“Everyone’s death is related to him?” Gao Ming rembered the manor owner’s stories. “What has he done to you?”
“First, he hid inside this doll, this doll my Mom made .” The girl looked pained, “I discovered him when Brother was unconscious. He acted so fun and pitiful, like a kind lost soul. I befriended him. When I slept at night, I placed him beside my pillow. I sang to him and played with him. However, I didn’t think he’d be so inhumane!” The girl couldn’t cry anymore. Her face cracked to reveal traces of blood. “When I was asleep, he took over my body to wander around the house at night to do so scary things. When it was almost dawn, he’d return to my room and pretend like nothing happened.
“Strange things kept happening around the manor at night. The at went missing, the pet goldfish was killed, the chimney in the kitchen beca stuck, and the fireplace in the guestroom would go out.
“He was careful when he took over my body, but he was still exposed one week later.
“There were not that many guests around the winter. That day, we happened to have a group of hikers as guests. One of them had to use the kitchen to boil so water at night. He saw exit the basent with a knife.
“His scream woke up. I didn’t know why I had left my bed and standing in the kitchen with a knife. The other guests and my family rushed into the kitchen. They looked at like I was a stranger. I could never forget the looks on their faces.” The girl’s voice was heartbreaking. “After my family apologised to the guests, they locked up. They didn’t bla . If anything, they scolded Brother.
“From that day onwards, Brother always looked at with guilt. Mom and Dad beca hollow and malnourished. They often ca to chat with and ask the sa questions again and again. At first, I didn’t get it. Then, I understood they wanted to confirm if I were still the sa person.
“As ti passed, my period of sentience beca shorter and shorter. I knew it was the thing inside the doll. I interrogated him, but he stopped talking to . I was scared. I knew that evil thing must be planning sothing.
“I shared everything with my family. The thing inside the doll disappeared because Mom and Dad found the solution among the things left behind by Grandfather. That thing could only control my body after I was asleep. They planned to seal him back into the doll.
“One day a week later, Mom, Dad and Brother conducted a ritual on the fourth floor. They fed sleeping pills. Everything was ready. However, when midnight ca, and the ritual had to start, I was woken up by pinpricks of pain.
“My limbs were tied to the bed. I struggled and scread. However, my family thought I was acting. The ritual continued. I saw the silhouette of a door on the wall. The strange patterns seed to crawl onto my body. As my family fed their blood to the door, strange voices ca from the red door. Dad threw live sacrifice into the door. My consciousness was drawn away from my body into the door.
“It didn’t matter how hard I scread. I could only see myself being sent into the doll. The crying doll looked at my body, but my real face was smiling. The thing behind the door was waiting for that day. Everything he did was to swap bodies with , from the initial contact to the purposeful exposure. The weaknesses he exhibited were just a show.
“He was already there when I ate the sleeping pills. He hid a small needle underneath my tongue. It was to wake up when the ritual began.
“When I was locked up, my parents ca to talk to . They didn’t realise that sotis I was asleep, and they were talking to him. He purposely copied how I cried and scread to desensitise my parents. That way, he would be able to make sure my parents would push through when it ca to the real ritual.”
The blood mixed with the snow. It was cold and eye-catching. The snow under the girl was dyed red.
“After the ritual ended, the monster took over my body. My body, which was inside the doll, was shredded by Dad and hidden in the pine forest. The mountain was there to suppress my soul.
“That was just the beginning. The monster who replaced would co to the mountains occasionally to find and tell about things that had happened to my family. He’d threaten to cooperate with him, or he’d kill everyone.
“Of course, I didn’t agree. I already knew by then that no matter which choice I made, the monster would kill all of my family.
“Soon, Mom went insane and was locked up on the fourth floor. The group of hikers got into an accident.
“Dad refused to give up. The man who was so gentle swore to fight those things to the bitter end. He sealed up the fourth floor and used everything Grandfather left behind to destroy that door.
“Only Brother remained at the manor. My poor Brother took on all the guilt. He lived in bla and sha. His mind started to fracture. He started to hate ‘doors’ and ‘windows’. The sound of chopping ca every day from the manor. The doors were chopped down, and the windows were destroyed. I was worried about him, but I was trapped in the pine forest.”
The girl’s story was completely different from the one Gao Ming was told. However, her description and the manor owner’s description of the Brother was similar.
“I’ve encountered these scapegoat-type ghosts in my nightmares before. Most of them… live in the shadows. Is the world behind the door the shadows?” Gao Ming shook his head and focused on the girl. “Where did your Brother go in the end? Was he captured by the snowman?”
“I didn’t see my Brother leave the manor. He should still be in there!” The girl said confidently.
“Other than four rooms, we’ve checked the entire place. Your brother should be hidden in one of the rooms.” Gao Ming had more confidence in the plan that night. He looked at the girl. “One last question. Can you enter the manor with ?”
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