In the sky, under the dark clouds and heavy rain, a large bird was slowly flying, then suddenly changed direction as it avoided a specific spot.
Shriek!
Under the path it should have taken stood an old abandoned building with mossy walls crumbling around its frame. The rain had turned the moss a sickly green, and water dripped steadily from broken gutters.
It was the building where four people had lost their lives just yesterday.
In the building, a large eerie eye was looking towards the sky where the bird had been—watching from the west side window. The eye blinked once, slow and deliberate, before retreating into the darkness beyond the cracked glass.
Then—
Back in the room he had escaped from, something shifted in the ceiling shadows—a bulbous shape hanging silently, its face pressed against the rain-washed window, watching the direction Jiang Dao had run. The glass fogged with each of its shallow breaths.
A faint voice, like words spoken through destroyed vocal cords, drifted through the air, blending with the sound of the rain. The whisper seemed to follow the wind, searching...
"Where... are... you..."
...
Back to the bus stop—
Beep! Beep!
Jiang Dao looked up and saw a bus cutting through the rain, its headlights guiding the way forward through the downpour. Like hope cutting through fog.
It stopped with a gentle hiss, and passengers in raincoats or carrying umbrellas stepped down onto the wet pavement.
Two beautiful girls emerged in trench coats, discussing what they had just experienced in soft voices.
"When are we going back to that place?" one asked.
"Probably around next month. Why?"
"I didn't expect it, but the concert was too good!"
"See? I told you it was! You never believed me in the past, so you missed too many good things." The other girl shook her head with a proud expression.
Jiang Dao passed by them and climbed inside.
The bus was sparsely populated, with only a few people scattered across the seats. He made his way toward the right corner in the middle, settling beside the window. Looking outside at the rain-soaked streets, he couldn't help but feel a deep sadness as he realized he might never see the people close to him again. He hadn't felt it at first because of the immediate danger, but now, listening to the steady rhythm of rain against the windows, he couldn't help but rub his palms together.
"It's too cold..."
"Then do you want me to keep you warm?"
A playful voice startled him. Looking up, he saw a beautiful girl in a pink puffer jacket, a small luggage bag beside her.
"Kaite?!"
Jiang Dao was surprised—he hadn't expected to see his classmate here.
Kaite had been one of his friends at school. They'd been classmates from first year until now, their third year.
Kaite smiled and pointed at the empty seat beside him. "Can I sit here?"
Although she asked politely, she was already settling in beside him.
Up close, Jiang Dao could clearly smell her natural, comforting scent.
"Why are you here?" Jiang Dao asked, puzzled, as he made room and moved her bag to the front seat since no one was sitting there.
"I should be the one asking you why you're here," Kaite replied while rummaging through her bag.
"Me? I—"
"Here..."
Jiang Dao's words were interrupted as she handed him a soft blanket.
"You said you were cold, right? Take this blanket. I don't want you to get sick." Although her words were casual, Jiang Dao could still feel the concern in her voice.
"Hah? No, I was just joking. I'm not cold."
Jiang Dao declined—it would be too shameful if his resistance to cold was lower than a girl's.
"Su yuan! Don't be stubborn..."
Kaite frowned and moved closer, extending her hand.
"Hey!" Jiang Dao was surprised and confused about what she was doing, but instinctively he leaned back.
"You're shaking. Either you're cold or you've got a fever — and if you collapse, don't expect me to carry your dumb ass."
Sensing his intention, Kaite's other hand gripped his wrist while she placed her right hand on his forehead, checking his temperature.
"You're cold, see? Don't be stubborn anymore."
With a gentle voice, Kaite picked up the blanket he had dropped and draped it over him.
Jiang Dao was dumbfounded and stared at her face, especially her warm brown eyes. She had soft facial features with long hair and graceful curves beneath her jacket.
"What are you looking at?"
Tapping his head playfully, Kaite smiled again, returning to her cheerful nature.
"Nothing. I was just surprised." Jiang Dao straightened his posture and tried to calm down as the bus started moving again.
...
"So why are you here, Kaite? I'm just visiting my grandmother. I heard that she was sick, so I came here to accompany her."
When asked about this topic, Kaite's tone visibly lowered.
"Ah— I'm sorry..."
Jiang Dao apologized, knowing that when old people get sick, the outcomes are often grim, and the more likely scenario would be death.
"It's okay..."
"I don't blame you for asking." Kaite smiled at his reaction, but she didn't have the playfulness like before.
Sensing that she was in a low mood, Jiang Dao didn't ask anymore and let her self-regulate. As he observed the people in the bus.
A duo on the right side was playing with their phone:
"Look at this, bro."
"So strong! What's the name of that player?"
A middle-aged man with a calm bearing was tapping away on his laptop in the front.
Tat! Tat!
Then he noticed behind them a tall man who kept glancing in their direction. The man would look at his phone, then toward the window, but his eyes would drift back to their seats. When their eyes met briefly, the man quickly looked away, but Jiang Dao could feel the attention returning.
Maybe he was just bored. Maybe he recognized Kaite from somewhere. Maybe he was just one of those people who couldn't help but stare.
But something felt wrong.
The label rang out in his head as Jiang Dao's eyes turned fierce. He had been holding his anger and depression since the start. First, he was killed, enduring overwhelming pain. Then, after he thought he was safe, he was once again greeted by even more horror. He was bullied here and there like a lost dog.
He could only accept it at his worst. He couldn't come back to life and kill the driver if he was still alive, nor could he fight whatever was in the building.
But it would be different with a human... Especially since he still had the knife on him.
"Jiang Dao, what are you looking at?"
"Ah? Nothing."
"Really?" Kaite felt doubtful but didn't pursue it.
Looking at the window, Jiang Dao could see in his reflection a murderous face staring back.
But not seconds had passed before his killing intent regressed because he saw...
Outside, far away in the field of grass, a tall figure stood motionless in the rain. Looking at its height, it was hard to believe this was human. It gave off a wrong vibe—too still, too tall, too aware. Even from this distance, even through the rain-streaked glass, Jiang Dao could feel it watching.
What the hell is that? Why is this happening to me?
He cursed silently, heart pounding.
In his entire life, he had never encountered anything like this—
And yet today, it appeared suddenly, as casually as a cabbage lying by the roadside.
The bus rumbled forward, wipers smearing water across the window.
The figure slowly faded from view.
But the unease remained.
Cough.
A soft sound broke the silence beside him.
Jiang Dao blinked and turned. "Are you okay?"
Kaite looked surprised by her own cough. "Yeah... probably just a cold," she said with a light smile, brushing her hair behind one ear. "Didn't think much of it."
"Then... give me part of the blanket," she muttered.
He handed her the other half without hesitation, and now they were sharing it.
The warmth was comforting.
Still, Jiang Dao looked outside once more—
Just to be sure.
Thankfully, the figure was gone.
It hadn't followed.