Chapter 33: Memories

　　I jolted awake, squinting against the harsh light. I glanced over—Yumeng was still asleep, her right hand resting gently on my stomach.

　　I reached for my phone by the pillow and tapped the screen. It was 3 AM. I wasn’t sure when I’d fallen asleep.

　　As I carefully moved Yumeng’s hand, preparing to get up for the bathroom, I noticed her brow furrow. Her body began to tremble, and faint sobs escaped her lips.

　　Is she having a nightmare? I sat up and gently shook her shoulder. “Yumeng! Yumeng! Wake up, you’re having a nightmare!” I said softly, trying to rouse her.

　　But she didn’t respond. Her trembling intensified, and her soft sobs turned into more desperate, heart-wrenching cries.

　　I grabbed her shoulders and shook her more urgently this time. “Yumeng! Yumeng! Wake up!” My voice was louder, more anxious. After a few tries, she finally opened her eyes, looking around in a daze. When she saw me, she murmured, “Xia Ning, don’t leave… I’m scared.”

　　I patted her hand reassuringly. “I’m just going to the bathroom. Stay here, okay?”

　　She hesitated for a moment before nodding.

　　I gave her a comforting smile before getting out of bed. The sound of my slippers scuffing against the floor echoed in the quiet room. As I opened the door and faced the dark, empty living room, I hesitated.

　　But if I didn’t go now, I wouldn’t be able to hold it much longer.

　　After a moment’s pause, I turned back to grab my phone.

　　“Hurry back,” Yumeng called out, her voice tinged with anxiety.

　　I nodded, smiling at her before turning on the flashlight and stepping into the hallway.

　　When I reached the bathroom, I flipped on the light, letting out a relieved sigh as the room filled with brightness. I couldn’t help but chuckle at myself. Getting this worked up just to go to the bathroom?

　　The bathroom in her house was huge. On the left, at the far end, there was a shower with a curtain, next to the toilet, and closer to the door was a half-body mirror above the sink.

　　As I walked by the mirror, I couldn’t resist glancing at it. My reflection stared back, tension etched across my face. A shiver ran down my spine, and I quickly hurried past.

　　The toilet gurgled as it flushed, and I found myself staring at the sink beneath the mirror again. My throat felt dry, my nerves on edge. I covered the side of my face with my hand, trying to block my peripheral vision as I prepared to rush past.

　　But just as I reached the mirror, I stopped. I wanted to see if my other self—the one I’d glimpsed before—would appear again. Had I just imagined it that day?

　　My heart pounded as I slowly turned to face the mirror.

　　My reflection looked back at me, just as nervous as I was. I forced a smile, trying to shake off the tension, and my reflection smiled too. Maybe I really had just imagined it.

　　But then something shifted. The smile on my reflection’s face twisted, stretching unnaturally until it reached the edges of its face. The entire face contorted, the mouth opening into a dark, gaping hole, revealing stark white teeth.

　　“Xia… Ning…”I covered my ears and bolted out of the bathroom, stumbling back to bed.

　　Seeing my distressed state, Yumeng asked, “What’s wrong, Xia Ning?”

　　I wrapped the blanket around us, my hands trembling as I pulled Yumeng close. “It’s nothing. Just go back to sleep.”

　　Feeling me hold her tight, Yumeng smiled and nestled closer.

　　“Xia Ning, why do you feel like you’re shivering?” Yumeng asked, her concern evident.

　　“It’s… it’s nothing. I might just be a bit cold. I’ll be fine soon.”

　　“Oh, Xia Ning, I had that dream again. I was all alone, surrounded by paper figures…” Her body started trembling again, her eyes wide with fear.

　　I turned to her and hugged her tightly. “It’s okay, Yumeng. You need to be brave. It’s just a nightmare. It’s all over now.”

　　Yumeng nodded vigorously in my embrace.

　　I glanced down and saw that she was crying again.

　　Sighing, I thought for a moment and said, “Yumeng, can you tell me what happened there? Maybe talking about it will help.”

　　Yumeng shook her head violently. “I can’t, I can’t. I’m so scared, Xia Ning.”

　　“For the past few days, I don’t know what’s wrong. I keep having that same dream every night!” Yumeng cried, tears streaming down her face.

　　I pulled out some tissues from my bag and gently wiped her tears. “Don’t cry. I think I might have an idea of what’s going on.”

　　She stopped crying and looked at me intently, still sniffing.

　　“I think the issue might be with the antidote. Maybe it wasn’t enough to completely neutralize the effects of the drug.”

　　“So… what should we do? Will I have to go back there?” Her voice trembled as she asked.

　　“Don’t worry.” I smiled at her reassuringly. “Someone told me that the hallucinogen’s effects only last for a month. And since you’ve already escaped, you won’t go back there.”

　　“See, I had a nightmare too before I woke up. You need to be brave as well, Yumeng.” I cupped her small face and smiled warmly.

　　She nodded slowly, her expression turning serious as she clenched her tiny fists against her chest for encouragement. “I understand. I’ll tell you everything I saw there.”

　　We lay under the covers, me holding the tearful Yumeng close, as she began to recount her experiences in that place.“I… I’ll wait for you outside, but… you guys, please hurry back…” Yumeng’s voice echoed inside the door, unusually clear in the quiet night.

　　As she watched our figures vanish into the haunted house, Yumeng stood nervously across the road, glancing around with growing unease. Her small hand gripped her phone tightly in front of her.

　　“They… should be… back… soon, right?” Yumeng’s voice shook as she spoke.

　　Ten minutes passed…

　　Yumeng pulled out her phone and started playing a matching game, trying to distract herself.

　　Twenty minutes passed…

　　Her phone beeped, warning of low battery, and Yumeng stopped playing.

　　Looking around at the surrounding darkness, fear gripped her heart. She regretted not going in with us…

　　Thirty minutes passed… Why weren’t we back yet? The lollipop she’d been sucking on was long gone.

　　Creeeak…

　　Creeeak…

　　The wind began to blow, making the door of the haunted house creak ominously. Inside, dismembered limbs flickered in and out of sight.

　　Yumeng was petrified. She lifted her foot, ready to run away, but then she remembered that we were still inside.

　　After hesitating for a bit, Yumeng made a tough decision: she was going in to find us!

　　She used her phone’s light to guide her steps as she slowly approached the haunted house.

　　She kept her head up as she entered, desperately trying not to look at the “dismembered limbs” on the floor.

　　“Xia Ning… Wu Jing…” she called out.

　　Thud…

　　Her foot accidentally kicked a plastic limb to the side.

　　“Ah…” Realizing what she’d kicked, Yumeng screamed and bolted further into the house.

　　“Xia Ning… Wu Jing… Where are you?” Yumeng cried as she ran, her voice quivering with fear.

　　But no matter how much she called, there was no answer.

　　“Xia Ning… Wu Jing… Please answer me! I’m scared.” Yumeng kept running, her breathing ragged, the hand holding her phone shaking.

　　Suddenly, she thought she saw two figures standing ahead.

　　“Xia Ning? Wu Jing? Is that you?” Relief flooded her as she quickened her pace, her phone’s light sweeping over the ground to avoid any sudden obstacles.

　　She glanced up occasionally, trying to stay on course, but soon realized something was off. The two figures hadn’t moved an inch.

　　“Xia Ning? Is that you? Please don’t scare me…”

　　Yumeng swallowed hard and took a few cautious steps forward, raising her phone’s light. Two unfamiliar faces came into view: a nurse with bulging eyes and a twisted, creepy smile, and a doctor missing an arm, holding a scalpel. There were some words behind them, but she couldn’t make them out.

　　The moment she saw their faces clearly, a blood-curdling scream tore from her throat.Ah !!!!!!!!!