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墨書 Inktalez
The collective panic among the neighbors was spiraling out of control, as residents in the building fell one by one into an inexplicable madness. Some began to scream at night, tearing at their own hair, and even attempting to jump out of windows; others stood dazed at their doorways, staring blankly down the hallway as if waiting for something dreadful to happen. Their behavior grew increasingly bizarre, with some wandering into the corridor at midnight, muttering to themselves in low tones, as if unconsciously repeating a cult ritual. Lu Fan and I often heard a low murmur emanating from the end of the hallway at night, a sound that ebbed and flowed like a ghost drifting through the air, sending chills down our spines.
One day, I spotted mother Li in the hallway. She stood on the steps leading to the basement, her eyes vacant, her lips moving as she repeated words I couldn’t understand. I tried to speak to her, but she seemed completely oblivious to my presence, her gaze passing through me as if drawn by some invisible force. Her son, Xiao Ming, clung tightly to her hem, his eyes filled with terror. I sensed that this fear was not just about the unknown; it was also a profound estrangement from his own mother.
The discovery of the basement seemed to awaken some dark power. From that day on, the atmosphere in the building became even more oppressive and terrifying. Each nightfall brought with it an invisible shadow that cloaked the entire structure, and residents’ behaviors grew increasingly strange. Some stayed up all night, sitting in front of their doors with bloodshot eyes as if guarding something; others locked themselves away completely, isolating themselves from the outside world.
My mental state began to deteriorate as well. As a psychologist, I should have been able to maintain my composure better than most, but now I found myself questioning whether I too had been affected by this force. Several times, I awoke suddenly from dreams where I saw myself and the residents standing in the basement surrounded by candles, as if participating in some kind of ritual. The fear I felt in those dreams was so palpable that upon waking, my heart raced as if it might burst from my chest.
Moreover, during the day, I started experiencing hallucinations. I would catch glimpses of blurry shadows around corners and sometimes hear whispers right next to my ear. Each time this happened, I tried to convince myself it was merely a figment of my imagination caused by stress and fatigue, but it became increasingly difficult to accept this explanation. I could feel my mind teetering on the brink of collapse.
As time passed, my mental condition worsened further. On several occasions in the hallway, I encountered other residents whose actions filled me with dread. One resident knelt before the darkness at the end of the corridor, murmuring incessantly as if pleading for forgiveness from some unseen power. Another night, I saw someone arranging candles in a row as if conducting a ritual. When I attempted to engage them in conversation, their eyes were hollow and they showed no awareness of my presence.
“Lu Fan, we need to find a way out of here or at least get someone to help us,” I finally said, unable to contain my anxiety any longer. He looked at me with furrowed brows and replied, “But we have no evidence; the police might not believe us. The residents’ reactions indicate they are under this building’s control.”
“But we can’t just sit here and do nothing,” I whispered back, my voice heavy with exhaustion and despair. I knew that if we continued to stay here, we too might end up like those residents—completely losing our sanity.
Things quickly spiraled out of control. One night, we suddenly heard a commotion in the hallway—a cacophony of voices arguing fiercely. Lu Fan and I sprang into action and opened our door to find chaos unfolding before us. Several residents were surrounding Lu Fan; Mr. Chen stood at the forefront with anger and fear etched across his face as he shouted loudly, “It’s all your fault! You awakened them! You’re going to get us all killed!”
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