Fang Marks

**Chapter 8 Title: "The Mysterious Wounds"**

Lila Bennett had no idea there were small puncture-like wounds on his neck.

He reached up to touch them, feeling no pain or discomfort. “I don’t know... maybe a bug bit me?”

Ferry Island was, after all, an island in the sea.

Perhaps there were insects there that didn’t exist on land.

He thought back to the night of the power outage when he ran into the woods without a scarf, tripping and falling several times. Maybe a branch scratched him.

Before he could figure it out, Ethan Cheng grabbed his hand. “And what happened to your hand?”

Earlier, Lila had kept his hands in his pockets, but now Su could see a small bandage wrapped around his right palm.

Lila explained, “I got bumped while getting off the boat and accidentally cut my hand on the railing. It’s nothing serious; Dr. Ling already took care of it.”

Seeing that Lila was otherwise fine, Su sighed like an old man. “You’re a bit unlucky, aren’t you? You always seem to get hurt when you go out.”

Lila shrugged it off. “It doesn’t hurt anymore.”

Su reminded him that winter wounds heal slowly and that he should be careful, then jokingly criticized Alexander Reed’s headphones, saying that a pair of earbuds wasn’t enough compensation for Lila’s blood loss and injuries.

The food and drinks arrived at the table.

Lila described the taste of roasted venison from Ferry Island.

It was as if, after this trip, Lila had become more talkative.

He told Su about the waves when he first landed on the island, the towering fir trees, the snow-covered hills, the frozen lake, the dimly lit mansion, and the dried-up fountain.

Su remarked that Lila must have liked it there because he’s always been someone who enjoys quiet places.

“I did like it,” Lila admitted, but added with a hint of regret, “except the signal was terrible—I couldn’t get online.”

They finished all the drinks the owner had brought.

After paying the bill, they continued chatting as they walked, eventually reaching the entrance to Lila’s building.

Lila asked, “Want to come up and crash?”

Su pinched his cheek playfully. “Nah, I’ve got an early shift tomorrow.”

As they said their goodbyes, Su called after him, “Hey!”

Lila, already halfway up the stairs, turned around.

Standing in the street, Su smiled and said, “Life’s going to get better soon!”

Then he turned and walked away without looking back.

Lila stood there for a few seconds before coolly responding, “I know.”

Back in his apartment, Lila took off his hat and scarf, tossing his muddy winter boots to the floor after a long night of walking.

After showering and drying his hair, he thought about what Su had mentioned earlier—the strange wound on his neck.

The bathroom was warm and humid.

Lila absentmindedly wiped the steam off the mirror, only to realize his mind had wandered—his right hand’s bandage was soaked.

Carefully, he unwrapped it and threw it in the trash.

Then, he froze.

The skin on the palm of his right hand was perfectly smooth.

Not a single scar remained.

His wound had completely disappeared.

Lila blinked in disbelief. He touched his palm with his other hand and moved into better lighting.

This time, he confirmed beyond a doubt—the one-centimeter cut he’d gotten from the boat’s railing wasn’t just healed; it was gone, without a trace.

Uncle Ping’s and the boy’s strange expressions from the boat suddenly flashed in his mind.

He remembered what Uncle Ping had said:

“Don’t come to the island with a wound again.”

Could it be that Ferry Island had some kind of magical power that could make a person’s wounds vanish without a trace?

Lila rushed back to the mirror to examine his neck.

It was hard to get a good look because of the angle, but he could tell the wound was still there, contradicting his earlier theory.

He quickly dressed, returned to his room, and used his phone to take a picture of his neck from the right side.

What he saw made him uneasy.

No wonder Su had asked—it didn’t look like something caused by a scratch from a branch.

In the photo, near his heart-shaped tattoo on the right side of his neck, there were two small red marks, side by side.

The red marks had scabbed over, and it was easy to imagine what they looked like before. As Su said, they really were two small puncture wounds.

A chill ran down Lila’s spine.

Desperate for answers, he sat on his bed, hair still wet, and opened his laptop to search: “What causes two small puncture wounds?” and “What kind of insect bites leave red dots on the neck?”

The search results were bizarre and all over the place, and he ended up seeing some disturbing images, even accidentally landing on a few adult websites.

Frustrated, he thought about just asking Su for advice. If Su, a medical student, didn’t know the answer, what good would the internet be?

In the end, Lila stumbled upon a paranormal mysteries forum.

He posted a thread, attaching the picture he’d just taken. It didn’t show his face, so he wasn’t too worried about privacy.

He described his symptoms—how the wounds didn’t hurt or itch—and asked if anyone knew what could be the cause.

For good measure, he also mentioned the strange disappearance of the wound on his palm.

By the time he finished, it was 3 a.m.

He wrapped himself in his blanket and fell into a deep sleep.

*

The next morning, Lila was jolted awake by voices in the living room.

It had been so long since anyone had visited that at first, Lila thought he was still dreaming—dreaming of one of those many warm mornings from the past.

Only when he recognized the voices did he get out of bed and open the door.

Three people stood in the living room.

Two of them, a man and a woman who appeared to be a couple, were strangers. The third person, however, was very familiar—the voice he’d just heard on the phone the night before.

All three turned to look at him.

“Who’s this?” the man asked, sounding displeased. “You didn’t mention anyone else living here.”

Wu Jingye’s face broke into a bright smile, her laugh crisp. “Oh, that’s my nephew! He’s going to college next year. If you’re interested in the place, he’ll move in with me, and we’ll make room.”

The man said, “His eyes look fierce.”

Wu Jingye quickly covered, “Kids these days—he’s just spoiled and grumpy in the morning.”

She led the couple to the kitchen to check out the balcony.

Lila didn’t say a word and quietly went back to his room.

About ten minutes later, Wu Jingye knocked on his door. “Ning Ning, they’re gone. They didn’t like the layout of the bathroom and want to lower the price by another twenty thousand. What do you think?”

Lila put on his headphones.

He blasted a loud rock song.

He could vaguely hear the knocking on his door getting louder and louder.

Maybe a neighbor complained because the walls were thin, and they were being too noisy.

When the house finally quieted down, Lila opened his door.

He was eighteen, not particularly tall or muscular, but standing there with his long legs and arms, and his grumpy expression, he still managed to intimidate.

“What’s wrong with you today?” Wu Jingye’s hair was a mess from frustration. “Didn’t I call you and explain everything? You didn’t even open the door or greet them—where are your manners?”

Lila politely called out, “Auntie.”

And with that, he turned back to his room.

Wu Jingye nearly tripped over his guitar case as she entered.

His room was cluttered with equipment and wires, leaving her almost no place to step. “You’re still messing with this stuff? You’re not a kid anymore. Can’t you focus on something more serious?”

Her tone softened. “Have you eaten breakfast yet?”

Lila sat on the bed, staring at his computer. His face was youthful and innocent.

He looked like he didn’t understand anything.

Wu Jingye raised her voice. “Lila Bennett, I’m talking to you. What are you doing?”

“Not selling the house,” Lila muttered without looking up. “I’m looking for an ad to change the locks.”

Wu Jingye was so angry she was shaking. She took a deep breath.

After standing there for a while, her eyes welled up with tears. She kicked his guitar case in frustration and stormed out in her high heels.

Lila sat on the bed for a while longer before opening his mobile banking app to transfer some money to her.

Then, he got up, opened his guitar case, and crouched down to check the instrument.

Once he confirmed it was fine, he put it back in its case and carefully placed it in the closet.

He didn’t turn on any lights in the room.

The only light came from his laptop screen.

Lila spent the entire day playing video games before heading to work at the bar, N°.

That night, Ray didn’t show up. A female singer performed instead, singing a mix of rap and jazz that Lila didn’t particularly like. Word was that Ray had a sore throat and wouldn’t be coming for a while.

During his break, Lila stood by the bar, watching the performance like he used to. He wasn’t a fan of this new singer’s style.

On his way through the underground plaza, he spotted the same group of pu