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墨書 Inktalez
Living Funeral
I was curious about why the girl suddenly started crying and pointed at me, saying something. However, when she spoke, I noticed her mother’s expression changed dramatically.
I thought I might have scared the girl, so I asked, “Is the child alright?”
Her mother was blocking the girl’s eyes with one hand and said, “She’s fine. The child is just being silly.”
I continued to ask what was wrong with the girl.
The mother replied, “There’s someone sitting next to you, and she’s very scared…”
Upon hearing this, I was taken aback because I was sitting in the last row, and the seat next to me was empty. There wasn’t anyone beside me, and there were only a few people on the entire bus.
I looked around but, of course, saw nothing. If this had happened before, I would have thought the girl was just imagining things.
However, recent experiences told me that perhaps the girl wasn’t lying. Unexplainably, my breathing began to quicken, and my heart started to race.
It was around five or six o’clock, still dim outside.
After a moment of hesitation, I couldn’t help but ask the girl, “Is there really someone next to me?”
But the girl just kept crying and didn’t respond; she only nodded her head. Seeing her like this, her mother stopped me from asking further questions, saying not to scare the child.
Feeling a bit awkward, I decided not to press on.
I had thought it would be sunny, but halfway through our journey, it unexpectedly started to rain. The wind blew in through the window, chilly and biting, so I closed it.
At that moment, the bus came to a stop. The mother and daughter were getting off. Just as the girl had been crying all along, she suddenly ran towards me and said, “Brother, he wants me to tell you that he will always be with you…”
When she said this, she used my hometown dialect. I was stunned for a moment; how could this be possible? I hadn’t understood anything she said before.
The girl finished speaking, a strange smile curling at the corners of her mouth, her eyes taking on a frightening intensity that was definitely not typical for a three or four-year-old.
Moreover, how could the girl, who had been crying just moments ago, suddenly display such boldness?
At that moment, the girl's mother called out to her, and the girl responded, running back to her mother’s side. Her voice returned to its original state, even tinged with sobs.
After the girl left, I was left dumbfounded... I found myself in a daze, wondering if she would keep following me. Now that I thought about it, that terrifying look in her eyes sent chills down my spine, and I couldn't help but gasp.
I glanced around, finding the space beside me still empty. With that thought in mind, I quickly moved to another seat.
I settled in a crowded spot in the front row.
My mind was in disarray. Would she really follow me?
I was still holding this urn; could it be that the owner of this corpse wanted to follow me? Or was it that chubby guy?
I took out my phone to check the time; it was almost seven o'clock. I scrolled through my messages and found the one from Brother Li, warning me about being caught in a trap of conspiracy.
My hand trembled slightly as I held my phone.
Perhaps it was because I was carrying the urn that everyone felt it was unlucky and chose to move away from me.
Conspiracy?
What kind of conspiracy could it be? I hadn’t sensed any trace of a plot; after all, it was just a matter of burning a few corpses! And the last corpse was one Brother Li insisted on burning himself.
From Old Wang's tone at the time, it seemed he had no idea about this matter at all.
Brother Li stubbornly refused to believe it. It seemed that Brother Li had taken it upon himself to burn the body, which might have been one that existed even before the founding of the country!
I suddenly felt that this situation was particularly strange... but now there was no way to verify it. No, perhaps someone hadn’t died after all?
My mind was a bit chaotic, filled with random thoughts, but at that moment, I felt a chill at the back of my neck, as if someone had touched me. However, when I turned around, there was nothing there.
I felt as if a pair of terrifying eyes were staring at me...
I stood up and looked around. Logically speaking, since it was bright out, even ghosts shouldn’t be out and about.
However, it was still quite gloomy. After getting out of the car, I noticed it was still raining outside. I took out the address the old man had given me and glanced at it before hailing a taxi on the street.
The address led to an old district; judging by its appearance, it seemed quite dated. I braved the rain, clutching the Urn tightly as I rushed to a shop in front of me.
I called the old man’s nephew.
The old man’s nephew turned out to be quite straightforward. He told me to wait a moment and that he would come down to pick me up soon. After waiting for about ten minutes, I saw a young man approaching me with a black umbrella, wearing a black short-sleeve shirt and black flip-flops.
As he got closer, I noticed he had stubble; he clearly looked like a disheveled youth.
He said, “You’re the employee under my uncle, Chen Fei, right?”
I nodded in acknowledgment.
He handed me a cigarette and said, “I’m Gao Ling. From now on, we’re friends. But buddy, you look really pale!”
For a moment, I was taken aback and didn’t know how to respond.
Gao Ling smiled and handed me a black umbrella. “Let’s go.”
The rain suddenly intensified, and the events that had transpired in the funeral home felt quite eerie. I thought it best not to discuss them with anyone outside, so I sent a text to Old Wang. He replied, saying to handle it as I saw fit.
I felt a sense of reassurance wash over me.
Gao Ling asked, "You're holding an urn, right?"
Upon hearing Gao Ling's question, I assumed he was uncomfortable with the situation. After all, bringing an unfamiliar urn into someone else's home could be seen as impolite.
I replied, "Yes, but if you find it inconvenient, I can—"
Before I could finish my sentence, Gao Ling interrupted, "No worries, buddy. My family is in this line of work; we don't mind these things. Feel free to bring it into my house."
Hearing that Gao Ling's entire family was involved in this profession made me wonder if his parents also worked at a funeral home. However, since it was our first meeting, I refrained from asking too many questions.
After all, we weren't very familiar with each other yet.
Zhang Xun had given me a pouch that was meant to be opened only in times of crisis. But how was I to know when a crisis would occur? For all I knew, I might already be in one since there could very well be a dead person following me around—more accurately, perhaps a ghost.
When we arrived at Gao Ling's house, the exterior of the building wasn't particularly impressive, but the interior was nicely decorated and appeared spacious and bright.
A program was playing on the television.
Gao Ling poured me a glass of water and pointed to a door. "That's your room. By the way, you don't have to be formal here; just treat it like your own home."
He added that he had woken up too early that day and needed to catch up on some sleep. "Make yourself at home; feel free to rest if you want."
With that, Gao Ling went into his room to sleep.
I sat alone in the living room, watching television, but my mind was restless. I hadn't slept well the night before, so I leaned back on the sofa and closed my eyes. To my surprise, I drifted off to sleep.
I don't know how much time passed when my phone suddenly rang. I glanced at the caller ID; it was an unfamiliar number.
It wasn't the same one as before, but another one entirely.
I felt puzzled but pressed the answer button anyway. Just as I did, I couldn't find any words to say, but the voice on the other end spoke urgently, "I am Zhang Xun. I don't have much time. Don't talk, just listen to me. Every night at dawn, light three incense sticks for the urn. Also, try not to let anyone else touch the urn. Lastly, after midnight, no matter who knocks on your door, do not open it. You can go outside if you want, but do not let anyone in."
Zhang Xun rattled off so much information that I was momentarily stunned.
In the background, I could hear what sounded like heavy rain, and suddenly there were screams coming from Zhang Xun's side... The sound was so horrifying it made my scalp tingle.
I hurriedly asked, "What happened?"
It felt like time had stretched out unnaturally; I didn't dare hang up because the call was still ongoing. After about ten seconds of silence, the screams continued for another ten seconds...
I swallowed hard and managed to say something again. Finally, I received a response...
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