parasitisme veille

Chapitre 10

Those inside the small building also sensed the drumbeats. They crowded to the door, but none dared to step outside. The current situation was that Qin Ge and his two companions stood in front of the building, while Zhang Song, along with Tong Hao and a group of women, stood by the door. No one spoke; everyone seemed to be listening intently to the drumbeats. Because they couldn't hear them clearly, everyone wanted to hear them more clearly, hence the serious and focused expressions on everyone's faces.

Other sounds drifted from the empty mountain cliffs, more real than the drumbeats, yet blending seamlessly with their rhythm. You didn't need to listen intently to discern that it was a man's deep, powerful voice singing. The melody was incredibly ancient and desolate, as if it had traversed countless millennia, now meandering through the mountains, inviting you to experience its timeless mystery.

The song began with a single melody, but later the singer's deep, slightly hoarse voice could be heard. However, the twilight sky remained utterly silent; even the last drops of rain had ceased to fall. The wind stopped, the shadows of the trees ceased swaying, and the weary birds returning home folded their wings. The drumbeats and the song were silent; though they shook the entire mountainside, they remained silent.

The people in front of and inside the small building seemed to be secretly anticipating something, but at the same time, they were filled with fear about what they were anticipating.

The drumming and singing were so eerie; who wouldn't want to know where they came from and who they were? But were the drummers and singers friends or foes? Did they bring this group good fortune or disaster?

Suddenly, a shadow appeared in the sky. It was indistinct, but it resembled a large bird, slowly moving across the sky ahead. The bird-like shadow slowly approached the small building. Qin Ge and the others outside stared at it, feeling a surge of turbulent power within them. This power struggled uncontrollably, and as a result, the three men outside the door gradually flushed, their breathing became rapid, and Lei Ming's legs trembled slightly.

Qin Ge forced a glance at Lei Ming, only to see his eyes bloodshot, his facial muscles twitching violently, his chest heaving, and an intense killing intent emanating from him. Looking at Huang Tao on the other side, he was clearly still struggling to suppress his emotions, but his face showed extreme pain. In that pain, Qin Ge also saw a sense of despair, a despair that seemed to seep from his very core, bordering on utter hopelessness.

Qin Ge was shocked and immediately realized that the drumming and singing could disturb people's minds. He wanted to shout loudly or pull Huang Tao and Lei Ming back into the house, but his legs felt as heavy as a thousand pounds. Some of the power surging in his body was blocked at the throat, making him unable to move or make a sound.

Just then, he suddenly sensed something else amiss. The hairs on his body stood on end, and the power within him instantly froze into ice, enveloping his entire body in a chill.

He saw a body on the ground move slightly.

It was a female corpse. Her head, which was pressed against the ground, suddenly lifted up. Now, her head was about an inch off the ground, as if something below was supporting it.

Unfortunately, Qin Ge saw her movement just now, which was only a fraction of a second. If Qin Ge had missed it, he would never have thought that the corpse had moved.

Qin Ge stared wide-eyed at the female corpse in disbelief. He could only hope that what he had just seen was an illusion. He suddenly remembered that in some people, even after the heart stops beating, the nerves don't completely cease activity, sometimes causing the dead to twitch slightly. Qin Ge sighed; he now only hoped that the female corpse would remain still and not move again.

This time, it wasn't the female corpse that moved, but an old man on the other side.

The old man's arm retracted from directly in front of his head, and it even supported half of his body.

Huang Tao and Lei Ming both witnessed this scene. They were horrified, speechless, and trembling with shock. Folklore is rife with supernatural tales, and the idea of a corpse resurrecting in film and television is already a crude and unoriginal technique. But who would actually watch a corpse lying on the ground slowly raise its head and stare at them with empty, evil eyes?

All the corpses began to move; some raised their heads, some rolled over, and some even slowly stood up, supporting themselves with their hands. Twelve corpses, under the watchful eyes of so many, had miraculously come back to life. The people inside and outside the door were all as if bewitched, their eyes wide open, but no one could utter a sound or move a step.

The shadow moving across the distant sky drew closer and closer until its shape was clearly visible. It turned out to be a rhomboid kite, and beneath it, a person suddenly appeared out of nowhere. He truly appeared suddenly; no one saw him approach, but when they did, he was already only tens of meters away from the small building.

The man was tall, draped from head to toe in a large black robe. The robe was extremely simple in design, like two pieces of cloth sewn together side-by-side, held atop his head and completely covering him. He was undoubtedly a man, for the deep, desolate singing emanated from where he stood. The song's ending notes were long and drawn out, the melody monotonous, seemingly consisting of only a few simple syllables. Everyone seemed vaguely familiar with the song, yet knew they had never heard it before, for the syllables didn't sound like Mandarin, and the melody seemed unique to some ethnic minority.

The man in black robes spread his arms wide, like a hawk with outstretched wings.

The man in black robes was at least thirty meters away from the small building. At such a distance, and in the darkness, even with the best eyesight, you couldn't see him. Yet, his body seemed to be hidden in a faint halo of light. You couldn't see him very clearly, but you could almost feel the texture of his black robes.

A strange man in black robes, accompanied by his singing voice.

Ashe Hell: 773 Horror Series 12 Part 3 Chapter 40: Resurrection (4)

Were those resurrected corpses in front of the small building brought back from the underworld by his singing?

Now the corpses all stood up. Some saw Qin Ge and the other two standing in front of the small building, while others did not. But none of them stopped; instead, they all turned around and slowly walked towards the man in black robes.

Their walking posture was still stiff, but much more agile than when they arrived.

They had already surrounded the man in black robes. The man in black robes had not stopped singing, but he had already turned around and led the group of resurrected corpses into the darkness in the distance.

The drumbeats faded, the singing receded, and the figures of the black-robed man and the horde of corpses disappeared from sight. The world seemed to instantly return to calm. The wind began to blow again, the shadows of the trees swayed, the hooves of night birds cried mournfully, and even a shooting star streaked across the night sky. If one hadn't witnessed what had just happened, it would have been a beautiful night. But now everything was different, because you had seen a group of resurrected corpses.

As Qin Ge let out a sigh of relief, she felt a tingling, numbness throughout her body, and a sense of exhaustion. Just then, there was a commotion inside the room behind her. Two young models, who had struggled to stay upright until now, suddenly collapsed, seemingly too weak to even stand. Dong'er and Su He helped each other up, barely managing to stay upright. Sweat beaded on Zhang Song and Tong Hao's foreheads, but they remained frozen in place, letting the cold sweat slowly stream down their faces. One of the fallen models began to vomit; she was the youngest of the group, and therefore the most vulnerable.

Huang Tao and Lei Ming were also struggling to hold on. They slowly turned around and walked into the door. After taking two steps, they stopped and looked back at Qin Ge, who was still standing in the same spot. Their expressions were still shaken and somewhat surprised.

"Go back and close the door. Don't think about anything, don't look at anything," Qin Ge said in a deep voice.

"What are you going to do?" Lei Ming asked coldly.

Qin Ge paused for a moment, then slowly said, "I need to find those resurrected corpses."

"Are you crazy!" Dong'er shouted from inside the door. She suddenly found strength and rushed towards Qin Ge, grabbing his arm. "Are you insane? What do those dead people have to do with us?"

“The dead may not be related to us, but there is a man in black robes.” Qin Ge’s voice trembled slightly, and even he didn’t know if his idea was right or wrong. “We are trapped in this small building now, we don’t know where we are, and we don’t know who brought us here. Right now, the man in black robes is our only clue. I have a feeling that he must be related to the person who brought us here.”

"You're crazy, you're crazy!" Dong'er shook her head desperately. "I don't want you to go find that man in black robes. He stays with those dead people. If you find him, you won't be afraid that he'll turn you into a dead person too."

Qin Ge sighed, "Even though I saw it with my own eyes, I still can't quite believe what I just saw. A dead person is a dead person; once dead, they won't come back to life. So, I'm now suspecting there might be some kind of conspiracy involved."

"Whatever conspiracy they have, we don't care." Dong'er pulled him even tighter. "We'll go home tomorrow. We don't care about those dead people. We'll go home, we'll go back tomorrow."

Dong'er started sobbing, hugging Qin Ge so tightly, as if letting go would mean losing him forever. Huang Tao and Lei Ming arrived at that moment. Huang Tao frowned and asked, "Are you really going?"

“If I don’t go, we’ll just have to stay trapped in this little building,” Qin Ge said. “I suspect that all the strange things in this valley are being manipulated by someone. That man in black robes might be able to tell us a lot. He can’t possibly live alone in these deep mountains. If we find them, maybe we can find the crux of all the problems. That way, we can leave here and go back to our own lives.”

Huang Tao stared blankly at Qin Ge, momentarily speechless. He had already agreed with Qin Ge's point of view, but he vaguely felt it was inappropriate to let Qin Ge track the mysterious man in black robes alone. However, if he offered to go with Qin Ge, he felt a strange sense of panic.

“If you insist on going, then I’ll go with you.” The speaker was Lei Ming.

Qin Ge breathed a sigh of relief, his expression seemingly much more relaxed. Perhaps subconsciously, he hoped someone would accompany him. Huang Tao felt inwardly ashamed, but finally stopped hesitating and whispered, "Let's go together."

Qin Ge shook her head: "You stay here and watch over the people inside. Lei Ming and I will go."

Huang Tao was about to say something when he suddenly heard a series of screams behind him. He quickly turned around and saw a group of people who had been crowding around the door scattering in panic. The young model girl screamed in alarm, and Zhang Song and Tong Hao were also pale-faced, backing away step by step.

The first body to collapse in front of the building that morning was staggering toward the door.

Huang Tao and Qin Ge immediately realized their mistake. The twelve corpses by the door had come back to life amidst the black-robed man's song and the sound of drums coming from somewhere, and then followed him away. This scene was so bizarre that they had both been too terrified to notice the other corpse inside the building.

As Hell: 773 Horror Series 12, Part 3, Chapter 41: Resurrection (5)

That was the first dead person to reach the small building. After finding him, Qin Ge and Huang Tao moved him to a room downstairs. Everyone else had already been resurrected and left; would they really leave him alone?

The resurrected corpse, like the other corpses, walked unsteadily and stiffly, but Qin Ge noticed at a glance that its movements were much more agile than in the morning. More importantly, there was something else in its dull, grayish eyes. You couldn't quite put your finger on it, but you could sense that it was the gaze of a human being.

The resurrected corpse walked straight through the house and out the door. Qin Ge, Huang Tao, and Lei Ming instinctively moved aside, but the corpse passed between them and walked into the darkness outside without hesitation.

The initial terror had subsided considerably, except that the resurrected corpse was vastly different from the "zombie" they remembered, and everyone could see that he showed no signs of violence whatsoever. As he staggered into the darkness, his silhouette looked even more like that of a severely wounded person.

Qin Ge hesitated for a moment, then gave Lei Ming a look. Lei Ming understood and immediately tiptoed forward. By this time, the resurrected corpse had already walked more than twenty meters. Even if he made a louder sound, Lei Ming might not hear him, but he still proceeded cautiously. After all, a resurrected dead man was a formidable opponent.

Qin Ge gently patted Dong'er's cheek, then forcefully pulled his arm away. Dong'er wanted to say something, but Qin Ge shushed her first. Tears welled up in Dong'er's eyes as she watched Qin Ge quickly catch up with Lei Ming, and finally, the tears fell.

In no time, Qin Ge Leiming, along with the resurrected corpses in front of him, disappeared into the darkness ahead.

The mournful cries of night birds echoed from the distant mountains, while the chirping of unknown insects rose and fell from the nearby grasses. The mountain forest at night was far from peaceful; who knew what might happen on such a night?

Huang Tao led everyone back into the building and closed the door tightly. He instructed Tong Hao and Su He to go to the kitchen to cook. Tong Hao and Su He looked somewhat hesitant, so Huang Tao gestured for a few of the model girls to go and help.

Dong'er and Zhang Song sat alone in separate corners. Zhang Song was confused, while Dong'er was worried.

Huang Tao remained seated beside the young woman. When everyone had crowded to the door to watch the twelve corpses leave, she had been slumped over the table. But when the resurrected corpse emerged from inside, she immediately jumped up and joined the panicked crowd. Now, she was quiet again, sitting with her head bowed, her gaze occasionally falling on Huang Tao, a mixture of gratitude and fear in her eyes.

Just then, there was a knock on the door.

"Tap—tap—tap—"

The knocking was slow, gentle, and leisurely, giving the impression of a polite guest. Those in the hall, however, were startled, for anyone could tell from the sound of the knocking that it was definitely not Qin Ge and Lei Ming.

Why was their knocking so soft?

So, besides them, who else would come knocking on the door?

The eerie drumbeats, the mysterious figure in black robes, and the resurrected corpses—now came the knocking at night. Everyone inside seemed frozen, listening intently to the knocking. A chill crept into their hearts, their blood seemingly cooling with each knock.

"Tap—tap—tap—"

The knocking continued, still leisurely and relaxed. Everyone inside was now thinking the same thing: what kind of terror would the person knocking bring?

Ashe Hell: 773 Horror Series 12, Part 3, Chapter 42: The Altar (1)

The lights behind them grew dimmer and dimmer until they finally disappeared completely. The starlight scattered across the sky, however, became much brighter, though a crescent moon still hid behind the clouds, shyly revealing only half its face. The resurrected corpse ahead walked very slowly, and it never looked back as it went, so Qin Ge and Lei Ming had no difficulty tracking it.

The difficulty lies in the fact that Qin Ge and Lei Ming must fight against the fear in their hearts.

The mountain path narrowed and the terrain became treacherous, but the resurrected corpse ahead moved forward with practiced ease, its swaying body surprisingly steady. The mountain was covered with pine trees covered in needles, and occasionally a startled night bird would flap its wings, shaking off a shower of water droplets, which made Qin Ge and Lei Ming below feel even more uneasy.

Tracking a resurrected corpse—it sounds unbelievable, but it's actually happening to Qin Ge and Lei Ming. They've already crossed two mountains, one large and one small, and there's an even higher one to climb ahead. The starlight shrouds the forest in a dark shadow, and the resurrected corpse is now disappearing into it. Qin Ge and Lei Ming hesitate; they haven't expected the tracking to last so long. They don't know how far they are from the lit-up building and their companions inside, or how much longer they have to go. This seemingly oblivious corpse is strangely familiar with the forest. Though its steps are unsteady, it exudes an unusual leisurely air, like a sick person practicing walking in their own backyard.

The pitch-black forest, the stiffly walking corpse, and the pursuers not far behind.

The pursuers were panting heavily, their legs feeling as if bound by weights, their steps growing increasingly arduous. The corpse ahead maintained its pace, slow yet seemingly tireless. Qin Ge and Lei Ming no longer bothered to tiptoe; they stumbled and staggered, stepping on broken branches or kicking stones, the sounds particularly jarring in the silent darkness. By this point, they no longer cared about concealing their presence.

Fortunately, the corpse never turned around from beginning to end.

They continued upwards, traversing the dark pine forest. Starlight filtered through the pine needles, scattering bright fragments on the ground, making the silhouette of the corpse ahead appear mottled, as if its body had been torn into countless pieces. The path was almost invisible in the forest; Qin Ge and Lei Ming relied solely on their senses to navigate through the wider gaps in the trees. Without the corpse leading the way, they would have had no idea which way to go. The terrain was relatively flat here, but based on experience, they judged they were already halfway up the mountain. The pine trees grew denser, the light and shadows from the sky thinned, until finally only scattered specks of light remained, making it difficult to even see the path ahead.

Qin Ge and Lei Ming were momentarily distracted when the corpse in front of them vanished, as if swallowed whole by the darkness.

Qin Ge and Lei Ming were filled with astonishment. They hurried forward, but the corpse had vanished from sight. Darkness had completely enveloped the forest, and the silence, like a ravenous beast, seeped into the depths of their hearts. Qin Ge and Lei Ming turned around in panic and confusion, trying to hear any sound that could guide them, but all they could hear was their own heavy breathing.

The resurrected corpse was moving so slowly that it was impossible for it to shake off the two men's pursuit, unless its destination was this mountain forest, which concealed some mysterious place unseen by others.

Fear enveloped Qin Ge and Lei Ming like a thick fog, and they felt almost utterly hopeless. Having lost their target and trapped in this dark forest, they doubted whether they could ever return to the brightly lit building.

The drumbeats suddenly resumed, seemingly coming from right beside Qin Ge and Lei Ming, as if the drummers were standing right behind them, very close. But when they turned around in alarm, there was nothing behind them but the dark pine trees.

"Thump—thump—thump—"

The drumbeats strike your heart, then burst forth from there. Before you even realize it, they've already begun vibrating your eardrums, making you feel like the sky is filled with the sound of drums crashing down, each beat seemingly about to shatter your body.

Qin Ge and Lei Ming groaned in pain, covering their ears tightly in an attempt to block out the sound. But the drumbeats continued relentlessly from all directions, piercing them like needles.

Exhausted, their bodies drenched in cold sweat, they felt like they were drowning, their last breath escaping. They could only struggle to float, but the surface remained a distant dream. They were on the verge of collapse, feeling the dizziness of suffocation.

Leaning against the tree trunk, they slowly slid down. The darkness blurred, and the entire pine forest began to sway. They barely managed to stay conscious, but they didn't know how much longer they could hold on.

Fog began to rise in the mountains and forests, spreading out before our eyes.

How can you see fog in the dark?

Ashe Hell: 773 Horror Series 12, Part 3, Chapter 43: The Altar (2)

A light had appeared in the woods sometime earlier, hidden behind the mist, appearing as a large, indistinct halo. Large, fine mist particles swirled in front of the light, gradually enveloping Qin Ge and Lei Ming.

Qin Ge and Lei Ming opened their eyes wide and saw shadowy figures swaying behind the fog.

As the figures drew closer, or rather, as the light intensified, Qin Ge and Lei Ming could distinguish them as the corpse that had suddenly vanished. And it wasn't just him; around him, slowly approaching with stiff movements, were the twelve resurrected corpses that had departed with the mysterious black-robed figure at dusk.

The resurrected corpses had surrounded Qin Ge and Lei Ming. They had no strength left to run, or even to shout. The deep-seated fear had drained all their strength from their bodies; they were cold, their scalps were numb, and every hair on their skin stood on end.

The corpses' pale faces swayed around, their empty eyes eerie and malevolent.

The drumming continued, and the corpses moved in time with the drumbeats.

A metallic, salty force seemed to surge within him, while his mind felt like it was filled with a grenade with a drawn fuse. When the tall, black-robed figure finally appeared in the mist, countless cold hands touched Qin Ge and Lei Ming. Qin Ge saw Lei Ming sway beside him before collapsing to the ground. He clearly realized he had to do something, but his body involuntarily went limp and went limp.

His cheek was pressed tightly against the damp ground, and the smell of decaying branches and fallen leaves made him feel nauseous. Amidst the stench, he could faintly detect a fragrance; but as he tried to identify what kind of flower it was, his consciousness began to fade.

The body felt very light, the drumbeats seemed to fade, and the swaying shadows around became increasingly blurry. And then there was the last man in black robes, his robes billowing in the wind, making him look like a hawk spreading its wings, ready to take flight.

Qin Ge's last conscious thought was that the falcon was about to fly onto him, and he could even feel the pain of the falcon's beak pecking at his body.

The last thing he saw was Dong'er sitting helplessly and sadly in the small building. With a sudden pang of heartache, his senses sank into a cold, dark swamp.