Some things, once started, cannot be taken back. Little One's death seemed like the overture pulling back the curtain of demise. Within two short days, Zeng Ruguo and Zhong Cheng Jian had met their ends in succession. But the scythe of the Grim Reaper did not cease its swing after claiming them. On the second day following the woman's resurrection, a fourth victim appeared amongst their ranks.
It was Xu Xiao Cheng who discovered Little Ten's corpse this time, letting out a shriek as she rushed from the bathroom, crying, "Another one's dead! Another one!"
"Who died?" Tang Yaoyao questioned.
"Don't know. Felt like one of those little girls," Xu Xiao Cheng replied, eyes wide in lingering panic. She had grown much calmer in the face of death than before, at least not vomiting incessantly. "I didn't dare look too closely, just caught a glimpse before running out."
The group proceeded to the bathroom, discovering the scattered remains within. Similar to Little One's violently hacked death, Little Ten's corpse could only be described as chunks strewn about.
This time, everyone reacted with greater composure upon seeing the body. Lin Qiu Shi conducted a simple examination of the scene, confirming the irrefutable demise of Little Ten.
Ruan Nan Zhu said nothing as he stood to the side, seemingly lost in silent contemplation.
In a low voice, Lin Qiu Shi asked what he was thinking.
"It's nothing," Ruan Nan Zhu murmured. "I'm just curious what her mother's reaction will be this time."
At the mention of that woman, everyone's expressions darkened.
As if on cue, the woman manifested in the bathroom doorway right then. But contrary to expectations, she exhibited no histrionics nor weeping. Bearing an eerie calm, she held a mop and sack and slowly gathered her daughter's remains.
The gruesome scene played out mutely but for the wet squelching of the mop dragging through blood. With practiced motions, the woman deposited all the pieces into the bag before soundlessly shuffling away.
"I feel very uncomfortable," Tang Yaoyao said, face bloodless. "The rest of you?"
"Same," Zhang Xing Huo concurred. "Will we even make it to that day?"
No one could answer Zhang Xing Huo's question. In this world, their lives hung by the thinnest of threads, survival seemingly left purely to luck rather than any efforts of their own.
Come afternoon, Tang Yaoyao complained of feeling unwell and retired early to rest. Recalling yesterday's events, Lin Qiu Shi gently reminded her to take care.
Oblivious, Tang Yaoyao nodded absently and headed off. Xu Xiao Cheng watched her departing back, hesitation writ across her features.
"What's the matter?" Lin Qiu Shi asked, noticing her expression.
"It's nothing," Xu Xiao Cheng murmured. "I just feel we may be safer sticking together."
"No real safety to speak of," Zhang Xing Huo rejoined flatly. "Even if we stay together now, we still split up at night."
He had a point. With a sigh, Lin Qiu Shi conceded it was so.
Gloom pervaded the group and no one was inclined towards idle chatter. After a simple dinner, Ruan Nan Zhu declared tiredness and promptly dragged Lin Qiu Shi back to their coffin room.
"What's the hurry today?" Lin Qiu Shi wondered aloud.
Hint of a smirk playing about his lips, Ruan Nan Zhu replied, "Can't I want to spend more time with my darling?"
"...Speak properly," Lin Qiu Shi pressed, unamused by the jest.
Undeterred, Ruan Nan Zhu continued blithely, "I won't allow you to run off with some other woman."
Truly incorrigible! "Enough nonsense," Lin Qiu Shi admonished. "What did you want to say?"
At last turning serious, Ruan Nan Zhu confessed, "I think I may have located the door."
Shocked, Lin Qiu Shi echoed incredulously, "You found the door?"
"Just a hunch," Ruan Nan Zhu clarified. "I want to check it out. Could be dangerous, so you should..."
"I'm going with you," Lin Qiu Shi interjected, intuiting his intent. "I may not be much help, but two can watch out for each other at least." Voice lowering, he went on earnestly, "I know I'm weak right now, but if anything happened to you..."
Ruan Nan Zhu's gaze gentled. "Fair point. Can't have you turning into a widower."
"..."
With a cheeky pat to Lin Qiu Shi's backside, Ruan Nan Zhu prodded, "Alright, let's go."
Minutes later, the pair emerged onto the rooftop. The heavy padlock still hung forbiddingly over the metal door, covered in flakes of rust indicating prolonged disuse. But unlike before, Lin Qiu Shi noticed signs of recent activity—friction marks around the keyhole as if the lock had been opened.
"Someone came up here?" Immediately, the forbidden door from the fairy tale came to mind. "Is this that door?" Lin Qiu Shi wondered aloud.
"Maybe." Cryptically, Ruan Nan Zhu advanced towards the portal. "Not sure yet, so I'm going to take a look. Stand watch for me?"
Lin Qiu Shi nodded.
Ruan Nan Zhu took out a hairpin and efficiently picked the lock open.
With a soft click, the padlock clattered to the ground. The metal door creaked open slowly as Ruan Nan Zhu pulled it back, revealing the rooftop scene behind it.
Peering out into the night, Lin Qiu Shi could just make out the rooftop's contents. Covering the entire area were countless black bags—the same kind the woman had used to store her daughters' corpses.
Dozens of those ominous bags greeted their sight.
Ruan Nan Zhu clicked his tongue softly. "Seems we've landed in trouble."
Bewildered, Lin Qiu Shi echoed, "Huh?"
"Remember the tale about what happens if anyone but the triplets opens that door?" Ruan Nan Zhu reminded cryptically. "But since we're already here..."
Without waiting for a response, he casually strode onto the rooftop as if out for a leisurely stroll: "Might as well take a look around."
Lin Qiu Shi: "..." Is this a sightseeing tour now? Will you be buying souvenirs next?
Ignoring the dumbfounded silence, Ruan Nan Zhu paced the area searching for something. Eventually his steps slowed by a pile of bags tucked away in a corner.
Standing guard at the doorway below, Lin Qiu Shi watched Ruan Nan Zhu bend down and begin rifling through the bags. Just then, he caught the soft scuff of approaching footsteps.
"Nan Zhu!" He hissed urgently. "Someone's coming! Get back here!"
Ruan Nan Zhu made a sound of acknowledgement but did not withdraw. The footsteps drew inexorably nearer.
Cold sweat beading his brow, Lin Qiu Shi desperately racked his brain. Whoever it was, he had an ominous premonition that their presence here ought remain secret.
"Got it," Ruan Nan Zhu suddenly declared, grabbing something from the bags. In a flash, he raced back to the doorway. Deftly, he slammed the metal portal shut and clicked the padlock back in place just as the footsteps arrived downstairs.
Inspiration striking, Lin Qiu Shi yanked Ruan Nan Zhu against the wall and molded himself close. Hopefully the intimate position would provide suitable excuse!
"Who's there?" He called out challengingly, twisting around with feigned annoyance at the interruption.
Only silence answered.
Exchanging a glance with Ruan Nan Zhu, they headed downstairs but found no one lurking about. The footsteps seemed to have been imagined.
Ruan Nan Zhu pointed towards the corner. Looking over, Lin Qiu Shi noticed a fresh bloodstain smeared over the floor and wall as if something had been dragged across leaving gory residue.
The only thing that came to mind was those ominous black body bags.
"Close call," Ruan Nan Zhu remarked.
"Yeah," Lin Qiu Shi mumbled, wiping suddenly sweaty palms against his pants. "Find anything?"
"Tell you back in our room. Too easy to overhear things here."
Once settled inside the coffin room, they kept their voices low due to the poor sound insulation. Leaning in close, Ruan Nan Zhu announced, "I found the door."
"You did?" Success seemed too easy but Lin Qiu Shi wasn't about to question their fortune. "It's on the rooftop?"
"Yes, hidden under the body bags," Ruan Nan Zhu confirmed. "My guess is the key will appear on their birthday. We must seize the chance then."
Lin Qiu Shi nodded. For some reason, just having Ruan Nan Zhu nearby filled him with inexplicable calm. Moreover, now that they had located the escape route, it seemed one worry could be set aside.
"Get some rest," Ruan Nan Zhu advised gently. "Just a little longer before we get out of this place."
The next morning, everyone gathered in the living room as usual. Recalling yesterday's strange events, Lin Qiu Shi surreptitiously scrutinized Tang Yaoyao but she exhibited no issues, eating breakfast alongside them at the customary hour.
"I want to check out the lower floors again today," Ruan Nan Zhu announced. "Those two people downstairs may still have useful information."
Eager to assist, Lin Qiu Shi volunteered, "I'll go with you."
But Tang Yaoyao declined joining them. She had spent the past few days repeatedly scouring the lower levels to no avail. Whether stonewalled doors or communicative failures, each attempt proved exercise in futility. Not to mention slogging up and down ten plus flights of stairs since the elevator remained out of order—the repetitive climbs resembled scenes straight out of a horror movie!
"You guys explore upstairs then," Ruan Nan Zhu suggested. "I'll take Linlin down with me."
Timidly, Xu Xiao Cheng piped up, "Can I come along too?"
Impassive, Ruan Nan Zhu permitted, "If you want."
Thus, the trio headed out the door towards the stairwell.
As they left, Lin Qiu Shi noticed the bedroom door ajar with a pair of eyes peering out—likely the last remaining triplet, Little Tu, covertly scrutinizing their departure. But sensing his returned gaze, she immediately averted her scrutiny and shut the door.
Faint unease stirred as Lin Qiu Shi's brows knitted together.
Fourteen flights of stairs to the fourth floor truly proved a grueling ordeal, especially within the cramped, humid stairwell redolent of aged decay endemic to old buildings.
"When can we get out of this place?" Xu Xiao Cheng despairingly lamented. "I'm scared every day."
"Soon," Ruan Nan Zhu soothed. "Just hold out a little longer."
Haggard and wan, Xu Xiao Cheng nodded mutely.
Observing her worn state, Lin Qiu Shi wondered about her circumstances. Ruan Nan Zhu had mentioned she was a famous celebrity in real life taking on a gig here. Just how did Ruan Nan Zhu recruit her and what method allowed her entry into this world? Questions for another time, perhaps.
"We're here," Ruan Nan Zhu announced upon reaching the fourth floor landing. But no sooner had they exited the stairwell than the cloying stench of blood assailed their nostrils. The sanguine odor proved so thick and overwhelming that even the most anosmic individual would choke on its metallic tang.
"Ugh, what's that smell?" Xu Xiao Cheng gagged, pinching her nose and fanning the air.
"Blood," Lin Qiu Shi identified, intimately familiar with its butcher shop bouquet. Being the first in their group, his eye fell upon the end suite with its door left wide ajar.
Even prepared for the worst, Lin Qiu Shi still recoiled one step when the beam of his phone flashlight illuminated the gory tableau within.
Striding forward, Ruan Nan Zhu crossed the threshold without hesitation. The suite's windows had all been boarded up, shrouding the interior in pitch darkness. Other than that, the place seemed relatively tidy. The corpse belonged to the young man who had admitted them inside a few days prior.
Now drained of all vitality, his body sprawled limply across the sofa. Glassy eyes stared upwards in a rictus of sheer horror.
"His eyeballs were gouged out," Ruan Nan Zhu clinically noted.
Approaching behind, Lin Qiu Shi observed two ragged, bloody cavities in the sockets—reminiscent of Zeng Ruguo's caved-in skull and Zhong Cheng Jian's flayed corpse.
"Why would he suddenly die like this?" Lin Qiu Shi wondered aloud. "Did something go wrong?"
Without replying, Ruan Nan Zhu located the light switch on a nearby wall. Overhead bulbs flickered on, banishing the gloom.
"There's blood on the windows too," Lin Qiu Shi pointed out after a quick survey by the bright lighting. Splashed up the boarded panes, the blood seemed unrelated to the man since his corpse rested a good distance away.
"Remember the blood outside their door?" Ruan Nan Zhu reminded. "I thought it might be a protective ward before. But now..."
Comprehension lit Lin Qiu Shi's eyes. "Someone tried to kill them?"
"Yeah."
"He died in Tang Yaoyao's place then?" Recalling something else, Lin Qiu Shi continued slowly. "She got blood on herself yesterday but made it through the night alright. I assumed she escaped misfortune..."
"Likely so," Ruan Nan Zhu concurred.
"Let's check the first floor too," Lin Qiu Shi proposed, thoughts turning towards the old granny residing downstairs. "Need to see what's going on there."
"Let's go."
Departing the fourth floor, they headed down to the first. There, they found the entrance sealed tight as during their previous visits. But as Ruan Nan Zhu had deduced, new developments marked the portal—fresh blood splashed across its surface, still wet and glistening as if recently applied.
Ruan Nan Zhu rapped his knuckles against the door.
They hardly expected a response yet astonishingly enough, the old woman opened up shortly afterwards. Squinting at them with rheumy eyes, she mumbled incoherently under her breath.
No need to listen to make out her endless refrain: "I've eaten."
Previously, Lin Qiu Shi had not dwelled overly much upon the eccentric repetition. But now, a nameless dread crept down his spine at the phrase.
Why did she incessantly repeat those words? Who wanted her to eat something? And what thing? Although senile in mind and body, some ingrained instinct prompted her to automatically reject...whatever "it" was.
"Granny, what is it you don't want to eat?" Lin Qiu Shi cautiously tried.
The query jolted her out of rote recital for a brief moment. In quavering tones, she responded: "Ate it already. The cake. Ate it already."
Lin Qiu Shi: "..."
"Won't eat anymore. Won't eat..." Trailing off indistinctly, she moved to shut them out. But Ruan Nan Zhu quickly blocked the closing door with one hand and gently called out, "Granny, won't you attend the birthday celebration this year?"
The word "birthday" made her shudder violently, rheumy eyes glinting with abrupt awareness. But she merely repeated, "Won't go, won't go..." Mumbling indistinctly to herself, further attempts at questioning failed to elicit anything coherent before she withdrew into repetitive refrain.
Left with no recourse, Ruan Nan Zhu released his hold and allowed the door to shut.
Although the exchange lasted barely a minute, it solidified their speculations—the building's missing occupants connected to the triplets' birthday event on the fourteenth floor somehow.
"None who attended their party returned alive?" Lin Qiu Shi analyzed. "But the only way we can escape this world is if we stay seven days until their birthday. That's a paradox, isn't it?"
"The Door's worlds contain no true dead ends," Ruan Nan Zhu countered calmly. "Attending their birthday may not be a death sentence."
"Then what is?"
"That remains to be seen. All we can do is wait."
Discussing all the while, they returned upstairs.
The moment Lin Qiu Shi entered, he immediately noticed Tang Yaoyao seated stiffly on the sofa wearing an icy expression. An equally stony-faced Zhang Xing Huo occupied the spot beside her. Neither greeted the new arrivals, seeming disinclined towards even basic pleasantries.
Unease stirred. Voice tentative, Xu Xiao Cheng ventured, "Did something happen?"
"It's nothing now," Tang Yaoyao bit out. "One of those girls just came around causing trouble earlier."
Exchanging a swift glance with Ruan Nan Zhu, Lin Qiu Shi echoed, "Trouble?"
"She insisted I call her by name," Tang Yaoyao snarled. "How the hell should I know? They all look the same, who knows which one died? It's so annoying," Tang Yaoyao spat irritably after finishing her tirade.
Zhang Xing Huo admonished, "Can you not take that attitude? What if she really is a vengeful spirit? Getting angry will only hasten your death!"
"Who dies first still remains to be seen!" Tang Yaoyao snapped back heatedly. "How could you even recognize who it is?"
Zhang Xing Huo fell silent, unable to refute the point.
Ever since the blood-stained incident yesterday, Tang Yaoyao's mood had been steadily deteriorating. Now it seemed to have reached new lows.
"The one left is Little Tu," Ruan Nan Zhu interjected calmly. "Remember the name, mistakes could prove fatal."
His words reminded them of the gruesome discovery on the fourth floor, sobering the group.
After Lin Qiu Shi finished relaying what they had found downstairs, Tang Yaoyao grew even more temperamental. She paced the room like a caged beast, features contorted in a rictus of madness and fury.
"Tang Yaoyao, are you alright?" Xu Xiao Cheng timidly ventured.
"Of course I'm fine!!" Tang Yaoyao shrilled hysterically. "Absolutely peachy!!" All the while, she scratched vigorously at her arms.
The weather remained mild, everyone dressed in t-shirts and light outerwear. Tang Yaoyao wore a tee under a cardigan, movements growing ever more violent as she raked her skin.
Uneasily, the group observed in silence, all sensing something amiss.
Unable to restrain her curiosity, Xu Xiao Cheng whispered, "What's wrong with your arms...?"
"What's wrong with me?!" Tang Yaoyao demanded derisively. "Nothing at all!! I'm perfectly fine, just great!!" So declaring, she shoved up her sleeves and continued her relentless scratching.
At the exposed skin, Lin Qiu Shi noticed a red rash marring her arms. Resembling blood splatters, she attacked the area with mindless fervor as if unbearably itchy. Before their eyes, the angry welts began spreading from her forearms up towards her shoulders.
Collectively, they sucked in shocked breaths at the freakish spectacle. Oblivious to it all, Tang Yaoyao persisted in her motions until she caught their dumbfounded stares.
"Why are you all looking at me like that?!" She challenged wildly, face also flushing an ugly blood-red.