After dinner, Darius returned to his room. Lying on his bed, he sent messages to his grandfather, father, and mother, deliberately omitting any mention of the house's oddities—he chalked it up to the landlord's twisted sense of humor.
"Maybe there are hidden cameras we can't see," Darius thought. The landlord might be watching the tenants' startled reactions, perhaps even posting them on some obscure websites.
With this thought, Darius sat up and began searching his room for any hidden cameras. It was already close to 11 p.m. by then, and after a thorough search, he came up empty-handed. Disappointed, Darius had hoped to find some clue to prove this was an elaborate prank, giving him a reason to mock the other tenants.
Feeling bored, Darius put on his headphones, listening to music while doing a few sets of light anaerobic exercises. Bruno Mars and Usher were his favorite artists; their music always inspired him and struck a chord deep within.
After more than half an hour, Darius finished his pre-sleep workout and planned to do some light stretching before relaxing a bit more and taking a shower.
After stretching, Darius received a message from his grandfather: "Dear Dari, I just dreamed of your grandma. She told me you're in danger, and she's worried. I'm so relieved to get your message saying you arrived safely in Toronto. Take good care of yourself, don't stress too much, and remember you've always got a place at the farm."
Thinking of his grandmother, Darius felt his eyes well up. He had been raised by her; as a child, he would sit on her lap, watching TV or listening to her stories. Those were his most cherished childhood memories. But happy times are often short-lived—his grandmother passed away from cancer when Darius was just 11. He still remembered her final moments, gently touching his head, saying, "Dari, I'll be with you from the heavens, always by your side. Remember to wear the bracelet I made for you."
Darius took a deep breath and replied, "Okay, Grandpa. Good night."
After replying to his grandfather, Darius touched the bracelet on his right wrist. It was black with geometric patterns, and in the center was the letter "D." It was a gift from his grandmother when he was in elementary school. Over the years, as he grew, it became tight, so his mother helped resize it. The bracelet had been with Darius for 19 years, and he had never taken it off.
His grandfather's message brought Darius some comfort. He rubbed his face, put on his slippers, and headed to the bathroom to shower, completely unaware that it was already past midnight.
The bathroom was softly lit, and the water flowed soothingly from the showerhead. Darius closed his eyes, enjoying the warm water cascading over him. His thoughts lingered on his grandfather's message, and images of his grandmother's kind face and comforting words filled his mind. Though he had tried to forget these memories, the current moment made him long for them even more.
Just as he was relaxing, he suddenly felt as if a pair of eyes were watching him. His heart skipped a beat, but he didn't turn off the shower, letting the sound of the water mask his footsteps. He cautiously stepped out of the bathroom to investigate but found nothing. "Maybe it's just my imagination," he thought, trying to relax as he returned to his shower.
However, his good mood was mostly gone. While massaging shampoo into his scalp, he suddenly thought, "What time is it?"
The thought made his heart jolt as he remembered the rule: no leaving the room after midnight until 6 a.m.
Although Darius wasn't entirely convinced by the rules, he couldn't deny that the other tenants' reactions during the day had affected him. Feeling uneasy, he hurried through the rest of his shower, eager to check the time.
Three minutes later, Darius stumbled out of the bathroom. He quickly dried his face and hands, grabbed his phone, and saw it was 12:51 a.m. A sense of dread washed over him, but he tried to reassure himself, thinking, "The bathroom should count as part of the bedroom." Even as he told himself this, he dressed at an increasingly frantic pace.
**Just as he was nearly dressed, Darius suddenly heard a rhythmic tapping sound, like someone knocking on the wall. The sound was regular yet eerie. That strange feeling of being watched returned, sending chills down his spine. He quickly finished dressing, eager to get back to his bedroom. At that moment, something suddenly grabbed his foot with great force, causing him to lose balance and crash to the ground.**
**When Darius opened his eyes, he found himself engulfed in a thick mist. The fog surrounded him, obscuring his vision as if the boundaries of the world had been swallowed. He struggled to get up, trying to make out his surroundings, but no matter how much he blinked, the mist clung to him relentlessly. The ground was cold and damp; his fingers brushed a thin layer of water, and the air was filled with a musty, decaying smell that sent shivers through him.**
**He looked around—no bathroom walls, no familiar objects. It was as if he had stepped into another world. Darius's heart pounded in his chest. He wanted to shout, but his voice seemed swallowed by the fog, leaving only faint echoes in his ears. The knocking continued, growing clearer and closer, as though right beside him.**
**Darius managed to stand, fumbling around for an escape route. He suddenly realized the path ahead looked familiar—it resembled the small road near Door 20. Out of nowhere, he spotted a blurry shadow ahead, resembling a car. Without thinking, Darius sprinted toward it, convinced there must be someone inside.**
**Thanks to his regular exercise routine, it took Darius only a few steps to reach the back of the car. Suddenly, his vision went dark, and in an instant, he found himself in the back seat of the car. The passenger seat was occupied, and as Darius moved closer to see who it was, he was shocked to find that the person was Jack—the missing driver that Li Tao had shown them earlier that evening.**
**"Why are you here?" Darius asked, his voice trembling. Jack turned to look at Darius, his face twisting into an expression of terror. At that moment, the eerie knocking sound grew louder, as if it was about to shake Darius's soul out of his body. His head throbbed painfully, and just when he thought he could take no more, he heard a few barks.**
**"Woof! Woof!"**
**Darius felt dizzy, and just before losing consciousness again, he glanced out the car window and saw what looked like a large black dog.**
**"Ki…ki?" Darius mumbled.**
**Darius jolted awake to find himself sprawled on the cold bathroom floor, his body soaked. He quickly sat up, looking around. The bathroom was quiet, the sound of running water had stopped, and the knocking was nowhere to be heard. His phone displayed 2:19 a.m., with numerous missed calls from Li Tao and a message: "Are you okay?"**
**"He probably heard me fall but couldn't come out because of the rules," Darius thought, rubbing his head as he quickly typed, "Honestly, not great. I just fell and passed out."**
**"Glad you're okay, but don't go out again," Li Tao replied swiftly.**
**Seeing Li Tao's response, Darius put his phone away and tried to stand, but a sharp pain shot through his foot—he realized he had twisted his ankle.**
**Gritting his teeth against the pain, Darius hobbled back to his bedroom, leaning against the wall for support. Sitting on the edge of his bed, his mind was still restless. The unsettling feeling clung to him—the mist, the car, Jack's face, and those eyes staring at him, like a nightmare that wouldn't fade. Holding his head, he tried to make sense of what had happened, but everything seemed so blurry and unreal.**
**In the mist, only a minute had passed, or maybe not even that, just a few seconds—so how had nearly two hours slipped by in reality?**
**He looked down at the bracelet on his right wrist; the geometric patterns looked oddly sinister under the dim light. Darius recalled his grandmother's words: "This bracelet will protect you." He took a deep breath, gripping the bracelet tightly, seeking comfort in it.**
**Darius massaged his head and ankle, feeling incredibly unlucky. That damn mist had felt so real, and Jack—the missing driver—was there. If only…**
**"Kiki!" Darius jumped up, only to wince and sit back down as pain shot through his ankle. He suddenly remembered hearing Kiki bark beside him when he was being tormented in the mist—it was Kiki's barks that had pulled him back to reality.**
**Things were getting stranger, and though he didn't want to admit it, Darius knew in his heart that the rules might be real.**
**"Maybe I really should listen to Danny and the others," Darius muttered to himself. He recalled the rhythmic knocking he'd heard when he fainted and the mist before losing consciousness; it had all felt so disturbingly real. Glancing toward the bedroom door, he almost imagined hearing that unsettling knocking again. Darius shook his head, trying to distract himself.**
**He thought about calling Kiki's owner, Luna, to ask if Kiki had wandered near the bathroom or done anything odd during the night.**
**Darius hesitated, unsure whether to involve anyone else—it was nearly three in the morning. What if he disturbed his roommates and brought trouble upon them?**
**In the end, Darius sent a message to Luna: "Has Kiki gotten out? I just went through something and wanted to talk." He waited a long time for a reply but received none. Disappointed, he decided not to push it.**
**Sitting quietly on the bed, he couldn't shake the image of Jack's terrified eyes. What had happened to that missing driver?**
**Suddenly, his phone lit up—it was a message from Luna: "Kiki's been in my room the whole time and hasn't gone out. What happened? Are you okay?"**
**Darius froze. Kiki hadn't left Luna's room, so who was the black dog he had seen in the mist? The realization sent chills down his spine. An unprecedented sense of fear gripped him. Everything around him screamed that the villa held hidden secrets, secrets that were slowly driving them toward an unknown abyss.**
**After a moment's thought, he replied, "It's nothing, just a nightmare. Thanks for checking in; I hope I didn't disturb you so late."**
**Luna replied quickly, "Don't worry, I'm chatting with friends in China. Get some rest, good night, see you tomorrow."**
**Darius put down his phone, feeling the temperature in the room drop subtly. He looked out the window, where the night resembled a massive net slowly swallowing the entire villa. Clutching his bracelet tightly, he whispered to himself, "I will uncover all of this and find the truth."**
**Leaning against the headboard, his mind was in chaos, yet there was an inexplicable sense of determination. The villa's secrets, the time lost in the mist—it all hinted at some hidden connection, and there was no turning back for him now.**
**Meanwhile, in Luna's bedroom.**
**Luna was sitting at her desk, furiously typing on her computer. On the other side of the chat was someone with an avatar that looked like a Taoist priest. They were engaged in a lively conversation, but Luna's expression remained heavy.**
**"Is there really no other way?" Luna sent the message and leaned back in her chair, picking up her phone. She suddenly noticed a message from Darius: "Has Kiki gotten out? I just went through something and wanted to talk."**
**Kiki? Luna glanced toward the bed, where Kiki was lying obediently. She recalled how about an hour ago, Kiki had suddenly let out a few low growls but otherwise remained quietly asleep. Luna thought Kiki was dreaming, so she went over to gently pet her head, waking her up to keep her from disturbing others.**
**Luna replied, "Kiki's been in my room the whole time. What happened? Are you okay?"**
**After a while, Darius responded: "It's nothing, just a nightmare. Thanks for your concern, hope I didn't disturb you so late."**
**Luna quickly reassured Darius not to worry, then tossed her phone onto the bed. It landed on the pillow with a soft "thud," startling Kiki, who lifted her head and stared at Luna with wide eyes.**
**"Sorry, baby, didn't mean to scare you." Luna crouched down, petting Kiki. "Let's get some sleep now."**
**Strangely enough, even though Luna found the things about this house terrifying and had worried whether she could sleep alone, Kiki's presence made her feel safe and warm. The fear gradually faded, leaving only anxiety.**
**Luna glanced at her computer screen, where the last message in the chat window was still her own: "Is there really no other way?"**
**She sighed softly, shut down her computer, and lay down on the bed.**
**"Something must have happened tonight," Luna thought, reflecting on Darius's message.**
**Luna suddenly felt a chill, pulling the blanket tighter around herself. She looked down at Kiki and said, "Kiki, want to sleep on the bed?"**
**Kiki's eyes glowed faintly in the darkness as she stood up and wagged her tail at Luna. Luna gently patted the bed, inviting Kiki up.**
**Kiki hesitated, stepped back a bit, then took a running start and jumped onto the bed.**
**"Kiki, you stepped on me," Luna said helplessly. She scooted over, wrapped her arms around Kiki, and immediately felt the warmth radiating from her.**
**"Thank goodness I have you, baby." Luna kissed Kiki gently on the head. Kiki smacked her lips contentedly, and so, the girl and her dog slowly drifted into sleep.**