I am a student who graduated from a normal university. One day, I passed by an old wall. There was a recruitment notice stuck on it: High school teacher, high salary. If you can safely teach for ten days, you will be paid 100,000 yuan. Contact number: ########. Contact person: Principal Wang. Mingshan High School. At the moment, I thought to myself, how could such a thing happen to me? 100,000 yuan? No way. And I turned around and walked away. Suddenly, I heard two girls talking behind me.
One said: "Hey, this is the legendary Mingshan High School." "I heard there are ghosts there, very fierce."
The other asked: "Is the salary really that high?"
The first replied: "Yes, many people have gone there. But..."
The second asked: "But what?"
She answered: "Only one female teacher has received that 100,000 yuan. That teacher is blind. I heard many people have disappeared. Those who managed to escape were scared into madness, only saying: Ghosts, ghosts, don't come near... So, the rumor spread. For several years, no one dared to go there again."
The other screamed: "Oh my god, stop talking!"
Since I've been praised for being brave since childhood, hearing such a story with a lucrative bonus made me want to try it out.
I sat across from Principal Wang. He looked over forty, a thin man, with a sinister look that made me want to run away immediately.
He said: "Have you heard about our school?"
I replied: "Yes, so, are there really ghosts?"
He suddenly laughed, a chilling laugh, and said: "You can ask the only teacher who got the bonus. Her name is Fu Qing. Here's her address. Also, if you're really planning to come here to teach, come back here at three in the afternoon tomorrow." In front of me was a calm woman, pretty but pale.
Just, she's blind. I couldn't help but sigh.
I asked: "Are there really ghosts?"
She smiled sorrowfully and replied: "I don't know, because I can't see. I won't make rash judgments about things I can't see. Just..."
She frowned slightly, hesitating to say more.
Just, I advise you not to go. Because I feel a lot of..."
Her face suddenly showed a strange expression, and she abruptly stopped speaking.
I turned around and saw Principal Wang. He nodded at me and sat down.
He said: "I'm going to visit Ms. Fu."
Fu Qing's eyes suddenly widened, and I saw her shaking her head at me. I knew she was advising me not to go. But, such intriguing events, how could I stop?
Before leaving, I deeply looked at Fu Qing one last time. She lowered her head, looking very sad.
At three in the afternoon, I stood in Principal Wang's office.
He read out the rules for the teachers: Teach from seven in the evening to two in the morning. As long as you're in the classroom during this period, the rest is up to your own arrangement.
Teaching at such ghostly hours would scare anyone to death. It's uncertain whether it's even teaching humans. Thinking about this, I suddenly shivered and remembered Fu Qing lowering her head.
Five others were also taking the interview with me. We six were led into the campus.
The big campus was desolate, devoid of any vitality.
We entered our respective classrooms.
It was already seven o'clock. The sky outside had turned dark. The classroom was lit by a dim yellow light. The students quietly read their books, asking each other when they didn't understand. Only then did I realize how they studied without teachers.
Satisfied, I started calling the roll.
Zhang Ruoshui.
Present... A pale-faced boy slowly stood up, his head lowered.
He was the class monitor.
Qiufang.
Present. A beautiful girl stood up. Among the classmates, I felt she was the most normal.
One by one, the students stood up to respond.
Finally,
Wang Jian.
No one answered me. A sudden silence filled the room, then Qiufang stood up.
She said: "Teacher, Wang Jian might not have come." I started teaching. Time flew by quickly, and soon it was time to dismiss class.
Two in the morning.
The students silently packed their bags and slowly went out. My mind was filled with doubts. This late at night, where could they go?
I followed them and saw them walk into a dormitory-like building on the north side of the campus. I wanted to follow further, but someone stopped me.
Zhang Ruoshui. His head was lowered, and I only saw his pale cheeks.
He slowly said: "Teacher, here, don't be too curious..."
By the time I came to my senses, he had already disappeared into the darkness.
This school exuded an eerie atmosphere, oppressing me like a heavy burden.
It was like a tangled mess.
I returned to the teacher's lounge. There were complete facilities. After taking a shower, I lay on the bed without turning off the light and slowly drifted into sleep.
In my dream, I felt something heavy pressing on me, unable to breathe or open my eyes.
I struggled hard.
Finally, I woke up with a start. The lights around me were turned off at some point, and everything was pitch black.
I quietly sat on the bed. Suddenly, something touched my neck. It was cold and stiff, like a dead person's hand. It quickly withdrew.
My heart raced wildly, then remained silent for a long time. I fell asleep again slowly.
When I woke up the next day, it was noon. I met the other teachers outside.
I counted them. Besides me, there were only four left.
I clearly remembered that there were six teachers when we arrived.
The other teachers noticed this too, and their faces immediately turned white. At this moment, Principal Wang walked in, seemingly knowing our thoughts.
He chillingly said: "Forgot to tell you, every time teachers come here, only one can leave. The rest will disappear. You'd better know this."
Three months. A long three months. Stuck in this ghostly place, facing disappearance.
The four teachers looked at each other, then ran towards the school gate without hesitation.
I didn't run. I watched them from upstairs. I saw them fail to open the school gate, desperately pounding on it in fear.
This eerie campus had become a prison, and we were its prisoners.
It was a sunny noon, but suddenly clouds gathered, and the sky became dark again. I quietly sat on the sofa waiting. Darkness enveloped everything once more.
This school seemed to have a deep connection with darkness, always existing within it.
Then, I heard sounds of fighting. It was those four teachers. They believed that eventually, one could leave. Thus, foolishly hoping others would fall instead of them.
They fought their way into the room where I was. I quietly sat on the sofa.
Quietly counting the number of people entering.
One, two, three... I felt a chill, four, five...
My heart sank slowly. This time, there were five footsteps, but only four breaths.
Another... I didn't know what it was...
In the darkness, I didn't know what to do. Being caught by others in this situation meant... death.
I quietly sat on the sofa, holding my breath, trying not to move.
There was silence at first. Suddenly, from my left, came a scream. A body fell.
There were still four footsteps, three breaths.
Gradually. Time passed slowly. Finally, I was grabbed by a pair of cold, stiff hands, the same ones from last night.
Instantly, fear and despair gripped my throat. However, I didn't make a sound and held my breath as much as possible.
After a while, the hands let go of me, and I fainted.
Teacher, teacher, wake up.
I was shaken awake. Around me were my students. Qiufang looked at me with concern.
I was still on the sofa. There was a little light around. Strangely, there were no dead teachers' bodies, no bloodstains, nothing. It was as if nothing had happened, just like a dream.
Looking at the watch, it was time for class. Like yesterday, I taught calmly.
After waking up from another nap, I thought it was the third day.
I walked out. On the sofa sat a pale-faced teacher.
Only one.
We sat together silently. She was a woman. I forgot her name, but it had a "Ling" in the middle.
Suddenly, Ling cried. I hugged her. In despair, the distance between the two of us became very close.
We took candles into the resting rooms of the other teachers. The bedding was neatly placed, as if no one had slept there.
They had completely disappeared, just like the previous ones.
Vanished without a trace.
Ling collapsed onto the ground in despair, crying hysterically.
She said: "I killed one yesterday. I stabbed him with a fruit knife, but..."
She lifted her hands.
But there wasn't even a drop of blood...
I silently hugged her. At this moment, I couldn't bear to blame her for her sins anymore.
She wildly kissed me. I didn't move. Let her tear my clothes in near madness. Then, she looked at me with tearful eyes. She said: "I'm scared."
Deep in fear and despair, I had no other choice. So, I used desire to relieve all the pressure, hoping to face the upcoming events calmly.
Including, death.
I was deeply entangled with Ling.
On the fourth teaching session, I finished the class calmly.
Then, I watched them pack their bags and file out. I noticed that Zhang Ruoshui always walked last.
At four in the morning, Ling and I entered the dormitory-like building.
In the eerie hallway, we didn't light the candle. We just held hands and felt our way in the dark. We decided to find out the truth at all costs. This was our only chance to survive.
Suddenly, I felt a cold breeze approaching. I was startled and immediately pressed against the wall. Sure enough, footsteps passed by us without noticing us, continuing their patrol.
And I, in terror, realized again there was no breathing.
I tightly held Ling's hand.
We waited for a long time before gathering the courage to continue walking. After a long time,
We finally reached the door of a dormitory-like room. Each door had the name of a class hanging on it. We found the door of the class I was in.
Carefully making sure no one was around, we peeked inside. Nothing unusual was found. The students were all sleeping soundly.
Suddenly, I heard a rustling sound by my ear.
Turning around, I saw Zhang Ruoshui's pale face saying to me: "Teacher, you're too curious..."
Blood flowed from his eyes. Behind him was a group of ghost-like students with their heads bowed.
Ling screamed and fainted.
More and more students gathered from all sides, all with their heads bowed.
Only footsteps, no breathing.
At this moment, the students made way for a gaunt student with an ashen face.
The nameplate on his chest read: Wang Jian.
He was the student who never attended class. Looking at his face, I remembered Principal Wang's thin face. They must be father and son.
I suddenly felt familiar with his aura. I thought, those cold stiff hands must belong to him.
He coldly looked at me and Ling in my arms.
Suddenly, he spoke: "Old rule, only one can live."
The students slowly surrounded us. At this moment, they were so close that I could smell the stench from their bodies. Rotten chunks of flesh fell off.
I silently closed my eyes and said: "Choose me. Spare Ling."
Many hands dragged Ling and me apart. Among these hands, some were like dry bones, some were rotten. But at that moment, my heart was already calm. Ling, I hope you can survive. When they began to take my life, I fell unconscious just like the previous times.
When I woke up, it was noon.
Feeling my heartbeat, it was still warm.
Looking at the watch, it was noon on the eighth day. I had been unconscious for three days and three nights.
But Ling was nowhere to be found.
I directly went into Principal Wang's office. He was sitting on the sofa waiting for me.
He said: "I knew you'd come."
I asked: "Are you human or ghost? Where's Ling? Is she still alive?"
He suddenly burst out laughing. After laughing, he looked at me with his usual sinister eyes and said: "Everything you want to know will be revealed after you finish ten days of teaching."
That night, I wore a pair of contact lenses that made me see nothing, just like Fu Qing. Becoming a blind person who isn't actually blind.
I smelled a putrid odor wafting past me. Still only footsteps, no breathing. They no longer needed to use illusions on me. All their true forms were revealed.
But now, I was blind.
So I suppressed all my fears and finished the tenth day of teaching.
After finishing the last class, I took out the contact lenses and saw all the students as expected were zombies. They bowed to me, then all turned into pools of pus water. They merged together and then disappeared.
I walked out of the schoolyard, the gate wide open.
In front of the gate was a black bag. Inside were stacks of money.
100,000 yuan.
For this, I sighed. So many people vanished without a trace. Including Ling, whom I just fell in love with.
I always remember her appearance in my arms. The pain I felt when I woke up and didn't see her. I think I loved her. But I don't know where she is.
I lost her trail.
I looked up and saw Fu Qing.
She quietly stood there.
We looked at each other without a word.
When I turned around, I didn't see Mingshan Middle School. Instead, I saw a spooky cemetery. It read: Mingshan Cemetery.
Next to it was an introduction: In 1998, all the teachers and students died from food poisoning. Below was a long list of names.
Among the names were Principal Wang, Wang Jian, Zhang Ruoshui, Qiufang.
Also, the four missing teachers. I saw a familiar smiling face. That was Ling....
I was terrified and turned around.
Fu Qing had vanished without a trace.
Behind me, in the last row of names, were two prominent names.
Fu Qing....Nan Xiang.
A strong wind blew, ghostly. The sky suddenly turned dark.
The black bag was opened, and paper money flew everywhere.
At this moment, I suddenly felt like I was back in that dark school full of darkness....
Forgot to mention, my name is Nan Xiang....