Book Synopsis
Book Tags
Donation Rankings
Comment
0 Comments
You May Also Like
墨書 Inktalez
Chapter 11: The Secret Deep Within the Shed
An arrow.
An arrow hastily drawn in the dust, pointing to the darkest corner of the Bicycle Shed.
Left by Old Wang.
I crouched by the wall, staring at that extremely crude arrow, my heart racing wildly in my chest, almost shattering my ribs. The arrow seemed to carry some kind of magic, like a deadly bait, exuding an aura of danger that was both enticing and irresistible.
What did he mean?
Was he telling me to go there to find something? A piece of evidence? A clue? Or perhaps… a trap?
“Curiosity killed the cat,” his cold warning echoed in my ears. Could this arrow be his way of testing whether I was “well-behaved” enough? If I went, would it confirm my “curiosity,” leading to my own undoing?
My mind was a tangled mess, countless possibilities colliding within. Reason told me it was too dangerous; Old Wang was inscrutable, and any of his actions could be laced with malice. Under such tight surveillance, any rash move could lead to irreversible consequences.
But…
I glanced down at my hands, trembling slightly from anxiety. I had been pushed to the edge of a cliff. My suitcase had been rummaged through, my voice recorder taken away, and that blank piece of paper was nothing but a blatant mockery and mental torture. They had no intention of letting me go! If I continued to cower, I would only die more miserably!
I would take a gamble!
That reckless thought surged back into my mind. Rather than waiting for death, I might as well follow this damned arrow and see if it led to hell or… a glimmer of hope!
I suddenly stood up, as if I had made a certain decision. But I couldn't act recklessly. It was evening, and the streets were bustling with people; the target was too conspicuous. Moreover, I had just "coincidentally" run into Old Wang here, and diving into the corner he hinted at would be too obvious.
I had to wait. Wait for a safer, more discreet opportunity.
Late at night? No, the guesthouse might have surveillance. Sneaking out in the middle of the night would make me an even more obvious target, and it was easier to encounter accidents in the dark.
Then… early morning! Just as dawn broke, most people would still be asleep, and the light would be sufficient for visibility—this was the best time to act!
Resolute, I forced myself to calm down, tidied my clothes, and left the Bicycle Shed nonchalantly, returning to the guesthouse.
That night, I hardly slept at all.
I turned on all the lights in my room, wedged a chair tightly against the door, and gripped tightly onto the heavy glass ashtray I had taken from the table. My ears were like radar, catching every sound inside and outside the room. The sound of wind brushing against the window frame, water flowing through pipes, the muffled snoring from next door… every noise was magnified in my mind and interpreted as a potential threat.
I dared not sleep; I feared that if I closed my eyes, someone would silently appear by my bedside. I also feared that if I fell asleep, I would miss that optimal moment for action in the morning.
So I lay there with my eyes wide open, enduring a torment of fear and anticipation until the sky outside began to lighten.
At five-thirty in the morning, Luoshui County woke up quietly.
I stealthily got up and changed into dark clothes that allowed for easy movement along with comfortable shoes. I didn't even dare to wash up, afraid of making any unnecessary noise.
After confirming that there was no sound in the hallway, I slipped out of the guesthouse like a ghost. The morning air was cool, and the streets were deserted except for an occasional bark from a dog in the distance.
I lowered my hat brim and moved quickly yet cautiously along the shadows by the wall towards the back of the County Bureau office building. My heart raced; every step was taken with utmost care, fearful of disturbing something.
I soon found myself back at the abandoned Bicycle Shed.
In the early morning light, the place appeared even more dilapidated and eerie. The collapsed roof, rusted frames, and scattered debris made it feel like a corner forgotten by the world.
I took a deep breath, confirmed once more that no one was around, and then crouched down to slip into the shadows of the shed.
I located the spot where Old Wang had left the arrow yesterday. The dust was still there, and the hasty arrow remained, silently pointing toward a darker corner piled high with discarded tires and broken wooden planks.
My heart raced, and my palms began to sweat. What could be inside? Was it really a clue, or merely a more terrifying trap?
There was no turning back now.
I picked up a half-meter-long, rust-covered steel pipe from the ground and gripped it tightly in my hand for protection. Then, crouching low, I moved step by step toward the dark corner indicated by the arrow.
The further I went in, the darker it became. The air was thick with a pungent mix of decaying rubber, rotting wood, and some kind of animal waste. The ground was covered in thick dust and gravel, along with some unknown sticky substance.
In the darkness, something seemed to dart quickly. I froze in fear, tightening my grip on the steel pipe as I cautiously looked toward the source of the sound.
A few large rats squeaked as they scurried out from behind a pile of old tires and quickly vanished into deeper shadows.
Damn! That scared me to death!
I steadied myself and continued forward. Finally, I reached the deepest corner. Here, there was almost no light at all—only a faint glimmer filtering through holes in the roof that barely illuminated the outlines of objects.
The area was piled high with discarded tires of various sizes stacked like a small mountain of black. Nearby lay some rotting wooden planks and unidentifiable machine parts.
The arrow pointed directly at the pile of tires.
Was something hidden inside the tires?
I frowned. This was no small task. With so many tires, how long would it take to search through them one by one? And making too much noise could easily attract attention.
Old Wang wouldn’t ask me to do something so foolish. There must be a more specific clue.
I turned on the weak flashlight on my phone and began to carefully examine the pile of tires.
The arrangement of the tires looked haphazard and chaotic. But after scrutinizing it a few times, I noticed one particular tire—a slightly deflated truck tire—leaning against the innermost wall. Its position seemed a bit… deliberate? Unlike the other tires that were randomly piled, it was wedged perfectly into a corner, creating a small, inconspicuous gap between the inner side of the tire and the wall.
My heart raced!
I approached the tire, crouched down, and carefully directed the beam of my phone's flashlight into the gap.
Inside was dark, filled with dust and cobwebs. But faintly, I thought I could see… a square shape, slightly darker than its surroundings?
I held my breath and reached in slowly, probing that cold, sticky gap with my fingers. They brushed against a rough, somewhat elastic surface.
Was it… a small cloth bag?
A surge of excitement coursed through me as I carefully pulled out the object.
Indeed, it was a small cloth bag! Wrapped in common deep blue coarse cotton, it was tightly bound with several loops of twine tied in a knot. The bag wasn’t large—about the size of my palm—but it felt heavy; I had no idea what was inside.
I held the cloth bag tightly, feeling it like a red-hot iron, burning my palm. Was this what Old Wang left for me? What secrets were hidden inside? Was it evidence that could save my life, or perhaps… poison that would push me into the abyss?
I didn’t immediately untie the bag. I listened carefully to the sounds outside, confirming it was safe before shoving the bag into the inner pocket of my coat, pressing it tightly against my chest.
Then, I quickly began to clean up the scene. I used my foot to scatter the dust on the ground a bit more, erased any trace of where I had crouched, and shifted the truck tire slightly to make it appear more “casual.”
After doing all this, I didn’t dare linger for a moment longer. Like fleeing from a plague, I left that eerie and terrifying Bicycle Shed as quickly as possible, yet with the lightest of steps.
Back in my room at the guesthouse, I locked the door and leaned against it, gasping for breath as if my heart might leap out of my chest.
With trembling hands, I pulled out the deep blue cloth bag from my pocket.
The knot made of hemp rope was tied tightly; it took some effort to undo it. Then, layer by layer, I peeled away the rough cotton fabric.
What emerged from the bag made my pupils constrict instantly!
It wasn’t the documents, letters, or evidence I had imagined.
Instead… there were several black rectangular plastic sheets with perforated edges—photographs! They looked somewhat old; some of the edges even showed slight curling and oxidation.
I picked up one of the photographs and held it up to the dim light streaming in through the window. The image on the film was a negative, with colors oddly reversed, but I could still barely make out what seemed to be… a scene from a room? The outlines of furniture were faintly visible.
However, there were signs that someone had tampered with the film! Certain key areas—like faces or specific objects—appeared scratched or smeared with some chemical agent, making them blurry or even completely destroyed!
This was definitely intentional! Someone didn’t want the full content of these photographs to be seen!
In addition to the film, there was a slightly yellowed piece of thin paper folded inside the bag.
I carefully unfolded the paper.
There were no words on it, only a hastily drawn sketch made with a ballpoint pen.
It looked like a map? Or some sort of route diagram? The lines were crooked, marked with symbols and arrows that I couldn't understand at all, and one place had a large red X over it.
What the hell is this?!
Processed film... an incomprehensible sketch... what exactly did Old Wang want to tell me?!
Holding the cold film and the strange sketch, I felt as if I were gripping a double-edged sword. They might be the key to uncovering the truth, but they could also... be a trap leading me to my death.
As I stared at the red X on the sketch, trying to decipher its meaning, a faint siren suddenly echoed from afar, growing closer!
Damn it!
My heart leaped into my throat! So early in the morning, where did that siren come from?! Was it coming for me?! Had they discovered me?!
Comment 0 Comment Count