I carefully approached the door, intending to listen for any noises first, when suddenly, the door opened...
Bang!
I was so frightened that I stepped back three or four paces and looked intently to see a nurse standing at the door, her face deathly pale, one hand still maintaining the motion of opening the door. The other hand was holding nothing as the metal tray she had been carrying had fallen to the ground, with medication scattered all over.
"Do you think it's funny to stand behind the door and scare people in the middle of the night?" the nurse, after being stunned for about a minute, bellowed with glaring eyes.
I shrugged helplessly, there was no use in saying anything now that it had happened.
The nurse picked up the metal tray but left the spilled medicine, angrily slamming the door as she left.
And that crying sound seemed to have stopped abruptly with the fall of the metal tray.
With no more noises, I lay down on the bed, and at this moment, I couldn't help but start to think of my parents at home, my loving grandmother, and my strict master. I wondered how they were doing now and if they knew my current situation.
Wuu wuu wuu wuu wuu
Around one o'clock, the crying started again and I rolled off the bed. This time I didn't stand at the door to listen but opened the door directly and walked out.
A draft of cool air poured down my collar, causing me to shiver slightly. I had thought it was just that annoying ghost pestering me again, but when I turned around, I saw nothing.
Following the direction of the crying, I walked step by step, the hospital at night was somewhat terrifying, the lights in the corridors were all turned off, only the emergency exit signs emitted a dim, sickly green light, looking somewhat like the eyes of a drowsy person, very dim and rather eerie.
For some reason, the hairs on my body stood on end, something I hadn't even felt before when I was in the chaotic burial ground.
I was considering turning back and going to sleep, but the low sobbing seemed to control my mind, making me approach it step by step.
The sound was getting closer, and by now I had reached the staircase. I listened closely; the sound seemed to be coming from downstairs. I slowed my pace, cautiously making my way down.
Closer, even closer. After descending about four floors, I saw a half-open door with some light coming from inside. Without thinking too much, I went straight in.
Not far inside, I saw a little girl squatting outside a tightly closed door, crying.
I thought she might be lost and couldn't find her way out, which left her no choice but to cry here.
I walked over quickly, touched her head to comfort her, and asked why she was squatting here crying by herself.
She said she couldn't find her mother, was alone and couldn't get out, and was very scared, so she could only squat here and cry. She also expressed hope that I could help her find her mother.
I agreed readily and decided to take her upstairs first; we could ask a nurse to help find her mother later.
Leading the little girl by the hand, we returned the way we came. Her hand was very cold, but I didn't pay it much mind—it must have been from the chill. Before leaving, I saw three blood-red characters on the tightly shut door—Morgue.
Just as we reached the half-open door, a person who looked like a security guard blocked the way, asking why we were heading to the morgue in the middle of the night. Of course, at that time, I had no idea what the morgue was. After asking about it, I found out it was the place in the hospital where they kept the dead bodies.
I told the security guard about what had just happened and pointed to the little girl next to me.
The security guard swore up and down that he hadn't heard anyone crying, assuring me that he would have noticed immediately if there were. He said to leave the little girl with him, and that he would contact the police.
Thinking it over, I agreed that taking the little girl with me was not the best idea, so I handed her hand over to him.
Just as he was about to grasp the little girl's hand, his hand suddenly jerked back and then started trembling uncontrollably. He opened his mouth as if to say something but nothing came out. Shaking, he pointed at the little girl's wrist and stumbled upstairs.
I looked where the security guard had pointed and saw a white slip of paper on her wrist with the words: Date of death December 23 at 18:00.
In an instant, I understood why the security guard was so scared. It turns out the little girl I was holding hands with was a ghost.
Recalling master's words, "Ghosts can be good or evil too," and seeing that the little girl didn't seem like a malevolent spirit, I tightened my grip on her hand and led her upstairs.
"Hehe, aren't you afraid I'll harm you? They left me in that place and didn't care about me. It was so cold, so cold." We were one floor away from the ward where I resided when the little girl suddenly asked with a strange laugh.
Her laughter made me uncomfortable, but I still answered her question. I said that those who are righteous and walk a straight path have nothing to fear. Those who are afraid are the ones with guilty consciences.
She laughed strangely a couple of more times and then fell silent, letting me lead her upstairs.
Counting the floors, we had arrived. I pushed open the door to the stairwell and led her inside.
But after entering, I was dumbfounded; the scene before me was not what I expected to see. A bloody red moon hung high in the sky, the dim sky felt oppressive, and the murky air had me covering my nose immediately.
I finally sensed something was wrong and turned to go back, but unfortunately, there was no door behind me, only a long wooden bridge that seemed to lead nowhere in particular.
"Hehehehehe, thank you for coming here. Now that you will take my place, I can be reincarnated," she laughed strangely. As soon as I felt my hand go loose, the little girl had disappeared.
At that moment, I felt some regret, realizing I had encountered an evil ghost and had been deceived.
With no other choice, I pushed forward resolutely. There was no use in going back; who knew if there was an end to the wooden bridge.
After walking for approximately five or six hours, I finally saw people. They were in a long queue, seemingly waiting for something. My heart leaped with relief, and I rushed over to them.
I asked the people in the queue where we were, but they all shook their heads, saying that all would be clear once you reached the high platform.
Looking in the direction they pointed, I saw a high platform about a hundred meters tall not far ahead, resembling an ancient city tower in its grandeur. Many people stood on the platform, gazing into the distance, but it was unclear what they were looking at.
Desperate to understand where I was, I joined the queue, shuffling forward step by step. The people moved like zombies, heads down, not a single one speaking.
After nearly two hours of slow movement, I finally stood atop the high platform, feeling a sense of seeing everything from above.
Looking out, I was startled...