Xiaolan looked at the corridors on both sides, and still tiptoed towards the communication room. Before she had even taken a few steps there, a slight sound stopped her in place.
What filled my ears was the even sound of snoring, which was vaguely visible in the sound of rain, as if the source of the sound was far away.
Putting down her guard against intruders, she followed the sound to the small window of the communication room.
When she came in, she didn't particularly observe the appearance of the reception room. She looked through the glass at the sleeping people in the small room.
This is a down-and-out middle-aged man. His clothes have completely changed color and have been soaked by the rain. The man is curled up on a small bed next to the wall of the communication room. It smells of wet earth. This is the owner of the snoring sound.
No wonder she came here to sleep. She looked at the small bed with a little envy, remembering herself falling asleep on the toilet window sill.
He seemed to have nothing to do with the camera, Xiaolan judged, but whatever he knew, I didn't know.
After hesitating for a while, Xiaolan still didn't dare to enter the communication room directly, so she took a step closer, and although she knew that she was being unethical, she still gently knocked on the small window.
"Dong dong dong."
After three polite and quiet sounds, the man's head shook and the snoring stopped, but his sleeping face did not change, and he still looked like he was trapped in a dream.
"Dong dong dong!"
She knocked on the window a little harder, "Hello..."
Her voice was hoarse, and in the middle of the night during a thunderstorm, the regular knocks on the door and the hoarse calls made her feel that this scene was really scary.
She looked at the man and put down her hand.
Forget it, whether it's a surprise or a disappointment, I don't want to know so soon. I'll wait until the man wakes up before asking. After all, he can't leave, and neither can I.
Before I could walk away from the window, a dazzling light suddenly illuminated the dark building. In an instant, the light from the window disappeared, like a dream.
Xiaolan was still stunned by the day-like scene for that second, and then the rolling thunder came.
Like falling rocks rolling down the mountainside, thunder broke through the sky from far to near.
The last sound was like ringing near her eardrums. She was not afraid of the thunder, and was shaken all over.
The thunder of the previous one has not completely ended, and the short day has come again.
Lightning once again reflected the paleness of the entire space, but this time it was accompanied by hysterical screams.
The man woke up and was huddled next to the cot and yelling. His screams scared her so much that she subconsciously wanted to run away, but after seeing clearly the condition of the tearful man, she chose to walk towards the small door of the reception room.
There was no lock on the door, so she pushed it open and walked straight in.
The man was disheveled and the rain stains on his body were still wet. He rolled off the small bed and huddled in the corner while crying.
"sorry!"
Xiaolan raised her voice and took two steps closer.
The man pointed at her incoherently, and could faintly hear "Ghost... ghost..." in his hoarse shout.
She stamped her feet several times anxiously, then pinched the flesh on her cheeks with both hands, "I'm just like you, I'm not a ghost... I don't know anything, I want to ask you some questions... I want to ask you
some questions.”
The man calmed down a little, and his shouts gradually turned into sobs.
Maybe it's because she seems to be alive no matter how you look at her, or maybe it's the way she dresses that makes the man think he has found a companion.
After seeing the man's gaze on her change from fear to suspicion, she took two more steps forward.
"This school, I used to study here. Do you know why it became like this?"
She was afraid that men wouldn't understand, so she combined it with rich body language.
The man stopped crying and looked at her suspiciously.
He staggered up while holding on to the ground, still not daring to get even half a step closer to her.
"I don't know anything..." His eyes showed that he was still doubting her identity, "I just come in to hide when it rains, and I will leave when the rain stops. If you have any questions, ask others."
"I have no one else to ask. I waited all afternoon and only waited for you."
His hands were drooped to his sides again. As expected, he was not the owner of the camera, nor was he an insider.
She was very disappointed. Although she was prepared for disappointment, she still felt empty and uncomfortable when she was really disappointed.
And it also scared people awake. She thought, she really shouldn't be so hasty and made such a mess.
"You...what are you waiting for?" He saw the girl's annoyance and disappointment, and was almost sure that the person in front of him was a real person. "Are you waiting here? All afternoon?"
She nodded, "I want to know about school and what happened in school. I can't even remember it."
Seeing the confusion in her eyes, the man stood up and patted the dust. The wet and dirty clothes rolled around on the ground and became even dirtier. He patted the dirt off his palms in embarrassment.
"How old are you? Did your parents ask you to come?"
"I don't know where they are, I'm going to start looking for them from here."
Xiaolan returned to that dazed state again.
The man cleared his throat, "I've heard about the school, but I only know a little bit..." Seeing her eyes suddenly brighten, the man finally straightened his back, lowered his face and looked directly at her,
"But first tell me why you, the child, lied and why did you ask about the school?"
"I..." She froze on the spot, her mind filled with confusion, "I didn't... I really can't find my parents. How did I lie to you..."
The man's eyes became sharp, watching her every move.
"You said you studied here. This school closed down after the accident five years ago. How could you, a girl of thirteen or fourteen years old at most, be in junior high school five years ago?"
Five years ago? Something happened?
She frowned.
She has not considered this possibility. If she only looks so old, is what happened five years ago really related to her? Why would she be curious about the existence here and come here directly?
Seeing her lost in thought, the man became wary again.
Although the little girl in front of him looked thin and cute, he could not forget the moment he was woken up by the thunder, the feeling of a pale and dull face suddenly appearing in front of him, and the feeling of this school girl.
Legend has it that everything seems so vague and real, so you can't be careless.
The man moved little by little along the corner, trying to bypass her and leave the room.
"If you run away from home to play, you'd better go home to your parents as soon as possible. If you have any problems, your parents will solve them for you..."
He shuddered on the spot, "If you were anything else, I...I wouldn't be afraid of you! I've never done anything wrong, and I don't have any abilities. If you want to find me, don't find me..."
The brief light came again, and the momentary daylight in the room brought Xiaolan from her thoughts into reality, and she quickly blocked the man's way.
"Uncle, what happened five years ago?"
The man was frightened by her sudden move and took two steps back. Looking at her anxious and confused look, he wondered how he could doubt a teenage girl. If the child was not worried that he was a bad person, why should he be worried that the child was plotting something evil?
"You... why are you so curious about what happened five years ago? You should tell the truth to your uncle first."
"I want to find my parents," she retracted her hands that blocked the man's path, opened her eyes wide, and looked up at him, "What happened five years ago might have something to do with my parents. Uncle, can you tell me?"
Told a little lie.
Her eyes flickered a little, but in the dark night, such lies were difficult to detect.
The air was filled with the smell of ozone after the rain, like the smell of memories surrounding the two of them. The rain outside the window was still falling, but the rain in the house stopped.
The man stared at her for a long time, finally relaxed his body, sat down on the ground, and waved to her to sit next to him.
"I won't ask any more questions. As a little girl, you must have a reason to do this." The man spread his coat on the ground and motioned for her to sit on it. "I haven't been here long, and I have heard about everything before.
, I only know a rough idea.”
Xiaolan nodded.
The man's clothes were damp and soft, and had the same earthy smell as the man's body. It was different from the earthy smell in the rain. It was not a fishy earthy smell, but a deeper earthy smell, the smell of plant roots.
"What I heard is also a story that has been passed on several times by others. I don't know if it is true or not," the man cleared his throat and began to tell. This chapter has been completed!