Peril.

险。

I stepped into the speakeasy bar, the smell of alcohol and cigarettes wafted through the air, accompanied by the shuffling sounds of mahjong against the table and the turning of cards. "How did I get here?" I thought, as I scanned through the unfamiliar surroundings. "I need to find ___"
It was weirdly quiet. No one spoke a word, they stared at the game ahead of them, playing in utter silence, which was quite an uncommon sight in our culture. No one seemed to notice that I was there either.

I ascended the stairs, curiosity taking a hold over me. There was an altar hanging on the wall. I ignored it, continuing to make my way forward. To my surprise, I found more people gambling. It was rowdy here compared to where I was just a minute ago in the main hall, there were loud chatters and clinking of beer bottles. Yet again. no one took notice of me, who clearly stood out like a sore thumb as I passed by them, each one seemingly too focused on the task at hand. I was quick to discover myself making my way towards hidden spaces, secret passageways as well as strange staircases that lead to one room after another.

As I opened the door to one of the rooms,  A shirtless man with a huge dragon tattoo on his shoulder stared up at me, eyes boring into my soul. "You shouldn't be here," He said. An intimidating look in his eyes. It was then that I noticed the same altar on the staircase hanging on the wall if this room. Fear took over me as I dashed out of the room. That was the first time someone took notice of me that night.

I ran, looking for the exit, yet I was led into room after room. I was lost in a maze and sweat slowly started to prickle down my neck, wetting the collar of my dress. Alas, I stood in front of a door, "Please take me back to the main hall." The voice in my head rang as I reached for the doorknob. The strong smell of incense filled the air instantly. An old man sat in the middle of the small space. A few people were on their knees, bowing to him. Upon closer inspection, the old man's face was distorted. He turned his head towards me. His gaze was cold and empty, which settled a bubbling feeling in my chest. Subconsciously, I made my way towards the crowd of bowing people and stood before my knees, reciting a prayer in my heart, hoping God would take me away from this hell hole. Just as I closed my eyes, A dim light circled around me , as words slowly started to appear in front of my eyes:

" Would you like to save and leave this game?" Yes/No

"Yes."

A cold breeze swifted through the air and my surroundings started to shift. Soon, I stood in front of a metal door, the word "福" was hung upside down, just as you would usually see during the Chinese New Year's celebration. An old lady stood by the door as she held my hand and led me into the room. Her hands were icy cool. She said nothing.

The scenery that unfolded behind the door was a typical old apartment, similar to that of Asian culture. It seemed like the old lady had some friends over, it was notable that they were gambling too. As the old lady lead me into another door, I looked back at them for one last time. All eyes were on me. Envy? Questioning? Was that the look in their eye?

This cycle repeated for about three times, as I went through door after door of apartments, each time having old ladies holding their hands out to me as I left. At the last pitstop, I was surprised to stumble upon a young girl, who was around my age. The young lady led me to a descending stairwell. For which she whispered in my ears : "Don't scream, just run." At that, my body seemed to have a mind of its own as my legs brought me up to my feet, running. I shut my eyes as my body descended down the stairs. I could sense the eerie voices and weird shadows casting around the walls. My heart was thumping at a rapid speed and my legs felt numb.

My legs finally gave out as I laid on the floor. I slowly blinked my eyes open to see the familiar outline of my living room. "Was I finally home?" Not quite. Bright lights and weird shadows continued to surround me, as I slowly succumbed into unconsciousness.

And with that, I woke up to my heart beating against my chest as my eyes slowly adjusted to the walls of my bedroom.