chapter_011 : The Box

However, she still tried to console herself, "It's okay... Anyway, I'm not going to die until three days later. I'm safe for now."

Nonetheless, her feet started to run on their own. She didn't even know how many streets she had passed. Suddenly, she noticed that there were fewer and fewer passers - by around. Eventually, she found that there wasn't a single person in sight. It wasn't really strange for there to be few people on the street at this time, but... Why were all the lights in the buildings off? The surrounding light was getting dimmer and dimmer. When she looked up, she could only see darkness. There was no moonlight at all.

Where on earth was this place?

The second hand on her watch had moved half a circle. It was getting closer and closer to midnight.

Unconsciously, she found that...

She couldn't see anything around her! It was completely dark. It was no exaggeration to say that she couldn't see her own hand in front of her face. How was it possible? This was a modern metropolis! How could it be so dark at midnight?

At that moment, she heard a heavy gasping sound behind her. She was so startled that her heart skipped a beat. Then, she heard footsteps.

"Who? Who's there?"

She tried to raise her voice to boost her courage, but the footsteps didn't stop at all. And now, midnight had already passed.

"Please... don't come after me! Please!" She immediately took off running desperately. Even though her legs were almost out of strength, she knew that if she was caught, she was done for. So, she didn't dare to stop for a second. It was still pitch - black all around, and the footsteps behind her had turned into running steps. Each step seemed to be stepping on Scarlett's heart.

Just then, she tripped over something. It seemed to be something hard. As Scarlett fell, her head hit the ground, and her foot was severely sprained. She had to lean on that thing to stand up. Then, she felt that the middle of that thing was empty. Just as she was wondering, suddenly, the surroundings lit up.

That hard thing finally showed its true appearance.

It was actually that box again! And it was open!

Before Scarlett could escape, a pair of hands reached out from the box and grabbed her arms tightly. Then, she was dragged into the box.

Then, the box lid closed.

"Scarlett might be dead," Orion said.

Even though they hadn't given up and had searched everywhere, both Orion and Jane were extremely exhausted. It was almost noon now, and they hadn't eaten anything since morning. They gathered again at the meeting place - in front of the magazine.

"I even went to her apartment at midnight," Jane leaned against the wall, out of breath. "I only slept for four hours when I got home and then came out to look for her again. Her phone has been off until now. It's very likely that she's no longer alive." Orion had dark circles under his eyes and kept yawning. The weather had been getting colder recently. Searching for Scarlett all over the place at night had made him sneeze countless times.

"In that case, let's go into the magazine and have a look..."

They went into the office and asked a few of Scarlett's colleagues. The answer was the same, and her desk was still empty.

"The boss is really angry. He said that if she doesn't show up today, he'll fire her immediately," a colleague who seemed to be on good terms with her said with a sad face. "What on earth happened to Scarlett? Did she run into a bad guy? If so, we should call the police as soon as possible! Oh, isn't her boyfriend a policeman?"

Just then, the phone on her desk suddenly rang. Without thinking, Jane picked up the receiver and asked, "Hello? Who are you looking for?"

"Is this Miss Scarlett Morgan from Constellation Magazine?"

It sounded like an older man's voice. Jane nodded and replied, "I'm not her, but this is Constellation Magazine. May I ask who you are?"

"Let Miss Scarlett answer the phone right away!"

"I'm sorry, she's not here. Can I take a message for you?" "What a nuisance... I'm the landlord of the third - floor apartment in Elmwood Apartments. You know, the one where the murder happened. She came here with a policeman a few days ago and said she wanted to take a look at the room where the person died. Since she was with a policeman, I gave the key to the two of them. But who would have thought that they left without returning the key! I went to the police station to look for that policeman later, but he's disappeared. When I asked about the reporter, they gave me Miss Scarlett's name, workplace, and phone number. That's why I'm calling. She has to return the key to me anyway!"

So that's what happened. They got into trouble because they went into that room.

Jane intended to transfer the call to Scarlett's colleague to handle it, but just then, a woman's angry voice suddenly came from the phone, "Hey, what are you still doing on the phone? Come and help me! The water pipe is completely clogged. I have to call the property management company quickly. Look at all this water on the floor! And there's so much garbage mixed in it!"

"Stop shouting! It's been like this since this morning. The water spills out when I try to drain it... Oh, miss, I'm not talking to you. Please tell Miss Scarlett as soon as possible to return the key to me!"

Then, the phone hung up.

"Who called?" Orion asked curiously beside her.

"It's nothing. Just an irrelevant call."

Orion felt a bit uneasy. When he had the premonition that Scarlett would be the fourth victim, he had a very strong sense of unease. As the image of her formed in his mind, he felt as if something extremely terrifying had been injected into his body. Even though it was just a premonition, it was as if every hair on his body stood on end...

It definitely wasn't that simple. Scarlett wouldn't die as easily as the previous three...

"Let's go and have something to eat. You must be hungry, too. There's a nice western restaurant nearby. Do you want to go there for lunch?" After walking out of the magazine, feeling extremely hungry, Orion suggested.

Jane also felt weak all over. It was time to have something to eat to boost her energy. So, she nodded.

This western restaurant was very nicely decorated. The tables were made of wood. There was a small fountain in the center, and the floor was paved with pebbles. There were also many fake leaves hanging from the ceiling. As soon as they entered the restaurant, they felt a strong sense of nature.

After choosing a seat and sitting down, Orion picked up the menu on the table and said to Jane while flipping through it, "What would you like to eat? I'll treat you this time. I just got the royalties for my new book... You said you've read all my works. Have you read the latest one?" "Just whatever. You don't have to treat me. Of course, I've read the new book. Your imagination is really rich. No wonder even that California - based director came to you for a movie adaptation. It probably wouldn't work in this country because the movie review system is too strict. In fact, it's already a miracle that your books can be published. After all, there's so much supernatural stuff in them."

"How about a steak or some roasted chicken wings? Well, you're right. But writing books is just to make a living. Since I've been moving around a lot, I haven't had the mood to study hard. I only have an associate degree. It's very difficult to find a job. So, I can only write some novels online."

While waiting for the food to be served, they stared at each other, not knowing what to say for a moment.

"Have you ever thought about... the moment when you'll die in the future?"

It was Jane who asked the question.

Although it was a very unpleasant question, Orion still answered.

"Yes, I've thought about it too many times. I'm numb to it now. In the end, I decided not to think about it anymore."

As he spoke, he fidgeted meaninglessly with the knife and fork, tapping the plate. It seemed that only in this way could he relieve his unease a little.

"I've never thought about it. Maybe... I trust my father too much." When Jane mentioned her father, her eyes always shone.

"Besides us, are there any others?" Orion suddenly asked.

"What?" "I think, since your father is all - knowing and all - powerful, did he only have premonitions about us siblings? Aren't there any other people with spiritual abilities? Did he mention more people to look for in his notes?"

Jane smiled slightly.

"You're really smart."

It was indeed true.

"He also mentioned that I should look for a painter named Neil Lawson. This painter can see things that ordinary people can't and draw them. But he only gave me this much information. And there's also a psychic. He said that this person has strong spiritual inspiration and can expel evil spirits possessing humans. This is the maximum limit of spiritual abilities that a human can have."

Hearing this, Orion suddenly stood up and said, "Neil Lawson? I've met this person before!"

"What?" Jane also stood up at the same time. People around them probably thought these two were crazy.

"When? Where?"

"About a year ago, when I was stuck in a creative bottleneck and wanted to find a good place for inspiration, my editor recommended this person to me and told me his address. He said I could go and look for him. Since he's a painter with strange hobbies, very few people in the industry know about him. I had contact with him for a while..."

"Then, what happened later?" "I remember that when I first visited him, his attitude was very strange. When he saw me, he first wanted to drive me away, but then he seemed to sense something and invited me into the house. His attitude suddenly became very enthusiastic. Then, he took me to his studio and pointed at his easels. Then he asked me if I saw a woman. I thought it was very strange at that time because there was clearly nothing there... Now that I think about it, he should have a relatively strong spiritual ability, right?"

"What color were his eyes?"

"Huh?"

"The color of his eyes. What was it?"

"Oh, right. His pupils were deep purple..."

That's right! It was this person! Jane was very excited. She didn't expect to find the third person on her father's list so soon.

"Can you take me to see him?"

"Well... of course. That visit to him gave me a lot of inspiration, so I remember his address clearly. But let's solve the current problem first."

Just then, he suddenly realized something and asked again, "Wait a minute. Why did you ask me about the color of his eyes?" "The color of the pupils is a sign of a high - level spiritual ability. If the offspring inherit this kind of ability, their eyes will also turn purple. People with this kind of spiritual ability are in a state where their spiritual power is extremely active. However, most people need to make efforts through the day to fully awaken it. For someone like you with black - eyed spiritual ability, if your spiritual power can be improved in the future, your pupils will also change color."

When their steak and roasted chicken wings were served, Jane wrapped the napkin around her and carefully cut the steak with a knife. She seemed very skilled, as if she often ate western food. Just as she cut off a piece and was about to put it into her mouth, the conversation between a couple at the next table caught her attention.

"Oh? Really?"

"That young lady looked so gentle and elegant. But in public, she knocked over a plate of spaghetti on the floor and shouted 'There's a ghost!' Without paying the bill, she just ran out. When the waiter tried to stop her, she even pushed him to the ground. I think she's probably a little crazy."

"Is that so? That's really a headache." "And, you know, yesterday when I was eating in that restaurant, as soon as I sat down near that young lady, I heard several waiters around discussing. So I asked one of them. Guess what? The waiter said that the young lady entered the restaurant around five - thirty to have a meal. She had eaten half of the plate of spaghetti when she suddenly sat there motionless, like a statue. She just sat there until around eleven o'clock at night. The waiter went up to her several times to ask if she was feeling unwell, but she didn't respond. If they hadn't felt her breath and found that she was still alive, everyone would have thought she was dead. Then, around almost twelve o'clock, she finally woke up and immediately shouted that there was a ghost. I think she herself is the spooky one."

Jane put down the steak and walked over to the next table. She asked the man, "Sir, the person you just mentioned might be a friend of mine. Where did you see her?"

"Oh... You know her? It was at a 24 - hour restaurant on Sycamore Road called 'Deer Haven'. Oh, miss, it's not that I'm being nosy. But your friend..." He pointed to his head and asked, "Is there something wrong with this part?"

Jane returned to her seat and said, "Let's go... What a pity. We rarely get to eat western food." They came to that restaurant. Jane first found a waiter and asked for details about what had happened yesterday. Then she described Scarlett's appearance. After comparison, they confirmed that it was indeed her. She then asked, "Since she didn't pay the bill, you must have chased after her, right?"

"Yes, we did. But after we chased her out, we never saw her again. Later, we told the manager about it, and the matter has been reported to the police. Since you know that young lady, can you tell me who she is?"

It was close to midnight then... Could it be that she had also met the same fate as Cassius and died at midnight? But this was a bustling commercial area. If her body had been contorted, it was impossible for it not to be discovered...

Where was her body? And in what distorted position was it hidden?

Just then, she suddenly had a chilling thought.

Could it be...

Without thinking, she said to Orion, "Come with me! Scarlett's body might be there!"

After getting in the car, Orion closed the door and asked, "Where are we going?"

"To Elmwood Apartments."

When they arrived at Elmwood Apartments, they found that the ground was covered with about fifty centimeters of water, and there was a lot of garbage mixed in the water. The residents were gathered together, using dustpans to drain the water into trash cans. Everyone was complaining loudly.

"What's going on? The water pipe is so clogged! Where are the property management people?" "There's water all over my floor! This is ridiculous! I hired a plumber, but he still hasn't unclogged the drainpipe yet. How are we going to sleep tonight like this?"

"The property management is so irresponsible! What on earth is blocking the pipe!"

Looking at this scene, Jane's sense of unease grew stronger. Could it be...

Orion also vaguely understood what was going on at this time. His heart started to race.

Was it really like this?

"Let's go, Orion. I don't want to hear the answer." Jane buried her head in her knees.

"Oh, I understand..."

Just as Orion was about to start the engine, a scream suddenly came from upstairs. Then a person's head stuck out of the window and shouted, "N... no way! Just now, the plumber tried to clear the blockage in the drainpipe... Do you know what he hooked out? It's a human foot!"

Police cars quickly gathered in front of the apartment.

Unlike when Cassius died, this time, many people knew about the matter.

Scarlett's body was 23 meters long. From head to toe, it was stuffed into the drainpipe of Elmwood Apartments. Like Cassius and the others, although her body had been stretched into a distorted shape, her bones and muscles had also elongated accordingly. She was stuck in the cold and dark drainpipe with sewage and garbage for several hours.

Moreover, the police were later horrified to find that there were scratch marks made by fingernails on the inner side of the drainpipe near her stretched - out hand. In other words, even after her body had been distorted in that way and she was in the drainpipe, she was still alive for a while? Knowing that her body had become like this was a thousand times more terrifying than death.

As for what had stuffed her into the drainpipe and how it had done so, there was no way to know. It became an eternal mystery.

Since then, there have been no more distorted corpses. The first terrifying event that Orion and Jane had faced since they met ended in this way...