Chapter 12: The Chill of Room 444

Along the dimly lit corridor, Ogiwara Tai crept forward, each step carefully placed to avoid the slightest sound.

A prolonged power outage had plunged the entire dormitory into darkness, devoid of any artificial light.

Even with the faint moonlight filtering in from either end of the hallway, barely enough to discern his path, Ogiwara Tai found every step a struggle.

While the pervasive darkness was unsettling, an inexplicable chill, seeping in from an unknown source, tormented him far more.

Despite the absence of a breeze, a bone-deep cold relentlessly burrowed into his very marrow, making him tremble uncontrollably.

“Boss…” Koda Hikari’s voice trembled, “I… I’m freezing…”

“Quiet,” Ogiwara Tai hissed, not bothering to turn his head. “Bear with it. We just need to find a room and hide.”

From behind, he heard his subordinate emit a series of muffled sounds, as if utterly frozen.

They soon chose a room near the stairwell, reasoning that its location would facilitate an easy escape later.

Ogiwara Tai glanced at the room number, 444, but didn’t hesitate for long before pushing the door inward.

“Gak-gak-gak—”

The rusty hinges shrieked like grinding teeth, startling both of them into a jump.

‘Damn it, did that attract anything?’

Ogiwara Tai and Koda Hikari exchanged a look, neither daring to enter the room immediately.

They waited for a considerable moment. Only after confirming nothing was approaching did a sliver of relief wash over them.

Ogiwara Tai activated his phone’s flashlight and swept the beam into the room.

Surprisingly, the room was fully furnished.

Two single beds, white mattresses, a wooden desk, a bookshelf—a standard double room. It was evident that considerable expense had gone into its construction.

However, due to the prolonged absence of occupants, a thick layer of dust now covered everything.

They stepped inside, moving at a snail’s pace to close the door again, then found the latch and secured it.

A wave of security washed over them.

“Whew… We should be safe in here.”

Ogiwara Tai wiped his forehead, though there was no sweat to be found.

Koda Hikari remained silent, simply shivering from the cold.

“Look at you, pathetic.”

Ogiwara Tai scoffed, reaching out to pat his shoulder. As his hand landed, he suddenly felt that Koda Hikari’s clothes were damp, soaked through with sweat.

“Huh?” Ogiwara Tai asked, perplexed. “Aren’t you cold? Why are you sweating?”

“I… I’m not sweating?” Koda Hikari stammered. “I just feel… my back is clammy… Boss, could you check it for me?”

Ogiwara Tai switched on his phone’s light and aimed it.

The next instant, his expression morphed from confusion to sheer terror. On Koda Hikari’s back, a human-like protrusion had appeared beneath his shirt.

The moment the light hit it, the protrusion twisted, then seemed to stretch into a grin.

“Ah—”

Ogiwara Tai recoiled sharply, his heart hammering in his chest. Yet, when he dared to look again, the face on Koda Hikari’s back was gone, leaving only the ordinary school uniform.

“Boss, what’s wrong?” Koda Hikari asked, turning his head at Ogiwara Tai’s abnormal reaction.

“I… I just…”

Ogiwara Tai’s mind reeled, unable to formulate an explanation. He rubbed his face vigorously, then scrutinized Koda Hikari’s back multiple times, forcing himself to believe it was merely an illusion.

“It’s nothing. There’s nothing on your back.”

“Oh.” Koda Hikari said, bewildered. “I suddenly don’t feel cold anymore. How strange.”

“Not cold?”

“Yeah, it just suddenly went away.” Seeing the atmosphere grow heavy, Koda Hikari tried to lighten the mood. “Heh heh, it’s weird to say, but when we were walking over, my back felt so cold, like I was carrying a corpse.”

“Don’t you dare talk nonsense…”

Ogiwara Tai’s face had turned ghastly pale. He spun around and sat on one of the beds, desperately trying to erase the recent image from his mind.

Koda Hikari sat opposite him. After a moment of thought, he spoke again.

“Boss, I actually asked around about this dorm building earlier today. They say something really terrible happened here.”

“I’ve heard bits too. Something about a girl, I think, but I don’t know the specifics.”

“I know! They say she was a rich young lady who got pregnant by a scumbag. She was too scared of her family finding out to go to the hospital for an abortion. Her belly just kept growing, and then one day, while she was in the restroom, she just… gave birth! Wow… and then, afraid of being discovered, she actually drowned the baby, chopped it up, and flushed it down the toilet!”

“Uh…”

“Later, for some reason, that girl apparently dreamt every night of a baby wanting to play with her. It terrified her so much she couldn’t sleep. Then one day, while she was in the restroom, she was scared to death! It was after she died that the entire dorm building started…”

“Enough! Shut up, don’t say another word!”

Ogiwara Tai rose and headed for the restroom.

“Boss, you…”

“I need to pee!”

Ogiwara Tai slammed the door shut.

“Whew…”

Anyone would feel a little unnerved after hearing such a chilling story. Ogiwara Tai took several deep breaths, gradually calming his racing heart.

He placed his phone horizontally on the sink, activated the light, located the toilet, aimed, and relieved himself.

After finishing, he habitually pressed the flush handle. Unexpectedly, the toilet, in a dormitory that should have had its water shut off long ago, still flushed. This surprised him, so he turned on the faucet.

Clear water gushed out, making him happy.

“Ha, what great luck! This room actually has water!”

He placed his hands under the faucet to wash them. The icy water felt as if it were piercing his bones, making his hands numb.

“Huh? Why won’t it turn off?”

Ogiwara Tai tried to close the faucet after washing, but it seemed broken, refusing to respond to any attempts to turn it off or on. The gushing sound of water grew louder, and Ogiwara Tai’s heart pounded faster and faster.

“Gurgle…”

But after a moment, the steadily increasing water flow gradually diminished, then stopped altogether. Just as he let out a sigh of relief, the now dry faucet began to drip again.

This time, however, it wasn’t clear water but a thick, putrid black substance. The smell made Ogiwara Tai want to vomit; it was a stench he had never encountered before.

Mustering his courage, he shone the light on it, his face instantly turning deathly pale. The foul black liquid was blood mixed with strands of hair, bubbling out of the faucet.

The sink drain quickly clogged, and the black, putrid blood overflowed, splashing onto his feet.

“Gurgle… gurgle…”

Ogiwara Tai abruptly looked down, only to see strands of hair emerging from the floor drain. The hairs writhed as if alive, rapidly spreading across the entire floor.

“Uh… uh…”

Ogiwara Tai tried to scream, but his throat felt as if something were blocking it. He wanted to run, but his legs were tightly ensnared by the black hair.

“Gurgle… gurgle gurgle…”

At that moment, bubbling sounds also emanated from the toilet on his left, as if something was climbing out of the sewer.

Ogiwara Tai bit down hard on his lip, desperately telling himself to stay calm. He was terrified, too terrified to turn his head.

So, he raised his phone, his hand trembling, and pointed the camera at the toilet. He snapped several photos, then opened his album.

The first photo: the toilet was normal.

The second: black hair and liquid splattered.

The third: some dark, shadowy thing extended out.

The fourth… was a grotesquely swollen human head smiling directly at him!

“Ah…”

Ogiwara Tai suddenly felt a chill run down his spine, as if something had draped itself over his shoulders. It was heavy, as heavy as a human hand. He dared not imagine what it was.

“Help… help…”

In his desperation, Ogiwara Tai found a burst of strength, managed to stand, flung open the restroom door, and burst out.

“Koda, we need to—”

His voice caught in his throat.

Before him, Koda Hikari stood frozen like a doll, eyes wide and filled with whites, mouth agape. And perched on Koda Hikari’s shoulder was a pale, blank-faced infant, smiling vacantly.

At that moment, all strength drained from Ogiwara Tai’s body. His hand went slack, and his newly bought phone clattered to the floor, blinking a few times.

Shortly after, two new messages appeared on the phone’s screen.

[Ogiwara Tai, mission failed.]

[Koda Hikari, mission failed.]

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