Chapter 20: 1.19 First Small Star [Extra 2] – Horror Tale VII

A small bonfire was made for the small group of four to share.

Fu Lian and Xue Luli, who heard their classmates plan of isolating them couldn't help but feel anger at the same time unable to say anything. After all, their situation is obscure by something supernatural. Not only they're unable to leave the place, the building before them had even more unknown danger than what they've witnessed. Even though they chose to move away from the corpse, no one wants to enter the haunted building and become the bait for those supernatural beings.

As if they were imprisoned, they were unable to leave and entering the building is dangerous. Their only choice is to stay in the area in between the and the forest.

All they could do is to wait for morning to arrive, suffering from extreme coldness of evening night in the middle of a haunted land. Everyone decided to spend the night under the evening sky. They could only keep themselves warm with the bonfire lighted for each group as everyone tried to pass their time talking. 

"Ye Lou, is your tablet still connected to the internet?" asked Fu Lian as he saw his friend's gadget still ongoing with the live stream.

"Yes. For some reason I couldn't exit the live stream. It's been on the whole time. I've already asked the viewers for help but they've said that every time they've asked for help their phone remained busy. They've couldn't contact the police or our school. But this stream continues to record for some unknown reason." replied Ye Lou.

Xue Luli's eyes brighten when they hear that.

"C-Can they've shared the link of the stream anywhere? Please tell them to try!" said Xue Luli.

Ye Lou understood what she meant and instantly pointed the camera at him trying to have a conversation with his viewers.

"Hi! Everyone~ can I ask for help again? Could you try  sharing the link of my streams to the Exorcists Organization site's help link. Please help us! This is not a farce, we are truly stuck in this place." said Ye Lou.

[Sure! No problem old man!]

[Done!! I even did it multiple times!!]

[Fool! It will be considered a spammed message if you sent it multiple times. The site administrator will then just delete your message!!!]

[S-Sorry~ I d-didn't know!]

[I'll try sending a private one! Don't worry old man. We'll try our best to help the cutie! I mean you guys~]

[Help the cutie!]

[Save the adorable baby~~]

[Old man change the camera's perspective at our baby. We don't want to see you!]

[Yes, that's right!!]

"The beautiful little brother is sleeping though." said Ye Lou.

[Just a glimpse. Just one peek!!]

"Fine~ here he goes!" said Ye Lou as he pointed his camera to the sleeping Xue Jing beside his sister.

Once the audience saw the peaceful sleeping figure of Xue Jing while wearing an extra baggy blazer on him made them squeal on the stream. Ye Lou's tablet scream was full of screaming once again.

Ye Lou spoke, "Wow~ your little brother really had the talent to become an idol."

Fu Lian and Xue Luli have a smile in the corner of their lips when they've heard that. Their silence means they've technically agreed to Ye Lou's words. They spend another hour of peaceful conversation until they've felt droplets falling from the sky. It was raining and it got stronger as time passed by. As the rain got stronger the people couldn't help but curse.

"Fuck! It's raining!"

"Take cover. It gets stronger!"

"Under the tree? It's no use."

"What can we do? Return inside that haunted building!"

"No way! I'm scared!"

"Do you think you're the only one!"

"Wuwuwu~ I want to go home!"

"Don't cry!!! AHhh~ This is crazy!!"

They couldn't take the shade under the trees as the rain was coupled with a strong breeze and wind. They would get wet no matter what if they've stayed under a tree. Then they've all helplessly look at the eerie abandoned building in front of them. That's clearly the only place they used to take cover.

Ye Lou looked at Fu Lian. "What to do Fu?" he asked.

Fu Lian gently carried Xue Jing in his arms and passed him to Ye Lou. 

"Carry him for me please. I need to carry Lili as she sprained her ankle." said Fu Lian.

Ye Lou who happily carried the lightweight little baby Xue Jing. "Sure. No worries. Are we going in that building?" he asked.

"Looked at the sky. Moon has disappeared means the clouds are thick. The rain wouldn't be stopping soon. Let's get back in the building. At least there is equipment and food in there." said Fu Lian who took the lead in running back inside the building.

Ye Lou gritted his teeth and followed Fu Lian inside the building. Some of their classmates followed them but some hard headed ones wanted to stay outside despite being under the rain.

"Little brother, you are awake!" said Ye Lou.

Xue Jing was looking directly behind Ye Lou which left the latter bewildered.

"What are you looking at?" asked Ye Lou.

Xue Jing pointed behind him and said, "Eyes. So many eyes... staring at us from the forest." he said.

Ye Lou, Fu Lian and Xue Luli quivered when they heard what Xue Jing had said. They peek behind them and follow the direction Xue Jing is pointed at. Once they've looked at the dark forest they've been staying near just now, they've tremble at the sight of countless bloody eyes staring at them from the dark forest. The number is too much for them to count. This sight sent shivers directly to their spines as Fu Lian and Ye Lou hurried away from that forest.

"Fucking hell! What the hell are those!?" yelled Ye Lou as he ran towards the forest afraid that those things would leave the forest to grab them.

Fu Lian coldly replied, "Just run directly to the building and collect the things we need. The four of us should not get separated no matter what!"

"Understood!" said Ye Lou.

As soon as they entered the building, Fu Lian, Ye Lou and Xue Jing worked together to gather enough things to pass the night safely. They collected enough lighting equipment, things that lit fire like lighter and matches, blankets and tents. Xue Jing secures more useful things against the ghosts like salt and necessities like food.

"Where should we go next? The dormitory rooms?" asked Ye Lou.

But two voices rejected him badly, it's the Xue siblings.

Xue Luli said, "Not the dormitory. That place is rumored to be the bloodiest place in this building."

"That's right! According to rumors most students died in dormitory rooms!" said Xue Jing.

Ye Lou with ashen face, "T-Then where... where should we stay?" he asked.

Fu Lian thought for a moment until he noticed the pen held by their little brother Xue Jing.

"Jingjing, is that Pen Fairy on your hand?" asked Fu Lian.

Xue Jing showed them the pen and said, "Yes. I brought it with me because he said that he wouldn't be able to leave until all answers were solved. Since he said it's ghost day today that means he is stuck in the pen for the whole night."

The pen on Xue Jing's hand wiggles as if a nail on its head was struck directly by the young man's words. He indeed couldn't leave the pen until morning. Poor Pen Fairy.

"Geh! Little brother you brought that with you? Aren't you afraid of it?" asked Ye Lou.

Xue Jing nonchalantly replied, "Aren't were surrounded with ghosts from all sides? A pen fairy stuck inside the pen is less scarier than the rest of the ghosts in this place."

Xue Luli could help but agreed to her brother's words. "That is... indeed correct. But would it help us?" she asked.

"That... I don't know." Xue Jing placed the pen directly on his palm and tried talking to it. "Pen Fairy can you help us?" The pen ignored him.

Fu Lian said, "If you help us escape we promise to bring you back to a temple and have you cleanse so you could enter reincarnation."

"That's also an option. Then I will make a promise as well. As long as you help us escape we would bring you to the temple." said Ye Lou.

"I agree too." said Xue Luli.

Once the three adults promise the Pen Fairy's soul as if accepting their offer had stood on its own jumping up and down. Seeing this Xue Jing brought out a paper from his pocket. Pen Fairy jumped on the paper and wrote.

[You guys promise. You must bring me to the temple if I help you escape this place.]

"We promise!" The three said.

[Okay. Then I will help you. But as I've said before the only one who could help you escape this hell is the most beautiful ghost in the building. Though it seems you wouldn't meet him yet as he isn't around now. You guys should hide first. Those hungry mongrels would all come out when the clock hits 12 'o clock.]

Ye Lou asked confusedly, "Beautiful ghost?"

"Where should we hide?" asked Fu Lian.

"Hungry mongrel? You don't mean a fierce ghost who eats human flesh!" said Xue Luli in shock.

[You guys asked all at the same time. Which one should I answer?]

"Where should we hide?" asked Xue Jing.

[The safest place in this building is where the beautiful ghost usually resides.]

"So where is that?" asked Ye Lou.

All of the sudden screams from their surroundings were heard. People panicking and running all over was seen. The girls in the group suddenly let out an ear piercing scream and all hell seems to break loose. A shadowy figure was seen by the girls moving above them. 

AAAHHHHHH!

Save me!

What the hell is that?!!

RUN!!!

"W-What the hell? What is happening!?" asked Ye Lou who instantly carried Xue Jing in his arms. 

Fu Lian carried his girlfriend on his back. "Don't look. Just run...! Jingjing asks the pen fairy, where is that place?"

"Okay, wait for a bit. Pen fairy. Pen fairy. Which place is it?" asked Xue Jing.

They were all panicking as the screams around them got louder and intense. Xue Luli was the most free among the rest of them. Only she was able to look behind them and stared at the chaos. She could see her schoolmates and classmates running away. Some of them had blood on them. From the darkness far from them, she could see a silhouette of a tall human figure crawling on the room's ceiling. Xue Luli watched the shadows from that dark corner moved as if it was alive. Capturing her schoolmates and dragging them into that darkness where only screams could be heard.

As that shadowy figure moved, the lights everyone used to illuminate the darkness in the building was suddenly gone. It is either turned off on its own or the bonfire instantly blew away as if the darkness slowly swallowing up the lights in the place. Once the light all turned off, everyone tried to stifle their voices afraid to be preyed upon.

SILENCE~

Fu Lian whispered to Ye Lou, "Ye Lou I will grab you and we will run away. Don't get separated!"

"O-Okay. Little brother holds on tight... AH!?" Ye Lou suddenly felt the weight on his arms disappeared and the little one was gone in that moment.

Xue Luli asked, "What happened?!"

"L-Little brother suddenly disappeared!" said Ye Lou.

"N-No... NO!!!" Xue Luli suddenly started struggling as she wanted to get down on her boyfriend's back to look for her little brother. "Jingjing! JINGJING!!?"

Once Xue Luli screamed the hell break loose within the darkness once more. The other people around the place had started panicking once they heard a child had gone missing. The sound of hurried steps and scrambling running echoes within that darkness.

AAHHHH!!!

RUN AWAY!

OUCH!

Go outside!

No! It's raining heavily outside!!!

Fu Lian didn't let her get down on his back and tightly held her legs. "L-Lili... calm down. Please! I will Jingjing. I will definitely find him." he said.

But Xue Luli couldn't stop herself from wailing, that was her little brother who was lost. She was crying so loudly that the shadowy figure could pinpoint her location in the darkness. Xue Luli suddenly felt cold hands grabbing her shoulder wanting to pull her up. She didn't dare look up for fear that she regret it.

"AH! Lian! Wuwu~ Lian something is pulling me! Help!" yelled Xue Luli.

Hearing this Fu Lian and Ye Lou worked together and grabbed her legs pulling her towards them but as if their opponents were stronger than two adult men, they could feel Xue Luli still getting pulled away.

"Let go of her!!" yelled Fu Lian.

Ye Lou said, "Shit! shit! what the hell is this!?"

Then they heard a childish voice from the darkness, it was Xue Jing's voice.

"Close your eyes!" 

"Jingjing?" calls Xue Luli.

Following the familiar voice's command all three of them closed their eyes then they've felt something like sand rained them. In that blind darkness, they've heard a loud shrieking sound as if it's a collective voice of different genders.

GYAAAHHH!!!

Once the screaming voice disappeared the force pulling Xue Luli as long dissipates and all three of them fell on the ground. Then as if the darkness resided, the lighting equipment in the area had all turned on. Once the light returned to normal, everyone could see each other's their tragic appearance. Most of those who survived had scratches all over their arms and legs. Some had bumps and bruises as they've run blindly in the darkness. Among the group only Fu Lian's little group fared nicely. They were covered in white sand and dust all over their bodies and clothes.

As soon as the light had returned Xue Jing approached his sister and looked at her worriedly. "Big sis? Are you okay?" he asked worriedly.

Seeing Xue Jing covered in white sand like things, Xue Luli couldn't stop her tears from falling as she hugs her little brother tightly in her embrace. She was so afraid that they had lost him.

"Wuwuwu~ Jingjing~~" said Xue Luli while hugging Xue Jing in her arms.

"Big sis, can't breath! Too tight. You hug too tight!" complains Xue Jing.

Beside them both Fu Lian and Ye Lou had tears in the corner of their eyes too. Even though they didn't say it, in that blind darkness when they've suddenly lost Xue Jing, they didn't believe they could get him back. Even the words Fu Lian had said to Xue Luli was nothing but mere comfort to calm her down.

Ye Lou asked to ease his curiosity, "What happened to you little brother? You suddenly disappeared from my arms."

"Something pulled my leg. It's so fast and strong that I wasn't able to hold on brother. I was only able to grab my bag. T-Then I remember I took some salt in my bag. When I've thrown it towards the shadow on my foot it dissolves just now. But the light suddenly turned off and I couldn't find you guys, until I heard my big sister scream. I've tried hard to look for everyone but it was too dark. I came a bit late but thankfully not too late." explained Xue Jing.

After hearing his story Fu Lian used the flash light with him and checked on Xue Jing's skin whether he got bruises from bumping blindly within that darkness. He sighed in relief when he saw his little brother's flawless skin.

Fu Lian smiled, "As long as you're alright, Jingjing."

"By the way is that salt you've thrown just now? Ack~ Pei! Too salty~" said Ye Lou.

"I... I've remembered watching it on tv before. That salt is useful against ghost or evil creatures." replied Xue Jing.

Ye Lou said, "Haha~ Little brother is the smartest! Good job!"

After being freed from his sister's embrace he walks slowly towards Fu Lian, "Big Brother... just now before the lights turned off Pen fairy replied. It says... hide in the library." Xue Jing whispered as he was afraid that the others might hear him.

"Really?" asked Fu Lian.

Xue Jing nodded his head and brought out a crumpled paper from his pocket. A hurried written word 'Library' was elegantly noted on the paper.

The four of them looked at one another and nodded. They've decided to look for the library after the rest of the people in the place have gone to sleep. The four of them stayed at a lighted corner holding at each other's hands. Since it's dangerous to be separated, it is better to hold hands to avoid accidents.