The Haunted Cinema

"You're still alive?"

This was a huge surprise for Allen. He had expected these two actors to be doomed. To his astonishment, they had somehow managed to survive. It seemed likely that they had used up a 'redemption ticket' to escape death.

"Ah!" Jiang Yi was horrified when he saw Miss Mu's lifeless body. "W-what happened?"

"A great deal has happened," Cathy replied calmly, despite the chaos. "The driver and Miss Mu, they're both dead."

"This…" The burly Sichuan man, Zhang Dekun, looked agitated. "This... what in the world is going on? Someone explain!"

While the word "explain" was used, the actors already knew the details, but it was still necessary to clarify.

From the current situation, it was clear that the deaths weren't limited to the driver and the tour guide. The eleven middle-aged and elderly passengers, as well as Dustin, were likely doomed as well. The looming threat of death was ever-present, and as long as Allen kept surviving, the redemption ticket would continue to deplete.

It's worth mentioning that escaping the scripted death didn't always guarantee a reduction in the redemption ticket. In fact, if the actors didn't avoid their fate but instead followed the script's progression, they could actually earn more redemption tickets by surviving. However, for a newcomer like Allen, this was extremely difficult. For now, he had no choice but to focus on surviving.

After explaining, Jiang Yi still looked as though he couldn't quite believe it. An empty bus, a bloodied tour guide dead on the floor, and here they were, deep in the mountains at the dead of night. The atmosphere was heavy with terror.

"What did you all go through?"

For Allen, who had limited sources of information, these two newcomers seemed like a glimmer of hope. He hoped to learn from their experiences and perhaps find a way to survive.

"I..." Jiang Yi began but hesitated, his body trembling slightly.

Zhang Dekun sighed, lighting a cigarette as he spoke. "We were planning to rescue Miss Han. But after searching for a long time, we couldn't find her. No one came to help us, and since we didn't know the terrain here, we got lost. It wasn't until now that we found our way back."

Allen sensed that something wasn't right.

But exactly what felt wrong, he couldn't pinpoint.

To be honest, altering the script had its pros and cons. The biggest drawback was that once the script changed, the subsequent events became unpredictable, making it hard to devise countermeasures. Allen understood very well that surviving one death didn't guarantee safety for the rest of the film. No actor, not even the protagonist, was ever truly safe in a horror movie. As long as the film wasn't over, even the main character could die at any moment.

For now, Allen's plan was to continue observing the bus, searching for whatever "contaminants" might be present, hoping to uncover the truth behind this horror film. It was clear that the redemption ticket wouldn't last until the film's end. Moreover, Act Two was rapidly drawing to a close. With the protagonists now separated, Act Three would inevitably focus on the lead characters. This place, however, seemed to be a little safer in comparison.

"Huh? You guys?"

Suddenly, a voice interrupted.

Allen turned to see Clark, panting and rushing toward them.

"It's you?" Allen recalled that Clark had been with the main characters earlier.

"I... I thought about it and decided to come back," Clark said, wiping his sweat. "Hmm, Dean, who are these two... Aahhh!"

Clark froze, his face contorted with terror.

He had spotted the body of the tour guide, Miss Mu, lying on the floor.

"This..." His voice trembled with fear. "When... when did she die?"

Allen sighed, his voice flat. "I don't know when exactly. Probably ten minutes ago, when she fell from the roof, this is what happened..."

"You... You're lying!" Clark's face twisted in rage as he pointed at Allen. "She... she must have just died, right?"

"He's telling the truth," Cathy spoke up, her voice calm and reassuring. "At least, it happened at least ten minutes ago."

"No... no way!" Clark's face went ashen, his eyes wide with disbelief. "Then... what did I see earlier?"

The actor who had appeared in front of the protagonists, claiming to be following them, was the tour guide!

Though she was a guide, wasn't she just an extra? Clark had barely given her a second thought.

But ten minutes ago, she had been alive and well in front of them, and now she was dead on the floor. What did that mean? Did it even need to be thought over? This was a horror film!

A person who should have died, yet reappears after death, only for you to later discover their body... it was a clichéd horror trope!

"Wait... then, does that mean... the tour guide is a ghost? The ones who took Dan and Carlin away... are they ghosts?"

The realization sent a chill through Clark's spine.

A ghost!

An actual ghost!

Not one of those actors smeared with fake blood crawling across the floor! In this world, all the ghosts were real!

Most people, unless they had had some sort of supernatural experience, wouldn't have seen a ghost. Clark, though just a rookie actor, had ended up in this world of horror films after picking up a random poster. All he hoped for was to survive the ordeal. But now… he had nearly followed a ghost!

Clark slapped his chest, breathing a sigh of relief.

Allen wasn't stupid, and seeing the look on Clark's face, he realized the situation. Looking down at Miss Mu's body, a shiver ran down his spine.

Clark, keeping a safe distance from the corpse, kept bowing repeatedly. "Miss Mu, as they say, the wronged have a head, and debts have a master. I didn't kill you, please don't come after me. If I get a chance in the future, I'll burn incense and pray for you. Please… don't come after me..."

Clark's true identity was a seafood merchant, and while he didn't believe in ghosts or spirits, he'd occasionally make offerings to Guan Yu when leaving home. Now, in a world where ghosts truly existed, he couldn't help but believe. He thought, "I hope this damned ghost can rest in peace in the Western Paradise and stop harming me..."

Allen stepped up to Clark, who was still bowing, and asked, "So, you... saw her before?"

Allen was careful not to speak Miss Mu's name aloud.

"Yes..." Clark's forehead was slick with sweat, his hands and legs shaking uncontrollably. "She... she took Dan and Carlin away. I don't know what happened to them... I hope they're okay."

Clark was being somewhat sincere. After all, if the main characters died, what would happen to the supporting cast? Although Dan and Carlin were still unaccounted for, Clark assumed that the main characters wouldn't be allowed to die before the extras.

It was only then that Clark noticed something strange. "Wait... there doesn't seem to be anyone else on the bus? Where's Dustin? Where is everyone?"

Allen continued to feign anxiety, although, truthfully, it wasn't hard to act. "They're all gone. I don't know where they went."

"How... how is that possible?"

Clark's face drained of color. So many people... all gone?

Dustin's death was part of the script, so Clark wasn't surprised by that. But the elderly passengers… they were all dead too?

Why were the vengeful spirits lurking in the dark, determined to see them dead?

Why?

Why?

Finally, Act Two came to a close.

And Act Three began.

At the same time, Act Three was the final act.

The film would end with Act Three. And with it, the final climax would arrive.

However, the script for the final act was only provided in real-time; they wouldn't see the full ending in advance!

To his horror, the third act began... with Allen.

But there was something more: the script gave a precise end time for the movie.

Two o'clock. 2 AM.

The end of the film was just...

One hour away!