After a long while, the bone-chilling screams outside suddenly vanished without a trace. Lying on the bed, I snapped my eyes open, startled. The surroundings instantly fell into a terrifying silence.
I cautiously braced myself, creeping step by step toward the wooden wardrobe blocking the door. I pressed my ear against the wall to listen; there wasn't so much as a faint rustle. At this moment, recklessly pushing the wardrobe aside to check would be no different from a gamble with the Grim Reaper.
Left with no choice, I let my eyes scan the room one last time: from under the bed to the nooks of the cabinets and the old painting hanging on the wall-thankfully, everything remained as motionless as before. I quietly returned to bed, but inwardly vowing not to close my eyes. In this murky darkness, if that creature managed to slip in through a single lapse in judgment, the price would undoubtedly be my life.
Throughout the interminable night, I lay there wide awake. When one forces oneself to stay conscious, time seems to slow down in a strange, agonizing way.
Before I knew it, the first light of dawn began to seep through the window. The sound of car engines tore through the stillness, returning the urban bustle to the city. The feeling of staying up all night was far from pleasant; my head felt heavy, yet my heart was light with relief because that counterfeit creature had not returned.
I sluggishly climbed out of bed. Just as I was about to push the door open to scout the situation, a sudden sound made me freeze: "Knock... knock..." It was a knock at the door.
Following it was a familiar, melodious voice:
-"Zhao Tianxia, are you awake? It's me, Yasu."
Under the broad daylight, I was almost certain it was her. However, the obsession from last night lingered, keeping me on guard. I had to check thoroughly.
I stood dead still a few meters from the door, not rushing to open it, but projecting my voice out with a probing tone:
-"If you're the real Yasu, how can you be so sure the person standing in this room is me that you'd just casually knock like that?"
The space went silent for a few seconds, and then I heard her mischievous chuckle drifting in:
-"An impostor would try to play the role of an eager teammate to lure me into a trap. Only you would use that obnoxious 'interrogation' tone to talk to me."
Hearing this, the heavy stone in my heart was finally lifted. I mustered my strength to shove the bulky wooden wardrobe away from the door, not forgetting to peek through the peephole one last time to confirm before turning the lock.
The door swung open, revealing a slender figure with striking sky-blue hair. Yasu was still covering her mouth, her eyes curving up with teasing amusement:
-"You're being a bit too cautious, don't you think?"
-"Better safe than sorry; it's just a precaution against the unexpected." - I snorted, avoiding her gaze.
After a brief exchange of banter, she stepped into my room to discuss our next move. Yasu lowered her voice, her expression becoming unusually solemn:
-"Were you okay last night?"
-"I'm fine, just stayed up all night. You... witnessed that thing too, didn't you?" - I looked at her, searching for an answer.
-"I did." - Yasu recounted, her face momentarily darkening. - "I heard the knocking and those ear-piercing screams outside, so I looked through the peephole. And I saw... someone who looked exactly like me, standing right there in front of your room."
I frowned, pressing further:
-"When you worked here before, did you ever encounter anything like this?"
I remembered clearly that Yasu once said this place was quite peaceful, except for the mysterious 'clatter' from the next room at midnight; nothing else had ever crossed the line.
-"That's right." - Yasu affirmed once more with determination. - "Before you arrived, aside from the peculiar stares from customers or the haunting knocks on the walls, everything was under control. Those 'things' never showed themselves or took any action against me."
Silence descended upon the room. A self-doubt rose within me: this was definitely related to my presence. Since the day I moved in, these bizarre phenomena had begun to escalate. Or... had I accidentally triggered some 'hidden mechanism' without even knowing it? Things were clearly deviating from their original orbit.
Yasu spoke up, breaking the heavy atmosphere:
-"I was worried sick then. Luckily, you were sharp enough not to fall into the trap and open the door."
-"Hmph, just a stroke of luck." - I replied, my voice still laced with contemplation.
-"Hey, while observing from the room opposite, I've also deduced a few rules about these shapeshifters..." - Yasu looked at me, her eyes gleaming with sharpness.
I was startled. Perhaps she and I were on the same train of thought:
-"You're thinking about that too? Tell me."
Yasu began her analysis:
-"I have two hypotheses. One, the demon's strength is inherently weak; if it were strong enough, it would have smashed the door down long ago. The second case, which is more likely, is that there's a hidden rule preventing them from entering our rooms. A type of 'protective circle' that they cannot violate?"
I was stunned, feeling as though she could read my very soul. This alignment in our thoughts gave me a sense of peace. I immediately added:
-"You're thinking exactly what I am. Furthermore, I noticed they seem to be triggered by loud noises. When I pushed the wardrobe to block the door, the monster outside immediately shrieked violently as if it had been provoked."
-"Now that you mention it, I see it too." - Qing Yashu said, her words echoing agreement.
In the midst of our engrossed effort to piece the clues together, a sound made us both petrified.
"Knock... Knock... Knock..."
The knocking rang out again, its rhythm steady to the point of being hair-raising. Both Yasu and I felt a chill run down our spines; our eyes snapped toward the wooden door, which was vibrating violently under a forceful impact from the outside.
( Who? Who on earth is standing behind that door right now?! ) - A question filled with suspicion and horror flashed through my brain like a bolt of electricity.