"Ah!"

Sun Xiaofang quickly turned around, but she didn't see anything, only the continuous shadows of the eaves falling into the distance.

It was almost dusk, and the sky was gradually darkening. The streetlights had not yet come on, and the dark night gradually covered the city.

Families began to prepare dinner, with white smoke rising and the smell of food wafting out of the windows. Children, called home by their parents, ran back happily from nearby hideouts.

...But these scenes of human life seemed distant from the street where they were now, the vague sounds and smells coming from several blocks away only served to highlight the cold and quiet environment of the alley.

They didn't mean to walk along this street, but it was always a quiet road on the way home, that's all.

Sun Xiaofang was used to it, and usually didn't feel anything, but at this moment, she felt a strange sensation rising in her heart, as if she had seen countless caterpillars wriggling in front of her... She quickened her pace under her braids, wanting to leave as soon as possible.

"I say, cousin, why don't you take the initiative?"

The young man beside her suddenly said.

"If you're really afraid of her hitting you, I can protect you once. I can't accompany you every day, can I? I think we should just find an opportunity to teach her a lesson."

"Yeah, we can find someone to help us."

The other two chimed in.

Sun Xiaofang hesitated for a moment before answering.

"I..."

But she didn't have a chance to say anything.

The man's words seemed to touch a nerve, and her cousin, who had been walking behind the others, suddenly groaned and fell to the ground.

"What's wrong?"

The two companions of her cousin turned around in a panic.

Sun Xiaofang's gaze fell on them.

Then, she saw—

"Ah...!"

The first person seemed to have been hit hard on the head by an invisible hammer and fell down just like her cousin.

"Ah ah ah—!"

The second person reacted faster, realizing that something was wrong. Although he couldn't see where the attacker was, he immediately turned to run away.

However, he stumbled and fell to the ground in a moment of panic.

Sun Xiaofang was completely unable to react, watching him being dragged into the shadows extending from the eaves, as if he had been grabbed by the claw of some giant beast...

—Run!

While feeling horrified by the eerie scene in front of her, the only thought in her mind was to escape.

She gritted her teeth, trying to drive her body forward, stumbling towards the end of the road.

However, before Sun Xiaofang could run a few steps, she felt as if something large, cold, and covered in fur was rushing towards her.

She was so scared that she stumbled, lost her balance, and hit her forehead and nose hard on the ground.

No... no...

In that moment, she could hardly move.

Sun Xiaofang felt her mind go blank, seeing stars in front of her eyes, tears and snot flowing together, her vision dimming.

At the same time, the "thing" chasing her from behind had caught up to her, getting closer and closer to the crouching Sun Xiaofang.

Sun Xiaofang lay on the ground, unable to turn her head to see the exact appearance of the thing, but she instinctively felt a chilling sensation, feeling that the thing chasing her was not human at all. It was reaching out with something sharp and jointed, slowly placing it on her shoulder...

Sun Xiaofang was so scared that she almost fainted on the spot.

—"Xiaofang, what are you doing here?"

Just at this critical moment, Sun Xiaofang heard a familiar voice.

A sense of relief filled her heart as if she had survived a disaster.

Sun Xiaofang struggled to lift her head, supporting herself with her hands, and looked ahead. A slender figure in a school uniform seemed to be standing quietly at the end of the road.

"Seigetsu... Seigetsu!"

She quickly recognized the girl's face and couldn't help but call out her name.

The short-haired girl with a backpack slowly walked up to Sun Xiaofang, squatting down and reaching out to her.

"Xiaofang, what are you doing here? Did you fall?"

The classmate's voice was as gentle as ever, like spring water seeping into her heart. Sun Xiaofang, who had been trembling with fear, was almost moved to tears.

At the same time, she remembered what had happened this afternoon and felt ashamed. The girl with braided hair grabbed Seigetsu's hand as if she had found someone to rely on, and leaned against her.

"There's... something behind us...""Don't be afraid, it's okay."

Sun Xiaofang didn't look up, but just listening to the comforting calm tone, her heart, which had been raised to her throat, slowly relaxed, and her nervous emotions eased.

Zhu Qingyue patted her on the back of the head and pulled Sun Xiaofang's hand forcefully. After the two stood up together, Zhu Qingyue walked towards the alley in front of her.

"Wait, wait... let's escape!" Sun Xiaofang involuntarily walked backwards, feeling fearful again, and shouted in panic, "There's something coming from behind!"

"Hmm? What is it?"

Find the original at bit.ly/3iBfjkV.

Zhu Qingyue, however, completely ignored her warning and instead held her hand tightly, pulling the trembling Sun Xiaofang back to the alley.

Sun Xiaofang's hands and feet were shaking, but she didn't dare to run away alone, so she could only stare blankly at the side of the head of the class leader girl.

"These people are..."

Zhu Qingyue quickly noticed the several young men lying haphazardly under the eaves.

"They are my cousin and his friends, but they suddenly..." Sun Xiaofang stammered, "I don't know what happened, it feels like everything happened in an instant..."

Zhu Qingyue squatted down, as if carefully observing for a while, and then put her fingers under their noses to test their breathing.

"They're all just unconscious. But their breathing is steady, and there are no signs of bleeding on their bodies," she turned around and said, "Don't worry, the situation is not very serious."

"Also, you said someone attacked you? But I didn't see anyone."

"Um, could it be..."

Of course, Sun Xiaofang couldn't think of anything invisible like monsters or ghosts. The attacker she thought of could only be a person, but the one who could do such a strange thing was definitely not an ordinary person.

Sun Xiaofang hesitated for a moment and finally voiced her guess.

"At that time... at noon today, that girl Lin Xingjie threatened me, saying she would teach me a lesson..."

"No, how could that be," Zhu Qingyue couldn't help but laugh, "Lin is still at school now."

"Is, is that so?"

"Of course, because that boy named Sunny Xu is still there," she replied in a matter-of-fact tone, "He is Lin Xingjie's friend, and they are always together. You told me about the gossip between these two, don't you know?"

"Yes, I know..." Sun Xiaofang murmured, falling into confusion, "So, it's not her, then who..."

Zhu Qingyue looked at the confused girl with braided hair and suddenly laughed softly, saying in a low voice.

"Maybe, Xiaofang, you're getting your just deserts."

"Ah?"

Sun Xiaofang raised her head in confusion.

"Because you did something bad."

Twilight is always so brief, and the sky quickly darkened. The girl's face was obscured by the shadows, and only her clear pupils were looking at her thoughtfully.

"Xiaofang, did you go to find these people with the intention of revenge?"

"No, no, no!" Sun Xiaofang was startled, "Of course not."

"Is that so? That's good," Zhu Qingyue nodded, "Don't have any bad thoughts again, or there might be more serious consequences."

It seemed like she was saying something absurd, but her tone was serious.

"Will... it happen again?"

Sun Xiaofang only heard this one sentence.

"Yes. If you don't change, there will be a second time."

"Those kinds of things..."

Looking at the serious Zhu Qingyue, Sun Xiaofang felt a little amused, but at that moment, the eerie sound came from behind again, like the amplified sound of insects crawling on glass.

"No! I, I really regret it! Don't come looking for me again!"

Sun Xiaofang was so scared that her voice became high-pitched, and she instinctively screamed.

"Qingyue, do you have... do you have any way?"

Her head was completely confused, almost to the point of tears.

"Right, I'm really sorry! About spreading rumors about you, I actually like Teacher Yang, and the love letter that Sunny Xu gave you was written by me! But I told the teachers that lie..."

"Haven't you already apologized in front of everyone? Let's just leave it at that, I won't pursue it further."

"Wait, wait! What should I do?"

"Xiaofang, what are you so afraid of?"Sun Xiaofang instinctively realized that the sound was likely something only she could hear. The girl across from her remained calm, showing no signs of panic at Sun Xiaofang's reaction.

Could it really be—

Sun Xiaofang became increasingly afraid.

"Alright, it's getting late, I should go back, and so should you. See you tomorrow," Zhu Seigetsu said with a smile, waving her hand as if she was ready to leave.

Sun Xiaofang subconsciously stepped forward and grabbed her sleeve. In that moment, all she could think about was not letting Zhu Seigetsu leave, not leaving her alone.

"...Can you protect me?" Sun Xiaofang asked, feeling shameless for even saying it.

"Aren't we friends?" Zhu Seigetsu furrowed her brows and sighed deeply.

"Xiaofang, do you think you still deserve that?"

"I...I've already realized my mistake..."

"I gave you a chance, Xiaofang," the class leader's tone remained calm, showing no sign of anger or sadness, "but you chose to abandon our friendship, didn't you?"

Zhu Seigetsu reached out and slowly pried Sun Xiaofang's fingers off her sleeve, causing her body to stiffen.

"I...I don't want to..."

Sun Xiaofang despaired as she heard the eerie sound again. Tears streamed down her face, blurring her vision.

And in the distance, Zhu Seigetsu's figure seemed to be getting farther and farther away...

She realized she had truly been abandoned, and as her vision darkened, her knees gave out and she knelt on the ground.

If only I hadn't done that... Sun Xiaofang had never experienced such heart-wrenching regret.

She couldn't see the threat from behind, but she could feel something on her shoulder.

Was it just her imagination? But the chilling sensation felt so real, instilling fear and despair in her.

"—But even if we're not friends, as long as you listen to me obediently, it'll be fine."

At that moment, Zhu Seigetsu's voice came from above her head.

She...she hadn't left!

Sun Xiaofang's heart filled with joy and she looked up suddenly.

The girl with short hair standing in front of her, smiling gently, seemed like a goddess bathed in moonlight.

"As long as you listen, there won't be any problems. I've never lied to you, have I?" the class leader's voice carried a hint of laughter as she gently stroked Sun Xiaofang's head, like one would comfort a dog running around one's legs.

"Really...?" Sun Xiaofang murmured to herself, hope filling her heart once again.

Zhu Seigetsu didn't speak, didn't leave, just stood there quietly.

And soon, Sun Xiaofang noticed that the strange, terrifying sound...was actually getting farther and farther away from her!

Finally, the voice behind her disappeared completely, and the alley returned to its usual quietness.

"Thank you! Thank you..." Sun Xiaofang collapsed, overwhelmed with joy.

"Are you feeling better?"

"Yes, I..."

"Then stand up."

Zhu Seigetsu's soft voice sounded clear in Sun Xiaofang's ears.

"Yes...yes, I understand."

Sun Xiaofang dared not say anything else and obediently stood up. At that moment, she looked like a maid following behind Zhu Seigetsu.

...

After consoling Sun Xiaofang, Zhu Seigetsu turned and left again.

Although she seemed reluctant, Sun Xiaofang didn't dare to stop her, just watched her go.

The girl left the alley, not going too far before stopping and looking at the house next to her.

In the dim twilight, a spider-like creature crawled over the eaves, with a grotesque human face, bloodthirsty mouth, and protruding fangs.

That was the true form of the sound Sun Xiaofang had heard from behind...

—Ah, am I truly a "bad kid" now?

Zhu Seigetsu reached out her hand to the sky, looking at her translucent palm.

A silver disc hung in the cold night, casting a hazy light into her eyes, illuminating the faint smile on the girl's lips.