Tales of Aegiceras: Cave in

9. The Night Watchman (9)

Translator: Superbomb

“What’s that?” Sun Zheng managed to stabilize his voice.
At this moment, they were standing at the foot of the staircase on the 4th floor. Facing the dark, unknown 4th floor, they could still sense the chilling aura of the 5th floor wafting down the winding staircase.
“A rhythmic… sound,” Lu Xia answered with difficulty.

“Click.”
“Click.”
“Click.”

For the first time, Sun Zheng took the initiative to hold Lu Xia’s hand tightly.
“The sound came from the 4th floor,” Lu Xia added.
Was there anyone else?
It suddenly occurred to Sun Zheng.
‘Is anybody there?’ He wanted to ask.
Was it even… human?
Sun Zheng was so nervous that he could not even open his mouth to raise any questions.
“No matter what it is, let’s keep running!” Lu Xia could not stand the extremely regular sounds anymore. It sounded like metal colliding, and it would disappear for a moment before ringing out again.
He turned around and was about to pull Sun Zheng downstairs.
“Wait! It’s the elevator!” Sun Zheng couldn’t help but cry out.
It was the elevator!
The elevator?

“Click!”

The elevator doors slid close.

“Click!”

They touched something, which was kind of soft.

“Click!”

The elevator doors opened and closed automatically again.

“Click!”

They touched that soft object again…

“Click.”

The elevator doors kept opening and closing as if they would never stop!

Sun Zheng recalled the “ding”.
The elevator stopped on the 4th floor.
Something stopped its doors from closing.
Sun Zheng felt Lu Xia was clasping his hand hard.
As if saying “Trust me”.

Zhang told Mao that he heard a ‘ding’.
Mao saw a handful of hair in front of the stuck elevator.
Zhang went downstairs while Mao went upstairs for the routine inspection.

Sun Zheng stopped him when Lu Xia was about to drag him down the stairs. “Wait!”

“Click!”
While the elevator doors were still opening and closing, another sound rang out in the darkness.
The sound of footsteps from someone else!!
He was walking step by step, slowly but firmly, on the stairs.
Sun Zheng and Lu Xia got their hairs on the back prickled with fear in an instant!
Zhang Bing returned from his inspection. Feeling tired, he plodded along, shaking the dead torch in his hand.
Step by step, he went upstairs.
“Zhang, that Zhang is here!” Sun Zheng exclaimed.
Instantly, intuition defeated his rationality.
“Come here!” Lu Xia immediately pulled Sun Zheng to the corridor on the 4th floor.
They must not pass the elevator, nor be overtaken by the footsteps below.
When Lu Xia turned on the torch, Sun Zheng was dazzled by the sudden light from it.
They must be extra cautious the moment the torch was turned on or off!
“We can’t stop!”
Zhang seemed to have stepped on the last step of the staircase leading to the 4th floor with the sound of his footsteps echoing throughout the corridor!
Sun Zheng felt a chill rise from his heart.
“Here! TCM Department! Acupuncture and Massage!” Lu Xia shouted excitedly and kicked open the door with yellow paint on the right.
In the torchlight, Sun Zheng saw the signage on the door: TCM Department. Acupuncture and Massage.
It was a relatively safe office where the walls were covered with human acupoint maps and traditional Chinese medicine posters.
As soon as they walked in, a smell of medicinal herbs rushed into their nostrils.
Sun Zheng turned around and pressed against the door, sensing a gust of chilly wind scratching his face.
It seemed they were safe now.
No… No…
Something wasn’t right!
The relatively safe places on the 4th floor were the transfusion room and the TCM Department.
On the floor plan… they were on the right side of the elevator.
The two of them had come down from the left side of the elevator… Sun Zheng was a hundred percent certain that they didn’t pass the elevator.
However, on the door, it was clearly indicated “TCM department: Acupuncture and Massage”!