Seven Days in the Wilderness

A primeval forest in the Alps, two thousand meters above sea level. The temperature at night has dropped below freezing, and the pine trees rustle in the wind.

First night

Xu Meifeng wrapped her jacket tightly and watched Chen Shusheng skillfully build the tent. They have been walking all day, away from the regular tourist trail.

"Ah Sheng, are we really going to camp here?" Xu Meifeng rubbed her cold fingers, "The map clearly indicates that there is a mountain hut ten kilometers away. "

Chen Shusheng didn't answer, just focused on fixing the tent's bracket. In the moonlight, his side face looks particularly resolute, like the gentle designer in Shanghai.

"The stars are out." He looked up suddenly, and there was a strange devotion in his voice, "Look, it's so clear. "

Xu Meifeng followed his gaze, and the sky full of stars was set in the dark night sky like diamonds, which was indeed amazingly beautiful.

"Is it worth freezing over this?" She asked, half-jokingly.

Chen Shusheng turned his head, his eyes flashing with the reflection of starlight: "Every trial is worth it, Meifeng." "

Second night

They camped in front of a cave. This is the place that Chen Shusheng insists on, and he says this is the place where the "pioneers" once stayed.

"Who is the Precursor?" Xu Meifeng asked, watching Chen Shusheng light a bonfire at the entrance of the cave.

"Those who seek the truth." Chen Shusheng's voice was calm, "Including my father. "

Xu Meifeng hesitated: "Ah Sheng, your father... How did he die? "

The light of the bonfire danced on Chen Shusheng's face, outlining a deep shadow: "He has found the truth, but the world is not ready to accept it. "

He took out a small wooden box from his backpack, and when he opened it, inside was a string of old rosaries, each with tiny symbols engraved on them.

"This is the only relic my father left me." Chen Shusheng said softly, "He said that when the stars are arranged in a specific pattern, I will understand everything." "

Xu Meifeng looked at the string of prayer beads, and a trace of uneasiness swelled in her heart: "Ah Sheng, are we really just here to shoot the stars?" "

Chen Shusheng took the rosary back into the wooden box: "Of course, Meifeng." Let's witness the miracle. "

Third night

Deep in the cave, Chen Shusheng found a cut on the rock wall. The symbols look ancient, some are blurred, but the "🜏" symbol in the center is unusually clear.

"Look!" Chen Shusheng stroked the rock wall excitedly, "Sure enough, they've been here!" "

"Who?" Xu Meifeng asked, feeling an inexplicable chill.

"Precursor." Chen Shusheng's eyes sparkled in the light of the flashlight, "This is the message they left behind." "

He pulled his notebook out of his backpack and began to quickly record the symbols. Xu Meifeng noticed that his movements were getting faster and faster, and his breathing became rapid.

"Ah Sheng, are you okay?"

Chen Shusheng didn't answer, but continued to record frantically, with words in his mouth: "The Seventh Seal... Seven days... Seven stars..."

That night, Xu Meifeng woke up in her sleeping bag and found Chen Shusheng sitting at the entrance of the cave, raising his hands to the starry sky, as if praying. His figure looked unusually lonely and mysterious in the moonlight.

Fourth night

Chen Shusheng disappeared.

Xu Meifeng searched around the cave for three hours, calling out his name, but only echoes answered her. It was getting dark, and she had to return to the camp, where she had to wait a long time in fear and worry.

Just as she was considering whether she should seek rescue, Chen Shusheng returned, carrying a skinned hare in his hand. His clothes were stained with blood, and there was a feverish excitement in his eyes.

"Meifeng, have you ever heard of the 'Wilderness Preaching'?" He asked, his voice surprisingly calm, as he lit a fire.

The bonfire made his pupils glow green, like the eyes of a beast.

"No... Haven't heard of it. Xu Meifeng replied vigilantly, instinctively feeling uneasy.

"Medieval monks would go naked into the jungle and let wild beasts and hunger test their faith." Chen Shusheng set the hare on the fire, and the blood dripped into the fire, hissing, "Only after the ultimate trial, can the soul be purified and communicate directly with the gods." "

Xu Meifeng noticed that Chen Shusheng's hands were trembling: "Ah Sheng, are you okay?" Let's go back tomorrow, shall we? "

Chen Shusheng suddenly turned to her, and a trace of coldness flashed in his eyes that she had never seen before: "No, Meifeng." We're just getting started. Tomorrow is the fifth day, and we need to perform the 'union' ceremony. "

"What ritual?" Xu Meifeng's voice also began to tremble.

Chen Shusheng didn't answer, but just took out the string of prayer beads and a thin iron chain from his backpack.

"This is what my father used." He whispered, "Tomorrow, you too will be part of the seekers." "

That night, Xu Meifeng tried to call for help with a satellite phone, but found that the phone had been removed from the battery by Chen Shusheng. For the first time, she felt real fear.

Fifth night

"Get on your knees." Chen Shusheng ordered, his voice could not be refused.

They were deep in the cave, the symbols on the rock walls twisting and dancing in the firelight. Chen Shusheng had already taken off his shirt, revealing his lean torso. He held the rosary in his hand, his eyes empty and distant.

"Ah Sheng, you scared me." Xu Meifeng took a step back, "Let's go back, you need to rest." "

"Get on your knees!" Chen Shusheng suddenly roared, his voice echoing in the cave, "This is the only way to purify!" "

Xu Meifeng had never seen him like this, and fear froze her in place. Chen Shusheng stepped forward and pressed her shoulders hard, forcing her to kneel on the ground.

"Ah Sheng, stop!" She struggled, but Chen Shusheng's strength was surprisingly great.

"You'll thank me, Miho." His voice returned to calm, "When your soul is purified, you will understand the meaning of it all. "

He chained Xu Meifeng's ankle and fastened the other end to an iron ring on the rock wall—the ring looked like it had been there for a long time, as if it had been prepared for this moment.

"This is our wedding, Miho." Chen Shusheng held up his Polaroid camera, "Much more sacred than secular rituals." Laugh one, this is our wedding photo. "

The moment the shutter was pressed, Xu Meifeng caught a glimpse of the bruise under his collar — exactly the same as the Buddha bead bruise that was about to form on her arm. That's the mark left by the rosary pressing on the skin.

"Ah Sheng, what did you do to yourself?" She asked, horrified.

Chen Shusheng looked down at the bruises on his chest and showed a calm smile: "Purify, Meifeng." We all need purification. "

That night, Chen Shusheng used a rosary bead to press circle after circle marks on Xu Meifeng's arm, while reciting strange scriptures. With each lap, he pressed the Polaroid shutter to record this "sacred" moment.

Sixth night

Xu Meifeng's arms were already covered with bruises, taking on the shape of a rosary. She is chained to a cave and can only move around in a limited range. Chen Shusheng became more and more fanatical, sometimes excitedly preaching the teachings of the "Wilderness Preaching", sometimes staring silently at the symbols on the rock face, as if waiting for them to speak.

"Tomorrow is the seventh day." Chen Shusheng said excitedly, "The stars will be arranged in a special pattern, and the 'revelation' will come." "

"Ah Sheng, please," Xu Meifeng cried and pleaded, "Untie the chains, let's go home." You need to see a doctor. "

"Doctor?" Chen Shusheng smiled, and that smile made Xu Meifeng creepy, "They can't understand the truth." Only those who have gone through trials can see the face of God. "

He took out a piece of red-hot metal with the inscription on it: "The Last Purification, Miho." Then we can receive the Revelation. "

Xu Meifeng looked at the red-hot metal in horror: "No... Ah Sheng, don't..."

"Thou shalt not tempt thy God." Chen Shusheng chanted, imprinting the red-hot metal on Xu Meifeng's back.

Her screams echoed through the cave, startling the birds that roosted at the mouth of the cave.

Seventh night

The rain was pouring down, and the thunder was roaring. The world outside the cave seems to be the end of the world.

Chen Shusheng sat at the entrance of the cave, staring intently at the starry sky in the rain curtain, waiting for the so-called "special arrangement". Xu Meifeng curled up in the corner, and the burn on her back was still aching. She looked at Chen Shusheng's back, and didn't know where the gentle designer she had loved for three years had gone, and who the fanatical stranger in front of her was.

At midnight, the rain stopped and the clouds dispersed, revealing a sky full of stars.

"It's coming!" Chen Shusheng stood up suddenly, his voice trembling, "Look! Seven stars are arranged in a cross shape! The time of revelation has come! "

Xu Meifeng looked up and only saw an ordinary starry sky, without any special arrangement. But Chen Shusheng clearly saw a different scene, and his eyes flashed with a frenzied light.

"Father, I saw it!" He shouted at the starry sky, "I've completed your unfinished mission!" "

Suddenly, Chen Shusheng's body began to twitch violently, and he fell to his knees, his nails scratching his chest, tearing his skin, and blood running down his fingers.

"They're coming! Behind the petroglyphs! He screamed, not in a human-like voice.

Xu Meifeng looked in the direction he pointed, and the moonlight illuminated the dense "🜏" symbols on the stone wall, and each symbol had half a fingernail embedded in the center - it was a human fingernail, deeply embedded in the cracks of the rock.

Fear flooded Xu Meifeng like a tide. She realized that the cave might be the ritual site of the "Wilderness Preaching" cult, where the nails belonged to former believers, and that Chen Shusheng was reenacting his father's madness.

"Ah Sheng! Wake up! She struggled to get close to him, but the chains restricted her movements.

Chen Shusheng turned to her, his eyes had completely changed, as if another person had occupied his body: "It's not Ah Sheng... I am the messenger... I'm a forerunner..."

He crawled towards Xu Meifeng, holding a knife that appeared out of nowhere: "The last sacrifice... Baptism of blood and fire..."

Xu Meifeng pulled the iron chain in despair, and finally, driven by extreme fear, pulled the iron ring out of the rotten rock wall with all her might. She grabbed the stone beside her and slammed it on Chen Shusheng's head the moment he pounced.

Chen Shusheng fell, blood flowing from his temples, but the corners of his mouth rose strangely, as if smiling.

"Run... I can't escape," he muttered, "they've marked us..."

Xu Meifeng stood up tremblingly, dragged the chain, and staggered out of the cave. The rainstorm fell again, and the icy rain washed away her scars. She didn't know where she was going, she only knew that she had to stay away from this crazy place, away from the person who was no longer Chen Shusheng.

Behind him, Chen Shusheng's laughter came from the cave, which looked particularly strange in the thunder: "Run... Can't run away... The seventh seal has been opened... The trumpet of the angels has sounded..."

Xu Meifeng ran in the rain, the chains dragging behind her, making a piercing sound. She didn't know how long she had been running, but she remembered that she ended up in a pine forest, her consciousness blurring.

The last memory is to see Chen Shusheng dragging his injured body towards her in the rain, holding the Polaroid camera in his hand and reciting strange scriptures in his mouth. The lightning lit up his face, and it was no longer Ah Sheng she knew, but a stranger distorted by his faith.

"Miho... We must complete the ritual...", his voice looming in the thunder, "the seventh day... There must be sacrifices..."

Xu Meifeng struggled to get up and continue to escape, but her physical strength was exhausted. She watched Chen Shusheng approach step by step, and fear and despair overwhelmed her.

Just then, a bolt of lightning struck a nearby tree, and the huge pine tree fell with a bang, falling right between them. The flames ignited and extinguished in the rain, creating a temporary barrier.

Xu Meifeng seized this last opportunity, stood up strongly, and staggered down the mountain. Behind him, Chen Shusheng's voice was gradually drowned out by the sound of rain: "I can't run away... We have been flagged... They're going to find us..."

The darkness swallowed everything, and Xu Meifeng's memory was interrupted here. The next clear clip is waking up in the pine forest near the ranger station, Chen Shusheng lying next to her, with the iron chain still tied to his ankle and the "🜏" symbol engraved on the lock.

She doesn't remember how they got to this Chinese forest from the Alps, or what they went through. Only fragments of those rituals and fears, as deep as fragments, were deeply embedded in her memory, and could never be erased.

And what's even more terrifying is that she doesn't know if the "thing" that occupied Chen Shusheng's body in the cave still exists, and whether it will reappear to complete the unfinished "Seventh Day Sacrifice".