The scorching waves of air and dust slapped on my face, and the big man and I lay on the wall of the classroom, desperately trying to blend ourselves into the mysterious darkness of the surroundings.

I twisted my head towards the hallway, my ears locked on where I had fled. An unimaginable panic crushed every inch of my bones, because I knew that the big man was not wrong, and that something was indeed approaching at a rapid pace!

Knock-knock

The sound of blunt knocking grew tighter, and I held my breath as I pulled at a collar and bit between the collars that kept collaring. The more I get to this point, the more real the unwarranted speculation in my mind becomes.

What is that?

Why would a man who has always been brave be afraid to be like that?

What about the remaining two?

Has he already been killed?

What happens if I am discovered?

Am I going to die?

The neckline of my mouth was almost bitten in half, and I tried my best to gather my mind, but the image of the approaching thing became more and more distorted and curious in my mind.

Buried in the infinite darkness and fear, I felt like I couldn't hold on for another second.

Suddenly, the tapping stopped.

Is "it" already near me? Did "it" find us?

I was terrified, and I now realize that I was no different from that little girl at such a time.

I pressed my head against the rough concrete floor, and the soft flesh at the center of my brow must have been stained with blood. But I had forgotten the pain, I had forgotten to think, I had forgotten to pray that I wouldn't fall into the hands of that thing. If time is like a long river, then this must be the freezing period of winter, and I am standing on its barren ice field, desperately enjoying the eternal torment.

Knock - Knock - Knock -

After a dead silence that was too long to describe, the imperative sound reappeared, then grew smaller and fainter......

About half an hour passed, maybe longer, because during this time I couldn't tell if the sound was real or if it was just my auditory hallucination.

"Hey...... Are you still there? ”

I asked with my mouth slightly open, my voice inaudible,

"Hey—can you hear me?"

I raised my voice a little, and the big man next to me, who looked like a dead man, finally reacted.

"Listen—got—see, you—are you—okay—"

The first time I heard him say it so softly, I was even a little unaccustomed to it.

"It'...... Gone? ”

"Maybe, I'm not sure ...... either."

We fell silent again, and after checking it again, we finally got up and leaned against the wall.

"What the hell do you see?"

I asked the question I had always wanted to ask, and the big man hesitated for a moment, processing the picture he had just seen.

"I ...... I don't know. It was a person—no, no, no, not a person, that shape, certainly not a person. But for the most part—it's still humanoid, but it's only half a head, and there's something between the legs and arms, and the flashlight still reflects when it shines on...... On top of that, this monster is about the same size as the hole, and I feel like it has to be over three meters tall! When the flashlight hit it, it had just poked out half of its body from the deepest part of the hole, and it was ...... to meet my eyes."

Dahan took a deep breath and made a reliable summary of this memory,

"MD, that's scary."

I rubbed my temples in pain, the situation had taken a turn for the worse, and what we were dealing with was far more complicated than the "bad guys" we had previously speculated.

"What should I do...... And, what about them? What about them? Were they in there when that hole came out? And how could there be such a big hole when we didn't feel anything? How-"

"Don't ask! Does it work?! I don't know! I don't know! ”

Dahan was also overwhelmed by the situation beyond his control, and his voice suddenly increased several degrees.

"MD, be quiet! What if it's still nearby! ”

His reaction startled me, and I quickly quieted down, listening carefully to the movement in the dark, and the big man also knew that he was out of shape, and did not dare to complain again.

A few minutes passed, except for my own seemingly non-existent heartbeat, there was not a trace of noise around, it seemed that the monster that Dahan had described before was really gone, and I relaxed a lot when I thought about it.

"Well, we're going to find them first."

"Yes, but how do you find it? Where can they go? ”

I frowned, and for a long time I couldn't find an answer that convinced me. Although I haven't decided yet, I still told Dahan the results of the analysis.

"The place where we found the lampshade was not a few steps away from the security room, and if they came out into the hallway, we would definitely find them, which only means that they have been indoors during this time."

"Well, it should be."

The big man responded to the road, and in the darkness I couldn't tell if he was listening seriously or casually perfunctory,

"Maybe there's been this hole hidden under the security room, and the school has been abandoned for so long and the floor isn't so sturdy. Maybe when you knock on that lampshade, the two of them ......."

"Fell?"

"Well, I think that's the most likely explanation."

"But that's what came out of this hole! If they do fall in, then I'm afraid, I'm afraid it ...... now."

Dahan didn't say any more, but I guessed the meaning of his words, two girls who are powerless to meet that kind of monster, at this time it should be more than lucky. And in this case, if we rush down to the cave to find them, I am afraid that we will only take our lives in vain. In order to survive, the best option may be to leave here.

"We've got to go down, that hole."

"What?"

While I was still struggling with the scales of morality and reason, Dahan had already made a decision on his own.

"The two of them, who have no strength and no flashlight, must be frightened now."

As he spoke, I heard him get up,

"But they may have—"

"No, they must be down there, I must get them back."

The big man interrupted me rudely, I was a little impatient, and always felt that this judgment was too hasty,

"Why are you so sure? What did that monster scare you like just now, don't you have a point in your heart? Eighty percent of them have already been by—"

"Shut up!"

The big man's scolding forced my words back,

"To live to see people, to die to see corpses! I can't leave them behind! ”

The words seemed to drain all his strength, and the next voice was so weak that it didn't look like he had uttered it,

"It's just the three of you who accompany me."

I was silent, then laughed self-deprecatingly. Yes, awakening as a stranger in a strange world, with no beginning and no end in sight, what is the meaning of life?

I turned on the flashlight, and the light suddenly illuminated the slightly rickety torso of the big man.

"What- what are you doing here?"

"Let's go!"

I stared into his eyes, and my heart had never been so determined,

"Go down and bring them back!"

Regardless of the outcome, I knew I had made the right choice.