The Ultimate Horror Live Stream - Chapter 29 - Who to Trust?
“Xue Fei, move!”
Seeing that vacant face, every hair on my body stood on end. Forgetting about recording, I swung the camera at the dummy.
Perhaps the shock was too much for him, Xue Fei stood there, pale and frozen, his legs like jelly.
“Run!” I shouted, as the camera smashed into the dummy’s head, splattering drops of something-paint or blood-everywhere.
I glanced back to see the kids paralyzed with fear. I kicked the dummy away with a swift motion. “Run! Head to the first floor! Go back the way we came!”
Grabbing Yingzi, I sprinted towards the first floor, not caring about anyone else. “That kick felt like hitting flesh. How can these model dummies move on their own?”
Reaching the first floor, I headed for the art room, but the door creaked open on its own. Another vacant face peeked out!
“Damn, I forgot there was another one in the art room!” The memory of carrying that dummy earlier sent a chill down my spine.
Caught between a rock and a hard place, I turned to see the dummy from the second floor closing in. They moved slowly, but the pressure was immense.
In a panic, the kids and I rushed into the restroom at the far end of the first floor.
“Close the door, and don’t make a sound!” I whispered, squeezing into the last stall with Yingzi and Xiumu, while the larger Xue Fei hid in the second-to-last stall.
“Silence!”
In the cramped darkness, fear hung heavy. I tried to control my racing heart.
Taking a shallow breath, I pressed my ear against the door.
The dummy’s footsteps echoed in the hallway, one set drawing closer to the restroom.
“Tap… tap… tap.”
“It’s coming.”
I furrowed my brows, lips sealed tight, focusing intently on the sounds outside. The footsteps passed by the restroom door without entering, just passing by.
“That was close.” My heart pounded, and I slowly relaxed my tense brow.
“Tap, tap, tap!” Before I could catch my breath, the haunting sound turned back!
Silently, it stopped at the restroom door!
“Don’t come in, don’t come in, don’t come in…” Xiumu’s lips quivered, finally realizing the terror.
After what felt like an eternity, just as we thought the dummy had left.
“Creak…” The door outside the restroom was pushed open.
“Bang!” The first stall door was forced open.
“Bang!” The second stall door followed suit.
I clenched my teeth, sweat beading on my forehead, like a prisoner awaiting the fall of the guillotine. The waiting was unbearable.
There were only six stalls in the restroom. Soon, the third and fourth were opened.
Then came the fifth, where Xue Fei was hiding.
The door shook, a hand grasped the handle.
“Bang!”
“Don’t kill me! Don’t kill me!” As Xue Fei screamed, I pushed open the wooden door, grabbed Yingzi, and dashed out. In that moment, I could only think of saving myself.
As I passed the model dummy, I caught a glimpse of Xue Fei’s face, twisted with fear, but I couldn’t save him.
I ran for my life, fleeing down the corridor!
“Keep up! Keep up!” Xiumu was right behind me as we sprinted to the art classroom and leapt out the window.
Only when my feet hit the deserted campus path did I finally breathe a sigh of relief.
“You all saw it, right? This place is extremely dangerous. I’ll figure out a way to rescue Xue Fei and Shen Meng. You two, don’t make things harder for me.” I set Yingzi down and handed her to Xiumu. “Take her home quickly and have an adult call the police, got it?”
Xiumu showed no intention of looking after Yingzi. He seemed terrified, shaking off my hand. “I’m not staying with her. You take care of her.”
Xiumu’s words were firm, as if there was something more behind them.
I paid attention to the details but didn’t say much. “Anyway, just head home. This school has too many strange things going on…”
“Home? My parents only care about making money. If I died out here, they probably wouldn’t even know. Can that place really be called a home?”
I didn’t know how to respond to Xiumu’s words. I glanced at the dark laboratory building, still faintly hearing Xue Fei’s cries of despair.
“Death is far scarier than you can imagine.” Since he refused to leave, I couldn’t force him. I checked the equipment; the camera was still working, and the Live Room was flooded with bullet screens. The viewership had somehow surpassed five hundred.
“Not a single tip, though.” I slipped my phone into my pocket, pondering which building to head to next when Xiumu tugged at my clothes. “Streamer, I need to use the restroom.”
“I thought you were going to say something earth-shattering. Alright, I’ll go with you. Yingzi, stay here and don’t wander off!”
I led Xiumu to a bushy area about ten meters away. As we walked, Xiumu suddenly spoke in a raspy voice, “Streamer, have you noticed something strange about Yingzi?”
I squinted slightly, considering various possibilities, but only replied casually, “What’s strange? Besides, you’re her friend. How would I know?”
“I’m not really familiar with her. This girl was brought back by Shen Meng.”
“Brought back?” Xiumu’s words piqued my curiosity.
He nodded. “Shen Meng, Xue Fei, and I all live nearby. Since we were kids, we’ve heard adults say there’s a haunted school in the restricted area that we shouldn’t enter. Although we sneaked in during the day out of curiosity when we were younger, we’ve never been here at night.”
“What does that have to do with Yingzi?”
“As we grew older and nearly forgot about this place, Yingzi appeared. She would always sit on the path we took home. After evening classes, it’s already eight or nine o’clock, and this little girl was wandering the streets alone. Doesn’t she have any family?”
There were many contradictions in Xiumu’s words, but I didn’t point them out. “Go on.”
“A few days ago, Shen Meng started talking to Yingzi. She felt sorry for Yingzi being homeless and decided to ask us to help take her home.”
“Yingzi’s home isn’t in this school, is it?”
“No, but close enough. The address she gave is right behind this school.”
It was possible that Xiumu and the others didn’t know what lay behind the school, but having researched it online, I was well aware that it was an incineration trench, used not only for burning waste but also for disposing of bodies.
“So, you all came here?”
Xiumu’s voice grew softer, “Yeah, and now that I think about it, the names Yingzi and the ghost doll Huazi that circulates around the campus differ by just one character. Do you think they might be the same person, or perhaps the same ghost?”
The eerie tone sent chills down my spine. Reflecting on Yingzi’s behavior, it was indeed unusual. A girl her age, faced with such a situation, should have at least screamed if not cried, yet she remained unnaturally calm.
“Why are you only telling me this important information now?”
“If you hadn’t seen those moving dummies, would you have believed me? From the start, I’ve been telling you about the various legends of this school, but you’ve never taken them seriously.”
“And now, Shen Meng and Xue Fei have both fallen victim, and I might be next. You probably won’t escape either.” Xiumu lowered his head and walked silently for a while before suddenly stopping.
“What is it?”
“We can’t just sit and wait for our doom. I’ve thought of a good plan that might end this nightmare.” There was a hint of madness on his youthful face, his eyes shining like a black cat’s.
Caught off guard by his gaze, I felt a bit uneasy. “Let’s hear it.”
“The two of us… we kill Yingzi!”
It was hard to imagine such words coming from a child. After the initial shock, I forced a smile.
“Whether Yingzi is human or ghost, it’s all just your speculation. Without a complete chain of evidence, what you’re suggesting is murder.” I patted Xiumu’s shoulder and turned to leave.
In the eerily unsettling campus, Yingzi sat alone by the flower bed, like an abandoned doll.
“Don’t be afraid, I’ll get you out of here.” I gently picked up the girl. The task at the Underworld Showroom was important, but I couldn’t just watch a little girl die here.
As I headed towards the school gate, Yingzi, who had never spoken before, suddenly whispered in my ear, “You should leave quickly; the three of them are all ghosts!”