Cursed Memories: The List of Doom - Chapter 1
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Chapter 1: Midnight Rendezvous
[Translation By Divinity]
In the heart of the city, a winding river, like an ancient thread of fate, divides the bustling metropolis in two.
The north bank is the brightly lit new district, while the south city is the old town, forgotten by time. The streets of the old town are narrow and winding, lined with mottled brick walls and rickety wooden windows. It’s as if every stone, every tile carries countless stories and secrets.
Lu Cheng is a reporter for the TV station “[Case First Time]” and his girlfriend Su Wanqing works at an orphanage.
They live in this time-forgotten corner, sparsely populated with narrow, winding streets.
On Sunday night, the tranquility of the old town is broken by the occasional barking of dogs. Moonlight filters through the sparse clouds, spilling onto the bluestone road and casting mottled shadows.
Su Wanqing is busy at home, her figure appearing particularly gentle under the dim light. Lu Cheng, on the other hand, is sitting in front of the computer, his fingers flying across the keyboard to meet Monday’s deadline.
Ding-dong…!
Lu Cheng’s phone suddenly vibrates, and a message pops up on the screen: “See you at midnight!”
Lu Cheng frowns slightly, his face full of questions. He picks up his phone.
Suddenly, a blood-soaked mask appears on the phone screen! Blood drips slowly from the edge of the mask, splattering on the screen and forming blood flowers. The realistic effect almost makes one smell the blood.
The material of the mask seems to be some kind of ancient leather, the surface covered with a layer of dried blood. The blood stains appear particularly glaring under the dim screen light, as if still slowly dripping. The eye parts of the mask are two empty holes, deep and dark, as if able to devour everything.
The mouth of the mask opens, revealing sharp teeth, each tooth like a sharp dagger, stained with blood. That mouth seems to be screaming silently, yet also seems to be mocking something. The entire mask exudes a suffocating chill, as if it were not just an image, but a living being, staring at Lu Cheng and Su Wanqing through the screen.
The blood stains on the mask suddenly begin to flicker, with pale white characters written on it: “Vengeful spirit seeks revenge, see you at midnight!” Those characters are twisted and strange, as if from the hand of a madman, more like a curse full of malice.
Lu Cheng feels a chill rise from his spine, knowing this is no ordinary prank. He tries to turn off his phone, but at this moment, every button is unresponsive.
Suddenly, a woman’s scream tears through the silence of the night, the sound sharp and shrill, like a wail from the depths of hell. It pierces the heart. Su Wanqing is so frightened by the sudden sound that her hand trembles, and the bowl in her hand falls to the ground with a “crack,” shattering into pieces.
Lu Cheng is also startled by the sound, his heart racing, but he immediately realizes he has to find the source of the sound. He looks around, his eyes finally locking onto the computer speakers in front of him. The sound is actually coming from here.
“Wanqing, don’t be afraid, the sound is coming from the speakers,” Lu Cheng tries to keep his voice calm.
Su Wanqing tightly grips Lu Cheng’s arm, her face pale, her eyes filled with fear. “This… what on earth is going on?”
Lu Cheng shakes his head, he doesn’t know the answer either. He tries to shut down the computer, but just then, his phone suddenly goes black.
The woman’s screams stop abruptly, replaced by a low and terrifying whisper, slowly emanating from the speakers: “Tonight at the stroke of midnight, the evil spirit appears!”
With the woman’s screams abruptly stopping, the room falls into an eerie silence. Lu Cheng and Su Wanqing stand there, their breathing rapid and irregular, as if they had just woken up from a nightmare. Their eyes are filled with confusion and fear, unable to distinguish reality from illusion for a moment.
Lu Cheng’s fingers tremble slightly as he tries to regain his composure, but the fear in his heart surges like a tide, difficult to calm. He looks around, everything in the room seems unusually unfamiliar, as if every wall, every piece of furniture hides unknown secrets.
Su Wanqing clung tightly to Lu Cheng’s arm, her body still trembling slightly, the fear in her eyes as deep and unfathomable as an abyss. “Lu Cheng, what was that?” Her voice was tearful, clearly not yet recovered from the terrifying scene.
Lu Cheng gently patted Su Wanqing’s shoulder, trying to dispel her fear with his warmth. “Wanqing, it’s alright. It was just a prank, or some kind of technical glitch.” His voice was soft but firm, trying to convey a sense of security to her.
Su Wanqing looked up, her eyes still flickering with fear, but Lu Cheng’s comfort gave her a sense of relief. “Really? That sound… it was so real, I…”
“I know, I know,” Lu Cheng interrupted her, his eyes full of understanding. “But look, everything is calm now. Let’s watch some TV and take your mind off of it.”
Lu Cheng quickly walked to the TV, turned it on, and randomly switched to an entertainment variety show that was playing. The cheerful music and the host’s laughter immediately filled the room, the lighthearted atmosphere a stark contrast to the previous horror.
Su Wanqing’s tension gradually eased, and she began to be drawn in by the show on TV. Laughter and applause filled the room, as if dispelling all the terror. Lu Cheng sat beside her, brought her some snacks, and tried to help her fully relax.
As the night deepened, Su Wanqing, in Lu Cheng’s warm embrace, finally let go of her tense nerves. Exhaustion washed over her like a tide, and her eyelids began to droop involuntarily. Lu Cheng softly coaxed her to sleep, tucked her in, and made sure she could sleep peacefully.
After confirming that Su Wanqing was sound asleep, Lu Cheng gently closed the bedroom door and went to the balcony alone. The night air carried a hint of coolness. He lit a cigarette and took a deep drag, the smoke swirling in the night sky.
He leaned against the balcony railing, his gaze fixed on the darkness in the distance, his mind constantly replaying the terrifying scene from earlier. The woman’s screams, the blood-soaked mask – all of it left him confused and uneasy. The most puzzling thing was the mysterious whisper, “Tonight at the stroke of midnight, the evil spirit appears!”
Lu Cheng finished his last cigarette, took a deep breath of the cool night air, trying to calm his unease. Then he turned back to the living room, his eyes inadvertently glancing at the clock on the wall. The hands were already pointing to half-past eleven.
He gently pressed the power button on the TV remote, the light and noise on the screen abruptly ceasing, as if swallowed by a black hole. The room was instantly enveloped in an eerie silence. Lu Cheng looked around, the living room lights were dim and gloomy, the outlines of the furniture distorted and deformed in the darkness, as if hiding unknown shadows.
Lu Cheng slowly walked towards the bedroom, each step feeling heavy. He gently pushed open the bedroom door and saw Su Wanqing fast asleep, her breathing even and deep, seemingly completely free from the fear she had felt earlier. Moonlight filtered through the gap in the curtains, falling on her face, making her look particularly serene.
He paused at the bedroom threshold, gazing at the sleeping Su Wanqing. He knew deep down that even though Su Wanqing was now peacefully asleep, her heart might still be haunted by the specter of fear.
He softly stepped into the room, as if afraid to disturb the peace in the air. Lu Cheng gently lay down on the bed, closing his eyes tightly, trying to fall asleep quickly. However, his heart, as if pulled by an invisible thread, could not escape the thrilling experience he had just had.
In the night, everything seemed so quiet, but what Lu Cheng didn’t know was that what they had experienced this night was just the beginning of the terror!