The Last Breath Chapter 4

In the countryside, darkness falls quickly. When Uncle Samuel saw it was about time, he had me stuff several pillowcases inside my clothes, then put the burial shroud over everything.

With these layers of clothing plus the wrinkles drawn on my face, I'd transformed into a portly elderly person.

I was finding this novel and amusing when Uncle Samuel's next words made my scalp prickle.

"Something should come in tonight." Uncle Samuel took a puff of his pipe. "Besides you, there can't be a second living person in this room. So after that thing comes in, you'll have to deal with it yourself. Just stay in the inner part of the bed. No matter what happens, don't get off the bed."

Mom's eyes reddened with tears. She insisted on staying with me, but Uncle Samuel shouted her down: "Tonight is extremely dangerous—you must listen to me!"

I asked curiously: "Is that thing big or small? What does it look like? How will I know if it's come in?"

"It looks like..." Uncle Samuel started, then suddenly stopped himself. "Don't worry about all that. As long as it comes in, you'll definitely know. And that thing can speak. If it asks who you are, tell it you're Margaret Chen. No matter what else it asks, just keep saying that one thing: I'm Margaret Chen."

Yes, Margaret was my grandmother's name.

As I was processing this information, Uncle Samuel suddenly pulled out several finger-length nails and hammered them in a neat row along the wooden edge of the bed platform. He muttered to himself: "These coffin nails were originally prepared for myself."

I asked Uncle Samuel curiously: "What are these coffin nails for?"

He looked at me coldly. "To prevent that thing from getting on the bed."

As he spoke, Uncle Samuel backed away while spreading wood ash across the floor.

By the time he reached the doorway, the floor was covered with a layer of ash. He looked up at me once, said nothing more, and turned to leave.

There were no streetlights in the village. As I watched the window darken, villagers went home to cook dinner.

Soon even the faint light sources outside dimmed, and everything went quiet except for a few scattered dog barks—the silence was deafening.

A quartz clock hung on the wall. By the faint moonlight, I could see it was nearly 10 PM.

Following Uncle Samuel's instructions, I couldn't have my phone. I just had to sit curled up on the bed, inevitably feeling heavy-headed.

To prevent drowsiness, I'd prepared a tea mug with strong tea.

After a few gulps, my heart rate increased. My head cleared, but my lower abdomen also tightened.

Damn, I'd forgotten to ask Uncle Samuel—if he won't let me get off the bed, how do I handle bathroom needs?

Should I sneak out quickly? If I'm fast, it won't take long.

But my right leg had been bitten—that tooth mark was like some kind of seal.

Just as I was agonizing over this, suddenly there was movement in the courtyard—the sound of bricks on the wall. Was someone climbing over the wall?

I looked through the window into the distance. The moonlit courtyard was empty.

But there was a blind spot from my position—I couldn't see the west wall.

And the west wall was exactly where that black thing had jumped yesterday after emerging from the coffin and attacking me.

Yes, it had returned. It had come back for me!

I grabbed two paper balls to stuff in my nostrils—Uncle Samuel had warned me not to let that thing detect a living person's scent.

My heart was pounding wildly, my hands shaking uncontrollably.