Ghost Invasion

“Save, save me, you, you tell her, all this, was, was, your plan.”

An Ming’s voice sounded more like labored breathing, with almost no strength left in them. Even after focusing, I still could only barely hear them. But the next moment, I was dumbfounded. An Qiang’s plan? That An Qiang, who couldn’t sleep at night, whose body was full of injuries? How could she, so weak and fragile, plan a murder?

“An Ming, don’t speak nonsense, what my plan?” An Qiang shouted desperately, then said, “Weiwei, whatever happened, you’re already dead. And no matter what little Ming did, he is your brother. Can you forgive him? Father already lost you; do you want him to lose little Ming too?”

I knew An Qiang was trying her best to calm An Wei.

“No! Why is it me, I don’t want to die, I can’t die! No! He that harmed me, I will definitely kill him with my own hands, kill him!” An Wei’s voice was at first hurried, but when she got to the end, her voice became very cold, without any emotion at all. Although I didn’t know what happened between them, but regarding that said about An Qiang, I was still confused. All say that a person near death would only speak kind words; how would An Ming still lie at such a time?

“An, Wei, it really, really wasn’t me! It was, was her! She told me to trick, trick you onto the rooftop, it’s her, because she loves, loves Huo Ningen deeply, so, so…… ” An Ming stuttered.

“Shut up! It’s not like that, An Wei, don’t believe him, it’s not as he says. It has nothing to do with me, really, nothing to do with me!” An Qiang’s voice was obviously hurried, and footsteps sounded above, sounding like An Qiang backing towards the door.

“She, she loves, Huo Ningen!” An Ming was making a last, desperate struggle. I closed my eyes. An Qiang’s love towards Huo Ningen was almost crazy, I knew that. Or how could any woman bear her husband sleeping with her sister-in-law in the house right in front of her eyes?

“You! Ahh…… ” An Wei screamed, her piercing voice resonating in the room, very scary. I swallowed abruptly, cold sweat dripping down, goosebumps rising from my ankles and all the way up.

“You! You must all die!” The sound of bones breaking and flesh tearing sounded, along with An Qiang’s frightened screams.

Not long after, silence elapsed. I opened my eyes slowly, thinking everything was over. But laughter appeared once again upstairs, so faint it might not be there.

“No! It has nothing to do with me, Weiwei. I didn’t do it, it has nothing to do with me!” An Qiang’s frightened voice was very small, but I still heard it clearly.

“Elder sister! Why? Tell me why?” Unexpectedly, An Wei’s voice was no longer piercing, but full of wronged and hurt. I sighed lowly. That’s right, from the the same womb; that feeling couldn’t be understood by just anyone. All say twins had a special connection, and how could this friendship be broken because of a man?

“It wasn’t me! Really, it really wasn’t me!” An Qiang denied desperately. Although I couldn’t see her face, her voice already betrayed how frightened she was.

“Elder sister.”

An Qiang started crying, mumbling almost intelligibly, “Weiwei, Weiwei, my Weiwei!”

I don’t know what An Qiang saw, but right now, her voice wasn’t as frightened, instead sounding more like nostalgia and regret. My eyes also blurred.

“Elder sister, Weiwei always trusted you. Whatever you said, Weiwei believed in it, and Weiwei never took anything that elder sister liked. Remember what Weiwei said when she was young? Weiwei will be elder sister’s Weiwei forever and ever! Tell me, tell me why is this.”

When  An Wei finished, An Qiang sobbed even louder. Banging noises sounded above me, and I guessed that was An Qiang hitting the floor. Pain! Her sobs were full of pain!

“Weiwei, elder sister was wrong, elder sister really was wrong! I shouldn’t have done that, my Weiwei! Take me away, take me away, let me stay with you for the rest of my life. I never want to separate from you again, Weiwei!”

After An Qiang stopped talking, the room above suddenly quieted, becoming silent and without a sound. I don’t know what happened inside, but felt extremely bitter and sorry, because I could hear that emotion and anguish in An Qiang’s voice.

I couldn’t imagine that to get a man, An Qiang planned and killed her twin sister, and pushed all the blame onto her brother. What kind of woman was this?

After a long time, there still wasn’t any noise upstairs. I stood up, really wanting to take a look. And this time, Huo Xiaoran didn’t stop me, but followed behind me like a human, walking up the stairs with me.

As soon as I made my way upstairs, I saw the door to the first room wide open. It was that room. I made my steps softer, a little nervous. When I got close, my heart beat faster and faster, until I peeked in the door. An Qiang was sitting on the floor, unmoving. If not for her slightly trembling back, I would have thought she was dead, too.

There was only a faint light in the room, barely enough to see anything. Seeing that An Qiang was okay, I relaxed a little, searching the room for An Ming. When I saw the pool of blood and a twisted hand by the window, I sucked in a deep breath.

Four fingers on the hand were bent upward weirdly, and the bruises on the back of the hand looked like they were caused by hitting something. When my gaze fell on the head on the ground, the eyeballs bulging so outward they looked like they might fall out rooted me in spot. Only when Huo Xiaoran’s cold hand touched my face did I come back to my senses.

I moved to the side a bit, and saw that An Ming’s head was bent to an almost impossible degree. Just by looking at his body, An Ming was sprawled on the ground, but when you look at his head, he looked more like he was lying with his back on the ground. There were many lumps on his body; if not noticing the lump on his leg pierced through his pants with red, I would not have known they were bones.

Hatred! This was An Wei’s hatred! I shook my head, feeling sorry for An Ming.

“Aunt?” I called softly, but An Qiang gave no response. She just sat there, neither crying nor screaming, her head slightly lowered, as if she was looking at something.

I walked forward a few steps, noticing that An Qiang was holding a pink card and a pocket watch. An Qiang’s tears dropped onto the card, wetting it.

The pocket watch was still working, tick-tocking it’s way forward. Only now did I see the background of the pocket watch was a picture of two identical girls laughing at each other, their smiles sweet and happy. One girl was touching the other girl’s cheek, her eyes full of love.

I knew in my heart, that that must be An Qiang and An Wei.

“Aunt…… ”

I just started speaking when An Qiang started crying and fell to the floor, mumbling: “Weiwei, my Weiwei! My Weiwei…… ” until she passed out.

With the help of Huo Xiaoran, I moved An Qiang onto the bed next door. Huo Xiaoran told me not to meddle, but she had a low fever, and I couldn’t just leave her like this! Watching Huo Xiaoran leave in a temper, I started changing wet towels for An Qiang.

When her fever finally subsided, I let out a breath. Seeing that she was still holding onto the pink card, I took it out from her fingers, only to see the signature of An Wei. I couldn’t help being a little curious, my eyes scanning upward involuntarily.

Elder sister, the person Weiwei loves the most is you. Because I know you love Huo Ningen, so this time, I was willful, I flirted with him, and lied to you: I’m not pregnant at all, that was only a willful joke.

I did all these just so I could attract your attention back to me. Since birth, I have grew up under your gaze; and without you, I don’t know how I could live on by myself. Just let me be stubborn this once; I just really wanted to know what I would look like wearing a wedding dress. The wedding with Huo Ningen was only a joke.

When you read this letter, Weiwei will already be far away. I hope you can be happy with Huo Ningen. Weiwei will learn to grow up, to be independent, learn how to live without you! When Weiwei has grown up, Weiwei will return, return and give you a real hug! Sincerely and with love, Weiwei.

My heart was heavy! Stunned, I looked at An Qiang’s face. Maybe the hurt on her body was far less than the pain in her heart! I knew, that in the end, Weiwei still couldn’t vent her hatred on An Qiang. Even though she died without closing her eyes, she still gave An Qiang the chance to live, because she still loved her.

But how would An Qiang, who planned her sister’s death herself, live the rest of her life?

Standing guard the whole night, I didn’t call 911. When An Tingren came home, I calmly told him what happened last night. Of course, An Tingren went and visited An Qiang, and An Qiang confirmed everything I said. Standing outside the door, listening to An Tingren and An Qiang’s heart-wrenching sobs, my tears also fell.

Which side hurt more? This question, probably only An Qiang knew.

“An Wei has already left, so Mu Ni and her child would be safe!” Huo Xiaoran’s voice sounded besides me. I didn’t look at him, but lowered my head and wiped away my tears.

I don’t think I saved Mu Ni, because that day, if An Wei really wanted to take their lives, I believe that no matter how hard I tried to stop her it would still be useless. The only thing to be grateful for was that An Wei still has her kind side, and left An Ming a child.

The agreement with An Tingren has been solidified, and I had no more reason to continue staying. Because of her health, An Qiang stayed behind in the An house, and there was still An Ming’s funeral for them to settle. Huo Xiaojin and I decided to leave today. Walking out the door, Huo Xiaojin kept asking what happened last night, but I didn’t mention a single word.