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墨書 Inktalez
Accompanied by a foul stench, that mouth was about to bite into my neck! I let out a low growl and suddenly sat up in bed! Everything around me was pitch black. I touched my neck, gasping for breath, realizing it was just a dream! I wiped the sweat from my forehead and looked down at Old Wei, who was still sound asleep, not disturbed by my outburst, and even snoring! Thank goodness it was just a dream! I silently rejoiced; honestly, it was hard for me to believe such absurd things. It was fortunate that Old Wei and the others were so paranoid. After catching my breath for a moment, I tried to turn over and go back to sleep, but then I felt a wave of urgency hit me—I really needed to relieve myself this time.
I hesitated for a moment, thinking about how Mo Ping was still keeping vigil outside. I decided to get up and take care of it, so I could return and sleep soundly until I woke up naturally. I got out of bed, found my shoes, and made my way to the door. As I opened it, a cold wind rushed in, making me shiver. It was pitch dark outside; instinctively, I glanced at the Main Hall. No wonder it was so dark—there were no lights in the Main Hall! I gasped in shock and looked closely; the open room seemed devoid of Mo Ping's presence. I felt a bit anxious. Have you ever had that feeling where something happening seems eerily familiar? That’s exactly how I felt now; the scene before me was identical to what I had just dreamed!
I hesitated; if there was a power outage, I could believe that, but how could the funeral hall be dark? Surely there were candles? However, the urgent pressure in my bladder reminded me that I couldn't hold it any longer! Although I didn't know where the bathroom was, there was no way I would relieve myself at the door or in the yard. After hesitating for several seconds, I decided to turn right and find a spot between the side wall and the yard fence.
I looked up; the same fuzzy moon hung dimly in the sky, casting a faint glow all around. Everything was hazy and indistinct. Although I didn’t quite believe that the strange events from my dream would occur here, I decided to act quickly. Taking two steps at once, I reached the side of the house and prepared to take care of business.
Just as I turned around the corner of the wall, I heard a noise coming from the temporary horse stable on my right. Startled, I quickly turned to look. It wasn't very clear, but two horses seemed restless for some reason; they were pacing back and forth while snorting continuously. At that moment, I vaguely heard a thud from somewhere nearby—like something heavy had fallen to the ground—causing another stir among the horses.
I shrugged it off and muttered, "These days, horses are braver than people! I'm just stepping out for a moment and you're already spooked?" With that thought in mind, I began to relieve myself. Still, an inexplicable worry lingered about my earlier dream; glancing around nervously while doing so, fearing that what happened in my dream might come true—especially worried that that dog might break free from its chain and pounce on me. In truth, I really liked dogs; during my university internship, my girlfriend and I even raised a Shar Pei together. But for some reason, I didn't like the dogs here much—they didn’t resemble rural mutts like our native Chinese rural dogs at all. Instead, they looked somewhat like an Italian breed I'd seen in books—the Neapolitan Mastiff. Here, they had fewer wrinkles and longer fur but shared similar features overall—especially their multiple jowls! The Neapolitan Mastiff is known as one of the world's top ten fierce dogs and is said to be favored by the mafia; facing such a creature unarmed was not something I'd want to do.
After quickly finishing up, I adjusted my clothes and turned right to head back around the wall when suddenly the noise from across grew louder—two horses were practically about to topple their tent! Annoyed now, I decided to walk over and see what was going on.
Just as I took two steps forward, something felt off! Out of the corner of my left eye, I noticed someone standing on my left! Startled, I stopped and turned to look!
Indeed, it was a person standing at our door; they seemed intent on entering. Due to the dim light, I couldn't make out who it was at first but suspected it might be Mo Ping. However, this Mo Ping really was quite taciturn—why not just call out instead of standing there motionless? And why weren’t those restless horses bothering him? Confused by this behavior, I took two steps closer and whispered, "Mo Ping! What are you doing? Come check on the horses with me!"
Just as I was about to step forward again, something clicked—I stopped abruptly! No way—this wasn’t Mo Ping! Mo Ping was slightly taller than me; this person standing before me was clearly shorter! Who could it be?! A thief? Stopping in place, I shouted sternly, "Who are you?!"
At this point, we were less than three meters apart. The figure turned sharply upon hearing my voice but did so in an odd manner—not just turning their head but moving their entire body together as if their movements were stiff. As my eyes adjusted slowly to the darkness of night and finally recognized who it was standing before me, chills ran down my spine as I exclaimed in horror: "What are you doing here?! This can't be real!"
Standing across from me was Mo Ping's deceased father—Old Three! There was no mistaking it; although his face wasn't clear in the dark, he wore funeral garments without a doubt!
I instinctively glanced at the Main Hall, and I could vaguely see that the coffin inside had been overturned. The dead had really come back to life!
My mind exploded in an instant, and every hair on my body stood on end. This was completely illogical! Years of worldview and perspective were shattered in that moment! I thought I was still dreaming, so I pinched my thigh hard. It hurt! This was real, and soon I felt my legs going weak.
At that moment, I was completely dazed, standing there not knowing what to do. I wanted to scream, but nothing came out, and I didn't even know what to shout. Should I yell "Is there a Zombie?" or "Is it haunted?" My mouth opened wide, and just then I saw the corpse across from me moving slowly towards me in a strange manner, much like a patient with leg braces dragging themselves along the ground.
I suddenly realized I was drenched in sweat; my shirt was completely soaked. With every step it took closer to me, I stepped back. After a while of this awkward shuffle, I suddenly came to the realization that this wasn't going to work—I had to escape! But Old Wei was still inside; would it block him in there?
I was in a panic. Honestly, I've been through quite a bit, but this kind of cognitive dissonance was a first for me. I didn't know how to handle it. If it really was a Zombie, would it be like what they showed on TV?
The Zombie across from me made no sound; it just kept moving slowly towards me. I thought to myself that I had no choice but to lure the Zombie out into the yard. Thankfully, it didn't seem very fast; I should be able to shake it off. With that thought in mind, I turned my head to glance at the yard gate, planning to slip out.
By now, we had moved over to the left side of the gate, and surprisingly, the horses in the stable on the right side were completely still. A quick glance revealed two horses huddled against the wall! Just moments ago, I had thought about stealing a horse to make my escape!
Just as I was about to turn and dash a few steps to open the yard gate, suddenly a shadow darted out from the corner and silently blocked my path. When I looked closer, I couldn't help but groan inwardly—it was that Vicious Dog! Somehow, it had cut off my retreat! Looking at its chain around its neck, it extended into the darkness; it seemed intact. However, the bad news was that the chain lay bent on the ground and appeared loose—meaning it hadn't reached its attack range yet. I had to find a way around it!
Thinking this, I took a sideways step, but the dog circled around and lunged at me from my left! What the hell! It was clearly not letting me bypass it! Was this intelligence even typical for a dog?!
Unarmed and with no choice left, I had to retreat several steps to avoid its attack. However, this brought me closer to the right wall of the yard. Out of the corner of my eye, I noticed the Zombie also swaying as it changed direction towards me!
I involuntarily stepped back two more paces until my back hit the wall! Oh no, there was nowhere left to retreat! I looked up at the wall; although it was dilapidated, it was still quite high—about two meters or so. With a running start, maybe I could reach the top of the wall. But now there was no distance for a running start; jumping in place would be impossible for me!
What should I do?!
I felt a sense of despair creeping in!
At that moment, my hands instinctively pressed against the wall as I groped around. Suddenly, my left hand touched something stick-like. I quickly grasped it and realized it was a hoe. It was long and straight, and as I picked it up with both hands, I felt a surge of safety within me!
Watching the two creatures approach, panic surged through me. One was fast and the other slow; the fast one tangled with me while the slow one moved in seamlessly. Damn it, what kind of person raises such dogs? I thought bitterly.
I couldn't wait any longer; the space was closing in. Taking a deep breath, I steeled myself. Ultimately, I couldn't face the zombie directly. I took two steps to the upper right and swung the hoe down at the Vicious Dog! The dog reacted quickly, leaping to its right as my hoe swung through the air, missing entirely. In a swift motion, I dragged the hoe to the left just before it hit the ground, hooking it toward the Vicious Dog while charging forward two steps. The dog had no choice but to retreat a bit, clearing my path to the gate!
At that moment, I thought to myself that there was no time to waste! I rushed to the gate, my left hand already reaching for the latch. With a loud pull, I swung open the gate and darted outside, landing on solid ground.
I heard the dog barking furiously behind me; the Vicious Dog couldn't follow. But then, under the dim moonlight, I watched in horror as the Zombie slowly emerged from the yard—first its stiff arm reaching out, then its head peeking through, followed by its body and legs…
The scene under the moonlight was utterly terrifying; it left an indelible mark on my memory. I raised the hoe, ready to strike hard when it came closer. I had made up my mind: no matter if you were a Zombie or not, I'd strike first. As long as you didn’t have any supernatural tricks up your sleeve, you wouldn’t get close to me tonight!
With that resolve, I relaxed slightly and took a few steps back while shouting, “Mo Ping! Old Wei!” hoping to alert them and draw the Zombie away from the yard.
At that moment, the Zombie began to inch toward me again. No matter what happened, it made me uneasy, and I hurriedly retreated several steps. Suddenly, there was a loud thud as I bumped into someone!
(To be continued; more exciting content tomorrow!)
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