Chapter 87

Chapter 87

An unknown amount of time passed.

Tu Nan’s sleep was fitful, haunted by the vague sound of murmurs in her ear. It sounded like He Ling was muttering something. She tried to open her eyes, but her eyelids felt impossibly heavy.

In her dazed state, she thought she heard a knock at the door.

It started as a single rap, then two, but when no one moved to answer, the person outside grew agitated and began to pound violently against the wood.

“Go open the door…” she thought, lying in bed with her brow furrowed. She wanted to wake up and get the door, but she couldn’t force her eyes open. Her entire body felt as if it were pinned down by a massive boulder, leaving her unable to even twitch a finger.

The pounding grew louder and louder.

Then, suddenly, it stopped.

Before her racing heart could settle, a faint, phantom-like breeze brushed against her face.

A breeze? Where would a breeze come from in the dorm?

This room didn’t even have a window, and the door was shut tight. It was impossible for there to be a draft.

Her nerves were pulled taut. Soon, Tu Nan realized it wasn’t a breeze at all-it was someone’s breath puffing against her skin.

Someone was leaning over her, staring right at her.

The realization sent a surge of terror through her, pushing her nerves to the breaking point.

Who was it? Who was watching her?

Was it He Ling? But He Ling’s murmuring continued, and the sound seemed to be coming from some distance away.

Could it be the person from outside? Had they stopped knocking because they had already found a way in?

What were they doing, hovering over her like that? Were they studying her?

And what was He Ling doing? Had she not noticed someone suddenly entering their room?

Or was it that He Ling simply couldn’t see this person at all?

In an instant, a thousand questions flooded her mind.

She could clearly feel the person pressing close. Their breath fanned across her cheek, and the sheer dread of the unknown made every hair on her body stand on end.

A bead of cold sweat rolled down her forehead.

As if sensing her fear, the person moved. The breath gradually receded until Tu Nan could no longer feel it.

Had they left?

Were they truly gone, or were they hiding in the shadows, watching her from the dark?

Tu Nan was being driven to the brink of madness by this unseen horror.

She dug her fingernails hard into her palms, finally mustering every ounce of strength to force her eyes open.

A pair of pitch-black eyes met hers.

Tu Nan nearly shrieked.

The person was so close that she couldn’t even make out their facial features; she could only see those emotionless eyes.

They were ink-black, like two empty voids.

“You’re awake?” the person asked.

Only then did Tu Nan realize the voice was hauntingly familiar.

“He Ling?” she asked, her voice raspy.

He Ling straightened up, moving away from her face. “It’s time to get up. I saw you were still sleeping, so I came up to check on you.”

Still shaken, Tu Nan slowly sat up, eyeing He Ling warily as she sat on the edge of the bed. “Did you hear someone knocking just now?” she asked.

“No.” He Ling tilted her head, her dark eyes staring straight at her. “Were you having a dream?”

Was it really just a dream?

Tu Nan frowned. As she looked at the girl before her, she couldn’t shake a lingering sense of wrongness.

“Thanks,” she said. “I’ll get up right away.”

“You’re welcome.” The corners of He Ling’s mouth curled up slightly.

That sense of wrongness grew even more intense.

Alarm bells rang in Tu Nan’s head. She suddenly realized she had overlooked a crucial detail.
From the moment she opened her eyes until now, He Ling’s muttering had not ceased.

Some people like to read aloud softly while studying to help with memorization; Tu Nan had noticed that He Ling had this habit.

And now, that continuous muttering was drifting into her ears from the direction of the desk.

If He Ling was at the desk studying, then who was the person standing right in front of her?

Which one was the real He Ling?

“What’s wrong?” the He Ling before her asked with a smile.

Tu Nan licked her parched lips and stiffly turned her head to look toward the desk.

He Ling was sitting there with her back to her.

“He Ling?” she called out.

The sound that had been droning on since a moment ago finally stopped. He Ling put down her book and slowly turned her head under Tu Nan’s watchful gaze.

Tu Nan’s eyes widened inch by inch.

He Ling’s eye sockets were empty, transformed into two black, cavernous holes. They were pitch black and dripping with blood, as if hinting at the fate of her missing eyes.

“What’s the matter?” He Ling asked, staring straight at her with a look of confusion.

She seemed completely unaware that anything was wrong with her.

“Your… eyes?” Tu Nan asked, her voice trembling.

“Eyes?” He Ling repeated blankly, reaching up to touch her sockets. “Aren’t my eyes right…”

Her movements froze.

“Where are my eyes?” She felt the places where her eyes should have been, finding only empty voids.

He Ling’s posture stiffened for a moment, and the expression on her face suddenly shifted. She “looked” at Tu Nan. “My eyes are gone. I’ll just use yours instead…”

“After all, one can’t read books without eyes…”

As she spoke, she stood up and began walking toward Tu Nan’s bed.

Tu Nan felt a chill wash over her. Layer after layer of cold sweat broke out, quickly soaking through her clothes.

She turned to look at the He Ling standing by her bedside, only to find that she, too, had changed. Like the one from the desk, her eyes were gone, and she was reaching out with a blood-stained face.

“Give me your eyes…”

“Give me your eyes…”

Tu Nan finally lost control. She let out a scream and lashed out with her leg, kicking the figure by her bed away.

*

Her leg cramped, the sharp pain forcing her eyes open instantly.

Tu Nan’s chest heaved violently as she gasped for air. Her Heart hammered against her ribs from the intensity of the nightmare. She stared at the ceiling, blinking, realizing she was soaked as if she had been pulled out of a river.

She was covered in cold sweat.

Was that just a dream?

It had felt so real that it left her heart pounding with lingering fear.

As Tu Nan calmed down, she realized He Ling was still sitting at the desk, muttering under her breath.

The scene matched her nightmare perfectly. Her body stiffened, and for a moment, she didn’t dare to speak.

The image of He Ling losing her eyes in the dream was so horrific and Weird that it had left her jumpy at every shadow.

Tu Nan composed herself and called out.

“He Ling.”

He Ling paused, set down her book, and slowly turned around.

The movement overlapped perfectly with the dream, and Tu Nan’s heart involuntarily leaped into her throat.

Those few short seconds felt as if they were being stretched out for an eternity.

He Ling’s face finally came into view.

Her empty eye sockets were pitch black. He Ling grinned at her.

“What’s wrong?” she asked softly.

Tu Nan’s eyes went wide, her entire body freezing up.

Right then, a violent pounding suddenly erupted at the door.