on the spine was clearly marked as Orion James Miller.

"Ah, Violet," another colleague said, "So your brother's new book is out. Why didn't you tell us? We could have gone to buy it together."

Violet gave an embarrassed smile. She thought to herself: Come on... I'm doing this for your own good. Can normal people read my brother's books?

Over the years, she had become more and more convinced that there really were ghosts in this world.

Violet's brother, Orion, was a well - known horror novelist. His books were extremely popular across the country, including Hawaii and Alaska. A California film company had adapted one of his novels into a movie. Due to its extremely terrifying content, the movie couldn't be introduced to the mainland, but it achieved astonishing box - office results in California and Japan.

She really had to admire the spirit of the California director. They definitely couldn't have achieved this kind of effect on the mainland. The sound effects, the visuals, the dialogues... Of course, the most important thing was her brother's horror - filled creativity. After watching that movie, Violet's already timid heart had become so delicate that she would even mistake a lamppost for a ghost.

When she got home that night, as soon as she stepped through the door, she smelled a delicious aroma coming from the kitchen. Her brother was always good at cooking. Violet's mouth watered, and she quickly walked into the kitchen, seeing her brother standing in front of the stove, stir - frying a dish.

He turned around and saw Violet, smiling and saying, "You're back? Go wash your hands. You'll soon get to taste my masterpiece."

Ever since their parents died seven years ago, it had always been the two of them, supporting each other.

During dinner, the siblings chatted about daily life.

"You've taken on a new interview?"

"Yeah." Violet was still very excited. "It's been three years since we moved to this city. Usually, at the newspaper, all I can do is report on things like strange - looking animals or people whose age didn't match their behavior. But this time is different..."

"Is this related to your premonition?"

"Huh? Brother, you..."

Orion looked at Violet seriously and said, "I don't want to lose you too. We came to this city to get away from the past."

Violet fell silent. She put down her bowl and said with a choking voice, "Brother, how can you forget? When Mom and Dad died..."

"That's enough... It's all in the past. Now I want to start a new life with you."

"But, you're actually thinking about the same thing as me, aren't you, brother? I don't want to keep running away! Why can't we face our fate?"

"Listen, you'd better not do this interview."

Violet was extremely dissatisfied and said, "Same old line! Every time I have a premonition, you tell me not to think about it. But the truth is, people are really dying! And the police can't figure out the reason. At least... I want to stop it. I want to prevent what I've foreseen from happening. I don't want to see anyone else die... like Mom and Dad."

"Don't mention what happened seven years ago anymore."

"Why? You're always running away, brother! Back then, you quickly arranged the funeral and then persuaded me to leave our hometown. Then we moved around several times before finally settling down in this city. You want me to completely forget the past, but I really can't..."

Orion sighed deeply and said softly, "Please, Violet. We have a new life now. The past has nothing to do with us. If you keep investigating these things, I'm afraid you'll..."

"I don't want to run away anymore! I don't want to live this false and peaceful life!"

She really had no idea. She had no idea how terrifying and desperate all of this truly was...