Chapter Eleven: Dream and Reality
Instant noodles are certainly not nutritious, but for someone hungry enough, this junk food can be quite delicious.
At that moment, both Yang Haoran and the woman had empty stomachs. Neither was particular; after hastily finishing their instant noodles, the woman began to recount the detailed haunting of her home to Yang Haoran.
The woman's name was Jiang Zhenzhen. She appeared to be only sixteen or seventeen, but her actual age was twenty-one. Her youthful looks were naturally due to her doll-like face, and her petite figure made her seem even younger.
Jiang Zhenzhen's family was not wealthy, and she had dropped out of school quite early. Although she had no diploma, she was sweet-faced and kind-hearted, and not particularly picky about work, so she easily found a job at a jewelry store in Lecheng.
Jiang Zhenzhen was quite satisfied with her current job. She used to work in other cities, but because her parents were in poor health, she had returned to Lecheng to be closer to her parents in the countryside. Though she couldn't be by their side constantly, she could help out with any major or minor family affairs, easing their burden a little—a point where she shared some similarities with Yang Haoran.
After securing her job, Jiang Zhenzhen rented a one-bedroom apartment in Lecheng. The apartment wasn't large, but though small, it was perfectly appointed, possessing everything one could need.
Originally, Jiang Zhenzhen had planned to share a rental with someone else, which would save her some rent. However, while sharing was cheaper, it also came with many potential issues. If her roommate was clean and had normal living habits, it would naturally be an ideal arrangement. But if the opposite were true, it would be far from comfortable, perhaps even leaving her anxious all the time.
Sharing an apartment truly depended on the person; otherwise, it could be messy and pose certain dangers. So, after much consideration, Jiang Zhenzhen gave up the idea of co-renting and opted for a one-bedroom apartment. Though it meant a bit more rent each month, at least she would live more comfortably.
Indeed, when Jiang Zhenzhen had rented this one-bedroom apartment, her sole motivation was comfort. Yet, what she never expected was that her stay would be anything but comfortable; instead, it was alarming, nearly scaring her to death.
That day, their jewelry store had done good business, and she was consequently exhausted. After getting off work and returning to her rental, she began tidying the apartment, sweeping and cleaning, making the bed and folding quilts, working until midnight before everything was in order.
Her body was already frail; after such a busy day, it was clear she was utterly exhausted. But she was happy, because she had finally cleaned up all the trivial matters.
After a wonderful hot shower, she cheerfully hopped into bed. Her new home gave her a pleasant sense of novelty. Though rented and not her own, it still made her feel very joyful.
After turning off the light, she, tired from the day, pulled the covers up and drifted off to sleep. But something she hadn't expected happened: as she was sleeping soundly, she suddenly felt as if someone was trying to pull the blanket away from her. Drowsy as she was, she didn't feel anything amiss and continued to sleep. Yet a moment later, it seemed someone was trying to pull the blanket from her again. A jolt went through her, and she vaguely sensed that someone else was sleeping beside her.
This feeling startled her immensely. Reflexively, she reached out and pressed the button on her bedside table. *Click*. The room light flickered on, illuminating the space brightly. The light seemed to give her some courage. She sharply turned her head to the side, wanting to see if it was just her imagination or if something truly was beside her.
It would have been better if she hadn't looked. One glance nearly stopped her heart.
Sleeping beside her was an old woman. The old woman shared her blanket, her body tightly wrapped, with only her head exposed. If that were all, it might have been manageable, but the critical detail was that this head was rotting, its face riddled with holes, from which oozed foul, putrid pus. In the bright light, she could even see maggots wriggling within these holes.
This face was beyond recognition; only vaguely could one tell it belonged to an old woman. As Jiang Zhenzhen looked at her, the old woman grinned, revealing a mouthful of sharp, pointed teeth.
Jiang Zhenzhen shrieked, sitting bolt upright in bed. The room was pitch black; the light hadn't been turned on. She was drenched in sweat, her pajamas clinging to her from the cold dampness. She gasped for air, frantically flicked on the light, and then, with lingering fear, glanced beside her. The space was empty. There was nothing. The old woman who had scared her half to death was not sleeping beside her.
Jiang Zhenzhen let out a heavy sigh of cold relief, realizing that everything had just been a dream, not a real presence.
Though merely a dream, it felt incredibly real. She had dreams often, even daytime dreams if she napped, but each time she awoke, the dream's scenes would be fragmented, with very little she could recall.
However, this time was an exception. She remembered everything that happened in the dream clearly, vividly recalling the old woman with a face full of holes, and even more vividly, the terror that had seeped into the depths of her soul.
That night, she suffered from insomnia. She didn't dare to go back to sleep. Although she didn't understand why she had such a dream, she certainly didn't want to be startled like that again if she fell asleep.
The next day, Jiang Zhenzhen went to work as usual, though a night of poor sleep left her looking less than energetic. However, she had only recently found this job, and she didn't want her personal issues to affect her work, potentially leading to her being fired by her boss.
So, even after a restless night, she still worked diligently the next day, hoping her efforts would leave a good impression on her boss and colleagues.
Returning home that evening, she didn't busy herself with tidying the room until midnight like the night before. However, due to her lack of sleep the previous night and a day of strenuous work, she was even more exhausted than when she had returned home the night before.
So, after a quick wash, she didn't even bother with dinner. She simply burrowed under the covers and fell into a deep sleep.
As for the dream that had terrified her to the depths of her soul last night, it was gradually forgotten amid the day's busyness and fatigue.
Women's nerves, at times, can be as fine as a thread, ready to snap at the slightest touch. Yet at other times, their nerves are like steel rebar, thick and strong. Jiang Zhenzhen was no exception.
For Jiang Zhenzhen, after a full day of exhaustion and a night of poor sleep, collapsing into bed and falling asleep was the most comfortable thing imaginable. But then, something happened that nearly stopped her heart.
Jiang Zhenzhen slept very deeply, completely unaware of the passage of time. She didn't know how long it had been when a chill swept over her, rousing her drowsily from her slumber.
The moment she woke, her mind was still hazy. She thought perhaps it was time to get up for work, so she subconsciously picked up her phone to check the time. It was precisely midnight.
Midnight. In many ghost films, if a haunting is to occur, it almost always chooses this exact time, down to the second. And now, as Jiang Zhenzhen checked her phone, in a cliché twist, it was precisely midnight.
However, still not fully awake, she didn't connect what was happening to ghost films, nor did she recall the nightmare she had the night before. Her first thought was: where was her blanket?
Indeed, she found her blanket missing. It was the middle of winter, and deep night, so the temperature was naturally very low. Although the room had air conditioning, she hadn't turned it on to save electricity. Without the blanket, she was sure to wake up from the cold; this was perfectly logical.
The blanket certainly couldn't have vanished into thin air. Jiang Zhenzhen, her mind slightly clearer, first thought that she must have been restless in her sleep and kicked the blanket onto the floor.
So, she got up and looked to the left side of the bed, towards the floor. It was empty; there was nothing there. Then, quite naturally, she looked to the right side of the bed. This time, she wasn't disappointed; she did indeed find the blanket on the floor.
However, just as she bent down to pick up the blanket from the floor, a pair of rotting, foul-smelling feet suddenly appeared in her line of sight.
"Ah!"
Jiang Zhenzhen shrieked, recoiling abruptly, startled off the bed. Ignoring the pain in her body, she quickly curled up in a corner, trembling uncontrollably.
She had seen clearly the owner of those feet: a completely rotten old woman, oozing pus. This scene brought back memories of last night's dream—the familiar decayed face, the familiar putrid stench, and that familiar yet utterly terrifying smile.
It was that old woman, the one who had appeared in her dream last night, sharing her bed!
At this moment, Jiang Zhenzhen was utterly terrified. Never in her life had she experienced anything so horrifying. She curled into a ball in the corner, trembling all over, watching the old woman approach her step by step. She kept letting out horrified screams, shouting, "Don't come closer! Don't come closer!"
The old woman paid her no mind. Her rotting body, reeking of decay, moved closer to Jiang Zhenzhen, speaking as she did so: "This house is mine! No one is getting it! Get out! Get out!"
Under Jiang Zhenzhen's terrified gaze, the old woman reached her, stretching out a pair of rotting hands and seizing her by the throat.
Rotten flesh, wriggling maggots, and disgusting pus streamed all over Jiang Zhenzhen. The squirming maggots crawled into her pajamas, wriggling and gnawing, as if they meant to devour her entirely.
Jiang Zhenzhen, her throat gripped, struggled with immense fear, but it was useless; she couldn't break free from the old woman's rotting, foul-smelling hands. She could only watch helplessly as the old woman, with a ghostly grin on her face, brought her sharp, pointed teeth towards Jiang Zhenzhen's forehead. It seemed she intended to start eating from the head.
The instant the old woman's fangs bit into Jiang Zhenzhen's forehead, searing pain jolted her nerves. She didn't know where she found the strength, but she suddenly sat bolt upright in bed.
Yes, she sat up in bed. She was drenched in sweat, disheveled and distraught. Everything that had just happened was merely a dream, but this dream was so real that she could no longer distinguish between reality and illusion.
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