chapter_012 : Exploration of the Haunted Villa

The world is full of many unknown realms to humans. There are numerous places that are forbidden zones where humans should never step in.

Once one crosses the threshold, the only outcome waiting for them is death.

This story unfolds from here...

It was a night with barely any moonlight.

A villa on the outskirts of the suburban area stood there alone, looking dilapidated and desolate, lacking any sign of life.

"Zachary, are we really going in?"

Outside the rusty iron gate of the villa, there stood four figures. One of the shorter ones, Gary, shivered and asked the tall figure beside him, "I heard from the locals that this place has been abandoned since the owner passed away. People say they can hear strange noises coming from inside at night... I really don't want to go in..."

"Come on, what are you scared of? We're four people!"

Zachary laughed, then took out a flashlight and switched it on.

These four were college students and good friends who shared an interest in strange stories and anecdotes. There were three boys and one girl. Zachary Thompson was the leader, Gary Johnson was the shorter boy, and behind them were Ryan Anderson and Lily Cooper.

"This lock is really old..." Zachary examined the rust - covered lock carefully and said to Ryan behind him, "Ryan, can you open it? We're all counting on you."

"Sure, I'll give it a try." Ryan took out a piece of wire and started inserting it into the keyhole. His uncle was a locksmith, so he had learned a bit of the skill. As he was trying to pick the lock, Lily asked nervously, "Is this okay? Even if it's an abandoned house now, it doesn't feel right for us to just barge in..."

"Quit being such a worry - wart, Lily," Ryan said as he worked on the lock by the light of the flashlight, "Didn't we all agree to come here for an adventure tonight as part of this year's scary challenge? All the previous places we went to were so boring. Nowadays, cremation is so common that there aren't many cemeteries left. And most so - called haunted houses are fake, and it's nearly impossible to find a real ghost photo. This place seems interesting. I heard the former owner was a painter who could see ghosts. I don't know if it's true, but it's definitely more exciting than the other places."

Just then, they heard a "click," and the lock opened, even more smoothly than expected.

Pushing open the iron gate, Zachary looked at the villa. It was in a German - style architecture. The trees on both sides of the yard had withered, and the house itself was very old. When they reached the door, they found cobwebs everywhere and a thick layer of dust.

"Okay... let's go in now."

The door wasn't locked and opened with a push. Inside was a long corridor. The floor was cracked and creaked as they walked on it, as if it would break with a little more pressure. There were also many cracks on the walls, the wallpaper had turned yellow, and lime was seeping out. There were lights on the ceiling, but surely there was no electricity, so the flashlights they brought were very useful.

After walking through a few winding corridors, they finally entered the main hall.

"Cough... cough..." Lily couldn't help coughing. It seemed there was too much dust floating in the air. She actually didn't really want to come, but she had followed the others mainly because of Zachary. Everyone knew they had feelings for each other. For example, since Zachary liked red, Lily always wore a deep - red coat.

They slowly climbed up the painted - off stairs. Zachary was in the front, followed by Ryan and Gary, and finally Lily, who covered her collar and looked around warily.

"This house... really gives off a creepy vibe," Gary held on to the stair railing and kept shining his flashlight around him, as if he wouldn't feel safe otherwise. Ryan, on the other hand, was calmer and just quietly followed Zachary.

Soon they reached the stair landing. Just as they were about to go further, Gary's flashlight illuminated the wall in front. In an instant, he let out a scream, "Wow! Ghost! A ghost!"

The other three immediately shone their flashlights in that direction and saw an oil painting hanging on the wall. In the painting was a woman with a bloody face. In this environment, it was extremely terrifying.

"What? It's just a painting," Zachary even walked up and touched it, saying, "The painting is quite realistic."

The background of the painting was a study. The woman's body was beside the desk in the middle of the study, curled up like a hunchback. Her eyes were all white, with no pupils visible, and blood was gushing out, even covering the floor.

"Gary, you're such a wuss," Ryan pulled Gary up and said contemptuously, "A painting scares you like this. If a real ghost showed up, you'd probably pee your pants."

"Hey, don't be such a jerk, Ryan. You think you're so brave? I guarantee that if that ghost was real, you'd run away faster than a rabbit! Believe it or not?"

"Come on, you two, grow up!" Lily stepped between them to defuse the tension, "We're not here to fight. It's just a painting. Let's just keep going."

"Whatever! I'm not arguing with you," Ryan lifted his head and continued to follow Zachary up the stairs.

When they reached the second floor, there seemed to be more rooms. They randomly chose one and went in. The floor was covered with papers and discarded paints, and some easels were lying lonely in the corner. There was a Western - style fireplace on the left side of the room.

"Come to think of it, I saw a chimney on the roof earlier," Zachary walked up to the fireplace and looked around, "It seems this was the painter's studio... There are still some burned - out papers in the fireplace. By the way, how did the former owner die?"

Ryan thought for a while and replied, "I'm not sure. But I don't think he was murdered. When I asked the neighbors around, they didn't seem very willing to talk about it in detail... Zachary, do you sense anything in this house? Aren't you sensitive to the supernatural?"

"Do I sense the presence of ghosts? It's not very obvious yet. Anyway, let's keep exploring. Gary, why are you standing at the door? Why don't you come in?"

"This room isn't big. I can see everything clearly from here. Why bother going in?"

Zachary picked up a piece of paper on the floor. It was covered with a thick layer of dust. After he blew it off, the drawing on it was blurry, and the colors were chaotic. Maybe it was an abstract painting? There were also many paint tubes scattered on the ground, seemly all opened. Of course, the paint inside had dried up, and there was still a lot left. Did the painter just waste them like this?

"Well... there are easels, paints, and paintings, but two things are missing," Zachary said.

Ryan asked curiously, "What? Zachary?"

"Palette and paintbrushes. I wonder where they are. This place is so messy... I'm thinking, maybe the painter wanted to burn these paintings on the floor but died before he could finish. What do you think?"

Lily frowned and said, "Stop making wild guesses, Zachary."

"Who's making wild guesses... Maybe the painter threw away the palette and brushes too. The paints were all spilled on the floor, and even the paintings were just left there. Why did the painter destroy his own works? By the way, I wonder who painted that picture on the stair landing?"

"Probably the same painter," Ryan said, "Wasn't it said that this painter could see ghosts and paint them?"

Suddenly, Gary rushed into the room, shouting, "Come on, guys, come and see this..."

"What's wrong with you? Stop being so dramatic," Ryan was really annoyed by this nervous guy. He always made a big fuss over nothing. He regretted bringing him along. Although they worked in the same internship unit, Gary was from a different department. Usually, he pretended to be fearless, but now he was showing his true colors.

Zachary walked up to Gary and asked, "What happened?"

"Just come with me, and you'll see..."

The other three were curious and followed him along a corridor to a room. Then Gary pushed open the door, switched on his flashlight, and shone it inside. The other three were also a bit shocked.

This was exactly the study in the painting! Except there was no female ghost. The rest was exactly the same. They couldn't help but admire the painter's skills. It was as if the painting was a photograph of this study... At this thought, their legs began to tremble involuntarily. Had there really been a female ghost in this place?

"Come on... what's so scary about this," Ryan tried to act brave, "The female ghost was probably just made up by the painter. There's no such thing as ghosts in real life. Am I right?"

"I think... we should go back now..." Lily, being a girl, felt uncomfortable in this kind of atmosphere, whether there were ghosts or not. She just wanted to leave as soon as possible.

Zachary thought for a moment and said, "Okay, it's getting late. We've explored the house. Let's leave first..."

Ryan was going to mock Zachary, but looking at the study, he couldn't help but feel a chill. So he just went along and said, "Alright then." As for Gary, he was more than happy to leave this place ASAP.

Then, the four of them ran out of the house as if they were fleeing.

Just as they reached the door, Zachary noticed the house number plaque hanging on the door. He asked Ryan, "Ryan... what was the painter's name again?"

"Let me think... Oh, right, his name was Neil Lawson."

At the same time, far away in the city, Orion woke up from his sleep. Involuntarily, an image of a person started to form in his mind, and some white shadows pieced together to form a name.

"Gary... this guy is going to die..."