The Arrival of Horror

Ghost Stories in the Forum. I guessed that you are lying in bed reading a novel, probably on your side, and your phone might be charging. Yang, a high school senior, is currently lying in bed under the covers, boredly scrolling through his phone. He randomly opened a post where numerous users were commenting. "Wow, the OP is truly incredible to have guessed this." "Well, do you really want me to tell you I'm currently on the toilet? No need to ask, my feet are numb." Feeling the replies were a bit dull, Yang clicked to view only the OP's posts. Immediately, the post became clean, with only the one from the self-proclaimed doctor remaining, who goes by the username "Thundering Monk." As Yang scrolled down further, Thundering Monk continued the post: The story goes like this: last week during my night shift, around midnight, an ambulance brought in an old man. The medical staff in the ambulance mentioned that the man had fallen from the fifth floor. At the time, my colleagues were occupied, and I was the only one responsible for the diagnosis. I could confirm without a doubt that the man showed no signs of life; he was already deceased. Moreover, based on the elderly man's physical characteristics and chest temperature, it was evident that he could not have fallen and died that same night. Any knowledgeable person would understand that within ten hours of death, in ambient conditions, the body's temperature decreases approximately one degree per hour. After 24 hours, the body temperature would typically be close to room temperature. However, the old man's body temperature was at least ten degrees lower than room temperature, if not more, while the evening temperature was 22 degrees. I concluded that the man had been dead for over a day. Below, there were comments from users: "OP's knowledge is terrifying. I bow down to the expert." "Quick, check if the patient's shoes are still on; if they are, there might still be a chance to save him." "So chilling. OP, please update quickly; I've already curled up under my covers." Yang continued scrolling down: Thundering Monk continued the post: Drawing from my experience of watching over 300 episodes of Detective Conan in middle school, I can immediately conclude that this old man did not accidentally fall to his death but was likely murdered. The body had certainly experienced being stored in a freezer. I reported this incident to the police. However, I won't discuss that matter today; instead, I'll talk about what happened afterward. The post paused for a moment, indicating an update two hours later. I apologize, someone knocked on the door inquiring about the situation, but it wasn't the police, nor did they seem like journalists. They had national credentials, claiming to be a criminal investigator. Well, nevermind. The time was probably the next morning. I hadn't started work yet, but according to my colleagues, the corpse of the elderly man who had been brought in the previous night went missing from the morgue. The police were conducting a thorough investigation, suspecting foul play. It caused quite a commotion, with the hospital's surveillance footage being reviewed, but they still couldn't locate the missing body or the perpetrator. Tonight, I'll be on duty again... However, the events of the day left me somewhat uneasy. A patient from the hospital mentioned seeing the old man's body, not carried out by someone but walking out on its own. The patient even accurately traced the path the old man took, confirming it was from the direction of the morgue. I felt a bit frightened when I heard this; however, as an atheist, I didn't entirely believe the patient's words. Later, I heard the head nurse mention that Dr. Fang from the Neurology Department was planning to increase the patient's medication dosage, which somewhat eased my mind. Indeed, not believing the patient was the right call... But the matter I wish to discuss isn't this; it's something that occurred during my night shift. It must have been around 2 a.m. I was playing a game on my phone in the emergency room, and let me tell you, you can't imagine how fun that game is. If you're a real man, come take me on... "Oh man, OP, you're truly talented." "Where's the sincerity between individuals? Your tricks caught me off guard." "I guessed the beginning but not the end. But Three guests, where's the promise of swallowing feces?" A bunch of netizens were commenting on the forum, making it quite lively. Yang couldn't help but feel a bit amused and exasperated lying in his bed under the covers. Is this how intense advertising has become nowadays? But as he scrolled down further, things took a different turn. Thundering Monk continued his post: "Apologies, apologies, I'm not advertising, but something truly inexplicable and paranormal happened that night. You probably couldn't imagine it in your wildest dreams. At 2:15 in the morning, while playing games in the emergency room, I suddenly felt a chill, similar to the feeling in the morgue. I got goosebumps at that moment. Guess what happened next? The old man who had gone missing from the morgue yesterday suddenly appeared outside the emergency room. He wasn't dead; instead, he was moving slowly step by step towards the hospital's exit. Oh my, this is impossible. I saw that old man dead with my own eyes, and he had been dead for more than a day. How could he come back to life? A prank? Feigned death? Medical miracle? At that moment, I had many thoughts, but perhaps due to my frequent contact with corpses, I wasn't as scared as one might expect. The immediate concern was to pick up my phone and take a photo, ready to share it on my social circle. Below the caption: "Photo evidence, no Photoshop." As Yang scrolled down further, a photo immediately appeared before his eyes. The photo wasn't blurry; on the contrary, it was very clear. Through the emergency room's glass window, an old man was seen walking outside. The old man was dressed in a black jumpsuit with a somewhat vintage feel, thin and with brown, mottled skin. From the angle of the photo, one of the old man's eyes was visible. What kind of eye was that... ashen, hollow, devoid of any vitality, exuding a chilling sense of deathly silence. The photo didn't depict any b****y or horrifying scenes, but the feeling emanating from the old man in the photo immediately made one's hair stand on end, sending shivers down the spine. Moreover, recalling Thundering Monk's earlier statement that this old man had been a cold corpse made the sense of fear even more intense. The more one looked at the photo, the more unsettling it became. It was like looking at a dead person, more like looking at... a ghost. The netizens couldn't stop commenting on the forum: "Scared the baby to death! This photo is so terrifying, the more I look, the scarier it gets. Where did the OP find this photo?" "Why does the old man have so many marks on his hands? I have a phobia of clusters." "Those are post-mortem lividity marks; it means that the old man is already a corpse." Despite the comments from these netizens, Thundering Monk continued to post: "The photo is real, I took it myself. Later, this old man walked out of the hospital, and I have no idea where he went. But if anyone in the same city as me, be careful. Even though I am an atheist, there are still some things you have to believe in." Suddenly, someone seemed to be knocking on the door. It was probably the police coming to take my statement. I'll be right back. However, just before a minute had passed since the post was made, Thundering Monk posted again: "Damn it, damn it, it's that old man that ran out of the hospital. That thing is standing outside my door knocking. I saw it clearly through the peephole. What do I do now? I feel like I've stirred up something I shouldn't have." "How are you so pleased with this, OP?" "Is this for real? This is too unbelievable." "Call the police immediately, hurry, get a spirit medium." "Don't pretend, OP. It must be fake; if it's not, I'll eat crap twice." "You again, crap-eating boy. You still haven't paid your last debt!" Despite the ongoing comments, Thundering Monk posted again: "I called the police, but what do I do now? That thing is still knocking on the door, and it doesn't seem like it's going to leave. Oh no, just now the lights in my living room suddenly went out. Now I'm too scared to go into the living room." "I've closed the door, turned on all the lights I could, but the old man is still knocking." At this point, Thundering Monk's posts were frantic, with each message posted within seconds of each other, and some words were even misspelled. It was clear that the doctor posting was now very scared and panicked. Yang also felt a chill creeping over him. Though he knew this story might be fake, the image of the old man standing outside the door in the photo made him shudder. The posts continued: "No, this is bad. I hear footsteps in my living room. Oh god, I'm the only one at home. I suspect the old man who was knocking on the door earlier has come in. He must have entered the living room, but how did he get in without me hearing the door?" "The footsteps have reached outside my room door, and they seem to have stopped." "That thing is knocking on the door again. I feel something is wrong. I've recorded the sound as evidence and left my phone number. If you can't reach me on my phone, then I'm probably in trouble. Please, someone call the police at 138..." "Thud, thud, thud, thud..." Below was an audio file. Upon opening it, there was a muffled, oppressive knocking sound. Each hit seemed to weigh on one's heart, making it hard to breathe. The post paused at this point. As Yang scrolled to the end, he only saw the last line: "The old man has come in..."