Chapter 2

Looking at the bruises on my body in the mirror, my blood seemed to freeze in my veins. The towel in my hand fell to the floor with a thud. Last night wasn’t a dream! All that pain, that sense of pressure, that icy touch—it was all real!

I rushed out of the bathroom like crazy, rushed to the bed, and threw back the covers. In the middle of the sheet, there was a glaring red spot—like a blooming red plum blossom. The sight was so shocking that it made me tremble all over.

My legs went weak, and I almost collapsed to the ground. I’ve never eaten pork, nor have I ever seen a pig in person. It’s all described in novels. The bruises on my body, the tearing sensation in my abdomen, and the bloodstains on the sheets—all these clues tell me that a man indeed came to my room last night. I was raped by a stranger.

Tears instantly blurred my vision. I felt both hurt and scared. Although I longed for sexual intimacy, I never imagined it would happen this way—without even knowing who the other person was or what they looked like. I lost my virginity in complete ignorance.

Thinking back, that man’s body temperature was unusually cold, not like that of a normal person. His movements were rough and forceful. The icy sensation of his touch still makes me shiver when I remember it. Who was he, and how did he manage to get into my room?

Suddenly, a thought struck me: I had installed a security camera! For safety reasons, after hearing in the news that thieves had broken into single women’s homes and robbed them, I immediately installed a camera in the living room. It covers the entrance and the living room area. Maybe the camera caught a picture of that man!

My apartment has two bedrooms and one living room. I use the master bedroom, while the other bedroom serves as a guest room. Evelyn sometimes stays over at my place, so the guest room is always kept clean and tidy. The surveillance camera is installed in the corner of the living room. Its angle is perfect, allowing for clear footage of the front door and every corner of the living room.

With trembling hands, I picked up my phone, opened the surveillance app, and projected last night’s footage onto the TV. I stared at the screen without blinking. From the moment I got home last night, disposed of the trash, and went to bed, until this morning when I rushed out, there was only my own figure on the screen. No strangers entered the house at all!

How is that possible?! I’m sure that after I went back to my room last night, I didn’t leave the house at all. Except for the ten-odd minutes when I took out the trash, the main door was always locked. I watched the surveillance footage from earlier in the day again, but found nothing suspicious. Everything on the footage seemed normal, and no one approached my house’s door.

My house has only one entrance, and both the balconies and windows are equipped with security nets. The security nets are in good condition, with no signs of being tampered with. It’s impossible for outsiders to enter and leave silently without being detected by the surveillance cameras.

A terrifying thought rose in my heart, making me shiver with fear—could it be that that man wasn’t human at all? Was he a ghost?

I’ve always been an atheist, never believing in any kind of gods or spirits. But everything around me here simply cannot be explained by science. I’m curled up on the sofa, with my arms wrapped around my knees, constantly repeating “Namo Amitabha”. Yet, I’m growing more and more afraid, trembling uncontrollably.

Just then, my phone suddenly started ringing loudly, scaring me so much that I almost threw it away. I calmed down, picked up the phone, and saw that it was Evelyn calling.

“Hello, Evelyn…” I picked up the phone, my voice stammering, with an unmistakable tremor in it.

On the other end of the phone, Evelyn munched on something while speaking indistinctly, “Madison, what’s wrong with you today? You seem distracted at work. You didn’t even really argue back when the boss scolded you. You weren’t like this before. Did you not sleep well last night?”

My nose stung, and I almost cried. There was so much pain and fear in my heart that I wanted to express it, but when the words came to my lips, I swallowed them back. I’m not sure what really happened last night. What if it was just an illusion? Telling Evelyn would only make her worry about me.

“Nothing… it’s just that I didn’t sleep well last night. I’m a little tired.” I tried to stay calm and speak in a normal tone.

Evelyn has always been careless and careless in her thinking. After hearing what I said, she didn’t think much about it. She chatted with me for a while about everyday things, mentioned that her boyfriend had washed grapes for her, and then hung up the phone.

After hanging up the phone, I sat alone on the sofa, my mind buzzing with chaos. At that moment, the delicate box beside the bed caught my attention. I was already curious about what was inside. Now, feeling both confused and scared, I instinctively went over and opened the package.

There was nothing of value inside the box, just a pair of embroidered shoes. At first, I thought these shoes were extremely beautiful. The red upper was adorned with lifelike phoenixes, and the intricate stitching made them look truly exquisite. I reached out to touch the patterns on the shoes. But just as my fingertips were about to touch the surface, a strong thought rushed through my mind: Don’t touch them!

I quickly pulled my hand back, and my mind became a little clearer. Upon closer inspection, the once gorgeous and delicate embroidered shoes were now gray and covered in dust. They seemed very old, with messy stitches. There was also a faint, unpleasant smell that made me feel sick.

I was so scared that my whole body trembled. I quickly covered the box and taped it tightly shut, just like I had done with the box containing those erotic items last night. Who sent me those embroidered shoes? Why were they sent to my house? Whose prank is this anyway? But those embroidered shoes gave me a creepy and eerie feeling at best. It certainly didn’t seem like a simple prank.

I didn’t dare to keep that box at home anymore. I grabbed it and ran outside. After walking a long distance, I found a secluded trash can and threw the box in there. I even covered it with trash from nearby, so I wouldn’t have to see it ever again.

On my way back, I became more and more frightened. I kept feeling like someone was following me. I turned around from time to time, but there was nothing there. When I got home, I locked the front door and checked all the windows again. Still, I felt uneasy. I lay in bed, tossing and turning, unable to sleep. The eerie embroidered shoes and that cold man from last night kept haunting my mind.

In the end, I couldn’t bear this fear any longer. I grabbed my phone and keys, and took a taxi to Evelyn’s house. It was already past 1 a.m. Evelyn should have been asleep by now. I called several times before she answered. When she heard that I was downstairs, she was clearly surprised. She told me to wait for her there.

A few minutes later, Evelyn rushed to open the door. She was wearing only a sexy strapless top, with a pajama top over it. Her hair was tousled, obviously because I had woken her up. Normally, I would have teased her a little, but now, my heart was filled with fear and resentment, and I couldn’t say a word.

Evelyn let me in. Seeing my pale face and trembling body, she dropped her joking tone. She went inside and spoke with her boyfriend for a moment. Soon, her boyfriend came out, neatly dressed. Although he seemed slightly displeased, he still greeted me politely before leaving.

Evelyn poured me a glass of warm water and handed it to me. With a worried tone, she said, “Madison, what’s really going on? You look so pale. Have you been through something difficult?”

I took the warm water and drank it all in one gulp. The warm liquid flowed down my throat, calming me a little. I looked up at Evelyn, my voice trembling with tears: “Evelyn, I… I think I’ve seen a ghost…”

Next, I told Evelyn in detail about the strange events that had happened last night: the bruises on my body, the bloodstains on the sheets, and those eerie embroidered shoes. I thought she would be scared or try to comfort me. But to my surprise, after a few seconds of silence, she asked something completely unexpected: “Was the man good-looking? Did he have muscles? Was he attractive?”

I almost choked on my own saliva. I stared at her, speechless: “Evelyn Roche! Is that really what’s important? I was terrified, and you’re worried about something like that?”

Evelyn saw that I was truly upset, so she stopped joking and said seriously, “Alright, alright, I was just teasing you. I wanted to ease your mood a little. Seriously, this whole situation is really strange. The surveillance cameras didn’t capture anyone, the doors and windows weren’t forced open. And those embroidered shoes… something about them doesn’t seem right. What do you plan to do now?”

I shook my head, my eyes filled with confusion. “I don’t know. I have no idea who that man is, why he’s after me, or what those embroidered shoes mean. I’m so scared. I don’t dare go home alone anymore.”