Chapter 24: Come Quickly—I Saved This for You

The old man was holding what turned out to be an arm—thick and sturdy, unmistakably a man’s. The forearm was gnawed away until only a sliver of skin remained, connecting the bone. Bright red blood flowed from the elbow, tracking down the white bone to the fingertips, where it dripped steadily.

"Ugh..."

Qiu Yiyao could no longer withstand the overwhelming visual shock; she leaned against the wall, doubling over as she retched. Her sound, along with the fluttering of the curtains, caught the old man’s attention. His voice turned even more sinister and terrifying: "Yiyao, are you awake?"

Although Qiu Yiyao felt that everything before her must be a dream, she cautiously pulled the curtains shut. Leaning her back against the wall, she gasped for air, only to feel the wall behind her suddenly grow ice-cold. The old man’s voice came clearly from behind the wall: "Come here, let’s eat together."

Qiu Yiyao dared not move. She felt a wave of regret—why had she been so curious?

"Wake up, hurry up and wake up."

Qiu Yiyao kept slapping her own head, even lifting her arm to bite down hard. But even though she could feel the pain and see the deep tooth marks on her arm, the horrific voice outside the window continued to assault her psychological limits.

"No, I must wake up quickly."

Qiu Yiyao scrambled onto the bed, dove under the covers, and pulled them tightly over her head. She closed her eyes, muttering, "Wake up, wake up..."

I do not know how much time passed, but the noise outside suddenly stopped. In the water vat beneath the plum tree, the frogs began to croak again. Qiu Yiyao let out a sigh of relief. She gently pulled back the quilt and looked toward the window. There was no light, only a faint moonlight shining on the curtains.

"Finally, I'm awake."

She sat up, wiped the sweat from her forehead, and climbed out of bed in the dark to get a drink of water from her desk. Suddenly, a rustling sound echoed through the room. Qiu Yiyao’s heart tightened, and she instinctively pulled back the foot she had extended. Then came a "thud"—something had slammed into the glass.

"Come here, I’ve saved some for you."

The old man’s eerie voice seemed to be right in her ear, and that chilling coldness washed over her again.

Even more terrifying, when Qiu Yiyao looked toward the window, the curtains had vanished. On the glass pane, a human leg was stuck there, unnaturally "adhered" to the surface.

"Ah!"

Qiu Yiyao screamed in terror. "No, I don't want any of it! Get away, just all go away!" She covered her ears, shaking her head frantically, screaming at the top of her lungs. It was only when the sky began to turn pale that she finally fell into an exhausted sleep.

...

Staring at the slightly yellowed ceiling, Qiu Yiyao reached out and rubbed her arm. It didn't hurt, and there were no tooth marks. It had indeed been a dream within a dream, a sequel to the previous one. She let out a bitter laugh, sat up, and dragged her heavy feet to the living room.

The house was empty, though she saw people hurrying past the front gate. A kind-hearted older woman passed by, caught sight of her, and shouted, "Someone died just up ahead, come and see!"

Someone died?

Qiu Yiyao froze. She had just had such a horrific nightmare, and now, someone had really died? And the scene seemed to be just nearby. Could it be such a coincidence?

As she was thinking, Qiu Shengming walked in from the door. Seeing her standing dazed in the middle of the living room, her thin face framed by pink pajamas and dark circles under her eyes, he felt a pang of sympathy.

"You're awake? Didn't you sleep well last night? There's porridge in the pot. I'll go serve you some; eat, then go back to bed."

Qiu Yiyao shook her head blankly. "No. Is there another case outside?"

"Yes, right at the intersection ahead."

"Another suicide?"

Qiu Shengming shook his head. "Someone was hit by a motorcycle. Grandma Wang next door saw it; she was badly frightened. The blood..." He glanced at Qiu Yiyao, seemingly afraid to upset her, and changed the subject. "Forget it. You sit down, I’ll get your porridge." As he passed her, he added, "Don't go wandering off; it's quite gruesome out there." He knew that while Qiu Yiyao was timid, once her curiosity was piqued, nothing could hold her back.

Qiu Yiyao answered him, but as soon as he went into the kitchen, she hurried out the door. Sure enough, a crowd had gathered at the nearby intersection, with an ambulance and a police car parked to the side.

People were whispering, some expressing pity, others cursing. Qiu Yiyao squeezed into the crowd. A few men in white coats were huddled together, blocking the body, but the blood on the ground was clearly visible. Nearby, a motorcycle lay on its side, its tires stained with blood.

"It's truly a tragedy. To be hit by a car here in Yueli Town... it’s the first time I’ve ever heard of such a thing."

"Why have there been so many incidents in town lately? Could it be..." The older man behind Qiu Yiyao suddenly stopped mid-sentence. An older woman next to him didn't seem to care about taboos and picked up the conversation: "You mean to say it’s cursed? That’s what I think, too. We need to find someone to take a good look at this."

"Look at what? You lot are so superstitious. I say it’s just bad luck. Why go out so early? And just happen to run into someone who likes to drive fast."

Hearing this, Qiu Yiyao thought of the driver and squeezed out of the crowd. By a shop on the side of the road, a police officer was talking to a man in a plaid shirt. The man looked nervous, nodding occasionally; he appeared to be in his forties, with dark skin and simple attire. A small crowd had gathered around them, pointing at the man and seemingly accusing him of speeding.

Qiu Yiyao walked quickly toward them.

"I didn't know he would suddenly turn out, and I wasn't even going that fast," the man said, his brow furrowed. "Sigh, what kind of mess is this? I haven't even been back for half a month and..."

The man’s eyes turned red. The onlookers were indignant. "Whatever the reason, it's wrong to kill someone with your car."

"Exactly. We’ve never had anyone killed by a car in this town before. You’ve set quite the precedent."

"Officer, you must punish him severely."

"Yes, strictly! Otherwise, if everyone starts driving fast, won't our Yueli Town fall into chaos?"

People chimed in one after another. The man continued to explain, "It’s not like that, I really wasn't speeding..." His face was full of helplessness, two tracks of tears running down his dark cheeks.

Looking at him, Qiu Yiyao felt a sudden wave of sadness. He seemed like an honest man.

The officer put away his notepad. "Alright, come with me to the station."

The man started to say something else, but another officer stepped forward, grabbing his arm tightly as if afraid he might run, and led him toward the police car. The man stopped resisting, whispering something to himself, his eyes filled with despair. As they passed by Qiu Yiyao, the man suddenly looked up at her. In that instant, a flicker of light crossed his desperate eyes: "It's you."