Chapter 44: Beat
There were no better options. In the end, it was Xu Wen who approached the woman who waited for them earlier. The woman looked awkward and then told them with some difficulty that the male toilet on that floor had been decommissioned, but if Long Tao didn’t mind…
Long Tao’s face paled from the sudden pain. Clearly, he didn’t mind. The woman led him to the bathroom. Xu Wen had Zhou Taifu and Zhang Yinyin follow them. Even though Zhou Taifu didn’t want to, he didn’t dare to offend Xu Wen. He had no choice. Zhang Yinyin looked as fearful as ever.
Soon, the last choir began. The girls from the three classes walked around and found their spots on stage. Their singing was soft but penetrating. With the guidance of the maestro, the song slowly reached the chorus…
…
The sound of heels clicking against the tiles echoed. The woman walked very fast. On the one hand, she was worried about Long Tao. On the other hand, she still needed to rush back to the rehearsal. After all, it was on her shoulders if something went wrong. After turning the corner, the woman paused and pointed down the corridor, “Keep on going, and you’ll see the toilet. This place is rather secluded, so not many will come here.” She turned around to look at Long Tao, “With your friends standing watch, you’ll be fine.”
“Thank you…”
“I still have things to do, so I can’t stay.” The woman turned around and left. She checked her phone as if she had something urgent to do. After the woman left, the atmosphere chilled. Zhou Taifu grumbled and urged Long Tao to hurry up.
“I’m going.” Long Tao just took two steps when he stopped and turned back to plead. “You have to wait for me. You can’t leave on your own.”
“Sure, sure.” Zhou Taifu waved his hands impatiently. Long Tao finally went ahead. The bathroom was further than he thought. It was at the end of the left corridor. Along the way, he passed many classrooms, but they had been abandoned for a long time, visible from the dust on the door handles. This made him uncomfortable. It was like he was a guest sent back in time. He suddenly became curious about this school’s past. The more he thought about it, the more drawn into the history he was. Endless scenes were awakened in his mind. He walked blindly ahead. His footsteps echoed in the empty corridor like a man on a death march.
He was… finally there.
Along the way, he was very alert. He was worried that a door would suddenly open and a demon would jump out. Even when he was standing before the toilet door, his heart was still racing. On the left was the girl’s bathroom and his destination. He took a deep breath.
“Is anyone there?” There was no answer. The place was deathly quiet.
The moment he was about to step into the bathroom, his right eyelid twitched. He paused. This reminded him of a horror movie he watched many years ago. He forgot the movie title, but a scene stuck in his mind. The female main character was tricked into entering the bathroom. Then, she lost her lower body. She had her eyes gouged out by the ghost waiting in the bathroom because she couldn’t escape. Based on his understanding, he was basically in a horror movie, and they were the chosen main characters.
Therefore…
He slowly backed away and turned to look behind him. It was the male bathroom. The male bathroom obviously had been abandoned for a long time already. The light blue iron door was left ajar. The paint was peeling in places to reveal the rust underneath. In comparison, the female toilet was much better preserved. The door was left wide open. The inside was decorated with white tiles. From what he stood, he could even see the clean sink. There was a bottle of hand sanitiser placed in the corner. The giant mirror reflected the gentle light. It was… overly set up. This raised his caution.
Without hesitation, Long Tao opened the iron door of the male bathroom. The creak of the axle was sharp, but he didn’t care anymore. If anything, this meant that the place was safe in his mind. This was a trap. If he listened to the woman and entered the female bathroom, he’d be in danger.
This confidence followed him as he finished his business. He lifted up his pants with satisfaction. However, before he exited the cubicle, he heard a strange sound.
Dong Dong Dong.
It was not loud and not close to him. Long Tao looked up at the yellowed ceiling. The sound seemed to come from above. He paid attention to it and realised the sound had a certain rhythm. The rhythm was strangely captivating. Long Tao tapped his feet along with it subconsciously.
Drum beats?
No… Long Tao tried to place it. The sound was harder than a drum. However, he didn’t know that many instruments to identify it.
Dong Dong Dong!
The rhythm picked up. Each beat landed on Long Tao’s heart. He shivered uncontrollably. The rhythm became clearer and stronger until the last Dong. This sound woke up Long Tao. Because this last beat was different from the others, it… came from the opposite side. The female bathroom!
Why would someone perform in the female bathroom? Could it be that thing…?
The rhythm began anew, and it soon paused outside the male bathroom.
Long Tao’s body froze because he realised something. Building C only had four floors, and he was on the top floor.
So… how could the sound have originated from above?
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