Chapter 48: Surveillance Room
Tucked away in a nondescript janitor’s closet within the shopping mall, a group of terrified individuals found themselves huddled together. The beams from their cellphones had cut through the darkness, revealing tense and fear-ridden faces. Among them were Mr. Calm, Master Catch, Mall Manager Li, Sister Pear, who had just rejoined the group, and others. But the one who stood out from the rest was Ethan.
Currently, Ethan’s face wears an expression of utter dread. His eyes are locked on the door before him, smeared with his own vibrant red blood. This blood, stubborn in its refusal to dry, seeped down from the door in a continuous drip, pooling at their feet.
“The ghost seems to have stopped… for now,” Ethan finally released a pent-up breath. His pale complexion was a stark contrast to his blood-stained hands.
“Are… are we safe now, Master?” Mr. Calm’s voice trembles as he poses the question.
Their original plan had been to reach the fifth floor smoothly and exit through the emergency door. But the fifth floor presented them with a new challenge: all the doors were inexplicably locked. Just as they contemplated breaking the lock, a horrifying event unfolded.
Without any warning, someone dropped dead, decapitated. Overwhelmed with fear, they abandoned the idea of breaking the lock and scattered. It was Ethan who had led them to this closet, providing a temporary refuge.
But the terror didn’t end there.
From beyond the door came the thunderous sound of pounding. Something, or someone, was desperately trying to break in. It had even succeeded in breaking the lock. This was clearly not the work of a human.
It was Ethan’s blood smeared on the door that had silenced the eerie noise.