Plague Doctor

Chapter 117: Knocking on Window

“Big Mai: I’ve been having a very strange recurring dream for the past few nights...”

The dark sky shrouded the Eastern State. In this bustling metropolis, the people were caught in their own everyday hubbub. After a long day of work, Chen Wenwei returned to the small apartment unit he shared with others. He was the kind of person who would be lost easily in a crowd. He studied at Eastern State University, majoring in accounting. After graduation, he found work at this private company. The salary was not high, but it was grueling work.

His girlfriend of two years at university had broken up with him soon after graduation. Now, when he passed by a girl at work, they would pretend he did not exist even when he initiated conversation with them.

Chen Wenwei knew that he was not handsome, had no money, and did not know how to make girls laugh. It was little wonder he had little success with the fairer sex.

The room he rented was so small that it was full after placing a bed and a study table. The only good thing was the low rent, and it was on the 25th floor, so the view was magnificent from the small balcony. Every day after work, Chen Wenwei would half-squeeze into the cramped balcony and toyed with his phone. The flickering lights of the view both above and below the sky could take his breath and pressure away.

He was currently chatting on WeChat with his friend. This friend was his old buddy from university. He also worked in the Eastern State. They would chat whenever both of them were online. When Chen Wenwei saw this message, he replied casually in an attempt to continue the conversation.

“Wenwei: What kind of dream?”

After he finished replying to other people’s messages, he went to make himself a bowl of instant noodles. He could not remember the last time he had gone out for an actual meal. It was not easy living on his own in the big city where the cost of living was high. He earned only six thousand RMB each month. After taking out the part for rental, utilities, insurance, and the rest, he only had two thousand RMB left. And this was when he was skimping out. At the speed he was saving, he would need another decade before he could accrue the amount for the down payment for a house in his hometown. Chen Wenwei planned to return to his hometown to work. The living cost in the city was simply too high.

Actually, he should have gone back home after graduation, but since all his friends had gone off to fight for a place in the big city, he felt he should give himself a chance too. After the bowl of instant noodles was cooked, Chen Wenwei carried it back to the balcony. He slurped on the noodles as he checked his phone. Big Mai had replied with many messages.

“Big Mai: In the dream, I was abandoned at a place like a lost island. There was a strange voice calling me forward. It was very strange. It felt like a lucid dream, but I couldn’t control anything. Eventually, I reached a big mansion. There was a strange-looking old man standing outside it, and then I wake up.

“Big Mai: After having this dream a few days ago, it kept repeating every night, and I realized every time I woke up from the dream, it would be at 3 am sharp...

“Big Mai: I have not watched any horror movies recently. All I could think of was the fact that I read a forum thread about strange dreams online, and it appears to have infected me.

“Big Mai: Oh right, after I wake up, I can hear the sound of someone knocking outside the window. It’s truly terrifying.”

Chen Wenwei slurped the noodles into his mouth. He typed a sarcastic reply. ‘Right, I’m sure that’s true.’

He was about to hit send when he stopped himself. Something reminded him that Big Mai was not the kind of person to play pranks like this. He deleted the message and instead sent, “For real? I’m sure it’s just the pressure getting to you. Things must be getting busy at work.”

His phone vibrated. A new message had arrived.

“Big Mai: Perhaps. Sigh, it’s true that I have not been feeling well lately. I probably need to go to the hospital to get some sleeping pills prescription.”

If things were that serious, Chen Wenwei knew it was not the time to joke anymore. He replied, “I hear great pressure will bring on nightmares. I agree that you should go to the hospital.”

“Big Mai: I’m afraid it might turn out to be some kind of latent illness. Over the past two days, I’ve been suffering from this splitting headache.”

“I’m sure it’s just pressure. It’ll be fine. Stop trying to scare yourself,” Chen Wenwei consoled. After finishing his noodles, he went into the shower. He did not keep this on his mind. He was sure that Mai Lei was just suffering from overwhelming pressure and thus lost his sleep from it. It was a vicious cycle. Then again, pressure was a common thing for every city dweller.

After his shower, Chen Wenwei climbed into bed and chatted for a while with his family. His mother sent him a picture of his family’s latest harvest. Then he watched some YouTube. When he checked the time next, it was already 11 pm. Chen Wenwei got up to use the shared bathroom. He brushed his teeth and then returned to prepare to sleep.

After a whole day of work, he felt quite tired. Without taking too long, he drifted off to slumber.

Silence, nothingness, everything was floating, and light was rolling. In the blurriness, Chen Wenwei felt he had arrived at an unfamiliar place. Sea, he was surrounded by sea that stretched down the horizon. Abandoned land and grass that grew everywhere. Twisted trees covered a peak down the distance. He could see things clearly. Everything felt like they were behind a sepia filter. There was a barely discernible whispering in the air, summoning him forward.

An indescribable smell lingered in the air. The mud under his feet was heavy. Chen Wenwei dragged his body forward. He eventually came to a building. It appeared to be an old mansion. A figure in black was standing there. Chen Wenwei could see himself walking step by step toward it. It was like his body was no longer his own. He could not feel the ground under his feet, it was as if the air was seeping the energy out of him. The summoning urged him to get closer. Chen Wenwei saw the figure turning his way. It had the face of an old man. The skin was withered like bark, cracked like dry land...

But he could see the old man’s eyes. They were just pools of chaotic darkness.

“74...” the old man whispered to him slowly.

Suddenly, Chen Wenwei woke up. His body was shivering. His eyes were still shut, so he only saw darkness, but he had already realized that he was just dreaming. It was just a dream...

Just a dream, but why did it match the description of Mai Lei’s strange dream perfectly? This thought chilled Chen Wenwei to his core, and his throat felt dry as parchment like he was deprived of water for days.

‘How can this be...’ Chen Wenwei’s eyes flew open as he turned to glance at the alarm next to his bed.

.01 am.

Confusion grew in his heart. ‘It’s already 3 am? But haven’t I just fallen asleep, where did the hours have gone by?’

Then he was reminded that Mai Lei told him he would always wake up at 3 am...

Chen Wenwei looked around with a frown. The cramped room was covered in silence. In the darkness, his everyday items appeared so unfamiliar. He could not help but turn to the curtained window, which was less than two meters away. The window was closed, so the wind would not come in at night. But for some reason, Chen Wenwei swore he saw the curtains swaying. There appeared to be something outside the window...

His heart skipped a beat. He looked at the window that was practically before his face. He held his breath without realizing it and froze like a statue.

Tap tap.

The sound of knocking on glass echoed through the room. This was the 25th floor. The balcony outside the window was not large enough to fit even a potted plant, much less a person.

“...” Chen Wenwei’s heart skipped a beat as chilblains covered his body. It almost took his breath away.

‘What is going on? Why is this happening? Am I still dreaming? Mai Lei said this is a recurring dream... so does that mean... this will happen again tomorrow?’