“Ha, ha... you’re joking, right?” I obviously didn't take him seriously. Ren Xing had clearly developed a habit of verbally toying with me, but it was still quite awkward. If it were someone I knew better, I would have lost my temper, but as it happened, we weren't close, and I still owed him money.
While I was busy laughing it off, Ren Xing shuffled over in his slippers. I thought he was heading to his bedroom and took a step back, but he followed, leaning in close to my T-shirt, which was damp from my hair, and took a few sniffs.
“...What is it?”
“There’s a scent on you. It smells familiar.”
“...Probably your soap?”
“No.” He looked up, meeting my eyes with a dead-serious expression. “It’s the fragrance of a woman.”
WTF!
He tapped his head and muttered to himself, “No wonder they’d be lured.” Shaking his head, he closed his bedroom door, seemingly intending to go to sleep on his own.
I stuck my foot out to block the door. “Wait! Officer Ren, explain yourself! Make it clear!”
Ren Xing looked bleary-eyed with sleep. “You have a scent on you. It’s incredibly alluring.”
Dammit!
I sniffed myself all over but couldn't smell a thing! And you don't look 'allured' in the slightest, hey!
Just as I was grumbling internally, Ren Xing suddenly clamped a hand onto my shoulder and hauled me into his bedroom. The door slammed shut behind me with a bang. In the darkness, Ren Xing pressed against my shoulder, pinning me to the door, his breathing heavy.
Now he looked the part... like he was stirred up by some temptation! But honestly, the sleepy-faced People’s Police officer from a moment ago was much better!
In a situation like this, I was naturally prepared to struggle with all my might to protect my dignity, but Ren Xing hissed a "shh" and immediately let go of me. He then reached out and grabbed a heavy iron cross from the desk. Finding me in his way, he shoved me aside. After appearing to steel himself mentally, he cautiously opened the door just a crack. Light filtered in from outside. I began to realize that Ren Xing must have seen something just now to react so suddenly.
*What’s out there?* I pointed toward the door, questioning him silently.
Ren Xing held his breath, peering through the gap in the door.
The light coming through the crack was shifting—flickering once, then again, blocked by dark shadows. It felt as though many people were pacing back and forth outside.
Ren Xing gently closed the door and latched the lock. He pulled me back a few steps, staring at the gap beneath the door. A partial silhouette approached our room, getting closer and closer until it stopped right outside. Since the lights were off in the room, the shape of the body leaking through the bottom of the door was swallowed by the darkness. Then, the latch rattled, turning very slowly. Someone was trying to open the door from the outside.
My skin crawled. I grabbed Ren Xing’s arm, trembling. Ren Xing gripped the sharp, heavy cross tightly. He whispered to me, “Open the window. There’s a tree outside; climb down.”
“What about you?”
“I’ll hold them off for a bit before I leave.”
I looked at his rather inadequate weapon. “What if you can’t?”
Ren Xing gave me a push. “They’re coming for you. They shouldn't have much interest in me.”
My palms, clutching his arm, were slick with cold sweat. I turned to look out the window. Outside, the shadows of tree branches slanted across the view; the moonlight was dim and murky, casting an ominous feeling over everything. Fortunately, cars were passing by on the road outside the residential area; it seemed as though the bright lights and bustle of modern life were only an arm's length away. Specifically, when headlights swept past the window, they left moving blocks of light on the bedroom walls...
As I pressed closer to Ren Xing, the sound of the doorknob turning became frantic. Ren Xing hissed at me soundlessly, *“Why haven't you left yet?”*
I stared at the patches of light projected onto the wall. I wanted to cry, but the tears wouldn't come...
I could only hug Ren Xing and force him to look back.
On the wall illuminated by the occasional beam of light, there were many shadows.
They were shorter than us, with round heads and limbs—dull, stiff, like precise copies of the same shape.
They were packed densely together, crowding all four walls of this cramped bedroom.
Yet, the room was empty.
For some reason, I felt gazes directed at us from those hollow heads.
There were more on the tree trunk outside the window.
They were watching us.
“What the hell are these things!” Ren Xing roared, reaching for the light switch. It was too late for me to stop him!
The instant he turned on the light, I felt as if a thousand arms were tearing at me, slamming me heavily to the floor. I was pinned down by countless hands; they clawed at me wildly, shredding my clothes to pieces with ease! Then the pain began—tiny gashes erupted all over my body, seeping blood. In just a few seconds, I was covered in red!
Ren Xing looked at me, completely at a loss, because there was no one around me; he could only see me rolling on the floor alone! His face went pale as he rushed over to pull me into his arms, trying to shield me, but he couldn't stop those invisible things from hurting me. I screamed at him to turn off the light because I saw on the opposite wall that our shadows had long been surrounded by a swarm of frenzied claws. Countless ghostly figures were pressed upon our shadows, forming a horrifying mountain of corpses, with terrifying talons flailing at the edges.
Ren Xing stumbled up to turn off the light, but the fluorescent tube was completely out of control!
By this point, I was numb with pain, almost unable to feel any new wounds, until Ren Xing suddenly cried out and lunged forward to cover my stomach. I saw blood spraying out from between his fingers! Simultaneously, countless hands tore open my wounds, reaching inside, violently churning through my internal organs!
They wanted my heart too!
I realized that at this rate, I would be torn to shreds in less than ten seconds.
And in that moment, only one thought remained in my mind. One person.
Liu Wukong.
The instant I thought of my roommate, the light tube flared with a blinding brilliance. It didn't look like the light of an incandescent bulb at all; it was more like the midday summer sun. My vision went white and stinging; it took about half a minute before I regained my perception of color and light.
I lay flat on the floor, my strength entirely spent, staring at the flickering light tube that was spitting sparks. Ren Xing was looking at me. His hands were covered in blood as he knelt down, trembling, and brushed my sweat-soaked hair aside. “Hang in there, I’m calling an ambulance...”
“...No need.”
I sat up, prying his hands away from where they had been pressing down on me.
The wound on my stomach was mangled and gaping, like a hideous flower. Through the wound, one could see the smooth texture of my internal organs.
Ren Xing didn't mention the ambulance again. Neither did I.
Because my wounds were healing at a rate visible to the naked eye. After about three minutes, there was no trace left of the damage. The same was true for the other injuries on my body.
A very complex expression appeared on Ren Xing’s face, and then he looked up.
The four walls of the room were covered in black silhouettes, but the difference now was that they were no longer blurry. They were charred black, still emitting wisps of blue smoke. It seemed that in an instant, all those ghostly shadows had been scorched. Even though they had completely lost the ability to move, they remained in the positions they had held moments before—crowding over me, vying to harm me. It was enough to make one’s blood run cold.
Ren Xing slumped onto the floor, exhausted. Ignoring his blood-stained hands, he covered his face.
“What on earth are you people...”
He stared at me for a while, then went to the kitchen to get a dustpan and broom. He wiped all the ash off the walls and swept it away. I also saw him write "paint and roller" on a sticky note; it seemed he intended to repaint the walls and keep living here. I thought his mental fortitude was truly impressive. I tried to talk to him, but he ignored me.
I took another shower to wash the blood off my body. When I came out, Ren Xing was standing in the middle of the living room, staring at my phone. My phone was ringing, but I didn't go to answer it.
When I had brought my phone out tonight, it only had 10% battery left. After taking Ren Xing’s call, it had immediately shut down. A battery over a year old just doesn't last. And I hadn't remembered to charge it yet, as I didn't have my charger or USB cable with me.
So, the screen was black, yet the phone was ringing and vibrating.
I edged closer to Ren Xing. He asked me, “Not picking up?”
I shook my head. “I don't dare to.”
Ren Xing nodded and locked my phone inside the refrigerator. The sound indeed became muffled and stopped shortly after.
But I had a gut feeling this wasn't over. Sure enough, Ren Xing’s phone rang. There was no caller ID. As if to prove something, Ren Xing pulled the battery out of his phone, but it continued to ring incessantly.
His expression darkened further, but he let out a dry laugh. “Heh.”
The second phone was locked in the fridge.
Then we both looked at the landline. A second later, it rang.
“This line was disconnected ages ago. The original number is out of service.”
Ren Xing walked over and yanked out the phone cord.
The bell continued to ring—*ring, ring, ring.*
I couldn't take it anymore and rushed forward to pick it up, but Ren Xing stopped me with a look. He paused for a second, then quickly snatched up the receiver. “Who the hell are you? What do you want?”
There was no response from the other end.
It was just a landline with no battery, no cord, and an out-of-service number.
Cold and devoid of life.
He turned back to look at me.
He was the type of man who looked quite refined, with a scholarly air about his features, but because of his intentional coldness, he appeared very stern and intimidating. Facing the deep distrust in his eyes, I had no choice. He was right; I had hidden many things from him, and though he wanted to help me, I kept dragging him into the depths. I felt I had truly wronged him.
“Officer Ren. There are some things I need to tell you.”
That night, Ren Xing didn't make me sleep on the sofa after all; he chased me into the bed.
“I won't do anything to you,” he said, while looking out the window.
Tonight, the cats and dogs in the neighborhood were caterwauling restlessly in heat. Ren Xing walked over, closed the window, and pulled the curtains shut, completely blocking out any trace of light. Then, the two of us lay together under the quiet, cold breeze of the air conditioner.
“You said things like this have happened before.”
“...Yes.”
“They are very interested in your heart. That’s why you showed up at the hospital.”
“...Mm.”
“Do you know why?”
“...No.”
“The one who just stepped in to save you—you believe it was your roommate.”
“It had to be. He’s very capable.”
“I still maintain my usual opinion of your roommate. Regarding a creature like that, don't go rushing toward him, alright? It’s better to be cautious.”
I stopped speaking, merely staring toward the window through the darkness. I felt that my roommate must be nearby, and what others thought didn't matter. I knew he could protect me, and that he was the only one who *could* protect me. What else was there for me to say? What else could anyone else say?
I felt like crying. The sound of the breathing next to my pillow did not belong to my roommate.
***
Enjoying the story? Rate this novel:
My Roommate is a Non-Human | Chapter 15 | Charred Shadows | Novela.app | Novela.app
