Proofreaders: Gwen, Hiro, and Red
Is someone going to die? Read on to find out!
Chief shuts the door. It seems that he’s explaining something quietly to
the nosy people outside. I sit robotically on Cubs’ bed and glance at Yuan Fei.
“What’s wrong, Yuan
Fei?” I whisper.
He’s sitting on a
chair, head low and sighing. He shakes his head.
“Xiao Yu, did somethin’
happen when you’re in here?” Xu Ping frowns.
I shake my
head and it hits me that Yuan Fei’s shake might’ve meant the same thing.
What’s the
point of saying it? How could anyone rid this fear in our hearts?
The dorm falls
silent again, only to be broken by Chief’s opening the door. Then it falls
silent once more. We stay quiet for so long that I think we all forgot there’s
this thing called language. It’s only then that Chief speaks.
“You two are
hiding something from us, aren’t you?”
Suffocating
silence once more.
“How do you
expect us to help? We’re in this together now. Two heads are always better than
one. Are you just trying to get on my nerves by not telling me anything?”
Wu Fan starts
pacing the room anxiously. If the level-headed Chief has become this way, we’re
not far off.
I look at Yuan
Fei without thinking. He’s gotten thinner the past few days and always has his
head lowered, always looking run down. I can’t help but wonder why his fear is
so obvious. I might be scared, too, but I’m scared because of how the
unforeseeable future makes me uneasy. But that doesn’t seem to be the only
thing for him.
Our silence
makes Chief more worked up while Glooms is rather composed.
“We won’t
force you to tell us if you don’t wanna, but you gotta know, none of us are
safe now and any clue is better than none. The smallest piece of information
might become the key to our safety. You can save it if you’re not telling us
because you don’t wanna scare or worry us. If we’re gonna die anyway I’d rather
die knowing what got me.”
“I agree!”
Chief holds eye contact with us.
I hesitate, more
or less, seeing how they aren’t going to stop until they get to the bottom of
this. I’m not entirely sure whether I’ve been too sensitive these days but I
guess it wouldn’t hurt to tell Chief and Glooms in case it just so happens to
be true.
“A shadow…” I
mumble.
It’s all I
have the strength to say. The memory is too much to describe.
“What shadow?”
Chief nudges his spectacles and frowns.
I sigh. “I
dunno, but both Yuan Fei and I saw it. Both of the times before Kong Linglin
and Cubs…”
After those
words escape my mouth, I feel as if I’ve been washed and wrung dry. I’ve
accepted the existence of that phantom-like shadow. That it’s not part of my
dreams. That it’s not some kind of illusion we saw.
And that it’s
the cause of all this tragedy.
“Why are we
only hearing about this now?!” Chief rages.
On the other
hand, Glooms has his head down, pondering. I do, too. I still haven’t mentioned
anything about the eerie sound. I’m sure Yuan Fei can hear it as well but as my
ally he’s never said anything about it either. Therefore I’m not sure if I
should or not.
“So does that
mean that thing also followed us to 501?” Glooms mutters.
“Xiao Yu. Yuan
Fei. If you see it again, you must tell us immediately, no matter whose bed
it’s beside,” Chief orders.
After his
emotions settle, he says seriously. “From now on, no one shall act alone. Xiao
Yu and Yuan Fei, you two are in the same class. Don’t go anywhere alone, not
even the washroom. Xu Ping, you skip class for a couple of days and come with
me to the archives.
Glooms nods
hesitantly and then I follow suit. Yuan Fei is the last to do so. I can feel
his gaze on me and I catch him looking away when I look at him but I can sense
worry.
Is he worried
about me? Or something else?
Soon the sun
is falling to the west. All of us go to get food. We wanted to get it over with
at the caf but it appears 308’s former occupants have become creatures for
display. Not being able to stand the looks and stares, we end up bringing the
food back to 501. Thank goodness we’re not at 308 anymore. If not, we’d have an
even harder time eating with the peculiar scent from the washroom across the
hall.
None of us eat
much. I even leave my favourite fish fillets after a few nibbles, going instead
for some plain rice and a few gulps of hot water. Yuan Fei eats the least; only
one or two grains of rice, not touching the other stuff at all. Now he’s
already cleaning up and getting his books for night study block.
“Yuan Fei!
Wait up. We gotta go together,” I call out as I toss the lid on my box and grab
my books.
What the hell?
Chief just said to not act alone! And now he’s run off by himself.
I catch up to
him at the stairwell with great effort but he just speeds up when he notices
me. I pause, shocked. I shoot forward and grab him.
“Yo! What the
hell? It’s not like I wanna be with you either! If not for Chief.”
He warns
lowly. “Stay away from me.”
I’m taken back
from his sudden comment and he slips away. I get even more furious and rush
ahead of him with my nose in the air.
Stupid jerk! I thought we called it truce! I thought we could become
friends through thick and thin. I guess I gave you too much credit. Fucking
Flying Ape. Go off being scared by yourself because I won’t give a shit about
you anymore.
Other than
labs, studios and computer labs, the entire Engineering Physics teaching block
is open for students to come and go freely to study. I head for our
department’s big lecture hall. There’s already a dozen or so students inside,
heads buried in books, studying or doing homework.
I sit in a
front-row seat near the door and not even half a minute pass when I hear:
Drip-drop.
I stare
wide-eyed at the door.
Drip-drop.
“Excuse me.
Could you turn the tap off properly?” A teacher calls out from the washroom
down the hall.
A student answers
soon after. Then a tap is turned. Then the sound is no more.
The hallways
are so quiet that noise from the washroom sounds clear. Too clear. Like its
right by my ears. My legs give out and I plop down in my seat. My heart’s
beating so fast it’s suffocating.
I pant for air
with my arms over my head. I’m quaking in my boots.
I must be
going insane.
I’m already nuts.
I can’t
anymore.
I quickly
snatch my books and find a seat near the other students. I sit with my back to
a wall. I never knew sitting with your back against a wall could be so
relieving. You don’t have to worry about anything approaching you from behind.
I flip open a
book and stare at a page full of English. I don’t see a single letter. People
glance over at me from time to time and then chat quietly with the people
beside them.
The reason why
I chose this place was because it’s the favourite study spot for the graduating
class. Almost all of them have left so I thought I would get the least amount
of attention here.
Out of
nowhere, Yuan Fei bursts in the door, looking around frantically. His
expression somewhat relaxes when our eyes meet, clearly more at ease. He
randomly takes a seat without a word. Seeing him panting and wiping his sweat,
I suspect he just ran a marathon.
I take a peek
at my watch and fish the train ticket out from my pocket. My gaze lingers on
the departure time and I end up ripping it apart.
I’ve realised
after Cubs incident that escape is not the answer. I’d rather die at school
where lots of people are than losing my marbles alone at home. At least, then,
I wouldn’t be alone in my final moments.
I think I’ve
already accepted the fact that I’m going to die. I’ve always been scared of
dying but I only hope I can be the last one. I know I’m dead anyway, but I’ll
fight until the last second. But I really don’t know whether I should just give
up and take the easy route, or fight until the end, until I can’t anymore.
It hits me
that, out of my many realisations, none of them says that I’ll be the lucky
winner. During this whole thing, I’ve never once thought that it would skip me,
no matter how much I wished it would go after the others. That’s because I know
the chances for that is beyond miniscule and who’s to say I’ll be the numerator
and not the denominator of that fraction?
I suppose I’ve
never been a romanticist.
Something
flashes. I look up to see the bulbs flashing a few times before going out.
Instantly, students start making a racket. Some are even banging on the tables
in discontent. It sounds like the other classes are as well. Some guy is even doing
wolf howls. I chuckle along.
The lights
don’t come back on for quite some time. The teaching supervisor ends up coming
by with a flashlight telling us to go back to our dorms because it seems like
it won’t be fixed anytime soon. My eyes are getting accustomed to the dark and
I can kind of make out the other students getting up and leaving so I start
packing up, too.
Suddenly, it’s
right by my ears.
Drip-drop.
My hands
freeze in mid-motion and I glance up. Everyone’s laughing and talking as they’re
leaving but none of it compares to that sound. I’m sure it’s not the tap this
time because it overrides all other noises, going straight into my head.
Could it be…
Drip-drop.
I hold my
books in front of my chest. My teeth start chattering.
Drip-drop.
I fall back
into my chair, shaking and staring wide-eyed at the podium. I don’t know what
I’m looking at but I can’t peel my eyes away.
Drip-drop.
Gradually,
everyone leaves and the room falls silent. Even the hallway seems to be
unusually quiet. They all left, not aware of that bone-chilling sound. They
left, unbothered. Perhaps in this dark, quiet building, there’s only me…and it.
I slowly slide
down along the back of the chair and under the table, the constricting space
actually providing me some feeling of security. I’m curled up as I cling on to
my books, the thick covers and pages already curving under pressure, but I can
do nothing but hold on to something, anything.
My eyes shut.
I bite my lip to stop myself from shrieking.
Maybe it’s
just passing by. Maybe it didn’t even notice me. Maybe it just wants to give me
a little scare and leave. Maybe…
Absurd
theories jumble my brain and my heartbeat is just as erratic. My rushed inhales
and exhales sound so loud in the silence, but I can’t control what I already
lost grip on, just like how I can’t control this terror that strikes me.
Drip-drop.
Drip-drop.
I sense
another breathing organism approaching and I instinctively hold my breath. Then
a black shadow jumps up me and covers my mouth before I can yell out in shock.
The next moment I’m in its grasp.
“It’s me.”
It’s Yuan Fei!
He’s still here! Recognizing the voice, I hug him tight.
“You can hear
it too, can’t you? You can hear the sound, right?” His voice shakes, but he
repeatedly searches for my confirmation.
I nod
furiously and his arms pull me in tighter.
“I can’t
believe we were hiding the same thing. Has it been bothering you as well? It’s
been dogging me so I thought I was the next one. I didn’t want it to get you,
too, but now…”
“You didn’t
want me to follow you because you thought you’re the next victim?” I question.
“Didn’t want it to get me?”
I feel his
head nodding, and instantly my throat itches and my eyes feel wet. I dig into
his clothes. I can feel our trembling bodies and wild heartbeats. I had no idea
it would be this comforting to have someone beside you when you’re scared out
of your wits.
Our wild
heartbeats gradually slow down along with our steady breaths. It’s only then
that we realise that the sound has disappeared. We’re looking at each other,
wondering how we made it out of this one.
“D-did it
leave?” I ask, my voice barely a whisper.
“Lemme see…”
He gets up
halfway and calls out. “Ah!”
I quickly grab
his arm.
He retreats
back and chuckles. “I’m fine. Just sore and tingly all over.”
I falter and
then punch him in annoyance. “What the hell! You had me worried there!”
“Should be
fine now.” He gets up again, slowly this time, and helps me up.
I find that I
have pins and needles, too.
“Let’s head
back.”
“’Kay.”
We walk out,
shoulder to shoulder.
We’re halfway
when I notice that we’re walking hand in hand. My face turns red. He’s the
first guy other than my father to walk hand in hand with me. Something’s definitely
off about two grown men holding hands.
I jerk my hand
back a little and his grip tightens right away.
He whips around.
“What’s wrong?”
I shake my
head hard. “Nothing!”
He’s only
holding my hand…because he’s scared, right? I can’t believe I’m thinking about
that kind of stuff at a time like this. I bottle up my frustrations and follow
him with my eyes glued to the ground.
Well, it’s not
bad having a warm hand on a chilly night after such an encounter.
Chief has a
flashlight in hand when we return, about to go out looking for us. That period
of panic and fear apparently lasted one and a half hour; it’s well past nine o’clock
now.
I remember how
I stayed frozen on my bed, afraid to even breathe, when the black figure stood
by my bed. Perhaps it was merely a few seconds but it felt longer than a
century. Tonight, however, felt different. There was something else other than
fear.
My eyes wander
over to Yuan Fei. Is it because of him? His tight embrace? It reminded me of
the strong, warm arms of my father’s in which I would hide during thunderstorms
and which brought me a sense of security like no other.
Somehow, I’m
not too against this possibility.
People tend to
go sleep earlier when the power goes out. The halls has become deserted and
it’s barely ten right now.
I lie on my
top bunk, watching the night sky through the window. I can’t tell whether it’s
the cloud or my drowsiness that makes the stars twinkle in and out of
existence. I force my eyes shut. Biological fatigue overpowers any fear of the
night, and soon I’m half asleep.
Then, I feel
my hair being pulled.
My eyes shoot
open.
All drowsiness
gone.
“Xiao Yu…”
Yuan Fei whispers. “Are you awake?”
I squeeze my
eyes shut exasperatedly, hand on my chest, feeling its violent rise and fall.
My teeth grind together.
“Fuck! Are you
tryna gimme a heart attack?”
I just want to
give him a black eye right now—he’s lucky
Chief and Glooms are asleep across the room. I might have mistaken friend for
foe but how can you help it when you’re on the brink of insanity and you get
touched when you’re half asleep and completely defenceless? It feels like
someone dumping ice down your shirt or pushing you into a pool in winter—the
cold eats you up and your heart pounds like crazy.
My god, I
can’t be anymore thankful that I don’t have any heart diseases.
“Can you sleep
with me?” Yuan Fei’s voice is wavering.
This reminds
me of that night when I kicked my blankets off in a panicked daze. He was the
only one who didn’t wake up. This reminds me of his dark circles and bloodshot
eyes every morning.
I finally
realise that his fear of the night exceeds mine by far.
I still
remember his trembling but delighted voice: ‘You can hear it too right?’ He’s
been going through this all by himself, hearing sounds no one else can hear and
seeing things no one else can see. When he found someone who could hear and see
all those things, his walls came crashing down. He’s sending me an SOS right
now. This means he has entrusted himself to me and sees me as a partner at
last.
I scoff.
Should I happy or sad? I found a desperate ally at the most frightening time,
the two of us finding comfort with each other.
I get up, grab
my pillow and step down to his bunk. A random question pops into my mind: What
if I was sleeping in the top bunk across from his or the lower bunk diagonally
across from him and not the one beside him? How would he have asked me then?
He lifts a corner
of his blanket up. I put my pillow beside his and wiggle in. He then puts the
covers back over the both of us. So warm.
I smile and
toss the haphazard thoughts away.
Out of
nowhere, I feel his arm on my waist and before I know it he has already pulled
me in, his head right up against my chest like a child.
“Hey,” I
complain in a tiny voice.
“Thank god I
still got you.”
His muffled
words tug at my heartstrings and I stop squirming.
“Or else, I
really dunno if I can do it.”
It’s the least
I can do for him in return for the sense of safety that he gave earlier.
But whose
heart is this I’m hearing beating so strongly in the silence?
His warm
breath hits my chest, a dubious sensation discreetly mixed in. My body
stiffens, a strange emotion settling in. Perhaps he notices this change,
because he turns his head towards me. Nervous, I try to avoid his gaze but he grabs
my head and forces me to look at him.
“W-what?” I
stutter.
“Xiao Yu…”
“W-what i-is it?”
“Thank you for
being here for me.”
I don’t know
how to respond to that so I just flash a silly grin and fidget awkwardly with
my hair. Yuan Fei quickly snatches my hand. The burning heat from his hand
unsettles me for some reason.
Just as I have
no idea what’s going on, his face suddenly enlarges and before I realise it,
our lips are touching.
I stay glued
to the spot feeling the wetness on my lips. Instincts tell me to get away and
my brain is yelling at me ‘Run away! Go! Go!’ but my body stays frozen in
place.
He leaves
after a short, light kiss. Under the hazy moonlight, I can see him looking
straight at me. My heart starts beating nervously again.
“Y-you, I-I
never knew, th-that you’re…” I don’t even know what I want to say.
He watches me
for a moment before rolling away to face the wall.
“S-sorry. I
just. All of a sudden. You know I’m not. I have a lotta girlfriends.”
“Of course.” I
nibble on my still-moist lips, turn the opposite direction and mutter. “You
just need some rest.”
“Hmm.”
Silence.
“Sorry,” he then
adds in a murmur.
I’m still
awake when he says this, but I don’t know what to reply so I choose silence.
Slowly, my
eyes get drier and drier. It’s still dim and hazy outside; even the moon’s gone
into hiding behind the clouds. Chief’s seems really exhausted from the past few
days. I’m surprised that Glooms hasn’t been woken up by his thunderous snores. Yuan
Fei has been motionless like a statue for some time, not even flipping around.
I have slipped halfway into sleep when that sound echoes in my mind once more.
Drip-drop.
I’m instantly wide
awake. It’s standing beside the bed. Right by Yuan Fei’s bed!
Drip-drop.
What is this
supposed to mean? Is it looking for its next prey? If so, would it be Yuan Fei,
to whom the bed belongs? Or would it be me, who is sleeping on the bed?
Drip-drop.
Yuan Fei
suddenly turns around and wraps a trembling arm around me. I can easily sense
his body tensing against my back.
So he was
awake the whole time?
It occurs to
me that his horrible state recently must be from being in constant fear and
stress every night. He could only lie there in his bed with no one there to
support him, shivering, trying his hardest not to lose it.
“Don’t…”
Even his
whisper is wavering.
“Don’t, don’t
hurt’im.”
I do a double
take.
“Please. Don’t
hurt’im. Please.”
His arm
squeezes tighter and tighter but my heart amazingly slows down. I open my eyes
and stare at the wall before me with Yuan Fei and it both behind me.
I’m actually
curious as to what the thing is and why in the world is Yuan Fei so scared of
it. It seems that he’s been driven up the wall ever since jumping off of his
bed that time. I’m afraid of the unknown while he, on the other hand, seems to
be afraid of the known so he’s had to bear far more than anyone else.
I turn around
for some odd reason and roll right into Yuan Fei’s arms. I can only see a bit
of the bedside over his shoulders.
He tenses up
even more and holds me tighter while I stare wide-eyed before me.
I can see it!
A human figure. A black shape. Nothing else.
I can’t
distinguish any features even with the moonlight shining bright. No contour. It
doesn’t even look three-dimensional. Just black. Like it doesn’t really exist.
Just a cloud of black smoke. Not concave; not convex. Just black like a black
hole.
My eyes start
to feel sore and water. I’m very much conscious but my eyes try closing as if
they’re being smoked. I squint, trying to make out its appearance, because I
think all this can come to an end if I find out its identity. My eyes, however,
get more and more unfocused as I stare at the entrancing black blob.
I mutter just
before losing consciousness.
“Who’re you?”
_______________________________Dairytea's comment: Exactly! Who are you?! D8 ( And they finally kissed! *flails* )
ayszhang's comment: The author knows, and I know...but I won't tell any of you! >8) edit: A rough drawing of their room and their beds as requested. Ones on the top means top bunk.

The Water Goes Drip-Drop - English Translation by ayszhang is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.