The Nightmare Experience of a Useless Person

There's someone in the bathroom!

At 3:29, Jiang Zhiyang was awakened by the urge to urinate. He got out of bed and saw the bathroom door half-closed and the dim light coming from inside.

His thoughts were half-closed, and his head was spinning. Without thinking much, he walked straight forward.

He clumsily groped around for the light switch three times, but couldn't find it. Tsk, he leaned impatiently against the door frame, his blurry vision peering into the bathroom.

someone!

My heart skipped a beat and I almost stopped.

who is it?

The man was half-lying on the ground, his head shaking slightly, as if he were eating something...

Jiang Zhiyang gasped, his faint breath caught in the air. The man turned his head alertly like a cat, revealing a pair of unfamiliar, sharp vertical pupils! Jiang Zhiyang saw him; he saw him too…

Duan...Heng?

Red liquid clung to his lips, drop by drop... dripping onto the half-fish in his palm, then drop by drop... flowing from his fingers onto the wet floor, tracing the crisscrossing patterns on the floorboards.

His hands were raised high, the fish and offal in his palms resembling both his food and his treasures. He knelt with his knees open, his movements almost pious.

It's Duan Heng! It's blood! It's fish! A live fish!

Fear reached its limit, leaving his mind blank. Jiang Zhiyang had no recollection of what happened next.

……

When he opened his eyes again, the white gauze curtain above his head swayed empty, stained a horrifying blood red in the glaring light, while he lay peacefully on the bed, as if he had just taken a nap and nothing had happened.

Was it a dream?

"Jiang Zhiyang! We have an 8 AM start time today! Hurry up, we're going to be late, come downstairs now!"

Oh, okay.

"Jiang Zhiyang. Has Jiang Zhiyang arrived yet?"

"We're here, teacher, he's here."

Oh, okay.

"Duan Heng. Has Duan Heng arrived yet?"

"Duan Heng!" Jiang Zhiyang jumped up. "Duan Heng is eating fish in the bathroom!"

"You must be dreaming!" Liu Xuyan reacted quickly and pulled the person who had stood up back down.

Oh, right, I'm dreaming.

"Duan Heng? Duan Heng? Duan Heng's roommate, please tell him that I've already missed two classes this week. If I can't submit a leave slip, I'll lose my participation grade for the final exam."

Morning light streamed through the window, casting swaying shadows.

The dust, like butterflies with crushed wings, trembled and danced.

...Am I still dreaming? Am I about to start my 8 AM shift?

On the windowsill, in the small hole in the broken wall, specks of dirty moss grew.

On the path, male and female students came and went, playing and laughing.

...They've gone to class, so I need to get up too.

"Ring ring ring ring..."

The bell rang, and the man, who looked weak, trembled in fright.

"What's wrong with you, Jiang Zhiyang? Jiang Zhiyang?" Roommate Liu Xuyan saw that Jiang Zhiyang's face was pale and reached out to touch his forehead.

A chilling coldness.

Do you have a low-grade fever? Are you feeling unwell?

...Huh? How did I end up in the classroom?

Jiang Zhiyang stood up weakly, his head throbbing. How had he gotten up, washed up, gotten to the classroom, and even attended two long lectures? He touched his face; his cheeks were covered in sticky, cold sweat.

"I'm fine."

"Are you really okay? You don't have classes this afternoon, so why don't you go back to your dorm and get some rest?"

"……Um."

His thoughts were in disarray, and he couldn't say anything more. The scene from last night was too vivid; as soon as he closed his eyes, he felt as if the stench of blood was about to flow down his cheeks.

How could Duan Heng possibly be kneeling in the bathroom in the middle of the night eating a... raw fish?

He took out his phone, and the screen showed 11:45.

"Where is Duan Heng?"

"Still didn't come to class."

The autumn breeze, carrying a trace of summer's warmth, brushed against my face, taking away a bit of sweat.

"I really don't know what he's up to. I called him this morning, and he said the sun was too strong and he didn't want to go out. He hasn't been to class for a week, and he hasn't even asked for leave. Isn't he afraid of failing his courses...?"

Jiang Zhiyang stared at Liu Xuyan's lips as they moved, hesitating several times as if he wanted to say something.

How could he begin in a way that would convince people he wasn't having a nightmare?

His heart felt as if it were being gripped in the palm of a giant hand, its beating controlled, but fear still managed to escape through the fingers, then flow through his veins and throughout his body.

Thump... thump...

Back in the dormitory, a cool breeze swept over him. Jiang Zhiyang glanced back and saw that Duan Heng's bed curtains were drawn tightly shut, and even the bathroom was spotless, without a trace of anything.

Could it really have just been a nightmare? How could Duan Heng possibly...? But his behavior lately has been really strange. The person who usually cares most about his grades has been absent from work for a whole week without any reason.

Too much stress? But that's no excuse for eating raw fish...

"Duan Heng..." he whispered tentatively, "Brother Duan?"

No one responded.

Jiang Zhiyang didn't rest all afternoon; he just squatted on his bed, staring intently at the bed opposite him.

What if? What if those vertical pupils were hiding behind the bed curtains, staring at me like a cat?

At first, he was clear-headed, but then his eyes would roll back every now and then.

What should I do? I'm so scared! I just want to pull back that curtain and yell at him for what he's doing! Or I want to stand up, scream, and run away!

As he repeatedly rehearsed the scene of confronting Duan Heng in his mind, Jiang Zhiyang actually fell asleep sitting up.

He felt as if he had fallen into a chaotic void. Where was he? All he could see was floating white mist. A glowing firefly landed on the tip of his nose, and its cool touch made him shiver.

The little insect wobbled as it took flight, drawing his gaze to an apple.

What a big, red, and plump apple! At first glance, the fruit is surrounded by an unreal halo.

Jiang Zhiyang reached out, and the apple fell—no! It flew over! It landed in Jiang Zhiyang's palm, motionless, as if scrutinizing him.

Suddenly, as if recognizing something, it rammed into his lower abdomen—it didn't hurt, like a child's hand playfully poking his belly button.

However, a sour, astringent feeling, like a needle prick, pierced Jiang Zhiyang's heart, heavy and tight...

Did he forget something?

The thought had barely crossed his mind when the apple changed direction and rammed into his knee, the force increasing with each impact. Jiang Zhiyang staggered to dodge, but accidentally stepped on the round apple.

"Ah—" He lost his footing and fell back to reality from the dream.

So she was asleep… Jiang Zhiyang opened his phone; it was 1:08 AM. How did it get to night already? If it weren't for that strange apple, Jiang Zhiyang would have thought time had been cut off.

The dorm room is dimly lit now. Is everyone asleep?

No! His ears twitched suddenly.

Someone's still awake! There was a rustling sound coming from the bed opposite!

Jiang Zhiyang suppressed his racing heartbeat and tried to focus his gaze—the extremely faint moonlight outlined a blurry silhouette. Were there two people? A woman?

Before his brain could process it, Jiang Zhiyang raised his hand, and the light from his phone pierced the darkness. It was too late for regrets. Before he could see clearly, a bone dagger followed the light and struck him squarely between the eyebrows!

Everything went black. Am I going to die?