When Lin Sanjiu frenziedly slashed the human-shaped standee with her vibroblade, Douglas's words echoed in her mind.
"This world is named after a horror story... so, it's probably related to urban legends or something."
The standee, no longer resembling anything human, lay in tatters. Shreds of cardboard floated in the air, remnants of the destroyed standee. Gasping for air, Lin Sanjiu stored her vibroblade with trembling hands.
Her heart raced as she tried to calm herself.
"Look, it turned to shreds without any resistance. There is nothing scary—"
She repeated these words to herself, but she couldn't stay in the store any longer. Avoiding the pile of shredded cardboard, Lin Sanjiu clutched the Science and Technology Frontier magazine, skirted the shelf, and hurried out of the convenience store.
"Could dark matter animate inanimate objects?"
Glancing back at the convenience store, it appeared just as devastated as before, seemingly harmless. Her heart raced again, and the urge to explore vanished. She wanted nothing more than to return to the hotel and started sprinting back.
Though Douglas was neither family nor friend, his presence comforted Lin Sanjiu.
"Douglas!"
The second-floor corridor was as she left it: dark and silent, as if deserted. For some reason, Lin Sanjiu suddenly recalled the thin layer of dust on Douglas's doorknob, making her anxious. She raised her voice, saying, "Douglas, come out!"
A door to her left clicked open, spilling light and the sound of a video game into the corridor, revealing a different scene. Douglas, puzzled, peeked out, "What's up? Did something happen?"
Relieved, Lin Sanjiu laughed at herself.
"So, I knocked on the wrong door. Douglas's room is 205, but I tried 207. No wonder that doorknob was dusty."
"I've found some information. Let's see if we can figure out the rules of this world," Lin Sanjiu said, holding up the magazine. Another magazine fell from her grasp; she hadn't realized she'd grabbed two in her haste to leave the store.
Inside Douglas's room, she laid the magazines on the table and opened them. The first-person shooter game on the TV was paused, the screen frozen on a gun aimed at zombies.
"Haven't you had enough of killing those things in real life? How is this still fun for you?" Lin Sanjiu couldn't grasp Douglas's enjoyment of the game. She pulled up two chairs to the table and sat down with him.
"You don't understand. The game's content is rich, especially the inventory and maps," Douglas replied offhandedly. He glanced at the article Lin Sanjiu showed him, then clicked his tongue.
"Dark matter, or as this article calls it, dark energy, will corrode everything in this world..." He rubbed his chin, his stubble nearly as long as his hair. "This world is Kisaragi Train Station... Do you think dark matter is what we usually refer to as, erm, you know... the paranormal?"
This aligned with Lin Sanjiu's initial speculation, but the idea seemed too far-fetched for her. As an atheist, she found it hard to believe in a cosmic ghost army invading this world.
"They might not have been killed," Douglas mused, seemingly unafraid. "Perhaps everyone here turned into dark matter and drifted into space."
"That's ridiculous!" Lin Sanjiu laughed, her earlier fears fading in the well-lit room's comforting atmosphere. "Have you had any strange experiences?"
YOU ARE READING
Kisaragi Station || Apocalypse Paradise #3
HorrorHer skin was warm and moist when she was alive, always with a honey-colored tan. It had only been an hour, but her body had stiffened, and her skin was pale white. At first glance, one could even imagine how cold her skin would feel. Her eyes were w...
