Mitternachtsböse

Kapitel 9

Oh no, I have to leave quickly, they'll find me as soon as they go out.

But as soon as I turned around, I saw Xu Ma's deadpan face.

"Let...let...me go!"

I was dragged into the house by Xu Ma, who grabbed me by the neck. By then, Grandma Tang had already sat back on her bed, put on her prosthetic leg, and covered herself with a blanket. But what hadn't yet transformed back was her faintly visible scarlet snake tongue and her mouth, split open to her ears.

Aunt Xu pulled me to the window: "Master, do you want to eat this too?"

Grandma Sugar ran her snake tongue across my face for a moment, then laughed, "Born on February 29th of the Year of the Snake? Very good, this is the best one. Eating you will allow me to fully recover. But it's not time to eat you yet..."

Grandma Sugar nodded to Aunt Xu. Suddenly, Aunt Xu stuffed some kind of dumpling into my mouth and then slapped it hard.

When I woke up, it was already broad daylight.

I have no recollection of what happened last night. I only remember watching a movie and then going home to sleep. As for how I got in the door, I can't remember at all.

During lunch, I heard that Zhong Kai had jumped into the river, and I lost all interest in going out, so I lay listlessly on the bed.

Grandma, not minding the trouble, went to the river herself. I heard she burned a talisman, scattered a handful of rice and three copper coins where Zhong Kai had fallen into the water, and caught a rooster to crow on the bank. In less than a quarter of an hour, the child floated to the surface. However, it was a corpse.

Guo Xiaoqiang told me all of this when he came to see me.

But I was so dizzy that I refused his invitation to go hiking with me.

Grandma came to my bedside as soon as she got home. We hadn't exchanged more than a few words when I saw her expression change. She told me to open my mouth. I did, and she put her nose to my mouth and sniffed for a while. I noticed something was wrong with her expression; her gray eyes gleamed with a fierce anger.

"How dare you lay a hand on my grandson!"

Grandma grabbed a handful of incense ash from the altar, mixed it with talisman water, and made me drink it. I resisted strongly, but she changed her usual gentleness and used her withered hands to pinch my nose and force it down my throat.

"Ugh—!" In less than half a minute, I threw up my leftover rice along with it. However, there were two worms that looked like roundworms in the leftover rice. Grandma stomped her peach wood cane, and the worms instantly turned into a puddle of green liquid.

Last night's memories played through my mind like a movie.

I cried as I recounted to my grandmother the details of Zhong Kai's murder and my own ordeal.

"You mean that old woman who sells candy on West Street? I never imagined she would..." Grandma sighed, looking up at the sky. "Actually, I should have realized it sooner. These children all got into trouble after she arrived. But Grandma is getting old, so it's better to avoid trouble."

My grandmother told me that the children who died were all born on February 29th. In a certain esoteric school of thought, this day is called the "Missing Day," and children born on this day possess a unique power in their blood. Therefore, they often become targets for demons, especially those of a cold and malevolent nature.

Grandma stroked my hair for a long time before saying, "Since you've been targeted by that monster, Grandma can't just sit idly by."

I didn't know what Grandma was going to do, but I had never seen her so serious before.

Grandma scrubbed her peach wood cane clean with sulfur and incense ash over and over again. Then she gave me a letter, a bag of sulfur, and some talismans, instructing me to stay home. If she hadn't returned home by nightfall, I should go to the town's police station and find a man named Yang Xueming. Show him the letter, and he would take me in.

After speaking, Grandma left with her peach wood staff and ritual implements.

I sat in the room, thinking it over and over, and I couldn't shake the feeling of unease. But I was also afraid that going with her would distract Grandma.

Grandma still hadn't returned by the time the sun was almost setting.

I couldn't sit still any longer, so I grabbed my backpack and headed towards West Street.

From a distance, I noticed that Granny Tang's house was tightly shut. It was dinnertime, and the streets were deserted. I approached and pushed the door open; it wasn't locked. Stepping inside, I was met with a nauseating, fishy stench. There lay Granny Xu sprawled on the ground, her head seemingly struck with a club, deflated. But there was no blood. Looking closer in the fading sunlight, I realized Granny Xu wasn't human at all. Below her nape, there were dense, intricate stitches—clearly a human skin stuffed with dirt.

When I entered the witch's room, I saw Grandma's peach wood staff stuck in the floor, and a pool of foul-smelling blood on the floor. It seemed Grandma had succeeded!

"You...why are you here..."

I heard a weak voice from the corner. It was Grandma!

Grandma looked as if she had aged five years, slumped helplessly in the corner of the bed.

I helped my grandma up; thankfully, she wasn't seriously injured.

Later, Grandma instructed me to find the policeman named Yang Xueming, who then secretly dealt with Grandma Tang's situation.

...

Two years later, I turned twelve. My first year of my zodiac animal.

My grandma and I moved to the city a year ago.

Today is my birthday, but both my parents have to work overtime, so only my grandma can celebrate with me.

My thoughtful grandma even bought a big two-tiered cake, which made me incredibly happy.

I wanted to cut the cake earlier, but Grandma insisted on cutting it at midnight.

"My dear grandson, it's time to make a wish!" Grandma turned off the light, and the whole room was warmed by the candlelight.

I clasped my hands together and silently made a wish.

Grandma stood behind me, with her hands on my shoulders.

"Has it been approved?"

"Hmm!" I nodded. "Is it time to blow out the candles and eat the cake?"

Snap!

A piece of human skin fell from my shoulder onto the table—it was Grandma's face.

Then I felt the cold, slippery snake tongue slowly licking my earlobe and auricle, and a fishy smell came from behind me: "Yes, it's...time...to...eat."

*Pfft...* The candle went out.

skin

Chapter One - Xiao Hong

Her husband had been away on a research trip for over three months, and although Xiao Hong felt lonely, she had gotten used to it. After all, she had married him despite his being a divorcee because she loved his talent.

Everyone says artists are crazy. But Xiao Hong is very fortunate that she didn't meet a "worldly" mad painter. When Zhao Shibin is at home, he is always very attentive and caring towards Xiao Hong. He basically takes care of all the housework, such as cooking and laundry. What's more, he's an excellent cook, and his cooking is very much to his wife's liking. Xiao Hong has always felt that she didn't marry the wrong person; a mature man is more considerate. Although there is an age gap, it seems that there is no generation gap between them. They usually talk openly and frankly about everything.

Just a month ago, she went to the hospital alone for a minor surgery without mentioning it to her husband.

When she returned home that day, she found Zhao Shibin sitting blankly on the sofa, seemingly deep in thought.

"Honey, when did you get back? Why didn't you tell me you were coming back early..." Xiao Hong rushed over and hugged him before she could even put down her bag.

Zhao Shibin seemed to want to say something, but hesitated. Finally, he squeezed out a few words through gritted teeth: "I finished the work ahead of schedule, so I came back first."

After speaking, she broke free from Xiao Hong's embrace and went to the kitchen to cook.

For several days in a row, Zhao Shibin maintained a distant attitude towards Xiao Hong, which surprised her greatly. Normally, "absence makes the heart grow fonder," and in the past, after such a long separation, her husband would be incredibly affectionate. But this time… could it be that he was having an affair?!

Xiao Hong was startled by her own thought. She had never considered how she would live without Zhao Shibin. After all, even in an era where divorce is commonplace, there's no need to treat it like an everyday occurrence. Moreover, she truly loved her husband and even planned to start a family within the next year.

Seeing her husband's indifferent attitude, Xiao Hong decided to melt his heart with enthusiasm.

So she took the day off and went home early, knowing that her husband was usually still busy in his studio at this time. While her husband was away, she cooked Zhao Shibin's favorite dishes, cleaned the house spotlessly, and changed into a sexy Japanese-style loungewear outfit.

When Zhao Shibin returned home, he was clearly surprised that Xiao Hong had made these preparations. However, his attitude didn't change much. This made Xiao Hong feel somewhat aggrieved.

After dinner, Xiao Hong went online in her bedroom, while Zhao Shibin quietly went to clean up the dishes and wash them.

"ah--!"

Hearing Xiao Hong's scream, Zhao Shibin rushed to the bedroom. It turned out that Xiao Hong had accidentally opened a picture of "lotus breasts" while browsing the internet. She was so frightened that she clung to Zhao Shibin, trembling for a long time. In the end, Zhao Shibin helped her close the webpage.

If Xiao Hong looked up at that moment, she would see a contemptuous smile in her husband's eyes.

It flashed by in an instant.

Strange things were lurking at the doorstep of this Cold War family, taking advantage of the situation.

One night not long after, Xiao Hong was half asleep when she was suddenly awakened by a cold, damp sensation. She tried to open her eyes, but couldn't. She only felt... someone licking her feet.

In complete darkness, a wet, soft tongue slid across the soles of my feet, cool and ticklish.

She tried to call for her husband, but her mouth only opened and closed weakly in the air, she breathed a few times, and then drifted off to sleep again.

When she woke up the next day, she thought she had just had a strange dream. She looked at the soles of her feet and saw nothing unusual.

Unexpectedly, a few days later, she was awakened once again by a cool, slippery touch.

This time, instead of feeling dizzy, she clearly sensed that someone... or something else, was licking her feet in the darkness.

A shiver ran through her entire back, numbing her.

She reached out to grab her husband, but found nothing. She then remembered that Zhao Shibin had said he was going to work overtime at the art studio at dinner, and probably hadn't returned yet.

Xiao Hong woke up, but the sensation on the soles of her feet continued. She quickly pulled her leg back.

The thing seemed to realize that Xiao Hong had woken up, and slowly stood up from its squatting position.

Xiao Hong suddenly turned on the bedside lamp, wanting to see who it was.

But she regretted it as soon as she turned on the light, because standing at the foot of her bed was a completely naked man. However, that description wasn't quite accurate. This "man" had messy, gray hair, a wrinkled forehead, dark circles under his eyes, sunken cheeks, pointed ears, and a deathly pale complexion. His skin was entirely dark gray, but covered with countless tiny black holes. Like holes corroded by sulfuric acid, even more so than lotus seedpods!

It noticed Xiao Hong was awake, but instead of being afraid, it stuck out its long tongue and grinned as it walked towards her. Saliva stretched into long strands in the air. Only then did Xiao Hong notice that its tongue was also riddled with holes, all black craters.

As the monster drew closer, Xiao Hong trembled violently, then lost consciousness before she could catch her breath.

Before she lost consciousness, the last image she had of the monster was that it licked her face with its hole-filled tongue.

When she woke up, she found everything was normal, as if nothing had happened. Zhao Shibin was sleeping peacefully beside her.

The next day, when she told Zhao Shibin about it, he just thought she was having a nightmare.

A few days later, Xiao Hong began to realize that something was wrong.

First, she discovered that many small holes had inexplicably appeared on the soles of her feet while washing them.

It doesn't hurt or itch; it's just that the skin is broken. There are many, densely packed circles, like big and small ones.

There are round ones, flat ones, oval ones... and some are rings nested within rings.

She suppressed her nausea and applied some antifungal ointment to the soles of her feet.

But several days passed and there was still no improvement.

Strangely enough, she hadn't been woken up at night for the past few days, but this didn't last long. Soon, her body started to itch, and large and small red spots appeared.

Zhao Shibin said she had a skin allergy and bought her some Claritin.

After taking the medicine, the itching stopped. Reassured, she took leave from work to recuperate at home.

To my surprise, the next day, those red scars had sunk inwards, turning into small holes that covered my entire body like stars scattered across the ground.

When Xiao Hong saw the countless flesh-colored holes all over her body in the bathroom mirror while taking a shower, she almost fainted.

She screamed hysterically and scrubbed frantically. But unfortunately, those holes were like brands; once they were there, they couldn't be washed away or scrubbed clean. Her fingernails left countless red scratches on her once-perfect skin, the flesh torn and peeled back.

Hearing the screams from the bathroom, Zhao Shibin rushed in. He seemed completely unfazed by his wife's illness and immediately pulled her into his arms. However, Xiao Hong could clearly feel him shudder slightly as he held her.