The Creatures That We Are

They looked around the nursery and found clues one after another.

Gao Yang found a check for a large sum in a drawer, made to someone named Jack.

Then Zhou Jing found a name tag on the incubator labeled no.1. The name Lisa was written on it—the infant the poor mad woman had given birth to and lost.

Edmond found something too not long after. There was a Christmas card in a book with words of blessing written on it.

Dear Uncle Jack, thank you for the birthday gift. Happy Christmas to you too.

—Anna

“Wait!” Can realized something. “Anna? Isn’t that the name signed on the puzzle in the first room?”

“What is Anna’s relationship with Dr. Jack?” Zhou Jing asked.

“Hm.” Vermilion Bird thought back while stroking her chin. “The drawing seems to be Anna’s, and it’s of her and her parents having turkey on Christmas Eve.”

“It was Christmas Eve, but also her birthday,” Gao Yang added his analysis.

“But wait, aren't the main characters of the story the mother who’s gone mad and her daughter Lisa?” Lin Dajian grumbled. “The clues of the escape room are all over the place. It doesn't make sense!”

With Lin Dajina’s reminder, Gao Yang had a eureka moment and pieced together a story.

“I think I’ve got it, everyone.” Gao Yang’s eyes glinted. The others turned to him one after another.

Gao Yang went over the story in his head before telling the tale. “The poor woman’s husband died in war. She was bearing his child when her husband told her in her dream that it was a girl, and they should name her Lisa.”

“The woman was expected to deliver the child on December 24th, the Christmas Eve. Tragically, her newborn passed away soon—but in truth, her girl hadn’t died. The one who passed away was someone else...”

“Ah! Lisa was Anna!” Vermilion Bird caught on.

“So that’s what happened!” Can got it too.

“Now I understand!” Lin Dajian also came to the realization. He quickly chimed in, “The newborn named Anna was the one who died. Her parents were likely rich, and they bribed Dr. Jack into swapping the babies after the wife gave birth to a dead child on December 25th.”

“Thus, Lisa died suddenly on December 25th, while the parents’ girl Anna came back to life.”

“The next three years, Anna grew up in a rich family and had a good life, keeping in contact with Dr. Jack. Lisa’s mother, however, led a life wallowing in pain and eventually lost her mind, taking her own life in the end.”

“That should be it,” Edmond continued, speaking at a deliberate pace. “The mother turned into a wraith and lingered in the world. Mistaking the newborns at the hospital as her own, she took them away, thus killing them. Tortured by great panic and regret, Dr. Jack committed suicide, too. It’s a tragedy through and through...”

Thud.

Before Edmond could finish, something fell from above.

It was a body dressed in a bloodied white coat, a hemp rope tied around his neck, hanging him from the beam above. The face was pale and bleeding from all orifices, the rope creaking as the body swayed.

“Ah!”

“Aaaaah help!”

“Ghost! A ghost...”

The scare dragged another bout of hysterical screams out of the players.

Although it was only a mannequin, the suddenness of it made Gao Yang's hackles raise.

Again, Vermilion Bird and Can latched onto Gao Yang as quickly as possible, sandwiching him like the meat patty between buns. Zhou Jing also threw herself into Qiu Qiu’s arms, crying out in fear.

Even Ke Yo, who had been silent throughout, was terrified into hiding behind Edmond without thinking.

Lin Dajian and Mi Shi were left exchanging a glance. In the end, their awkwardness overpowered their fear, and they didn’t hold onto each other.

“Don’t be scared. It’s just a prop...”

Lin Dajian tried to comfort them, but he was seething with jealousy inside. Why didn’t you go for me, Sister Xia? Don’t I look much bigger and more dependable than Gao Yang?

Just when they were going to calm down, the passlock door of the first room creaked open. A woman’s bloodied hand reached out through the gap, slapping onto the floor.

“My girl. Give me my girl back...” The woman spoke in a mournful, resentful voice, chilling them to the core.

“Ahhh!”

“Help, mom! Save me...”

“I’m not playing anymore! I’m getting out of here!”

“Quick! Let’s get out of the room!”

There was a panicked chorus of screams as they rushed toward the door on the far side of the room. Lin Dajian started throwing himself against it.

“Wah! Wah! Wah...”

But then the intense cries of an infant came from the other side of the door.

What the hell?!

They were flanked on both sides by enemies. Whoever made the escape room was morally bankrupt! They would do anything to scare the players!

They quickly backed off, but turning around, a head covered completely by damp black hair was already slowly popping out of the gap of the door.

Compared to the strange crying sounds, the vicious ghost before them was clearly more terrifying.

“What do we do? It’s coming!” Can’s voice broke.

“Help! Help...” Vermilion Bird held tightly onto Gao Yang’s neck and squeezed her eyes closed, hanging off him like a koala.

“Forget it! Slam through the door!” Lin Dajian said decisively. “What the hell is this escape room?!”

Bam!

This time, Lin Dajian smashed through the door easily.

It turned out that the door had been secretly unlocked at some point. The owner wanted to give the players an immersive experience of running for their lives.

They rushed through the door and slammed it shut. The third room was well-lit and warmly designed. It was a child’s room.

At the center of the room was a baby stroller, on which was a prop baby.

Crackle.

The walkie-talkies Vermilion Bird and Edmond were holding crackled to life at the same time. The moderator spoke through them.

“Attention, you’ve now entered the dream of the mother, Lisa. Lisa was a poor woman. You must resolve her grudge in order to save her. Here, you’ll—find—out—about—her—”

The moderator’s voice slowed like it’d been stretched. In fact, the whole space distorted visibly.

A few seconds later, everything went back to normal, but the walkie-talkies quieted.

“Hello? Hey!” Vermilion Bird shook the walkie-talkie in her hand, befuddled. “Is there no signal?”

Gao Yang suddenly heard the system’s warning.

[Warning, you are in extremely great danger.]

[Luck acquisition rate increases to 5000 times.]

This 𝓬ontent is taken from f(r)eeweb(n)ovel.𝒄𝒐𝙢