Nightmare Assault

“Doctor, don’t scare me, please.” Fatty shivered and said, “I might look large, but I can’t stand being scared.”

Jiang Cheng glanced at him. Considering his cooking skills, he decided to stop scaring Fatty. He stopped talking. Ever since he joined Jiang Cheng, Fatty became a lot more adaptable. Soon, he bounced all over the place again. “Doctor,” Fatty licked his lips and whispered, “Do you think we’ll enter the nightmare realm tonight?”

There was danger everywhere in the nightmare realm. The absurd yet realistic feeling was terrifying. Jiang Cheng, who was hanging the laundry, paused. He thought about it and then replied, “I don’t think so. Even though our stamina fully recovered once we left the nightmare realm, the mental strain on us is still strong.”

Fatty understood Jiang Zheng. The mental energy exhausted in the nightmare realm wouldn’t recover like the stamina. If this continued without stopping, they would eventually be drained by the nightmares. From what Man Li and Sister Nuan said, as scary as the nightmare was, it would always give the travellers a chance at survival.

“That’s good.” Fatty sighed and then said, “I wonder if I should keep staying up.”

“It’s pointless.” Jiang Cheng shook his head. “How many nights can you stay up? When your body can’t sustain it anymore, you’ll fall asleep and instantly die in the nightmare realm.”

The word die chilled Fatty. He quickly said that he was just grumbling and he didn’t really mean to do that.

“Do you want coffee?” Jiang Cheng walked to the kitchen and asked Fatty.

Fatty was shocked by the treatment, “Thank you, doctor.”

Cling and clang came from the kitchen. Jiang Cheng took down two cups from the rack. “American, Italian, latte or cappuccino?”

Fatty said awkwardly, “Doctor, I don’t know coffee. I normally go for the cheap 1-dollar instant coffee at the supermarket. How about a cappuccino, then?”

“I’m sorry.” Jiang Cheng said, “I’ve run out.”

“Latte then.”

“All out as well.”

“American?”

“Nope.”

“Then, Italian.” Fatty shrunk his head. “Sorry for the trouble, doctor.”

“It’s no trouble.” Jiang Cheng shouted, “Because I’ve run out of that too.”

Fatty was stunned. “You have no American, Italian, latte and cappuccino? Then, what do you have?”

“Instant coffee.” Jiang Cheng walked out with two cups of coffee. “But I have to correct you. Now, one pack of instant coffee is 1.50 dollars and not 1 dollar. The price has risen.”

“If this is all you have, why did you ask me to choose?” Fatty was confused.

Jiang Cheng sat across from Fatty, sipped his coffee and elaborated slowly, “Because life needs rituals.” Fatty felt like it was pointless to argue with Jiang Cheng. He cleverly chose to shut up.

“Drink it while it’s hot.” Jiang Cheng said, “I didn’t put too many drugs this time. Try it, and we’ll have a frame of reference in the future.”

Fatty, “...”

The night deepened. The neon in the city lit up. Fatty cupped his chin and looked out the window in a daze. After experiencing the nightmare, he appreciated the simplicity of life. Jiang Cheng lay on the office couch and watched a horror film. He ate french fries with tomato sauce. He called Fatty to join him, but the latter didn’t move.

Jiang Cheng almost fell asleep after watching A Wicked Ghost. He opened his eyes and saw Fatty curl up on the couch, his hands over his ears. He looked very uncomfortable.

Fatty saw that Jiang Cheng was awake, and his eyes shone like he had found his saviour, “Doctor, what movie is this? How is the ghost so scary?”

After hearing Fatty’s explanation, Jiang Cheng understood Fatty wanted to switch off the movie when he heard a strange singing. He then was frightened by the appearance of Beauty Chu.

“The ghost you said is Beauty Chu.” Jiang Cheng explained, “She’s a poor woman suffering in the old age of China. She’s the inspiration behind Lu Xun’s Paris La Traviata Chronicles.”

Fatty didn’t understand what Jiang Cheng said. Jiang Cheng turned off the computer and went upstairs to sleep.

Fatty said he felt a bit cold yesterday night, so Jiang Cheng found him a new mattress. As Jiang Cheng walked into the bedroom, Fatty told him that if Jiang Cheng was scared after watching the horror movie, they could sleep together.

Instantly, the bedroom door slammed closed, and the door was locked.

Fatty lay down unwillingly. Jiang Cheng reminded him to put on his clothes and shoes before sleeping. Therefore, Fatty brushed his shoes in the morning and then bought a pair of running shoes when he was out shopping for ingredients. The office was rather secluded, and it was quiet at night.

Jiang Cheng pulled the blanket to his chin out of habit. His breathing was even. His physique was different from normal. He wasn’t that sensitive to temperature and rarely fell sick. Sometimes, he felt like an emotionless robot. He slumbered. The sleep was deep as a strange melody echoed in his ears. It was not pop or classical music. It was a genre he didn’t recognise. The sound was born in the dark.

Jiang Cheng felt everything leaving him. He seemed to sink into the ocean or walk into an endless tunnel. Despair… and nothing else.

There was a tearing sound like a black cotton cloth had been shredded. Jiang Cheng started awake. He released he was standing at the corner of the first-floor office, and before him was a black iron door. His body moved faster than his brain. He reached out to push open the door.

After a spell of dizziness, his feet found the ground again.

Before him, it was something that looked like a school. The compound wasn’t that big. A few buildings stood underneath the setting sun. It was quite romantic. Jiang Cheng narrowed his eyes. He observed that it was around 4 to 5 pm in this world.

Temporarily, he saw no one else, and the school gate was closed.

He shielded his eyes from the sunlight. He glanced at the school and then decidedly turned around to head down the other direction.