Horror Game Designer

Chapter 9: Distant Relatives Arent as Good as Close Neighbors

In a room that was shrouded in darkness, an unnerving, damp atmosphere reigned, tinged with a subtle but unmistakable scent of decay. Familiar with this oppressive sensation, Gao Ming realized he was once again straddling the boundary between two realms.

He reflected on the strategy provided by Xuan Wen, affirming its accuracy in actively initiating the haunted game. Deliberately avoiding looking at the corpse below, he focused on the living room, where the snuffed-out candles at each corner marked the time of the deceased’s suicide.

Alone, Gao Ming pondered the whereabouts of Xuan Wen. This serial killer was supposed to accompany him in the game and was conspicuously absent. Gao Ming wondered if she had ever entered the room or left without him noticing.

Gao Ming stood motionless, steadying his nerves while surrounded by dense shadows that engulfed him like dark, ominous seawater. He contemplated which of the games he knew had materialized into this eerie reality.

He noted the corpse’s appearance downstairs, realizing the scale of this game surpassed any he had previously encountered, enveloping at least the entirety of Building No. 2.

Reflecting on his past interactions with Brother Zhao, Gao Ming recalled their plans to create a calming game for him, brainstorming various design concepts.

His thoughts were abruptly interrupted by the vibration of a mobile phone. Pushing open the bedroom door, he discovered an unremarkable phone on the bedside table. With its yellowed case and dirty charging port, the unlocked phone displayed a series of new messages.

Gao Ming remembered this phone belonging to Zhao Xi. He touched the screen, opening Zhao Xi’s chat group for the residents of Li Jing Apartment Building No. 2, named ‘Distant Relatives Aren’t as Good as Close Neighbors’.

Recently, Mr. Wang from the first floor shared three videos in the group, capturing Zhao Xi’s corpse from his balcony. The deceased had landed headfirst, his face gruesomely distorted, neck unnaturally elongated and broken, limbs contorted, with bones jutting through the skin.

A message from 2101 Wang Kuisheng read: “I saw Zhao Xi being taken away by the officials! How did his body come back? What’s happening???”

Panic ensued in the chat. Some members had suggested calling the police, while others wanted to investigate themselves. However, the conversation quickly went silent.

A message from 2203 Xiao Qiu raised the alarm: “Brother Wang, there’s something off with your videos! Zhao Xi’s position shifts between the first and third videos! He seems to be… moving!”

The residents, including Gao Ming, had re-examined the videos, indeed noticing the disturbing change in Zhao Xi’s position across the three recordings.

In a state of heightened alarm, Wang Kuisheng, a resident of the first floor, grappled with the inexplicable movement of a corpse. He questioned the possibility of a dead person moving and attributed it to a camera angle trick. Determined to investigate further, he planned to return to the balcony to film again.

Meanwhile, both intrigued and apprehensive, Gao Ming swiftly moved to his own balcony with his phone in hand. He observed the scene below where the relentless rain was washing away blood, only to discover that the corpse, which had once been lying at the building’s entrance, had vanished.

Struck by a chilling thought – that the corpse might have moved inside the building – Gao Ming was unsettled by the silence from Wang Kuisheng, who had gone to record a new video and now seemed to have disappeared just as mysteriously.

Li Jing Apartment, an aging residential complex in a remote area, was characterized by its numerous vacant apartments and a sparse population in Building No. 2. The sudden disappearance of Wang Kuisheng intensified the fear among the already small group of residents. Those who had earlier expressed intentions to investigate the situation now retreated into their homes, gripped by fear.

Panic escalated as 2203 Xiao Qiu expressed her despair in the group chat. The residents found themselves isolated, their phones disconnected from the outside world, except for the group chat they were in. Xiao Qiu’s anxiety was palpable as she questioned the bizarre circumstances surrounding them.

Li Li, Zhao Xi’s sister-in-law who resided on the third floor with Zhao Xi’s foster mother, Zhao Yuan Yuan, raised a haunting possibility. She speculated that their continued access to the chat group could be linked to Zhao Xi’s presence in it.

As tension grew, accusations flew. 2409 Fang Shuqi, a resident of the fourth floor, confronted Li Li, suggesting Zhao Xi’s return might be a form of retribution for familial discord. Li Li vehemently denied any involvement in Zhao Xi’s death.

The situation was more terrifying when Xiao Qiu alerted the group to a strange noise in the hallway, something seemingly crawling towards her location. In a voice message filled with dread, she confirmed the unnerving presence right outside her door.

Fang Shuqi proposed opening a group video call to better understand each other’s circumstances and to mentally prepare for whatever they might face. He added all members, including “Zhao Xi,” to the call.

Shock rippled through the group when Zhao Xi’s video feed activated. Then, to their astonishment, Gao Ming appeared in Zhao Xi’s home. Li Li, stunned, demanded to know why Gao Ming had Zhao Xi’s phone and if he was responsible for the return of Zhao Xi’s body.

Before Gao Ming could offer any explanation, a disturbing knocking sound interrupted, emanating from Xiao Qiu’s video. The sound, akin to someone striking the door with their head every two seconds, sent a wave of terror through the group. Xiao Qiu, visibly shaken, frantically barricaded her living room door with a sofa. The relentless knocking only intensified, making the door visibly tremble under the force.

Xiao Qiu, her face etched with terror, had clutched her phone tightly within the confines of her room. Cornered and fearful, she pleaded through the video for assistance from her neighbors.

“Please, can anyone help? We’re all neighbors here! You could be next!”

Huddled on her bed, her desperate pleas for help went unheeded as those in the building remained apathetic to her plight. Tears began to form in her eyes, and she was on the verge of breaking down when suddenly the lights in her room started to flicker and then extinguished completely.

The room, numbered 2203, was plunged into darkness, with only the feeble glow from her phone’s screen casting light on her terrified face. She was motionless, save for the tight grip on her phone, her eyes locked onto the living room.

From the darkness of the living room, eerie creaking noises broke the silence. Fear overwhelmed Xiao Qiu as she held her breath, covering her mouth and nose to stifle any sound.

The noise of something heavy dragging on the floor inched closer. The door to her room began to open following this, its hinges creaking as something with cracked nails scraped across the floor tiles. Eventually, a shadowy presence became discernible in the blackness.

Her heart raced, pounding against her chest with such intensity it felt like it might burst. Trembling, Xiao Qiu activated the flashlight on her phone.

The sudden flash of light was met with a blood-curdling scream from her.

In a panic, she wrenched open the bedroom window, desperately clawing at the security bars in an attempt to escape. The downpour soaked through her nightgown, her phone slipping from her grasp and landing on the windowsill. Absorbed in her frantic efforts to break free from the bars, Xiao Qiu was oblivious to the phone still transmitting the video.

The phone’s camera captured a glimpse of the bedroom ceiling and the edge of the window. Unbeknownst to Xiao Qiu, a ghostly pale face slowly ascended outside her window, visible to those watching.

The neighbors in the chat group cried out warnings, but Xiao Qiu, trembling, turned back towards the room.

Her face was twisted in absolute terror, as if she had laid eyes on something horrifying. Her mouth opened as if to scream, but before any sound could escape, she was violently pulled into the darkness.

A chilling silence enveloped room 2203, and the group video fell eerily quiet.

Observing this unsettling scene, Gao Ming scrutinized each neighbor’s subtle expressions in the video call. He quickly made his way towards the living room door and noted the corpse’s ascent up the stairs, but a more disturbing realization crossed his mind.

Gao Ming had glimpsed a face outside Xiao Qiu’s window in the video. That face wasn’t Zhao Xi’s; it bore a resemblance to Wang Kuisheng from 2101.

His attention shifted away from the ‘Distant Relatives Aren’t as Good as Close Neighbors’ group chat. Gao Ming didn’t stay to watch the neighbors’ fates unfold. He recalled instances of “parents” being replaced in the past. His most alarming suspicion was that the neighbors might have been replaced by entities other than themselves, turning them into “ghosts,” with him being the sole exception.

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