Afterward, Zhong Xiwang turned off the lights and closed her eyes to sleep.
Exhausted from the day, her mind was utterly fatigued, and before long, she fell into a deep slumber.
After she fell asleep, the mouth of the Tall and Thin Ghostly Shadow opened once more.
Opening and closing, it made no sound whatsoever.
A faint movement came from the bed, and the Tall and Thin Ghostly Shadow immediately shut its mouth.
In the dimness of the night, it saw Zhong Xiwang’s hands and feet resting on the edge of the bed.
Then, a snoring sound drifted down from above.
The Tall and Thin Ghostly Shadow sat up again, knowing that this sound meant its little toy would not react to its manipulations now.
Because the last time it had taken the little toy away, it had been just like this in its resting place.
Zhong Xiwang wore a pair of short pajamas printed with small floral patterns, her long legs covered in scars stretched out casually and boldly, revealing glimpses of originally fair and delicate skin.
The Tall and Thin Ghostly Shadow slightly opened its large mouth, its barbed tongue extending to lick an uninjured spot, leaving several scratches on her leg.
It licked a few more times, and crimson beads of blood welled up from the wounds, glaringly red against the surrounding skin.
The Tall and Thin Ghostly Shadow immediately leaned down eagerly to lick them up.
In her sleep, Zhong Xiwang turned over, and the Tall and Thin Ghostly Shadow swiftly retreated, choosing another spot.
The blood from the previous location continued to seep, staining the bedsheet.
Merely licking these was not enough for the Tall and Thin Ghostly Shadow, and it grew increasingly hungry.
Moonlight streamed through the window, casting its eerie form in an especially horrifying and terrifying light. It gazed silently at Zhong Xiwang, who seemed to sleep restlessly on the bed, before its distorted body suddenly vanished from its spot.
On the floor, only the red pig plushie and the quilt cover remained.
This country was surrounded by sea, with hundreds of islands large and small dotting its surroundings.
The people were passionate and bold, valuing freedom and equality, and even at night, many young people still roamed the streets.
Homeless people sleeping on makeshift bedding were a common sight along the roadside, sleeping soundly amidst the boisterous laughter and antics of the youths.
In the dark gaps between buildings, the Tall and Thin Ghostly Shadow glanced at those homeless individuals before withdrawing its gaze.
Its eyes settled on a blonde girl among the group of young men, playing and laughing.
Her fair cheeks were flushed with a rosy hue, a smile on her face as she gazed drunkenly at her rowdy companions.
They seemed to have returned from drinking, swaying unsteadily as they casually spray-painted graffiti on a car by the roadside.
Then, one of the boys turned around, walked over to the blonde girl, and leaned with her against a tree trunk, engaging in a passionate kiss.
The other companions, unfazed, left together, and the street fell quiet.
After kissing for a while, the boy whispered something to the girl and led her toward the woods behind the buildings.
The Tall and Thin Ghostly Shadow followed them quietly, watching the pair in silence.
The two, lost in their intimacy, never noticed the pale gray ghostly shadow silently observing them from behind.
After they finished, the boy dressed and left first.
The blonde girl picked up the scattered clothing from the ground, piece by piece.
The pitch-dark surroundings grew still, every sound becoming starkly noticeable, especially the sudden crack of a breaking twig.
The blonde girl thought the boy had returned, but when she looked up, she saw a terrifying, grotesquely deformed creature standing opposite her. He had no eyes, yet she could still feel his icy, piercing gaze fixed on her.
It was like a cold, slippery venomous snake coiling around her.
In the pitch-black, silent night, he stood there motionless, his pale, ashen face made even more sinister and chilling by the darkness.
The girl’s eyes widened in terror. Just as she opened her mouth, before a scream could escape, a long tentacle suddenly extended from behind the ghostly figure, instantly piercing her mouth and impaling the back of her head against the tree trunk behind her.
The girl’s body went limp, lifeless, her eyes wide open in death.
Tall and Thin Ghostly Shadow stepped forward, but upon smelling the strong scent of alcohol and another unpleasant odor on her, he couldn’t help but take a step back.
Then, from a distance, his long, thin arms grabbed the girl’s legs and tore her apart from the middle.
Instantly, blood splattered everywhere, and her internal organs spilled onto the ground.
Tall and Thin Ghostly Shadow took a bite of the pale, soft thigh meat, but the blood still carried the unpleasant smell of alcohol.
After just a few bites, he lost his appetite.
He casually discarded the dismembered limbs on the ground and turned to search for households with children.
That kind of food was still the best—tender and free of those strange smells.
Long after he left, some wild beasts in the forest dared to approach, snatching pieces of flesh before quickly scurrying away.
Having eaten his fill, Tall and Thin Ghostly Shadow returned to Zhong Xiwang’s side. Seeing that she was still sound asleep, her limbs sprawled out carelessly, he tried pushing her but couldn’t move her. Reluctantly, he picked her up, placed her at the edge of the bed, and then carefully lay down his tall frame.
Next, he wrapped his arms around the soft, fragrant little toy, pulling her into his embrace. He then hooked the red pig and the quilt cover from the floor, draping them over himself and Zhong Xiwang before settling contentedly.
Zhong Xiwang had another nightmare.
She dreamed she had been caught by Multi-finned Sea Snake, her entire body tightly coiled by his cold, hard form, constricting like a python and making it difficult for her to breathe.
As she struggled, a loud thud suddenly echoed, startling her awake.
Opening her eyes, she found herself still in the familiar room and let out a deep sigh of relief.
Glancing to the side, she saw Tall and Thin Ghostly Shadow lying quietly on his back on the floor.
But,
when did the red pig and the quilt cover end up on her bed?
Had she taken them from Tall and Thin Ghostly Shadow in the middle of the night because she was cold?
She pulled back the quilt cover and was startled to find several bloodstains on the bedsheet. Her first thought was that her period had come, and she quickly checked her waistband—nothing!
Upon closer inspection, she discovered several newly scabbed scars on the back of her thighs.
Tall and Thin Ghostly Shadow waited for a while, but when he didn’t hear any sound from his little toy, he slowly sat up.
As soon as his head emerged, a small, soft foot kicked toward him!
Zhong Xiwang stood on the bed, twisting her body and pointing at the marks, gritting her teeth as she asked, “Was it you?!”
If Tall and Thin Ghostly Shadow could understand her words, he would have asked indignantly, “Who kicks someone first and then questions them?”
But Tall and Thin Ghostly Shadow merely glanced quietly at the marks before quickly looking away. He hugged the red pig stiffly and lay back down.
Zhong Xiwang ground her molars.
She quickly changed the bedsheet and quilt cover, taking them aside to scrub clean.
Her hands were rubbed red before the dried bloodstains lightened a little. Zhong Xiwang had to use a special detergent for menstrual stains before the obvious marks were barely invisible.
While she was scrubbing the bedsheet with a ferocious expression, a grayish-white head peeked out from around the corner. Seeing her expression, it quickly retreated and curled up in the corner beside the bed.
He touched his head, as if already feeling the slap landing on it.
Secretly thinking, the little toy was angry again.