Chapter 23: The Devoured

Dorothy’s screams were unending. The scene before her had sent her into a complete frenzy. Hiding behind me, she grabbed whatever was nearby and hurled it at the anatomical model. I think it was a handle, or something of the sort, that finally knocked it over.

With a crash, the model hit the floor. Its internal structure and organs shattered, scattering before my eyes in a gruesome display. The perpetrator, however, was spared the sight, cowering behind me without daring to peek.

“What happened? Did I hit it?” she asked, hearing the thud.

“Why don’t you take a look for yourself?”

“I don’t dare.”

Fair enough. To be honest, I wasn’t sure why Dorothy was so afraid of a simple anatomical model. It had always seemed rather affable to me, standing dutifully in the corner during every biology class, a silent and uncomplaining teaching aid. Seeing it in pieces on the floor stirred a faint pang of pity.

“You just destroyed school property. You’ll have to pay a fine for that.”

“I don’t care about that right now! Just get me out of here, something’s wrong with this place,” she said, clearly in no mood for jokes. “Fines, whatever. I’ll pay any amount once I get home. I don’t want to stay here another second!”

Dorothy was plastered against my back. I wanted to walk faster, of course, but having someone pressed so tightly against me made it a futile effort. We shuffled out of the dorm manager’s office, with Dorothy cautiously opening her eyes just enough to avoid the scattered organ models on the floor.

Once back in the hallway, she glanced over her shoulder, still shaken.

“Hey, Yi Chang,” she said, tugging on my shirt. “Do you think… it’ll put itself back together and come after us for revenge?”

“You should have thought of that before you smashed it.”

“I—I wasn’t thinking! It just suddenly blocked the doorway, and I panicked.” She looked back again. “What was that, anyway? How can an anatomical model move on its own?”

“Like I said, it’s a Japanese urban legend. They come out for a stroll at night.”

“But that’s impossible. It’s not scientific.”

“Mm-hm.”

“I think someone’s trying to scare us, Yi Chang.” As the adrenaline faded, Dorothy slowly regained her composure. “Do you think it was Tianman? She suggested we split up, then staged this whole thing to laugh at us.”

“Perhaps,” I said. “Let’s go find her now.”

“If it was her, I swear I won’t let her get away with this. Making me look like such a fool.”

We were, after all, children of a materialistic education. We didn’t readily believe in ethereal ghosts and spirits. Even as primal fear clouded our judgment and prevented us from thinking clearly, it couldn’t make us give in to despair and simply wait for our doom.

****

With the power on, the old school building became much noisier. We could hear the occasional sound of footsteps or a chair being moved, which we assumed was just Yu Tianman rummaging through things.

Having calmed down a little, Dorothy put some distance between us. She took out her own flashlight and walked steadily forward, though one hand still clutched the corner of my shirt.

“Yi Chang? Dorothy? Is that you down there?”

Yu Tianman’s voice came from above.

“It’s us.” Dorothy and I stepped into the courtyard and looked up to see Tianman on the second floor. We confirmed each other’s presence with our flashlights, and at the same time, Dorothy finally let go of my shirt. “How are things on your end?” I asked.

“I found the keys!” she declared, proudly holding up a large ring of spares. “And you guys got the power on, great! Now we can go check out the third floor.” With that, she started heading toward the roller shutter door.

“Wait, Yu Tianman,” Dorothy called out. “Something’s not right about this place. Don’t run around. And I need to ask you something.”

“What’s the fun in an adventure if things aren’t a little off?” Yu Tianman said dismissively. “Whatever it is, we can talk about it at the roller shutter. I’ll wait for you there.”

“Hold on, don’t go alone—”

But Yu Tianman didn’t wait for her to finish. She was like a wild horse set free, completely absorbed in the thrill of it all. It seemed the more dangerous things got, the more she enjoyed herself.

“That idiot,” Dorothy cursed, then turned to me. “Let’s go. We can’t let her run wild like that.”

I nodded. It was safer to regroup with Yu Tianman and watch each other’s backs. It would also give Dorothy a greater sense of security. I stood in the courtyard and looked up at the U-shaped building that enclosed us. High walls rose on all sides, and the light from our flashlights barely penetrated the oppressive darkness that filled the hallways and doorways. It felt as if a random sweep of the beam could, at any moment, illuminate a pair of eyes watching us from above.

The air was damp and thick with dust. A cold wind blew against us, making Dorothy shiver. She reached for the corner of my shirt but grasped at empty air; her small feet couldn’t seem to keep up with my pace.

“Don’t—don’t walk so fast,” she said, a mix of shame and anger in her voice as she trotted to catch up. “Are you that desperate to see Yu Tianman?”

“Aren’t you?”

“…” She was at a loss for words. “That’s not what I meant… Never mind…”

I had no idea what she was thinking, but I had indeed forgotten to consider her. It seemed that whether I was with Yu Tianman or Mei Ruolan, they were always the ones matching my pace. I had taken my own walking rhythm for granted, but making others constantly adjust to me was hardly a way to treat them as equals.

“Do you want to hold hands?”

“Huh?” She gave me a look of disbelief and disgust. “Trying to take advantage of me at a time like this?”

“I just think it would be better this way.”

“Haha,” she said. “Are you treating me like a child?”

“It’s not just children who need to be looked after.”

She stared at my outstretched hand, her face a mask of repulsion. She must have found it loathsome—this rough palm, so different from her own delicate, jade-like hands. It was neither soft nor warm.

“You should save that hand for someone else,” she said, tearing her gaze away. “I certainly don’t need you to look after me.”

Perhaps it was out of defiance, or perhaps she’d found a sudden surge of courage, but Dorothy strode past me and took the lead. Though she still jumped at every little noise around us, she never once looked back.

We reached the second floor and continued toward the roller shutter door in silence. Our lack of conversation made the strange noises of the old school building all the more distinct. I was certain now that someone else was in here, watching us.

‘It’s probably not someone dangerous.’

That was a more positive way to think about it.

After walking a little further, we were close enough that Yu Tianman would hear us if we called out. It would be a good way to check on her, but the tense aura Dorothy was radiating told me it was best to keep quiet.

At some point, the cicadas had fallen silent, leaving only the sound of two hearts pounding in the filthy darkness. Every step kicked up dust, and every object we passed left us draped in cobwebs. Dorothy’s footing became unsteady. We had been wandering the school for too long, and fear and exhaustion were making her stumble.

I wanted to show my concern but wasn’t sure if I should.

Dorothy stopped under a rare overhead light, perhaps tired or perhaps because she’d noticed something unusual. She sighed and turned to look at me.

“When we see Yu Tianman, I’m getting the main gate key and leaving. You two can continue this nonsense on your own.”

“You’re going back?”

“I’m tired,” she said plainly. “Or maybe you can convince her that this is enough for today. Or I can apologize to her myself and say I just can’t go on.”

I see.

“Will you be okay by yourself?”

“I’ll climb the wall and call my nanny to pick me up. You don’t need to worry about me. I can handle it.”

In that moment, a wave of loneliness washed over me. I couldn’t tell if it was hers or my own. Before I could figure it out, she started walking again. I stepped on her shadow, following her.

****

Around a corner, we finally saw a light at the end of the hall. Beneath it stood Yu Tianman, who had been waiting for some time. She looked to be in high spirits.

She waved at us, brandishing the keys as if showing off an important item she had found for the team. A faint smile touched Dorothy’s lips. Was it because she could finally go home, or because she was relieved to see Yu Tianman safe? Perhaps it was both.

“You guys were so slow!” she called out. “I’ve been waiting forever!”

“That line is ancient, Tianman,” Dorothy called back. “And you don’t have to shout. I can hear you just fine.”

Yu Tianman smiled sheepishly. “Next up is Room 317! Let’s uncover the truth! We have to take a picture then, okay? You’ll finally take one with me this time, right, Dot?”

“About that…” Dorothy hesitated. Disappointing people was never easy. “Listen, Tianman, there’s something I need to tell you…”

Yu Tianman vanished.

Neither Dorothy nor I had time to react. She had been standing right there, talking to us just a moment ago. In an instant, something had seized her, dragged her out of the light, and pulled her from our sight.

“Tianman?” Dorothy cried. “Yu Tianman? Are you still there?”

She rushed forward, desperate to understand what had just happened. We reached the spot where Yu Tianman had been standing. All that remained were the keys and flashlight, lying on the floor. Dorothy and I stared at each other, neither of us having seen what took her. But one thing was clear.

“Someone grabbed Tianman,” she said, her thoughts racing through her panic. “We have to save her, Yi Chang. If it’s some homeless person hiding here, or some criminal, Tianman could be in real trouble.”

“I’ll go find her,” I said after a moment’s thought. “You take the keys and run. Get a security guard to help.”

“And leave you alone?”

“I’ll be fine on my own.”

“No,” she said without hesitation. “We don’t know how many of them there are, or if these keys will even open the main gate. It’s better if we don’t split up right now.”

She had a point.

“Can you keep up, then? If we run into danger, I might not be able to protect you.”

“I told you, I don’t need your protection!” she snapped. “The priority right now is finding Tianman! Damn it, why aren’t you worried at all?”

“If worrying would help, I’d have done it long ago.”

We fell silent for a moment, each trying to collect our thoughts and assess the situation. Dorothy scanned our surroundings with her flashlight, checking for any other dangers. She was worried about Tianman, but she was also terrified herself. I picked up the keys and flashlight from the floor.

“Let’s check down the hallway first,” I suggested.

I had imagined scenarios like this before. If I ever faced a life-threatening situation, what would I do? Whenever I played a horror game late at night or watched a scary movie, I would ponder the question. If my life were in danger, how would I escape unscathed? How would I protect others?

The conclusion was always disappointing.

“Hey, Yi Chang,” Dorothy said from behind me. “After we rescue Tianman, we run back to the first floor. If the keys don’t work, we’ll just break down the door.”

It didn’t sound like a well-thought-out plan.

“You think someone your size could break down a door?”

“I’ve never tried. I don’t know.”

She thought for a moment, then said, “In that case, let’s just jump from a window. It looks like it’s only about four meters high here. Shouldn’t be a problem.”

Dorothy had already skipped ahead to planning our escape. But right now, even finding Yu Tianman was a challenge. Though we were in the same building, its U-shaped design meant our target could easily circle around us.

Our steps grew heavy, each one laden with suspicion and caution. Every open doorway and the shadow of every large object could be hiding something. The oppressive atmosphere and our own frayed nerves made it difficult to move. Our breathing became shallow, and the edges of our vision began to blur.

Yu Tianman had vanished as if into thin air. There wasn’t a single trace of her. Every second that passed made our situation more dire. Perhaps we should have escaped first and asked the night patrol for help, but if we did that, Yu Tianman might not have been able to wait for our return.

“Did you hear something?”

A crunching sound echoed from the darkness ahead, like the grinding of bones. We moved toward it slowly, holding our breath, afraid to make a sound.

We saw a humanoid silhouette. As the flashlight beam moved closer, we saw that it was covered in black fur. The creature was a head taller than a human, its back to us as it fiddled with something on the ground. Dorothy was frozen in terror, unable to move a muscle. I crept forward, trying not to startle it. As I got closer, the light illuminated a wider area. The massive, furred creature was sitting in a pool of blood.

Its enormous body blocked most of the view, but I still saw a sight that stole my breath. In that pool of blood lay a corpse. Its face had been chewed away, and an arm had been torn off.

Even more horrifying was what the body was wearing. The clothes were identical to what Yu Tianman had on today.

It seemed Dorothy had realized it, too. Her flashlight clattered to the floor, and she collapsed, her face a mask of stunned horror.

The creature heard the sound and whipped its head around. Its face was hairless and covered in wrinkles, like that of an old man. It smiled at us, its mouth splitting open from ear to ear to take up a third of its face, revealing rows of blood-stained, protruding fangs.

In that moment, every cell in my body screamed one word.

“Run!”

I yelled, but Dorothy was lost to the world. While the monster was still getting to its feet, I scooped her up from the ground and ran with every ounce of strength I had. I didn’t look back—I didn’t dare—but I could hear its grotesque footsteps and the sound of objects being knocked over as it gave chase.

The monster was closing in fast; we couldn’t gain any distance. Dorothy was curled into a ball in my arms, and I could feel her trembling. This horrifying scene would undoubtedly haunt her for the rest of her life.

It was relentless in its pursuit, and my stamina, burdened by the weight of two people, was quickly failing. We rounded a corner and found ourselves in the second-floor hall. With nowhere else to run, we ducked behind one of the large load-bearing pillars.

There were no lights in the hall, so our shadows shouldn’t have given us away, but I had to pray the monster didn’t have a keen sense of smell. I put Dorothy down. I pressed my back flat against the pillar and had her press herself tightly against my chest.

The monster slowed as it entered the hall, seemingly perplexed by our sudden disappearance. We covered our mouths and noses, terrified of revealing our position. It began to search the hall slowly. I tracked its location by the sound of its footsteps, circling the pillar to stay hidden in its blind spot.

Only after it had left did we finally let go, sliding down the pillar to the floor, gasping for air.