Proofreader & Editor: Peter Pan
He Gu rushed into the dormitory, not even having time to turn on the light.
The room was pitch-black, save for the small area illuminated by the flashlight on his phone.
In that small patch of light stood a little girl in a red dress.
Inside the dark dormitory, He Gu and the little girl locked eyes.
In that moment, time seemed to freeze, and He Gu felt his blood nearly stop flowing.
After a second of shock, He Gu quickly straightened up, pressing his back firmly against the door, and fumbled for the walkie-talkie, pressing the red button on it.
Though the button seemed useless, He Gu was definitely not about to break the rules.
But in the next moment, He Gu realized that the little girl seemed even more nervous than he was, blinking her large eyes pitifully at him, a hint of unease in her gaze.
"BANG!"
Before He Gu could think further, a muffled sound came from the door behind him.
It was 414 banging on the door from the outside!
"BANG! BANG! BANG!"
The pounding on the door grew more urgent and forceful.
He Gu, with his back pressed against the door, was jolted by the vibrations.
Feeling the force through the door, He Gu worried that it might not withstand the battering.
And at this inconvenient time, the little girl in red was right in front of him.
Caught between advancing and retreating, He Gu could only maintain his position, pressed against the door.
The banging continued for about half a minute before it finally stopped.
The dormitory fell into complete silence, and He Gu could even hear his own breathing and heartbeat.
Yet, the little girl still stood there, her eyes flickering with nervousness as she watched him.
He Gu's scalp tingled. If she didn't leave, was he doomed to stand against the door as punishment?
After much hesitation, He Gu decided to try communicating with the little girl.
"Little girl…"
As He Gu tentatively began to speak, the girl's face changed, and she quickly raised her index finger to her lips, gesturing "shush" to He Gu.
Seeing her gesture, He Gu tensed up, the words he was about to say interrupted.
The next moment, He Gu heard a woman's voice behind him: "Sir, please open the door, I'm looking for my daughter."
The voice made He Gu's skin crawl.
It sounded as if the woman was speaking right into his ear from behind, as though the door no longer existed!
Meanwhile, the little girl looked at He Gu with pleading eyes and shook her head gently.
Was the little girl the daughter of the woman in red?
But it seemed the little girl was afraid of the woman outside, begging He Gu not to open the door?
Of course, He Gu had no intention of opening it.
He Gu just hoped the little girl would leave through the wall on her own.
"Sweetie, you're in there, aren't you?"
The woman's voice sounded again.
He Gu's hair stood on end, the angle of the voice making him suspect the woman had already passed through the door and was whispering in his ear. He even felt a breath on the back of his neck!
The little girl looked at He Gu nervously, and He Gu, equally tense, leaned against the door, neither making a sound.
The corridor outside also fell silent.
After a few more minutes of this standoff, He Gu heard the sound of footsteps, "tap… tap… tap…" fading away down the hall.
Had 414 walked away with the woman in red?
He Gu listened until the footsteps disappeared before he allowed himself to breathe a little easier.
But before he could fully relax, he tensed up again.
He had almost forgotten about the little girl in red right in front of him!
As He Gu was gearing up to communicate with the little girl, she suddenly spoke, "Big brother, she's gone now, you don't have to be nervous."
Hearing her words, He Gu was taken aback and thought bitterly: It's you making me nervous! I won't be nervous once you leave!
After a moment's thought, He Gu tentatively asked, "Little friend, why don't you go home with your mom?"
To his surprise, the little girl shook her head vigorously: "She's not my mom."
The girl paused, then added, "Aunt Yun always wants to take me to the hospital for injections. It's too dark there, I don't like it."
He Gu was confused, "What hospital? There's no hospital around here, is there?"
The girl earnestly replied, "The one with the big ram's head at the entrance."
As she spoke, she spread her arms to show how big the ram's head was.
This only added to He Gu's confusion.
What hospital was this little girl talking about?
Could there be a hospital or something similar within the factory grounds?
While pondering, He Gu's tension eased a bit.
From what he could tell, the little girl didn't seem that frightening, and he had encountered her several times before. It seemed that as long as he kept his back to the wall, there was no danger.
Since the little girl could communicate, maybe he could get some clues from her?
With this in mind, He Gu asked again, "Little friend, where is that hospital?"
The girl tilted her head, thinking for a moment, then shook her head, "It's just at the hospital."
He Gu: …
Thinking it over, He Gu asked again, not giving up, "Is there anything special about that hospital?"
The girl replied without hesitation, "I remember there's a very big ram's head at the entrance of the hospital, bigger than our car! And… and there are a lot of kids about my age in the hospital, but they don't talk… and… the nurses there are very mean!"
He Gu was baffled and tried a different approach, "Is there any special building near that hospital?"
The girl shook her head, "I don't know…"
He Gu felt somewhat helpless.
He had finally heard a new clue, a possible hospital within the factory area, but the girl was clueless.
Just as He Gu was about to ask something else, the girl suddenly exclaimed, "Oh! I've been out too long, my mom must be worried!"
"Goodbye, big brother, I'll come find you to play tomorrow! "
With that, the girl turned and ran towards the bathroom.
Before He Gu could respond, the girl had already dashed into the bathroom and disappeared.
Watching the red figure vanish into the bathroom, He Gu sighed helplessly, wishing to say that she really didn't need to come find him to play…
After the girl ran into the bathroom, the dormitory fell silent again.
Only then did He Gu remember to turn on the light.
The dim light filled the room, and He Gu leaned against the door for a while longer. Following his usual routine, he moved towards the bathroom with his back against the wall. Reaching the bathroom door, he pushed it open to check inside and, seeing no sign of the little girl, finally breathed a sigh of relief…