It was just past midnight when Anna Huang found herself wandering through the narrow alleyways of San Francisco's Chinatown. The bustling crowds that usually filled the streets had long gone, leaving behind only the flickering lights from old shop signs and the eerie glow of red lanterns that swayed gently in the wind. The air smelled faintly of incense, soy, and something else—something rancid that lingered just beneath the surface.
Anna had lived in San Francisco her whole life but had rarely ventured into Chinatown at night. There were too many stories, too many whispers of things that moved in the shadows. But tonight was different. She had received a strange text from her older brother, David, asking her to meet him at a teahouse deep in the heart of Chinatown.
David had always been the wild one—dabbling in gambling, shady business deals, and hanging out with people who only seemed to spell trouble. So, it wasn't a surprise that he might have gotten mixed up in something again. But this felt different. The text he sent was short, cryptic, and filled with urgency.
"Meet me at Mei Lan Teahouse. Midnight. It's important."
Anna checked her phone again. Mei Lan Teahouse? She had never heard of it, and it wasn't on any of the maps. Her gut told her to turn around, go home, and deal with David in the morning, but her feet kept moving, driven by an uneasy sense of obligation.
As she rounded a corner, she noticed something strange. A red lantern hung above a small, decrepit-looking building. The windows were covered in dust, and the door looked like it hadn't been opened in years. Yet, the red lantern glowed vibrantly, casting a ghostly light over the entrance. Below the lantern, etched faintly in the wood, were the words "Mei Lan Teahouse."
Anna hesitated. This place looked abandoned, not like the sort of teahouse anyone would be invited to. She peered inside through the fogged glass, but all she saw was darkness. The thought of leaving crossed her mind again, but the faint sound of movement from inside the building made her reconsider.
"David?" she called out softly.
There was no response, but the door creaked open ever so slightly, as if inviting her in.
Reluctantly, she pushed the door open and stepped inside. The musty air hit her like a wall. The room was dimly lit by more red lanterns that hung from the ceiling, their light barely illuminating the ancient wooden tables and chairs scattered about. At the far end of the room stood a large altar, draped in red silk, with offerings of food, incense, and candles burning softly.
Anna's heart raced. Something about this place felt deeply wrong, but she couldn't put her finger on it.
"David?" she called again, her voice trembling.
Still no answer.
She moved deeper into the room, her footsteps echoing unnervingly in the silence. As she approached the altar, she noticed something odd. The food offerings looked fresh, too fresh for a place that appeared so run-down. A bowl of rice, a roasted duck, and strange blackened fruits that she didn't recognize. The incense was still smoldering, and the faint scent of sandalwood filled the air.
Just as she reached out to touch one of the offerings, she heard a sound—a soft, mournful wail coming from behind her. Anna froze. The hair on the back of her neck stood up, and her skin prickled with cold fear.
Slowly, she turned around.
At the far end of the room, near the entrance, stood a figure draped in white. It was a woman, her long black hair hanging down to her waist, her face hidden behind a veil. She moved with an unnatural grace, her feet never seeming to touch the ground. The wailing grew louder, filling the room with an unbearable sadness.
Anna's breath caught in her throat. She had heard stories of ghosts, spirits that haunted places like this, but she had never believed in them. Yet, here she was, standing face-to-face with something that shouldn't exist.
The ghost's wailing turned into a whisper, soft and barely audible, but it echoed in Anna's mind like a scream.
"Mei Lan… Mei Lan…" it whispered.
Anna took a step back, her heart pounding in her chest. "What… what do you want?"
The ghost raised its head, and Anna saw its face for the first time. The skin was pale, almost translucent, and the eyes were hollow, dark pits that seemed to swallow the light around them. The mouth twisted into a grotesque smile, showing rows of jagged teeth.
"She is here," the ghost whispered, pointing toward the altar.
Anna's gaze shifted to the altar, where she now noticed a small, delicate porcelain box. It hadn't been there before. Slowly, almost as if compelled, she walked over to the box. Her hands trembled as she lifted the lid.
Inside was a lock of black hair, tied with a red ribbon, and a small, folded piece of paper. The smell of decay filled the air as soon as the box was opened, making Anna gag. She unfolded the paper with shaking hands.
"I am Mei Lan. I was betrayed. I seek vengeance."
Suddenly, everything made sense. The ghost wasn't just haunting this teahouse. She was bound to it, her spirit trapped by whatever injustice had been done to her. But why was David involved?
A sound behind her made Anna spin around. The ghost was now closer, her hollow eyes fixed on Anna with an intensity that chilled her to the bone.
"Release me," the ghost whispered, her voice filled with desperation.
Anna stepped back, unsure of what to do. She didn't know how to release a ghost, and she didn't want to get any more involved in whatever this was. But before she could say anything, the ghost let out a bloodcurdling scream, its face contorting into an expression of rage.
"Release me!" it shrieked, the walls shaking with the force of its voice.
Anna stumbled back, her hand knocking over one of the burning candles on the altar. The flame caught the edge of the red silk, and within seconds, the altar was engulfed in flames.
The ghost let out another scream, this one filled with anguish. Its form flickered and began to fade, as if the fire was somehow weakening it.
Anna didn't wait to find out what would happen next. She turned and ran for the door, her feet barely touching the ground as she raced out of the teahouse and into the dark alley. Behind her, she could hear the ghost's wails growing fainter, drowned out by the crackling of the fire.
She didn't stop running until she was back on the main street, surrounded by the familiar lights and sounds of Chinatown. Gasping for breath, she pulled out her phone to call David, but there was no signal.
Then, out of the corner of her eye, she saw it.
Another red lantern.
It hung from a building across the street, just like the one at the teahouse, its eerie glow casting long shadows on the ground.
And beneath it, the door to another abandoned shop creaked open.
Anna's blood ran cold.
The text from David had been a trap, but not one set by her brother. Something far older, something far more dangerous, had lured her here tonight.
The ghost of Mei Lan wasn't the only spirit haunting Chinatown.
And now, it had her scent.