My House Of Horrors
8: Black Friday
"Xiao San, this is the perfect opportunity for you to brush up on your knowledge of traditional Chinese architecture. This is a near-perfect reconstruction of the traditional Siheyuan 1. There are three layers of entrances: Dao Zuo Wu 2, Main House, the Ear House 3, Chao Shou Corridor 4, Chui Hua Men House 5, East and West House, Back House, and, Ru Yi Door 6, and so on. I was impressed by the attention to detail; it really felt like you were already traveling in time. "
Gao Ru Xue walked past the set piece, occasionally stopping to learn the details.
"Senior, we're in Haunted House, not on a study trip, right?"
Their footsteps echoed in the empty courtyard where the banknotes were fluttering. It was as if He San was in a different dimension compared to Gao Ru Xue. He turned around every few seconds, afraid that something would jump out of the dark corners.
"We'd better find a way out as soon as possible; this place makes me nervous."
"Because we're already here, of course, we have to enjoy the experience. Remember, we're customers, don't let Haunted House play games with you."
"But don't you remember the boss warning that we should find a way out in less than fifteen minutes? Based on the malevolent look of the man, I'm sure he has something terrifying planned if we can't escape in fifteen minutes. ! "
He San tried to urge Gao Ru Xue, but the latter was not affected at all.
"There are only so many tactics that the Ghost House can use. At worst, they would make the workers dress up as ghosts to chase after us. Xiao San, you deal with corpses every day, don't tell me that you suddenly decided to fear ghosts? "
As Gao Ru Xue wandered the Hugging Corridor, she pushed open the door to the Left Ear House.
A piece of Minghun was typical of the ancient Beijing Siheyuan. The Main House is a living building for the elderly and the head of the house; the East and West Houses are for sons and daughters, while the Ear Houses are for servants and servants.
When the door was pushed open, the tables and chairs in the room rolled over. The pillow on the bed was torn, causing cotton wool to float into the air. A white hanging cloth swayed right in the middle of the room.
"Senior, I'll guard the door, be careful inside ..."
Before He San could finish, he was dragged into the room by Gao Ru Xue. His body froze, and his pale face watched the white cloth sway in the windless room.
"Interestingly, the cloth was at least 1.5 meters from the ground; this height was not enough to cause strangulation to hang. Falling chairs and tables, as well as signs of struggle on the floor
... The Haunted House is trying to create the illusion that this is a forced suicide. But the Ear House is meant for servants. This means that the ghost refused to save even those who had nothing to do with his death. He insisted on torturing the people in this house to death. "
Behind Gao Ru Xue's clear analysis, there was a hint of excitement.
"The design of this Haunted House is quite impressive; there may still be other hidden secrets that we have yet to discover."
He walked around the room and pulled the faded bed cover. Lying underneath him was a paper puppet.
"A paper doll lying on the bed of a living person?"
Gao Ru Xue threw the doll to the side and leaned over to flip the mattress. There's nothing underneath.
"The greater the anticipation, the greater the disappointment. Let's go, the exit is not in this room."
He shrugged his shoulders before walking out. He San, who was left alone in the living room, had his teeth chattering.
Maybe it was his corner, but he swore he saw a paper doll, lying on the floor, winking at him.
"Bronze chicken figurines began to bleed, and paper dolls burned for the dead were found flashing ... Senior, wait for me!"
When the door of the House of Ears was closed, the white cloth in the room stopped swaying.
"Can you be a little calmer, why are you yelling left and right? Stop acting like a little girl, man!"
"I'm not afraid, but this place is seriously making me feel uncomfortable, and the longer we stay here, the stronger the feeling is. Don't you feel that something is reinforcing our deepest fears?"
He San's words regarding the nails on the head. Gao Ru Xue thought about it, and she also realized something was wrong. The most important quality of a forensic doctor was the ability to remain calm no matter the situation, but when he scolded He San earlier, his calmness was shattered; this had not happened to him before.
"Maybe I'm scared too? But why should I be afraid? Everything here is clearly fake!"
A crack began to form on Gao Ru Xue's internal defense. None of them could tell the source of their fear. With the combined effect of psychological suspicion and terror, seeds of fear began to grow in their hearts.
"Say, do you really think there is something or someone inhabiting this place? After all, the boss did say this place was built on a mass grave and was a renovated abandoned hospital ..."
"God! Our university morgue is even scarier than this! You're a forensic doctor; how you so easily scared—"
Although Gao Ru Xue said that she was not afraid, it was seen that the speed of her speech increased. He looks around. Old houses, mourning halls, dead trees, banknotes, everything laid out; they were not scary. "So, what am I afraid of?"
The two were so disturbed by their surroundings that they did not notice the background music being repeated. This forbidden song called Black Friday slowly but surely slipped into their hearts, arousing their fear.
"Xiao San, how long have we been here?"
"I don't know, but I have a feeling we won't be able to escape in fifteen minutes!"
"Don't worry, just give me some time to think about this,"
gao Ru Xue said as she walked down the corridor.
"This Ghost House isn't scary; it's because the boss has given us negative psychological advice. Ever since we entered the Ghost House, he had emphasized such points, mass graves, direct burials, ghosts, and so on. However, the most cunning part of this man is that, although he has set a time limit, he does not say what will happen if we fail. This creates a natural pressure on ourselves, causing our minds to fill the void with the scariest speculations. "
"Then, what do you think we should do now? This Ghost House feels a little different from the others."
He San was an honest child; he would do as his senior asked.
"You're not wrong there; Haunted House used to hire actors to dress like ghosts or use a lot of set-ups to paint bloody scenes to scare us, but this Haunted House doesn't do that. He had prepared the set beforehand and allowed us to wander about it freely. Without guidance and a set plot, no one knew what would happen. "
"I see what you mean; the scariest thing is the unknown." He San nodded.
"The explanation is as good as any other."
Gao Ru Xue frowned without being seen.
"Come, let's move to the next room."
The Ear House is attached to the Main House. After pushing open the wooden door, it revealed a room full of mourning clothes and a painted coffin right in the middle of the room.
The red coffin has a large " ⁇ " character, cut from white paper affixed to the center. Standing in two neat rows beside him were many paper mannequins.
Each of them had a name written on their backs, and they all wore thin make-up on their faces. Their eyes seemed to glow as the door was pushed open, and they seemed to be silently staring at the two figures standing at the door.
A siheyuan is a type of historic residence commonly found throughout China, most famous in Beijing and the Shanxi countryside. Use this picture as reference: https://imgur.com/a/6WuTkyE
The Inverse House: the building opposite the Main House. So called because they are attached to the Main Building like a pair of ears. Also known as the Hugging Corridor because they hug the main courtyard like a pair of hands.
Drooping Flower Door or a second entrance, as this door is connected to the Hugging Corridor, the corridor will provide the necessary structural integrity to stand upright without pillars so that the pillars are sawed, the, creating a mirage that they drooped from the ceiling, and these doors were usually decorated with the desire of floral motifs, hence the name. Profitable Doors.