"Do not be afraid; you are safe now!"

"Close your eyes, and do not look down..."

Several police officers rushed in, one of whom embraced Gao Yang, covering his eyes.

...

The following day, Gao Yang topped the local news headlines: “Severely Mentally Ill Patient Kills Two Nurses and Escapes, Later Takes High School Student Hostage, Shot on the Spot.”

Gao Yang took a day off from school to rest at home.

He had indeed been shaken, having witnessed a life brutally extinguished at close range—no ordinary person could withstand such horror. Moreover, the circumstances surrounding the mentally ill individual were fraught with ambiguities, leaving him perplexed, unable to articulate what exactly felt amiss.

That evening, Gao Yang took a sleeping pill.

As he drifted into slumber, he dreamt.

His memories from before the age of six had been fully processed by the Gao Yang who had traversed into this world, yet some hazy recollections seemed to elude him.

In his dream, he found himself back in the summer of his fourth year, late at night.

Having overindulged in watermelon, his bladder full, he rose to use the bathroom. As he passed by his grandparents’ room, he heard a rustling sound.

Curiosity piqued, he pressed his ear against the cold door, the sound becoming clearer and more foreign.

It was unlike anything he had ever heard, resembling the whimpering of a beast intertwined with the anguished wails of a giant whale, a painful cacophony mixed with a twisted exhilaration; upon closer inspection, he discerned rough, muffled sounds akin to biting.

A chill ran down Gao Yang’s spine.

He had just finished hearing the tale of "Little Red Riding Hood" from his kindergarten teacher. He thought, could it be that the Big Bad Wolf had slipped into his home and devoured his grandparents?

His heart raced, yet he mustered the courage to gently push open the door.

Through the crack, he saw something!

Fear overwhelmed him; he turned and fled back to his room, burying himself under the covers, even forgetting to address his physiological needs.

The next morning, Gao Yang awoke to find he had wet the bed, believing it had merely been a nightmare. Just then, his mother entered, her eyes filled with sorrow as she embraced him, weeping, "Gao Yang, your grandfather has passed away."

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As he followed his mother out of the room, he saw his grandfather's body being carried away on a stretcher, draped in a white cloth. By the time the funeral occurred, his grandfather had been reduced to an urn.

Throughout it all, neither Gao Yang nor his sister had the chance to see their grandfather one last time.

In retrospect, numerous questions lingered.

His grandfather had cherished both Gao Yang and his sister; they were blood relatives, yet why were they denied the chance to bid farewell?

If his memory served him correctly, the shape of the body concealed beneath the white cloth appeared peculiar, as if one hand were missing.

Hadn’t his grandfather died of heart disease? Why was there a hand absent?

In the dream, Gao Yang gazed at the body on the white stretcher, utterly bewildered.

Suddenly, the corpse on the stretcher sat upright!

The white cloth was pulled away to reveal the deranged man. His eyes were hollowed out, leaving only two deep blood-soaked sockets, thick, dark blood spurting from his orifices as he reached out, bloodied hands gripping Gao Yang’s shoulders tightly.

—Monsters! Everywhere, there are monsters! Run! Get away from here!

—Trust no one!

...

"Ah!"

Gao Yang awoke with a start.

By ten in the morning, the sunlight poured in just right, and the gentle April breeze stirred the curtains, the outside world bustling with traffic and city noise.

“Hey, did you have a nightmare?” His sister perched on the edge of his bed, tilting her head to look at him, her large eyes blinking.

Gao Yang paused, “What are you doing in my room?”

She shot him a disdainful glance, “The sun is already shining bright, Mom sent me to wake you!”

“Okay, got it.”

His sister exited the room.

Gao Yang still felt disoriented as he swung his legs off the bed and took a large gulp of water.

At that moment, his phone chimed, and he absentmindedly opened WeChat.

“Pfft—” he sprayed the water out.