Mysterious Awakening

Envisioning the scenario with amused precision, an elderly participant in the online forum typed, “In my personal opinion, I believe you are comfortably lounging in bed, totally engrossed in a captivating novel. You’re probably even sprawled out on your side, phone firmly in hand, its lifeline being the charger it’s plugged into.”

The target of this surprisingly accurate description was Miles, a high school senior poised on the cusp of adulthood. He was lying supine on his bed, his attention aimlessly divided between the words on his phone’s screen and the thread of ongoing conversation that his phone served as a window to. The forum was ablaze with an excited flurry of user comments and lively banter that had sparked Miles’ interest.

“Looks like we have a psychic in our midst! You described my current situation to a tee.”

“Hey, should I announce that I’m presently holed up in my bathroom, legs feeling like pins and needles?”

“I recommend getting a Zhou tattoo; it’s time to break free from the unending shackles of labor.”

“Society, oh society, what have you come to.”

Miles, finding the conversation increasingly dreary, decided to explore a different thread that had recently risen to prominence. The thread’s intriguing opening post read:

“I’m a practicing physician at the Third Provincial General Hospital. I have been left deeply rattled by a chilling incident at the hospital, which has compelled me to take leave and remain holed up at home.”

“I’m not interested in shoe shopping or those incessant WeChat advertisements, thank you very much.”

“I bet the original poster has been overwhelmed with a rush of patients. If I’m wrong, I’m ready to eat my own words.”

“That notorious guy from the third floor is back at his scamming schemes.”

Exhausted by the disorderly barrage of comments, Miles decided to streamline his viewing experience by filtering the posts. He retained only the updates posted by the physician who had identified himself by the alias, Thunder King.

The thread took a chilling and intriguing turn, with Thunder King recounting a frightful incident from the past week. On the night of the incident, he was on duty during the graveyard shift. At the stroke of midnight, the paramedics rushed in an elderly man who had reportedly taken a devastating fall from a fifth-floor window. With his colleague conspicuously absent, Thunder King had no choice but to shoulder the responsibility of evaluating the patient’s condition on his own. He soon discerned the undeniable reality – the man was beyond any help, deceased.

Upon closer examination, Thunder King noted that the man seemed to have been dead for a significant amount of time prior to his reported fall.

Most people are aware that the human body gradually cools following death, losing approximately one degree per hour during the initial ten hours under normal circumstances. After about 24 hours, the body temperature typically matches the temperature of the surrounding environment. However, this elderly man’s body was strikingly colder than what one would expect given the timeline of events. That particular night, the ambient temperature was a fairly moderate 22 degrees Celsius.

Based on these observations, Thunder King estimated that the man had been dead for more than a day.

This revelation elicited a barrage of comments from fellow netizens:

“The ‘common knowledge’ divulged by the poster is downright bone-chilling. More power to you, doc.”

“Did anyone check if the patient’s shoes were still on? If they are, he might still have a fighting chance.”

“This is one haunting narrative. Please keep us updated, original poster. I’ve already burrowed under my bed covers.”

With his curiosity now fully piqued, Miles decided to delve deeper into the thread.

Emerging from a self-imposed solitude, Thunder King dropped a bombshell revelation that would set the stage for a strange series of events. His childhood fixation with detective animated series, amounting to a staggering 300 episodes, had honed his observational skills. This skillset allowed him to swiftly and astutely conclude that the unfortunate demise of an elderly gentleman was not a mere accident. In fact, the evidence hinted at a more sinister cause, likely murder. He observed that the old man’s body seemed preserved, as though stored in an ice cellar, a chilling discovery that set the tone for the narrative to come. Not one to keep such an alarming suspicion to himself, he reported the incident to the authorities.

However, the narrative I am about to unfold is not about this initial event, as unusual as it was. Instead, this tale shifts its focus towards the bewildering events that occurred afterward.

At this point, the thread broke off abruptly. The subsequent update wasn’t posted until two hours later, keeping the eager readers in suspense.

Apologies for the extended delay in updating. Unexpectedly, there was a knock on my door that took precedence. I wasn’t greeted by an investigator or a journalist, though they introduced themselves with official identification. That’s a story for another day. Now, let’s proceed with the tale.

Before my work shift began the next day, a colleague filled me in on a peculiar development. The deceased man’s body had mysteriously vanished from our hospital morgue. The police, faced with this baffling situation, suspected that the murderer had daringly taken away the body. This caused quite a stir within the hospital. Despite repeated review of all surveillance footage, neither the body of the old man nor any trace of the alleged murderer was spotted.

Later that night, as I manned my shift, I couldn’t shake off the uneasy feeling brought on by the day’s oddities. A patient at the hospital claimed to have witnessed the most bizarre sight: the old man’s corpse not being taken but seemingly walking out of the hospital on its own. The patient could even recount the precise path the body had taken from the morgue.

This spine-chilling account stirred a cold fear within me. However, as an atheist, I viewed the story with skepticism.

Thankfully, my skepticism was somewhat validated later when I overheard the head nurse discussing an increase in the patient’s medication dosage with Dr. Fang from the Neurology department. Surely, this was evidence that the patient’s claims were hallucinations.

While dismissing the patient’s account was the rational response, the eerie event I aim to highlight isn’t this one. It is an episode that unfolded during my night shift.

Around two in the morning, I found myself absorbed in the intriguing game Blue Moon in the emergency room. If you’ve yet to try it, you’re definitely missing out. Fancy a game? I am open to challengers!

“Remarkable, original poster! Who would have thought to include a game advertisement amidst a ghost story post?”

“Talk about unpredictability! You always manage to surprise us, don’t you?”

“Society never ceases to amaze. I predicted the beginning, but not the twist. But hey, man on the third floor, weren’t you supposed to eat dirt if you’re proven wrong?”

These lively exchanges from the online community kept the forum pulsating with anticipation and curiosity.

Stretched out on his bed, Miles couldn’t help but crack a smile at the ingenious lure. Had advertisements truly evolved to such a creative level?

However, his amusement began to wane as he delved further into the story.

The physician known as Thunder King picked up his narration: I extend my apologies to everyone, but this is not some sort of cheap marketing ploy. That night, a truly unnerving event transpired. At around 2:15 a.m., while engrossed in a particularly engaging video game, an icy shiver stole over me, akin to the bone-chilling cold of the hospital morgue, causing my skin to break out into goosebumps.

The subsequent turn of events was simply unbelievable. The elderly man, who was believed to have mysteriously disappeared from the morgue, suddenly appeared outside the emergency room. He wasn’t sprawled out, lifeless as before; instead, he was plodding slowly, yet decidedly, towards the hospital’s exit.

I was bewildered by the sight unfolding before me. I had personally examined the elderly man; I knew he was dead, and not merely from a few hours prior. So, how on earth was he on his feet, let alone walking? Was this some sort of grotesque prank? A case of cadaveric spasm, perhaps? Or an unfathomable medical miracle?

As my mind raced to comprehend the enigma, I remained calm. My frequent interaction with the deceased had bolstered my nerves. My immediate instinct was to whip out my phone, capture a picture of the anomaly, and document it for potential future discussions with my friends.

The following image is highly enlightening. You know the saying – a picture paints a thousand words, and I assure you this image hasn’t been tampered with.

As Miles continued scrolling, a photograph came into view.

The image was not murky or indistinct as one might expect; instead, it was startlingly clear. It depicted an elderly man, presumably the same one from the morgue, seen through the glass window of the emergency room, ambulating outside.

The man in the picture was attired in a full-length black robe that exuded an antique charm. He was gaunt, his skin exhibiting an abnormal brownish hue. The camera angle provided a glimpse into one of his eyes – a hauntingly vacant eye that seemed devoid of any glimmer of life, casting an eerie silence around.

Although the image didn’t showcase any bloody or horrific scenes, the unnerving aura that the old man emanated was enough to make one’s skin crawl.

Remembering that this individual, referred to as “Master Lei Dian,” had been declared dead by a medical professional not long ago, only amplified the sense of dread.

The longer one spent scrutinizing the photo, the more unnerving it became.

It felt disturbingly similar to staring at a deceased individual, or perhaps more fittingly, at a specter.

“This is bone-chilling. The photograph gives me the creeps. The longer I look, the more frightened I become. Where did you come across this image?” one user queried.

“Why does the elderly man’s hand have so many dark spots? It bears an uncanny resemblance to chickenpox,” another user remarked.

“Those marks you see are consistent with post-mortem lividity,” explained Thunder King, indicating that the man was undoubtedly deceased at the time the photo was taken.

“Yikes, keep away evil entities,” another user chimed in, punctuating their comment with an image of a Taoist priest, “I am Lam Ching Ying, the renowned exorcist.”

“Really now? If you’re Lam Ching Ying, then consider me Loli Sound.”

Not deterred by the flurry of playful banter and skepticism from the online community, Thunder King continued his narrative: “I assure you, the photograph is genuine, taken by me. The elderly man, as incredulous as it may sound, ambled out of the hospital of his own volition. I don’t have a clue about his whereabouts now. Even as a firm atheist, there are circumstances that force me to acknowledge the existence of inexplicable phenomena. Hold on, there seems to be another knock at my door, likely someone demanding an explanation for the strange events. I’ll be back shortly.”

However, less than a minute later, Thunder King hastily posted another update: “Damn, it’s the very same elderly man who we thought had departed the hospital. He’s right here at my doorstep, tapping incessantly. I can discern his form through the peephole. What should I do now? It feels as though I’ve stirred something that I shouldn’t have.”

“Is our original poster having a laugh at our expense?”

“Goodness me, is this real? It’s becoming more eerie by the minute.”

“You should dial 911 right away, and perhaps seek the counsel of a spiritual medium.”

“Enough of your charade, OP. If this isn’t some elaborate prank, I swear I’ll eat my own feces.”

“And here we have the feces-eating aficionado again. Aren’t you still paying for your last erroneous wager?”

In quick succession, Thunder King posted yet another update: “I’ve contacted the authorities, but what now? This apparition continues its relentless knocking, showing no intention of departing. Just my luck, the lights in my living room just flickered off, and I’m too scared to move.”

“I’ve barricaded myself in my room and turned on every light source possible, yet the elderly figure persists in his rhythmic knocking.”

At this stage, Thunder King was posting updates in rapid-fire succession, the posts merely half a minute apart and riddled with typographical errors. It was clear that the person behind the screen, the doctor, was in a state of acute distress and panic.

As Miles continued reading, a shiver ran down his spine. Even though he knew the narrative might be a work of fiction, the mental image of the elderly man from the photograph standing outside the door, knocking ceaselessly, was bone-chilling.

Yet, the thread continued to unravel: “This isn’t good. I hear footsteps in my living room. My God, I’m the only person residing here. I suspect the elderly man who was knocking has somehow entered my home. He’s likely in the living room now. But how is that possible? I didn’t hear the door open.

The footsteps have stopped just outside my room.

There’s the knocking again. An overwhelming sense of foreboding has washed over me. I’ve managed to record the sound for potential future evidence. I’m also leaving my contact number here. If I become unreachable, it suggests something untoward has happened. If anyone reading this has a shred of compassion, please inform the police.

“Thump, thump-thump, thump, thump-thump.” An audio file accompanies the post. Upon opening it, a muffled, eerie knock can be heard. The sound is in sync with one’s own heartbeat, making it hard to breathe.

The post abruptly ends here, leaving Miles on the edge. However, as he scrolls down, he finds one final, haunting line: The old man has entered my room.