Fantôme derrière toi

Chapitre 9

"We're here." After crossing the hill, Chen Yan stopped in a small clearing. On the silvery ground bathed in moonlight, lay two rusty iron shovels. It seemed Chen Yan had arrived here earlier and made all the necessary preparations.

Two boys walked up behind him, silently picked up shovels from the ground, and began to dig, one stroke at a time, up the damp soil. In no time, they had dug a pit more than two feet in diameter and a meter deep. Lin Han carefully placed the bowl down, and the two boys filled the pit and tamped it down. When they turned around again, the path they had come from had vanished without a trace, replaced by a vast expanse of dense forest.

"What happened? Where's the road?" she asked in a panic, unable to identify which girl it was. No one answered her. Everyone's gaze was no longer blank; it was as if they had only just become fully awake, and every face had turned whiter than the moonlight.

"Perhaps we turned in the wrong direction." After a long pause, the tall boy who had previously burned the white paper finally said this, his tone extremely uncertain. "This forest and hilltop are only so big, there probably won't be any problems." As he spoke, he walked to the edge of the cliff where he could have looked down at the foot of the mountain, and suddenly, as if greatly frightened, he fell silent and retreated step by step.

"What's wrong, Jia She?" A petite girl asked timidly to the boy called Jia She.

“Sister, down below… down below…” Jia She turned around, her face contorted with fear and covered in sweat.

"Is it... also a jungle down there?" The girl's face instantly became exactly like Jia She's.

6

Hearing the way the man and woman addressed each other, Lin Han suddenly remembered that these two were the two strangest twin siblings in their fourth year of the International Trade major in the Department of Spanish Languages—Jia Ru and Jia She. The reason they were considered strange was because they were different from ordinary twins; they didn't look alike at all, and were even less alike than typical siblings.

It seems there really is a connection between twins. Judging from the change in Jia She's expression, Jia Ru's guess was completely accurate. Lin Han was already mentally prepared. Although he wasn't as panicked as the others, his heart couldn't help but tremble, and he subconsciously glanced at Chen Yan. Chen Yan still maintained that calm and composed expression, not even looking at anyone, but simply tilting her head slightly, gazing at the night sky.

"Oh my god! Everyone, look up at the sky!" The tall, slender girl with an oval face exclaimed as she followed Chen Yan's gaze. Everyone looked up and saw a deep blue sky dotted with stars, and a full moon hanging high in the sky. The only difference from usual was that the moon had turned a strange red, as if it were stained with blood.

"Wow! Red moon, beautiful!" Judging from the chubby girl's foolish reaction, Lin Han immediately guessed that this must be Sun Ying, the infamous "busty bombshell" from the Computer Science department. If he wasn't mistaken, the girl who exclaimed earlier was definitely Sun Ying's best friend, Du Xiaojia. Damn it! Big boobs, no brains. Lin Han cursed Sun Ying inwardly, secretly rolling his eyes at her.

"Damn! Do you even have a brain? A red moon in the sky is a very ominous sign." The arrogant, handsome guy finally spoke, and his words shocked everyone present.

"Qian Xiao, you bastard, watch your mouth. Don't think that just because you're Xiao Jia's boyfriend I won't dare to curse you. I've put up with you for more than a day." Sun Ying's face turned bright red, her hands on her hips, her neck stiff, looking like a fighting rooster.

"Could you all please keep quiet? What time is it? You don't want to leave, but I do." The sturdy, dark-skinned boy spoke, his voice not loud, but very authoritative. Seeing Qian Xiao and the others staring at him, they dared not utter another sound. He took out a pack of cigarettes, flicked one out with a flourish, and put it in his mouth. Qian Xiao quickly took out his lighter and lit it for him.

Lin Han knew without a doubt that only one person in the entire school possessed such an arrogant big brother demeanor; this was none other than Wu Yongbin, the leader of the school's "Four Heavenly Kings." And Qian Xiao was none other than the second-in-command of the "Four Heavenly Kings," who followed Wu Yongbin's every whim. However, there was one thing Lin Han couldn't quite understand: why were two of the usually inseparable "Four Heavenly Kings" missing today?

"Beautiful lady." Wu Yongbin, cigarette dangling from his lips, walked up to Chen Yan and blew a puff of pale blue smoke in her face. "You invited us here, so how do you explain this?" Chen Yan lightly flicked her slender hand away the acrid smoke, giving Wu Yongbin only a cold glare without saying a word. Seeing Chen Yan ignore him, a flash of malice crossed Wu Yongbin's eyes. "Why aren't you saying anything? Did you orchestrate all of this?"

"It's none of her business." Lin Han, not knowing where the courage came from, stepped forward and stood between Chen Yan and Wu Yongbin, his eyes gleaming.

"It's none of her business? Then it's your business, huh?" Wu Yongbin took a deep drag on his cigarette, his expression turning fierce. "Kid, you think you can be a hero and save the damsel in distress with your skinny frame?"

“If you want to go out, stop talking nonsense,” Chen Yan finally spoke. Wu Yongbin’s expression changed again, looking somewhat surprised. Lin Han turned around and met her gaze, clearly seeing a trace of emotion hidden beneath her melancholy.

The silence deepened the stillness of the night. Chen Yan's small, icy hand grasped Lin Han's right hand, leading him as they turned and walked down the mountain. Lin Han was intoxicated; his boiling blood warded off the coldness in her palm. He was flattered and overwhelmed, his steps faltering like a child being led by an adult. In that instant of turning away, he saw jealousy in the eyes of the other boys and a strange, inexplicable expression on the faces of the other girls.

Everyone silently followed, each struggling to suppress their growing fear. There was no path beneath their feet; the ground was uneven and rugged, overgrown with knee-high weeds. The environment wasn't dark, but rather like a darkroom, a bright red that made their eyes uncomfortable. Lin Han glanced back; everyone's pale faces were tinged with red, and their facial muscles, controlled by fear, looked utterly eerie.

"Can we get out of here?" After walking for a very long time, feeling like they were still going in circles, Lin Han asked Chen Yan softly. Chen Yan seemed not to hear him, remaining silent and unresponsive, continuing to walk forward. Lin Han licked his lips, wanting to ask again, but then swallowed the words back.

Sun Ying wasn't usually very active, and the brisk walk, coupled with her nervousness, had left her breathless and gradually falling to the back of the group. As she walked, she suddenly felt something was wrong. There was footsteps behind her, following closely. At first, she didn't pay attention, until the heavy breathing of the person behind her touched the back of her neck, and then she realized what was happening.

How could there be an extra person? Sun Ying clearly felt the cold air blowing against her neck, making her hair stand on end. She squinted her nearsighted eyes and silently counted the number of people in front of her. Seven people, that's right, plus herself, that makes eight. So, there was indeed an extra person behind her.

Sun Ying began to feel scared, but she didn't dare to look back. She jogged a few steps to catch up with Du Xiaojia, nervously took her arm, and whispered, "Xiaojia, I feel like someone is following me."

Du Xiaojia looked at Sun Ying with surprise: "Oh?"

Sun Ying noticed that Du Xiaojia wanted to turn around, so she grabbed her arm and said, "No! That would alert them. It's better to watch secretly." After saying that, she held her breath and heard the footsteps still following closely behind her.

Du Xiaojia thought Sun Ying's words made sense, but how could she see it without turning around? She pondered for a moment, then suddenly remembered that she had a lipstick in her pocket, and a small mirror was stuck to the box. She quietly took out the lipstick box and carefully opened the lid. The reflection in the mirror was blood red, swaying up and down as she moved.

"I don't see anyone," Du Xiaojia whispered to Sun Ying.

"Impossible, right?" Sun Ying took the mirror and, mimicking Du Xiaojia, peeked behind her. Just as Du Xiaojia had said, there was nothing in the mirror except for trees and grass. She finally breathed a sigh of relief and returned the lipstick case to Du Xiaojia. "Maybe I'm just too tired; my ears are ringing."

7

After walking for a short while, Sun Ying fell behind the group again. A chilling aura brushed against her neck once more. A wave of unease washed over her, and the footsteps that had just disappeared echoed behind her again.

Was it another hallucination? But where was the cold air? Sun Ying sensed that it wasn't the wind. As if possessed, she turned around. A face appeared before her, nose to nose. The stench was so overwhelming it nearly made her faint.

It was a woman's face, pale to bluish, as if covered in too much powder. A pair of large eyes, without eyeballs, empty sockets, staring directly into Sun Ying's eyes. Deep within the eye sockets, some small, plump white worms were wriggling, arching and protruding their heads from the edges of their sockets.

"Ah—" A piercing scream echoed through the dense forest, shaking the very soul. A pair of hands, now just withered bones, choked off the scream. As the woman lowered her head, the tiny white insects fell into Sun Ying's wide-open mouth.

Everyone turned around in fright and saw Sun Ying, about half a zhang away, desperately tilting her head back and clutching her own neck with both hands. For a moment, everyone was stunned and stood there, at a loss for what to do.

It took Du Xiaojia a while to react. She rushed forward and forcefully pried open Sun Ying's wrist, saying, "Sun Ying, what are you doing? Let go, let go! You'll strangle yourself!"

Qian Xiao ran over as well, along with Wu Yongbin. Being boys, they were much stronger, and they quickly pried Sun Ying's hands off her neck, one on each side. Sun Ying's arm strength became surprisingly great; her ten fingers curled into claws, as if there was a strong suction force on her neck, and she struggled to close her arms. At the same time, she began to cough, accompanied by gagging sounds.

"This is..." Jia Ru and Jia She walked hand in hand to Sun Ying. Jia Ru uttered those two words, and Jia She immediately followed up, "What's wrong?"

Sun Ying's body trembled violently. She stopped resisting, bent over, and began to vomit. She vomited a large amount of half-digested food, and continued vomiting until she had nothing left to vomit, still dry heaving. Finally, she stopped, raised her head, and leaned against Du Xiaojia with a bitter expression, recounting her terrifying experience in broken sentences. Everyone exchanged bewildered glances, their eyes filled with skepticism.

Seeing that no one really believed her, Sun Ying became anxious. Her wet gaze swept over everyone: "What I said is...true, why don't you believe me?"

“But…” Du Xiaojia looked at everyone, then turned to Sun Ying with difficulty, “We only see that you are pinching yourself, we…”

"Stop talking!" Sun Ying shouted in grievance, interrupting Du Xiaojia. "You don't believe me either? I've never lied to you."

"Uh... Sun Ying, let's figure out what happened later." Lin Han's words eased the awkwardness a little. "You just threw up, you must feel terrible. Let's find a water source as soon as possible. Rinse your mouth and wash your face, you'll feel much better."

Sun Ying was probably genuinely unwell and didn't object to Lin Han's words. She cast a disappointed glance at Du Xiaojia, then dragged her feet and walked in the direction they had been heading. Du Xiaojia caught up with her and supported her. They silently resumed their journey, continuing their seemingly endless trek. However, regardless of whether they believed Sun Ying's words, the horrifying scene they had just witnessed still weighed heavily on their hearts.

As dawn broke on the horizon, the moon cast only a pale orange shadow.

It had been a whole night, and why did we feel like we were stuck in the same place? Lin Han quietly observed his surroundings; the scenery remained unchanged. From the woods to his left, he could faintly hear the sound of flowing water. It was an irresistible temptation; the long journey of the night had left his throat parched like a desert. The others reacted the same way; their bloodshot eyes all gleamed with greedy delight.

The sound of water gave Sun Ying, exhausted and dehydrated, a surge of energy. She stumbled into the dense forest, following the sound. She hadn't gone far when the view suddenly opened up. Although it was still quite dark, she could clearly see a small, circular pool nestled in an open area of the woods. A small waterfall, less than a meter high, was continuously pouring cool, clear water into the pool.

By the time the others arrived, Sun Ying had already knelt down by the pool, disregarding the cold. She took a breath, ignoring the chill, and submerged her head completely in the water. After gulping down several mouthfuls, she suddenly felt an unbearable burning pain in her face, mouth, throat, and even stomach.

The Jia siblings, who were walking at the front, hadn't even reached the small pond when Sun Ying suddenly jumped up, crying out in pain. She frantically scratched her face and throat, running around the grass like a headless fly. Everyone was terrified, only knowing to hide, but having no idea what had happened.

This didn't last long. Sun Ying groaned and collapsed onto the grass, her body contorting and then springing back up repeatedly. In the orange-red morning sun, everyone was astonished to see wisps of blue smoke rising from her body. Soon, she stopped her violent movements, leaving only the twitching of her dying muscles.

As Sun Ying's body slowly unfolded like a dead hedgehog, everyone gasped in shock, instinctively stepping back and covering their mouths as they stared at the motionless figure on the ground. Her head was unrecognizable, a bloody mess, still bubbling with red foam that rapidly dissolved. Her throat was burned through, gushing out thick, sticky blood. Slowly, the front of her light-colored cotton coat was stained red with snow water from the inside out. Then, the blood-soaked coat began to smoke, the charred black color slowly spreading outwards.

What they saw was clearly the result of strong acid corrosion. Du Xiaojia and Jia Ru couldn't bear to look any longer and turned away, tears welling in their eyes. At the same time, everyone realized that the problem must lie in that pool. Looking at Sun Ying's body, now a pool of red, mushy flesh, beneath which the weeds rapidly withered, Lin Han picked up a long branch, carefully walked to the edge of the pool, and gently inserted it into the water. When he took the branch out, the submerged end was charred black. Clearly, the pool wasn't water at all, but a pool of strong acid.

"What kind of hellhole is this?" Jia Ru sobbed, burying her face in Jia She's shoulder. No one answered her, and no one could answer her. Everyone was pale and at a loss.

Lin Han walked back to Chen Yan's side and gently took her hand in his palm: "Let's go."

Everyone seemed to be in mourning, heads bowed, as they turned and walked out of the woods. No one saw that as they turned, a woman's head surfaced from the pool, her empty eye sockets devoid of pupils, her dark purple lips slightly upturned in a sinister smile. Then, she quickly sank back into the pool, silently. A small ripple spread slowly across the surface, eventually disappearing without a trace.

8

The sun hung high in the sky, scorching hot. The temperature continued to rise.

Everyone started to feel hot and took off their cotton-padded coats as they walked. The unusual temperature didn't feel like the dead of winter at all. Chen Yan's hands were still icy cold, and unlike the others who were sweating profusely and looking disheveled, she maintained her usual coldness and arrogance. Perhaps because he was holding her hand, Lin Han didn't feel hot either, and simply unbuttoned his coat.

All around were towering trees, their thick trunks clearly indicating they were at least a century old. Vines intertwined, fallen leaves littered the ground, and weeds grew so thick they nearly reached waist-high. No matter which direction you looked, the scenery was almost identical; you couldn't find your way out.

"I'm tired, everyone sit down and rest." Wu Yongbin found a rock to sit on, his tone leaving no room for argument.

"Hehe, boss, now that you mention it, I'm tired too. Let's all take a break and wait a bit before continuing." Qian Xiao chimed in like a lapdog, sitting down next to Wu Yongbin. "Boss, we've been walking for most of the night, I'm starving. How about we go find something to eat?" Wu Yongbin didn't bother to answer, took out a cigarette, lit it, and waved at Qian Xiao.

"Ah Xiao, where are you going?" Everyone else found a place to sit down, but Du Xiaojia was still standing. It wasn't that she wasn't tired, but her strong germaphobia made her afraid to touch those dirty stones.

"Go find something to eat." Qian Xiao walked into the dappled sunlight in the woods without turning her head.

Soon, the sound of running footsteps echoed through the woods. Qian Xiao, his face beaming with joy, rushed out carrying a bundle made of cotton-padded clothes. He ran to Wu Yongbin, placed the clothes on the ground, and spread them out, revealing a dozen or so fist-sized wild apples, their bright red flesh scattered all over the ground.

Wu Yongbin's eyes lit up, but he didn't make a move. He suddenly remembered Sun Ying's death; the existence of a pool filled with strong acid in a seemingly remote primeval forest was chilling. He looked at Qian Xiao and asked in a deep voice, "This apple... have you eaten it?"

"Of course I didn't eat it," Qian Xiao said innocently. "If the boss doesn't eat, how could I dare to eat first?"

Wu Yongbin's gaze swept over the sweet, juicy apples, but he still didn't touch them. Chen Yan, who was sitting next to Lin Han, stood up, walked over, bent down and picked up four apples, handing two to Lin Han. She carefully wiped the other two with a napkin she had with her, and opened her mouth to take a bite, but Lin Han grabbed her wrist: "Wait! We can't be sure if these apples are poisoned."

Chen Yan actually smiled, but the smile was as fleeting as a gentle breeze, disappearing before Lin Han could react. Then, she stuffed the apple from her other hand into her mouth and took a crisp bite. Lin Han was stunned by her action, his face drained of color. He stared blankly at the opening and closing of her cherry lips, his ears filled with the crunching sound of her chewing.

Chen Yan finished one apple quickly and started eating a second one. Seeing that she didn't have any adverse reactions, Lin Han breathed a sigh of relief, picked up an apple, and took a big bite. The others—except for Du Xiaojia—also began to wolf down the pile of apples.

Before long, only one apple remained. Qian Xiao picked it up, wiped it on his sweater sleeve, and was about to take a bite when he suddenly remembered Du Xiaojia standing not far away. He looked up and said, "Xiaojia, why aren't you eating? Here! This one is for you."

Du Xiaojia frowned in disgust: "I don't want it, it's filthy."

"Damn! What time is it? You don't care if it's clean or not, as long as it fills your stomach, that's all that matters." Qian Xiao said, getting up and handing over the apple.

"I'm not eating anymore!" Du Xiaojia said with a pained expression, backing away. "Take it away!"

"Oh my god, forget it then." Qian Xiao didn't care about anything else at this moment. Before she finished speaking, half of the apple was gone.

Having eaten their fill and replenished their fluids, everyone felt much better and got up to continue their journey. Only Du Xiaojia, with a sallow complexion, chapped lips, and a sickly appearance, walked listlessly beside Qian Xiao.

It was roughly noon when the group sat down to rest again. The sun was blazing down, and the shade under the trees was even more stifling. Everyone had stripped down to just a single layer of clothing, yet they were still drenched in sweat. Even Chen Yan had taken off her cotton-padded coat, wearing only the white sweater that matched it underneath. There was no trace of winter in the air; it was clearly early summer weather.

In the sweltering heat, everyone was drowsy. This time, Qian Xiao felt sorry for Du Xiaojia and spread her own sweater on the stone before she could finally persuade her to sit down. No one was in the mood to think about anything else, even though along the way, apart from the noise they made, they hadn't heard a single other sound or seen a single living creature.

In the evening, Qian Xiao, Lin Han, and Jia She found some wild apples for everyone to eat and quench their thirst. It seemed that this large forest had nothing else, but it was abundant in apples. Du Xiaojia still refused to eat anything; she was dizzy and dehydrated. Qian Xiao had no choice but to support her as they trudged forward.

"Look!" As it was getting dark, Lin Han, who was walking at the front of the group, suddenly shouted happily.

"Tents?" Jia Ru was the first to see the direction Lin Han was pointing. There were four travel tents in a row, quietly pitched in a clearing in the woods. Everyone cheered. Except for Qian Xiao, Du Xiaojia, and the usually calm Chen Yan, everyone else spread their arms and rushed towards the clearing.

"I... am hungry." Du Xiaojia slumped weakly against Qian Xiao's shoulder, murmuring as if in a dream. Qian Xiao didn't hear what she said at all, but just dragged her towards the tent as quickly as possible.

There were only four tents, completely empty; nothing could be found inside. However, judging from their condition, they didn't seem to have been abandoned for a long time. Although this result was somewhat discouraging, the idea of not having to sleep in the wild still excited everyone. After settling Du Xiaojia in, Qian Xiao found some apples, squeezed out the juice, and forced it down her throat while she was in a semi-conscious state.

9