Infinite Nightmares

Wenda kept chasing. As he ran on, everything around him grew familiar again.

He remembered every blade of grass and every tree. He remembered every time he had fed the stray cats by the nearby bushes. He remembered every path he had taken on his way home from school.

This time, however, Zhang Wenda wasn’t afraid. He just kept repeating his mission to himself in his mind.

’Find a local, ask for a way out. Find a local, ask for a way out.’

Just as these thoughts ran through his head, the running childhood friend stopped and waited for Zhang Wenda to approach.

And as he drew closer, she became increasingly familiar in his mind, as if he had seen her countless times before.

Just as Zhang Wenda reached her side, he saw her turn around with a beaming smile. Song Jianguo’s familiar face appeared before him.

It was still the same Song Jianguo he remembered, only this time her skin wasn’t light brown, but exceptionally fair.

Her clothes weren’t the tattered denim she used to wear; instead, she was dressed all in white.

The instant that familiar face reappeared before him, the sound of shattering glass echoed out, and everything around Zhang Wenda suddenly became incredibly real.

"Heeey, Haozi, you’re so slow," Song Jianguo complained.

Looking at her familiar face, Zhang Wenda threw his arms around her and pulled her into a tight hug. As he took in her familiar, sun-drenched scent, his eyes welled up with tears.

He didn’t know why he was doing this, but he just couldn’t help himself.

"What are you doing?! You’re strangling me!" Song Jianguo’s struggling voice finally snapped Zhang Wenda back to his senses.

He quickly let go, grabbing her hands firmly and looking her up and down with nervous energy. "Where did you go? Why did you disappear?"

But then, as if startled, Zhang Wenda quickly released her. ’Wait, something’s not right. I can’t let her influence me. She’s fake! I can’t...’

His thoughts trailed off. Looking at Song Jianguo, he felt he had never seen her look so beautiful. His heart pounded in his chest.

’Have I always liked Song Jianguo this much?’ A question suddenly confronted Zhang Wenda. Ever since he’d met her, he had only ever thought of her as a friend.

But then a new thought suddenly surfaced in his mind. ’No, no, no, this is wrong. These aren’t my real feelings. It’s this world’s influence on me. I can’t... I can’t let it affect me. I can’t fall into its trap!’

Just as Zhang Wenda was about to say something, Song Jianguo saw someone walk past them. Her expression immediately grew cautious, and she grabbed his hand to lead him away.

This time, as Song Jianguo took his hand and ran toward the building’s stairwell, his body followed uncontrollably.

They followed the dusty wooden handrail all the way up, eventually reaching the 5th floor. As she pushed open a door, the sound of a television blared, "...the next winning number is... Number 4!"

SMACK! With a sharp sound, the middle-aged man on the sofa slammed his hand on the table in frustration. "Damn it! Off by two numbers! Missed again!"

"Uncle Biao, I’m here to play with Haozi!" Song Jianguo announced, pulling Zhang Wenda by the hand and walking in casually, as if she’d been there a thousand times. She headed for the bedroom in the back.

"Ah, you two go on and play. Wenda, we’re just having noodles for lunch today," Biaozi said without looking up. He still had that same old lackadaisical air about him, completely unchanged.

But Zhang Wenda knew his uncle was fake. The real one had died long ago.

Not only was his uncle fake, but Song Jianguo was fake too. No matter how real his feelings felt, all of it was fake.

To keep from being drawn in, Zhang Wenda repeated this to himself over and over.

Still, he didn’t leave these illusions. He needed to get information from them about how to escape this place.

Whatever their purpose, as long as they could communicate, he could try to find out more.

Before Zhang Wenda could reply, he was yanked inside. The door was shut with a THUD, and the room, its walls covered in award certificates, grew dim.

The two of them were now alone in the small room.

Then, Zhang Wenda watched as she moved toward him, getting closer and closer. His heart began to race, and at that very moment...

...Song Jianguo’s words made him freeze in place. "Don’t worry. I’ll figure out a way to help you leave this world."

Zhang Wenda stared at her in disbelief. ’An illusion created by this place actually wants to help me leave?’

’And how does she know what I’m thinking? Could it be... Mind Reading?’

Just then, a thought uncontrollably popped into his head. ’You’re real? You’re the real Song Jianguo.’

Song Jianguo grew frantic. "I’m not! I’m fake! Get a grip, Haozi! Don’t let it influence you! If you get sucked in, you’ll be trapped here for life!"

Hearing this, Zhang Wenda looked at her, but he could only see eyes brimming with worry, with no trace of any other intention.

For a moment, Zhang Wenda couldn’t tell if this was the real Song Jianguo pretending to be fake, or a fake Song Jianguo trying to deceive him.

’If she’s fake, would she really help me without holding anything back? Or is this whole thing just a trap?’

False memories and his true perception intertwined and tangled in Zhang Wenda’s mind, giving him a splitting headache.

Zhang Wenda shook his head hard and looked at her again. "You tell me first. What’s the way out of here?"

’Real or not, a good way to tell is to see if she genuinely tries to help me.’

’If she really helps me escape, then she’s real. Otherwise, it’s just another one of this place’s traps.’

Hearing Zhang Wenda get down to business, Song Jianguo breathed a small sigh of relief. She hurried to the window, peered out cautiously, and only after confirming no one was eavesdropping did she speak. "To get out of here, you have to find door number 310 somewhere in this entire complex, at the precise moment between dusk and dawn, while holding a strong desire to leave."

"Are you... sure?" Her method was unlike anything Zhang Wenda had ever heard. He had been to many of these mindscapes, but he’d never encountered such a bizarre way to travel between them.

"Why would I lie to you about something like this?!" Song Jianguo said, growing agitated when she saw he didn’t trust her.

"Okay, fine. What do we do next?"

Song Jianguo glanced at the clock on the wall and said, "It’ll switch back to night in one hour. We have to find the red room 310 before then."

"Then what are we waiting for? Let’s go find it. So, how do we look for it?" Zhang Wenda said, pulling open the bedroom door.

But the moment he opened the door, a blank-faced Biaozi was standing right outside. Clearly, he had heard every single word.