"Damnit, it's the middle of the night. Do they have to pick such a traumatizing location?" Shi Junmao shivered as he looked around at the gloomy surroundings.
Meow~ At this moment, a few black cats jumped out of the bushes while some sat on the ground and some laid lazily on one of the many tombstones. Their green eyes shined eerily and looked particularly creepy under this moonlight.
"Hiss….no wonder they would need an entire afternoon to prepare. This preparation is a little too….thoughtful, however." Lan Yuyan rubbed his arms, trying to soothe the goosebumps on his skin as he glanced around vigilantly.
"This seems to be a cemetery for as far as the eye can see…." Wen Jiexi clutched Su Chenyu's arm tightly, her body trembling slightly as she swallowed nervously. She looked behind at the path behind her. This castle and cemetery were on a small hill. There didn't seem to be any cameras around and no signs to indicate which graveyard they were in.
When it comes to ghosts and the supernatural stuff, she was a bit of a scaredy-cat. She always hated these things in her novels and avoided watching any of the horror movies her family owned. She never thought she would get a first-hand experience of this!!
"What do we do now? I don't think we can go back." Huo Lin'er shrank behind Wen Ting, her whole body shivering.
At this moment, a thin white mist slowly appeared around them, making their surroundings even more frightening than before.
"There seems to be a sign up ahead! Let's take a look. If there is only one sign here then it should be a message left behind by the production crew." Chu Heling pointed towards a crumbling and ancient-looking sign made of wood that was inserted into the ground up ahead. Even a few crows had stopped to perch on top of the sign.
GAA! GAAA! GAAA! The crows screeched as they approached but they didn't fly away. Instead, they hovered over their heads and made unpleasant caws in the air.
"So creepy, so dark, so gloomy everywhere! It's so annoying." Shi Junmao's lips trembled a little, it seems that even a sunny young man was scared of the dark.
"I love horror movies but I never expected to be part of the real thing." Uncle Mu Du looked excited and looked around his surroundings thoughtfully. Only joy appeared on his face, there was no fear in his expression at all.
"Actually, although it looks scary, these things were probably arranged by the crew. Except for maybe the venue, that part might be real." Chu Heling nodded calmly.
"But….look what's written on there…." Wen Ting pointed at the sign her body trembling slightly as she said quietly,
"Amusement park?"
On the sign were words written in a scarlet font, the red color looked suspiciously like blood. It seemed to have been written recently and glistened under the moonlight. The words said: 「Welcome to Castle Amusement Park.」Why is there an amusement park here? Who puts an amusement park in the middle of a cemetery?
"This…I've heard about this amusement park before!" Mu Du no longer showed excitement on his face as he swallowed nervously. He looked at the young men and women in front of him. He was probably the only one who remembered that incident.
"What is this place, Uncle Mu Du? Do you know?" Shi Junmao rubbed his hands to remove the chills he felt in his heart.
"This was once a famous amusement park around forty years ago. It was considered a very popular amusement park at the time. Although there were not many facilities, it was enough to make people's eyes brighten with joy when they came. There would be a large number of visitors every day." Mu Du explained.
"Then why is there a cemetery here?" Wen Ting asked suspiciously.
"Because a lot of people went missing here. At first, only one or two people disappeared at a time but soon dozens of people would disappear all at once. In the last few years of its operation, hundreds of people went missing at once. This attracted the government's attention. They shut down the park and then sent police in to search for the missing people, but…." Uncle Mu Du inhaled slowly,
"The people who went in….never came out again. The people who saw them go in said they could hear screaming from inside. Many followed after them but anyone who entered the park was….never seen again. The people who watched from the outside didn't know what happened. They were scared and didn't dare go in to suffer the same miserable fate as the others. They say that the screaming lasted for a full two hours and also became more and more intense until it suddenly stopped."
"Then what happened? Did the government do anything else?" Lan Yuyan clutched Yan Haocheng's arm tightly and hugged Yan Haocheng closely as if he was a stuffed animal that could give him a sense of security.
"They didn't do anything. They had lost so many people and the ones who watched from the outside either died long ago or have gone mad and entered insane asylums. In the end, all of them ended up with miserable fates. Thus, this place is now called: 「The cursed amusement park」." Mu Du said and then pointed at the surrounding graves,
"These tombstones are for the people who have disappeared inside that castle. Although many of the family members wanted to move the cemetery away from this awful place, no one knows why but if they try to move the tombstone from this place either the tombstones break into pieces. With no other choice, they had to leave the tombstones here and thus this place became one of the largest cemeteries in the area."
"So…do we have to go in there?" Huo Lin'er's teeth clattered in fear. Mu Du's words only served to increase her fear.
"Has anyone gone there since then?" Wen Jiexi was nestled securely in Su Chenyu's arms and shrank even deeper in Su Chenyu's embrace as she only felt safe next to Su Chenyu in this awful place.
"Yes, of course, there are a few. Some people thought that it was nothing but nonsense or stories made up by the people. So there are still many bold people who go in to prove they are right. In fact, this is one of the reasons why you can't see the end of this cemetery. Also, this incident was aired on TV but at the time you guys were still young so you probably have no memory of it." Mu Du scratched his head and said.
"So… everyone who went in… disappeared?" Wen Ting shuddered, and almost bit her tongue.
"I remember there was one person who came out and it was one of the biggest news pieces for a while." Mu Du said after thinking for a while.
"Well, how about it? Any useful information from that person?" Shi Junmao asked desperately like he was grabbing onto the last straw of hope.
"No, he had gone insane. After he came out, he kept repeating the same words over and over again. Something about a 'basement', 'scarlet eyes', and 'the blood that has been sucked up.' Then he would jump up frantically and screen something about corpses, monsters, before finally kneeling on the ground wailing loudly while yelling sorry over and over again. Many have speculated from his words that there might be a vampire-like monster in the castle, otherwise how else would you explain the blood sucking part?"
"Vampire?"
Everyone looked at each other.
"So…..should we go inside or stay out here until daylight? I vote to stay outside! I really don't want to go in there!" Lan Yuyan wailed sadly.
"Why did we have to come to such an awful place? The production crew is horrible!" Wen Jiexi echoed his sentiments.
While they were wailing and complaining, a rumbling noise rang out through the sky. Dark clouds began to cover the moon as large drops of rain landed painfully on the ground.
"This won't do. If we stay outside in this rain we'll catch a cold." Su Chenyu frowned as she raised her head to look at the rain.
"But…But then we have to go in there….." Wen Jiexi had a face full of reluctance.
"Relax, I will protect you." Su Chenyu hugged Wen Jiexi tightly and whispered comforting words to Wen Jiexi.
"It's not fun getting sick and we don't know if we can get help if somebody gets sick."
"I agree, we can't stay out here." Li Lingqing solemnly added while secretly rolling her eyes at the two sprinkling dog food everywhere.
"I…." Lan Yuyan wanted to say something but was interrupted by Yan Haocheng.
"We'll stay near the front of the amusement park but we won't go into the actual castle."
And so, everyone gritted their teeth as they watched the rain get heavier and could only helplessly run towards the amusement park.
There is a small abandoned food stand in front of the castle and although it is a bit small, it is more than enough to accommodate ten people.
"This rain is way too heavy. So urgent and fast, as if forcing us to seek shelter." Shi Junmao completed.
"Stop spewing nonsense." Wen Ting glared at Shi Junmao. At a time like this, won't saying something like that just make people more scared?!!
Jiiii...
At that moment, a harsh sound ran out and everyone who was twisting the rain from their clothes turned their heads stiffly only to see that the castles' front entrance that was closed earlier was slowly opening at a speed that the naked eye could see. A gust of wind blew in.
"I remember…..I remember that door was locked….." Uncle Mu Du muttered somewhat stutteringly.
"Hey, hey…although I didn't look closely earlier, it's obvious that it wasn't locked….and…" As Lan Yuyan continued, his voice kept getting smaller and smaller. Everyone looked at the spot Lan Yuyan was looking at and saw that on the door were traces of what looked like….claw or teeth marks.
"There isn't actually a monster here, right?" Wen Jiexi swallowed nervously as she was on the verge of tears.
"Jiexi, do you want me to go inside first?" Dango asked eagerly. Although Dango is a little ghost, Dango is technically an unknown entity that is different from the typical ghost or supernatural creature. Dango is also very interested in these types of things.
Go, go, go…..Wen Jiexi was just waiting for someone to go out first and see what was going on. Since no one could see or touch Dango, the monster…shouldn't be able to see Dango either. After all, Dango is a special existence.
"Then I'm leaving first!" Dango circled around Wen Jiexi and then flew out.
Wait! Wen Jiexi shouted in her mind.
"What's up?" Dango stopped right before the door and looked over at Wen Jiexi with a raised eyebrow.
Is there anyone behind that door? Wen Jiexi asked carefully.
"Hmmm…" Dango passed through the walls, "There's no one there, but there seems to be some kind of mechanism in the wall. If you stand in a certain spot, the motion sensor activates and triggers the mechanism to open the door by itself.
So it's not some kind of supernatural phenomenon…..Wen Jiexi breathed a sigh of relief. Be careful, don't charge in recklessly and end up in an accident.
"Hmph, I'm the amazing little ghost Dango! How could I get hurt so easily? I'm leaving first! I'll be back later." Dango felt rather grateful for Wen Jiexi's concern but still raised its head proudly as it flew out.
Watching the little ghost leave until the figure disappeared, Wen Jiexi looked back at the door, her eyes landing on the locks again. Something's not right. How could the door have opened if the door was clearly locked? Thinking like that….what caused the lock to break?
"Don't think too much about it." At that moment, a pair of warm hands cupped Wen Jiexi's face and said softly.
"En….." Wen Jiexi felt her face burn with how close Su Chenyu was to her face and the hot breaths itching her face. At the same time, she felt somewhat relieved.
"So what are we going to do next? Just sit here and wait out the rain?" Shi Junmao glanced towards the gloomy amusement park behind them. He preferred if they just sit still. They were technically still outside the amusement park itself so nothing should happen….right….
"Are you thinking of going in?!! I'd rather stay here and never move again!" Just as Lan Yuyan finished speaking, a sudden gust of wind below over and raindrops soaked their already drenched clothes.
Everyone looked at each other: What is it now...
"No, this won't do! With the wind blowing like this, it's better to just directly sit out in the rain instead." Wen Ting said as she looked miserably down at her clothes.
"I feel like we'll get a cold no matter where we go. Let's just try to find a clean place to lie down." As he said that, he looked down at the cement bricks below them and then looked around him. The raindrops had made the floor muddy and puddles dotted the entire place. It was extremely dirty and disgusting. Even if one had a fever, they wouldn't be able to lie down.
"Is it ok for us to go in there…." Huo Lin'er said when there was a sudden click from the door. It seems…the door was now closing!
"Whaaaaa! It actually closed on its own!!!" Wen Ting yelled loudly and then pulled up Huo Lin'er to run out. However, due to her sudden movements, Huo Lin'er staggered on the slippery ground and fell down.
"Lin'er, Wen Ting!"
"Let's follow them."
Five minutes later, everyone sat on the floor of the castle while panting for air.
"What the hell is with this broken door!" Shi Junmao patted the door that no longer moved.
"Stop patting it. Other than this door and the wall, all the other parts of this amusement part seemed to be covered in dust." Lan Yuyan waved away the dust in front of him but because of his movements, the dust spread and he sneezed a few times.
"Be careful, don't touch things randomly." Yan Haocheng frowned.
"Oh." Lan Yuyan rubbed his nose dryly
"Sorry everyone, it seems all of you entered the castle in the end." Wen Ting scratched her head and said apologetically.
"Ai, we can't just let you guys go in alone. If you want to go into the castle, then we'll all go together. If you had wanted to leave then we'll have left together." Wen Jiexi said, shrinking into Su Chenyu's arms. Although her expression said she was scared, her eyes were filled with determination.
"Sorry, this is all because of me." Huo Lin'er said guiltily.
"No, if I didn't pull you we wouldn't have this accident in the first palace." Wen Ting patted Huo Lin'er's head and said.
"Since we're in here, might as well take a look around. Why not scout out the place?" Mu Du looked around and said. The first floor seemed to be some kind of cashier counter with what seemed like a carousel installed in it.
"Go further in? No, no, I don't want to." Shi Junmao shook his head in horror.
"There are footprints on the ground." Wen Jiexi lowered her head and suddenly realized that there was a very obvious footprint not far from her, and the footprints formed a long trail. It connected to another door with multiple different footprints going back and forth.
"This footprint here….looks like a dog's paw?" Mu Du pointed to the particularly obvious footprint that was as large as his palm with an incredulous expression.
"Don't tell me a tiger or lion came wandering in here? The footprints are rather big."
"What about the tiny footprints? Could it be a baby tiger's feet? A tiger with a child? Why is this so scary! No, maybe the tigers are here to eat us!?" Shi Junmao shivered and vigilantly looked around as if a tiger would suddenly appear from the shadows and pounce on everyone.
"I don't think it's possible for tigers to be here. If there really are tigers here, would they be called monsters? Not to mention, they would leave behind fur that would be rather obvious." Wen Jiexi said while rubbing her itchy nose.
Everyone: Makes sense, can't refute that logic.
"If we're going to stay here, the monster will find us sooner or later. Might as well see if we can find something to defend ourselves."
"We're also in the open. We should find a place to hide." Li Lingqing frowned and looked around. Under the current situation, they must not be injured or waste their energy in vain. Even if they encounter a monster, they cannot go up and fight it. Not to mention, form the footprints, there are at least ten of these 'monsters'.
"We should still look for some things we can use to defend ourselves. And preferably more than one weapon per person as we might need spares due to how rotted the stuff is here." Su Chenyu grabbed a broomstick that was scattered on the floor and the wooden broom's handle easily broke off from just Su Chenyu lifting it. With a closer look, one could see that the wood had been chewed through by insects and rotted through by the moisture. If it wasn't for the plastic layer on top of it, it would be thoroughly useless.
"It seems that wood is pretty useless here. Most are completely rotted. If you find something, it must be made of iron or another metal." Mu Du kicked at the rotted wooden planks and debris on the ground. These things broke from just a touch, they could not be used as weapons.
"What about this?" Shi Junmao pointed to the merry-go-round. Each of the merry-go-rounds as a support pillar made of stainless steel. Even though all the paint had fallen off and it was covered in dust and cobwebs, it should be usable despite this place being sealed off for decades.
"We should clean it up a bit or it might be hard to hold it tightly." Li Lingqing observed for a while and said.
"Use this." Lan Yuyan and Yan Haocheng were covering their mouths and noses. They pulled out several broomsticks from nowhere. The handles were gone, but the plastic head and straws were still there.
"Everyone move lightly and make sure to cover your mouth and nose. Loud noises attract unwanted things." Su Chenyu said solemnly. As for what 'things' she was talking about, everyone knew what she meant.
Everyone started to get busy. Some cleared up the spider webs with some rotted woods sticks while the others tried to clean up the dust as much as possible. Apart from the continuous brushing sounds, there was only the occasional cough that penetrated the solemn silence.
"Jiexi, can you give it a try?" Su Chenyu raised a finger and tapped on the iron rod. The merry-go-round is usually made for children, so the poles are relatively thin. For most adults, this means the pole can be grasped with one hand. And since the insides are hollow, it should be no big problem for Wen Jiexi to break the poles.
"Leave it to me." Wen Jiexi nodded and stretched out her hand to hold the lower part. She grasped the pole tightly and pulled hard until the lower part snapped. Then she stepped on the wooden horse and stretched up as high as she could to break the pole from the ceiling. This way, they could get a longer pole. After some more pulling, a pole about three arms long appeared in Wen Jiexi's hands.
In less than twenty minutes, they were able to break off more than 20 poles, with each person being able to have two weapons in their hands.
Swish, swish.
Shi Junmao shook the iron pole in his hands but raised a large cloud of dust as he did so. If everyone wasn't covering their mouths already, they would've been sneezing like crazy. Shi Junmao smiled sheepishly at the displeased crowd and said,
"It feels smooth, but it is a bit long. My arms also feel a little sore after shaking it a little."
"Having a weapon is good enough. Not to mention, if the weapon is too short, is it useful anymore? When you encounter a huge monster do you think a needle will take it down?" Lan Yuyan rolled his eyes at Shi Junmao.
Puuu…..
At this moment, heavy breathing sounded out accompanied by heavy footsteps. The sudden sounds made everyone stiffen as they clutched their weapons.
"Something is coming, right?" Wen Ting mumbled softly.
The heavier and heavier footsteps kept moving towards their direction and one could tell that even if they tried to hide, the thing would probably still know they were there.
"Hush," Mu Su waved at everyone, "I've been here before for a performance so I know the way to the staff's room. Let's go there and seek refuge."
Everyone else who had never been here before followed Mu Du and walked gingerly across the wooden floors.
"I'll watch behind us. Sister Su, you go first." Wen Jiexi whispered while holding her iron pole.
"…Be careful." Su Chenyu looked at Wen Jiexi silently for a while and finally nodded. They all knew that Wen Jiexi was even more powerful than the males among them combined so she was the most suitable to watch their backs. There was no use quarreling in the matter and it was better to quickly get out of here as soon as possible than bicker about useless things.
After a few more turns, they stopped in front of a small room. There was a sign above the door that had the word 'lounge' written on it but because it's been so long, the words had long been blurred and they could only guess at what the rest of the words said.
Mu Du twisted the doorknob and found that it was not locked. He immediately pushed it open. Inside were pieces of clothes that should've been the uniform of this place. Above them, the ceiling was covered in cobwebs but they couldn't care less at this point. They quickly entered the room as the sounds of those footsteps kept getting closer and closer. The second after Wen Jiexi closed the door gently, they could see through the cracks under the door of what seems like a huge, black shadow.