Chapter 3: Nightmare and Guilt

4

Seeing Caleb getting closer and closer, he even reached out, groping at the head of my bed, calling my name, asking me to help him find the shoes.

The most terrifying thing was, I saw behind him, something wet slowly crawling out of the shadows, sticking tightly to his back.

That thing slowly raised its head, eyes rolled white, mouth curled in a strange half-smile. It was a woman in a red vintage dress. Caleb seemed to sense her presence...

He became more and more terrified, crying loudly, blood tears streaming from his eye sockets. He grabbed my hand: “I died in your place.”

At the same time, the woman in the old dress on Caleb’s back squinted her eyes, making a gurgling sound in her throat: “Found it.”

Ah—

I screamed in terror. Then a blinding white light flashed before my eyes, followed by the RA’s anxious voice: “Move aside, let me do it!”

Slap!

Slap!

I felt someone slap me hard twice, then vaguely heard someone say they were going to get hot water to splash on me. I was so scared I yelled, suddenly sat up, and locked eyes with the RA, who was straddling me, his raised hand frozen in midair. Another roommate, Marcus, was holding a thermos. Seeing me wake up, he awkwardly hid the thermos behind his back.

My skin was clammy with sweat, and I could still feel the ghost of Caleb’s grip on my wrist.

“Damn it, Ethan, are you nuts?” Derek’s face was pale, full of anger.

I was at a loss.

The RA came over, stared at me for a long time: “You almost strangled Aubrey just now.”

“No way,” I said, only to realize I was already out of bed. Aubrey and Derek’s bunks were a mess, the curtain torn down.

The whole room was in chaos. Aubrey had her back to me, crying nonstop, her clothes torn in several places, two red marks on her neck.

“What the hell, are you crazy?” Derek cursed through gritted teeth.

My hands shook. I couldn’t meet anyone’s eyes. What if I really had…?

I... did I do this? I could hardly believe it.

“Get out,” Derek glared at me resentfully, then helped Aubrey off the bed, slammed the door, and left.

I vaguely saw that when Aubrey left, she was wearing those old-fashioned red heels.