Chapter 7: Footsteps From Behind
Miles felt his vitality draining rapidly, his legs shaking as he swayed on the verge of collapsing. His chest heaved, each inhalation deeply etching the harsh sting of cold sweat that traced its way down his face.
Just moments before, he had found himself precariously close to the edge of death.
“I cannot afford to stay here,” he gasped out, his words punctuated by labored breaths. “I need to get away immediately.”
Still reeling from his heart-stopping encounter with a ghost, he had barely had a moment to grapple with his chilling brush with death.
He scrambled for his phone in haste, clumsily activating the flashlight feature before forcing his trembling body upright.
In the oppressive gloom, a spectral apparition lingered, its ghostly presence pulling him closer to death’s door the longer he tarried. As fear crept insidiously into his very marrow, he steeled himself and ventured deeper into the enveloping darkness.
As his feeble light pierced through the darkness, he caught sight of Duan Peng and Zheng Fei. Their faces were etched with pure terror as they pounded frenetically on a dilapidated wall overgrown with age-old mold.
“Who’s there?” Zheng Fei’s voice wavered, unable to conceal his dread as he noticed the faint glimmer of light.
Miles, his expression hardened, lifted his phone high, announcing with a resonant voice, “It’s me, Miles.”