3 veces robo de almas

Capítulo 7

"Peijing," I said anxiously, "how long have you had this illness?"

"Illness?" She was almost in tears. "You think this is a kind of illness?"

“Isn’t that right? Last time you said you saw a vendor’s stall in front of the house, but there wasn’t a single ghost in sight. Now, everyone at the table is sitting there perfectly fine, and you say you can’t see anyone or hear anything…”

"Last time, I really saw it! But this time, I really can't see it!"

"Have you never had a similar experience before?"

"I swear to God I didn't!"

"Do you have nearsightedness? Or astigmatism?" "Neither!"

"Then...you...have...the ability to see ghosts?"

"The ability to see ghosts? You're saying my eyes can see filth? Bah! Bah! What a lucky day!"

"If it's not the ability to see ghosts, then how could it be..." I dared not think further, I was afraid.

I went to the banquet in high spirits, but returned disappointed. On the way home, I drove silently, my heart heavy with unease. The more I tried not to think about it, the more the shadow of unease crept in, and I felt extremely uncomfortable. It was like having a breath stuck in my throat, suffocating me.

Just as the car was about to turn onto Waterloo Road, Pei-ching, who was sitting next to me, suddenly screamed and frantically grabbed my hands on the steering wheel. Startled by her sudden action, my hands trembled, and the car went out of control, crashing into a large tree on the side of the road. Broken glass flew in all directions. I managed to open the car door and jump out, landing halfway down the road and sitting on the grass beside the road, suffering only minor injuries.

Pei-Ching lay dead in the car seat, her head and arms covered in blood.

With the help of kind passersby, we were taken to Queen Elizabeth Hospital.

I was able to be discharged after applying the medicine, but Pei-ching's injuries were more serious and she needed to stay in the hospital. That night, I stayed in the hospital corridor, lingering until dawn. The next day, I hesitated again until she woke up.

"Peijing!" She lay on the hospital bed, her head wrapped in bandages, her hands tied up, her face deathly pale.

"How...are...you...hurt...?" She was so weak, as if she only had half a breath left.

"I only suffered a minor external injury, it's nothing serious. But you, how are you feeling now? Does your wound hurt?"

"Pain...what...is...it...important...as...as...as...no...killing...anyone...I...feel...at ease..."

"What did you say? What do you mean, 'killed someone in a car accident'?"

---janeadam

Reply [22]: "I...don'pletely...?"

"Pei-ching, what exactly are you saying?"

“Last night... when the car... was turning... a white woman... suddenly... jumped out... from the side... I was afraid... you... wouldn't be able to... brake... in time... so... I... screamed... and... quickly... tried... to... turn... your... driving... wheel... otherwise..."

I interrupted her, "What white woman?"

“A woman…wearing…a…white…maternity…dress…she…smiled…at…us…in…the…car…”

I gasped: "Do you remember what she looks like?"

"I...can't...describe...it...but...next...time...when...we...see...each...you...will...remember...it..."

I didn't press the matter further, firstly because Pei-ching needed rest, and secondly because I was genuinely scared myself.

After helping her to rest, I left the hospital. Just before leaving, I was shocked to realize that the ward was deathly quiet, and Pei-ching's breathing could only be heard in the stillness.

"Yes, yes..."

A faint, transparent sound, seemingly from nowhere, came with a chilling ache. I looked around and saw that the faucet in the corner of the ward was not turned off properly, its dripping sound like the ancient water clock's lapping, both desolate and lonely. There were about twenty beds in the ward. Except for the five near the entrance, which were occupied but separated by a screen, it was another world entirely. The other fourteen beds were empty, as if there should have been patients lying there, creating a vacuum, as if even the air was gone. I stared at the thermos and blood plasma bag above Pei Jing's bedside, shaped like an hourglass, as if her lifespan was slipping away. But seeing her chest rise and fall at a slower rate, her dark circles and drooping eyelashes, I realized her days were numbered. A chill ran down my spine, numbing me almost to the point of paralysis.

As soon as I stepped into (my sister's) house, I heard her shouting:

"Little brother! Oh dear! I was so worried about you!"

I didn't understand what my sister meant at first.

"Brother, where did you go all night last night? I thought something had happened. The accounting office called to ask why you didn't go to work. Li Peifen also called to ask why Peijing didn't come home all night?"

Only then did he realize that he had forgotten to inform his sister about the car accident with Li Peifen.

“I was in a car accident last night and Pei-ching is still in the hospital. Sister, I’m fine, but could you please do me a favor and call Mary Hospital to let Li Pei-fen know that her sister is at Queen Elizabeth Hospital?”

After saying that, I rushed into the room in a great hurry, rummaging through everything.

Hearing the noise, the older sister came in: "Little brother, what are you looking for?"

"I'm looking for Shen Anting's photos!"

"Shen Anting's photo?" the older sister asked in surprise. "Why are you looking for a photo of a dead person?"

"I'm going to take it to the hospital so Pei-ching can identify it."

"Brother, what happened?"

I will briefly recount what happened in the car accident last night.

The older sister was stunned and after a long while said, "But I burned every single one of Shen Anting's photos a long time ago?"

"Ah! I remember now, maybe her former colleagues or the owner of the bakery have it. Sister, I'll go right away."

So he ran out the door like a whirlwind.

After much persuasion, I finally obtained a group photo of Shen Anting with her former colleagues and the bakery owner.

He rushed to the hospital in a whirlwind.

When I came back, Pei-ching had already woken up again, but she looked very tired. She would close her eyes to rest for a while, and then open them again.

"Peijing!"

---janeadam

Reply [23]: "...Why...why...didn'e...to...do...what...I...am...okay......"

“Peijing,” I stammered, “I…brought…a…photo…can you recognize it…”

"Who...is it...?"

"Then, the first woman on the left in the photo... isn't she the woman you saw last night... wearing a white maternity dress...?"

"Let...me...see...it...is...her...I...recognize...it...is...her..."

I felt dizzy and disoriented, as if I had suffered a setback.

"How...how...did...you...have...her...photo...? Who...is...she...so...you...know...her...?"

I dared not say Shen Anting's name.

Is there anything you don't understand now?

Shen Anting has become obsessed with Pei Jing!

"Your...face...is...very...bad..." Pei-ching closed her eyes, her voice weak, "Go...go...back...to...rest..."

Even on his deathbed, he still showed me deep concern.

This made me even more grief-stricken, yet in front of Pei-ching, I couldn't show even the slightest bit of sorrow, confusion, panic, fear, or hatred...

After she fell asleep again, I couldn't hold back my tears any longer and stumbled out of the hospital, my steps weak. The streets were crowded with people, bustling and hurried. Peijing is dying! Peijing is dying! My heart was screaming in despair. A car screeched to a halt beside me, and the driver leaned out of the window and yelled a curse at me:

"Damn it! Are we in such a hurry to get the birth certificate?"

I actually wish I could just get run over by a car and die, and end it all.

I'd rather it was me who died!

Not the woman beside me!

"Damn it! Get out of my way, are you looking for death?!" The driver gritted his teeth and rolled his eyes.

At the same time, someone pulled me from behind.

"Why do you look so lost?" It turned out to be Li Peifen, my soon-to-be aunt.

I wanted to reply, but how could I? My voice was already choked with emotion.

"It's not my sister..."

I shook my head, then nodded, then thought it wasn't right, and shook my head again.

"How is my sister?"

"She...suffered a minor head injury...and cut her hand on glass...the doctor said she's fine...but...but..."

"But what?"

"I...I...will...go...with...you...to see your sister..."

So they returned to the hospital.

As soon as I stepped into the ward, I saw two nurses draping a white sheet over Pei-ching from head to toe. In that instant, I felt my blood vessels freeze, as if a thousand sharp knives were piercing my chest. I knew nothing more, just stood there stiffly, devoid of emotion, thought, and consciousness. My world had been shattered in an instant, and I myself had already been broken into countless pieces.

"Didn't you say my sister's injuries were minor?" I heard Li Peifen crying out.

“Your sister’s injuries are indeed not serious, but she is in a very bad state,” one of the nurses replied.

---janeadam

Reply [24]: "What's wrong with it?"

"She was panting heavily, and before she died, she struggled painfully. We went over and held her hand, and she said she saw it. As soon as we let go, she trembled violently. When we held her hand again, she said she saw it again. This went on for about ten minutes before she died."

Suddenly, I stumbled and fell to the ground, letting out a single, piercing scream before collapsing to the floor, unable to utter another sound.

Pei-Ching is dead!

Pei-ching died, just like Jie-er!

I cried my heart out, telling myself over and over again that this wasn't real, that it was just a nightmare. When I woke up, Pei-ching was still alive and smiling right before my eyes.

But Pei-Ching is indeed dead.

It was a nightmare, one nightmare after another, without interruption.

When Jie'er died, I was hysterical.

By the time Pei died, I was already insane.

I simply couldn't control myself from crying, screaming, being startled, or being afraid!