novelxo Chapter 9 Almost Died
The dull thud echoed again in the pitch-black room.
But then, something wild happened.
The pale hand that had been clutching Michael's shoulder yanked back and disappeared into the darkness.
The icy, stiff feeling left Michael's body in a flash.
Michael almost hit the floor, gasping for air, sweat dripping down his forehead and off his cheek. He had just dodged death.
Then he thought, 'No way I'm staying here. Gotta bounce, like, now.'
Michael had just slipped out of the ghost's grip. No time to think about what just went down.
He snatched his phone, flicked on the flashlight, and got to his feet.
Some unknown ghost was lurking in the shadows. The longer he stuck around, the quicker he'd be toast.
Michael stumbled forward in the dark, his whole body shaking, whether from sheer tension or some freaky fear.
He hadn't gone far when the flashlight cut through the darkness, revealing Dimitri and Fabio, both looking scared out of their minds, pounding on a moldy wall. "Who's there?" Fabio's voice shook as he turned around, spotting the faint light.
"It's me, Michael," Michael said, his voice cold, holding up his phone.
"Michael? You're not dead?" Fabio's terror mixed with shock.
"You also wish for my death like Henrik?" Michael shot back.
Dimitri, looking freaked out, rushed over and grabbed Michael, shouting, "Why did you drag me in here? Why? Why are you trying to kill me?"
Michael socked him in the face, growling, "Didn't you all try to kill me, too? I said if I had to die, we would all die together. I regret not dragging Henrik in here, too. He should have felt what it was like to be grabbed by that ghost." Dimitri, sprawled on the ground, ignored the pain and cried, "I don't want to die. I just want to live. Henrik made me do it. If I didn't, that ghost would come out and we'd all die. Better you die than all of us."
Michael shouted back, "So I should be the one sacrificed? That's ridiculous. Why don't you sacrifice yourself? Why force others to take the hit?"
Then he went on, "And do you really think sacrificing me would let you escape? Don't forget, there's another ghost outside and Henrik was just trying to kill me. He definitely knows something, otherwise, he wouldn't be targeting me. I'll get my revenge if I make it out of here alive."
But before he could finish, Dimitri suddenly shuddered, his face showing pure terror. He looked back, trembling.
In the darkness, nothing was visible, but he felt a cold hand grasp his wrist and that cold hand exerted an incredibly strong force.
Dimitri's body was almost uncontrollably dragged backward.
"Help me, Michael, help me," Dimitri screamed in terror.
Michael glanced unintentionally and saw the pale hand on Dimitri's wrist.
No doubt about it, the ghost was back.
Almost instinctively, he picked up his phone, ready to play the audio file that had scared the ghost away before.
But as he moved, he stopped. He thought to himself, 'Is Dimitri really worth saving? Nah, he isn't. I'm in this mess because of Henrik, Dimitri, and Fabio.'
'Now that they are in danger, why should I save them? They hadn't saved me earlier, they only thought about finding a way to escape. And even if I want to save them, but how? The audio file can only scare the ghost away, not harm it.' 'You want to survive, but don't I want to survive, too?'
Henrik was right, he had been too naive before. He had heard Henrik planning to kill him in the classroom but still didn't guard against him.
Michael would never be that naive again.
Michael lowered his phone, took a step back, and coldly watched as Dimitri got dragged into the darkness, ignoring his cries and screams for help.
Finally, he saw Dimitri's terrified figure vanish into the shadows, along with that creepy pale hand.
As the darkness swallowed Dimitri, even his cries for help disappeared. Everything went dead silent, except for the faint sound of dripping water echoing around. Michael turned around, took a deep breath, and tried to calm his nerves. Then, like nothing happened, he picked up his phone and started searching for a way out. The ghost was still lurking, so he couldn't guarantee it wouldn't come for him next.
Henrik had said using someone could temporarily hold off the ghost.
He had wanted to use Michael's life to buy some time.
If Michael's guess was right, he'd be safe until the ghost attacked again. He could only hope for that.
With this in mind, Michael immediately started looking for an exit.
"Michael, where are you going? Take me with you," Fabio said, trying to follow him.
Michael ignored him and coldly shot back, "Find your own way. Don't follow me. You think I'm gonna save you? Remember, I'm here because of you." With that, he quickened his pace and disappeared into the darkness.
After the ghost took out Dimitri, it would surely come for Fabio next, buying Michael some time. If the ghost attacked again, it would likely target Fabio first. Michael now faced a new problem that he was lost in the darkness again.
'This is definitely not a bathroom,' he thought.
The darkness seemed endless, and he had walked way beyond the distance of a bathroom.
He checked the time on his phone-twenty minutes had passed.
He hadn't walked out of a bathroom in twenty minutes, nor had he touched any walls or toilets. It made no sense.
The only explanation was that he had entered some unknown place.
'What the heck is a Ghost Realm? Nikolai didn't explain it during the lecture,' Michael thought anxiously.
Without enough info, he couldn't figure anything out, let alone find a way to break out of this Ghost Realm.
The sound of dripping water started again.
"Wait, that dripping sound disappeared for a while. Why is it back now?" Without hesitation, Michael followed the direction of the dripping sound.
The sound of dripping water meant the bathroom was nearby. Once he got back to the familiar bathroom, he could find the door and get out of this place. With a direction in mind, Michael felt a bit more confident and quickened his pace.
But soon, he heard a low battery warning from his phone, startling him. After a moment's hesitation, he reluctantly turned off his phone.
He feared the ghost lurking here more than the darkness. He had to save the remaining battery for critical moments.
He moved cautiously in the dark.
In the darkness, only the sound of dripping water could be heard, nothing else.
The surroundings were eerily quiet, and he could hear his own breathing clearly.
But shortly after he turned off the light and continued forward, a series of footsteps sounded behind Michael, heavy and clear.
The footsteps approached him, getting closer and closer.
Instantly, Michael tensed up and quickly turned on his phone's flashlight, looking back.
The light illuminated about three feet, revealing nothing but darkness.
But the footsteps kept getting closer.
'It can't be Fabio or Dimitri,' Michael thought.
No living person could follow him so precisely in the dark.
If it wasn't Fabio or Dimitri, it was likely the ghost lurking in the bathroom. "Run," he told himself.
Feeling the approaching footsteps, Michael hurriedly quickened his pace.