AWB Chapter 88 : Dreams and Tissue
Chapter 88 : Dreams and Tissue
Dreams and TissueWhat humans fear isn't darkness itself, but the unknown lurking within it.
However, when the chandelier in the bedroom was turned on, the light dispersed not only the darkness, but also the fear in Su Long's heart.
Separated from outside by just a layer of curtains, though the tapping from outside the window continued incessantly, he no longer felt as frightened as he had moments before.
After all, as a modern man with an overseas education, su Long didn't really believe in the existence of ghosts deep down.
After all, if ghosts truly existed, after so many years, why had no one produced any evidence?
The initial panic gradually faded. He began calming down, his mind started working again, now thinking about what might actually be outside the window.
Could someone be trying to mess with me, deliberately putting on a show to scare me?
Minutes ticked by. Suddenly, a thought sprung up in Su Long's mind.
So, he first grabbed a bottle of red wine from the bedside table to steel his nerves, then kept his eyes fixed intently on the white, tasseled curtain, speaking coldly to the internet celebrity behind him, "You, go pull open the curtain! I want to see what exactly is out there, who the hell dares to scare me like this!"
"Young Master Long... I'm scared... my legs won't move..."
The little internet celebrity's voice quavered with a hint of tears, her legs wobbly and trembling uncontrollably.
Holding the wine bottle, with his fear somewhat eased, su Long glanced back—wasn't it just as he thought? The internet celebrity's legs were practically bent into an X, shivering like a sieve. Honestly, being able to stay upright in this state was already impressive.
"Useless, all looks, nothing else. Call property management now, I'll go take a look myself."
Despite cursing her countless times inside, su Long still edged his way to the window, carefully reached for the curtain, yanked it aside with force, then immediately performed a Back Leap!
"What the hell is it? Come out and show yourself!"
The moment the curtain was thrown open, the strange slapping and hissing sound on the window abruptly ceased. Outside, all was pitch black, and every apartment building stood with its windows dark.
Impossible?!
After a brief flash of shock, a chill seeped into Su Long's bones.
What used to be a bustling, well-lit luxury apartment complex, night and day, was now like a deserted dead city. Only a few street lamps in the distance still glowed, shedding an eerie white light.
A blackout?
No, that was impossible.
His room's light was still on; there's no way it was a blackout. Even the security office, manned round-the-clock, was now completely dark, not a soul in sight.
Could it be... that everyone else in this apartment complex... had already been killed by ghosts...?
An unrealistic thought popped up in his mind, making Su Long even more frightened. He had planned to call property management for backup, but clearly something was very wrong in the complex. The whole atmosphere was like a horror film.
"Hell with it... I don't believe in this crap—did I really run into a ghost tonight?"
Forcing down his fear, he hefted the wine bottle and walked forward a few steps to the window. However, he didn't dare open it. Instead, he pressed his face to the glass, peering outside.
No hideous female ghosts. No sudden horrors sprang into view. As before, the world outside was eerily calm; even the usual summer cicadas had fallen silent, as if they'd never existed.
Drawing back, su Long checked either side of the window—he found nothing out of the ordinary.
In fact, the absence of abnormality was the most abnormal thing.
If there was no one outside, then who had been slapping his window just now?
While Su Long was mired in confusion, ripples began appearing across the surface of the landscaped lake downstairs, and the trees along the bank rustled in the wind.
It started to blow...
Bang!
In that instant, the glass in front of him shook as the slapping noise erupted again!
Su Long's body shuddered violently. As if struck by a sudden realization, his face turned deathly white. He looked up instinctively to the top of the window.
A woman with long black hair hung upside-down outside the glass above his head, eyes tightly closed, face deathly pale, her body swaying with the breeze.
Every few seconds, her head would bump against the top edge of the window glass with a faint "bang".
"Ah! There's a ghost!"
It felt like an iron grip seized his throat—Su Long's face twisted in terror as a piercing scream ripped from his mouth. He tumbled and crawled backward, toppling onto the soft bed.
As if to make it worse, the chandelier in the bedroom clicked off, plunging the room back into darkness you couldn't see your hand in.
"You bitch! What the hell are you doing! There's a ghost outside the window! Turn the lights on, now!"
His deepest fears ignited, su Long's heart hammered in his chest—three beats per second—as he screamed hysterically at the internet celebrity beside the switch.
But the usually obedient internet celebrity didn't respond to him at all.
In the bedroom's faint glow, su Long could just make out a blurry feminine silhouette tiptoeing toward him, giggling softly.
A chill coursed over his entire body. Teeth clenched, his face lost all color. Desperate, his right hand fumbled to the side and suddenly touched something solid.
His phone!
Like a drowning man latching onto the last straw, courage from nowhere surged up. Su Long snatched the phone, slammed down the power button, and shone the screen's cold light on the little internet celebrity walking toward him.
Her face emerged in the glow.
Black hair draped over her shoulders, skin as white as a corpse, eyes still tightly closed, and on the bluish lips—a faint smile emerged.
It was the very same woman hanging outside the window!
Her dry, bluish lips twitched. The woman's face, almost touching Su Long's, suddenly stretched into a grin. She murmured, hauntingly:
"Thank you for opening the door, I've come in."
"I..."
His mouth hung open, but no sound came out. His heart was clenched tight, pupils dilating. Before Su Long could utter a single full word, his head lulled to the side, and he collapsed limply to the bed.
.......
5 a.m., donghai City, the familiar fifth floor of the duplex apartment.
"Ahhhhhhhh!"
Su Long shot up from the soft bed, face pale, pupils contracted, screaming as if his lungs would tear—he was drenched with sweat as if he'd just been pulled from water.
The internet celebrity beside him, who'd still been asleep, was frightened out of her wits, scrambling upright and groggily asking, "What? What is it? Is it an earthquake?"
"Earthquake my ass! Ghosts!"
Seeing the little internet celebrity next to him completely naked, su Long's fear intensified. He promptly swung his size-43 foot, kicking her off the bed as she wailed, "Ying ying ying," in tears.
Booting her off, su Long looked at the familiar bedroom and the lightening sky outside—only then did he gradually calm down.
So, it was all just a dream...
Damn, that dream was too realistic; you couldn't tell it apart from real life.
Fortunately, it was just a dream...
With trembling hands, he grabbed the half bottle of red wine on the table, poured himself a full glass, and downed half in one go, feeling the burn of alcohol in his throat—his nerves slowly settled. Next, he picked up the charging phone from his bedside table and checked the time.
It was now 5:28 a.m.
Moving quickly, he threw on clothes, grabbed his car key, yanked a wad of red bills from his wallet, randomly pulled out a few, and tossed them to the still-crying internet celebrity on the floor before opening the bedroom door and hurrying out.
Even though it was just a dream, it had left a mark on his mind. For a long time, he wouldn't want to stay in this room again.
He went downstairs to the parking lot and got into his Maserati, the security guard at the gate didn't even dare try to stop him, letting him drive out of the apartment complex.
Once out of that haunted apartment complex, su Long immediately felt much better. It was still before six in the morning, summer break, not many cars on the road, the streets wide and empty. He joyfully spun the wheel, weaving the car left and right along the broad road.
"Eh, here I go again."
"Eh, and back again!"
One had to admit, men's joys could be very simple.
The huge highway was his now. A few drivers behind wanted to complain, but seeing the Maserati's license plate, they kept it to themselves—no point. They could only silently curse him, hoping a dump truck would smash the car's owner as soon as possible.
Just as Su Long was having his fun, a wave of sleepy drowsiness washed over him, he couldn't help but yawn, feeling his eyelids grow heavier.
He hadn't slept well last night and had gotten up early, so Su Long didn't think much of it. He forced his eyes open, straightened up, and slowed the car a bit.
However, in a few seconds—without noticing when it had begun—a thick, white fog had blanketed the road around him, visibility dropping to hardly seventy or eighty meters ahead.
Su Long still paid it no mind. He floored the accelerator, and the Maserati's engine roared into the fog, disappearing quickly from the rearview of the trailing drivers.
500 meters away, on the other side of the road, a large truck was gliding silently through the dense fog, moving eerily against traffic.
Come closer, and it became clear: this truck was made entirely of cardboard, its headlights just sheets of reflective plastic, the cabin without glass, and sitting inside, hands gripping the wheel, was a tissue person with a bizarre smile and bright red cheeks!