The Haunted Cinema

It was clear that Cathy regarded him with a certain special attention.

Nevertheless, there was now a glimmer of hope. The remaining few who had stayed behind on the bus offered little reassurance. Furthermore, since Cathy was an experienced actress, it was certain she had some means at her disposal. Whatever those means might be, being by her side brought a sense of security.

Seventeen people, including Allen, had decided to descend the mountain. At the front of the group walked Dan and the tour guide. From their conversation, Allen learned that the guide's surname was Mu, though this detail held little significance—after all, it was just her character's name.

The group of seventeen, each with their own bag in hand, followed the guide, who led the way. The mountain paths were winding and treacherous, and with the driver—who knew the route best—dead, relying on a rudimentary map to find their way down was highly uncertain. The guide suggested that they mark the trail as they went, just in case.

Of course, every actor was well aware that sooner or later, they would have to return to the bus. After all, the film was titled The Haunted Bus, so the plot would undoubtedly revolve entirely around the bus.

Dan, leading the way, cast a worried glance at his "lover" Carlin. Not far behind them, Allen and Cathy followed.

By now, it was well past midnight, and the surrounding darkness was suffocating. Frankly, whether they could navigate with only a rough map seemed highly questionable—if anything, it was more likely they wouldn't make it. Everything at this point seemed to be nothing more than the mechanics of the plot.

"Carlin," Dan whispered to her, his voice low, "Actually… when the driver died…"

"What?" Carlin responded, her expression tense. Her acting was remarkably natural, revealing considerable skill.

Dan continued, his words following the script: "The scream I let out wasn't because I found the body, but because… I had a nightmare." He paused before continuing, "I dreamt the driver, covered in blood, walked up to me and shook my corpse desperately. Then… I woke up…"

It had begun…

Though their voices were barely audible, Allen had already known the lines. He understood that the next conversation would go something like this:

Dan: "Carlin, do you remember that old beggar? He told me the bus was full of negative energy, and now, I regret not listening to him. It seems he was right. Then he…"

Carlin: "He… What happened to him?"

Dan: "He was beaten by Dean. I felt sorry for him, so I went to help him up. And then, he whispered something in my ear: 'To drive away the negative energy, you must, you must… remove the filth… you must…'"

Filth?

What could "filth" possibly be?

Allen was perplexed, but he felt certain that whatever this "filth" was, it was something crucial to survival.

He observed as Dan continued to whisper with Carlin, likely discussing the nature of this "filth." From Allen's deductions, the "filth" seemed to be the source of the malevolent energy. When someone dies with unfulfilled grudges, when their soul lingers on, it is often linked to a cause. The concept of karma and retribution was a central theme in horror films. Whether it was the 1990s Hong Kong film The Village of the Dead or the iconic Japanese film Ringu, the idea of karma was paramount. Of course, there were also films like Ju-on, where curses arose simply because someone stepped into a haunted house.

To remove the "filth" was to eliminate the very root of the spirit's malevolent power.

Filth… what could it be? A curse, perhaps?

At that moment, Cathy spoke up again: "Dean, stay close behind me. Whatever happens, don't let go of my hand."

Hearing this, Allen felt a warmth in his heart. In this terrifying world of horror, receiving such care was a rare comfort. Though he didn't know the reason behind it, he was deeply grateful. He silently vowed that if he survived this ordeal, he would repay Cathy, even though he still didn't know her real name. When he had seen the horror film's poster, he had only noticed the two names at the forefront, but his attention was soon captured by his own name, which had been unexpectedly added.

According to the script, Dustin should have been walking beside Clark, engaging in several dialogues with Dean (the character Allen portrayed) and Clark. However, since Dustin had chosen to remain behind on the bus, his lines were no longer relevant. In this case, no Redemption Tickets would be deducted. At present, Allen and Cathy were holding hands, yet no Redemption Tickets had been deducted, likely because the script didn't specify such a requirement.

In the original storyline, Dustin's disappearance was imminent. Typically, when a time jump occurred, the script would indicate this. It was now 12:15 AM, and Dustin's disappearance was expected around 12:20 AM. That meant they had just five minutes before the events would unfold as originally written.

Dustin's disappearance was also eerie.

In the original script, he wasn't far from the main group. In fact, he was positioned somewhere in the middle. The scene went as follows:

Scripted time: 00:18 AM.

Dean: "These mountain paths are impossible to walk! These are brand-new shoes I bought just days ago!"

Clark: "Who killed the driver? There's no reason for any of the passengers to have murdered him, right? We were all strangers to him, it wasn't a robbery."

Dustin: "You never know. People may not always be what they seem. Who's to say there isn't a killer among us? Dan, do you think we'll make it off this mountain?"

Dan: "I'm not sure either. We'll just take it one step at a time. At least the guide brought a compass."

Clark: "If worse comes to worst, we can always return to the bus and wait for morning. I just have this feeling about this mountain. It's giving me the creeps."

Dean: "What are you talking about, Clark? Do you believe that old beggar?"

Clark: "At first, I didn't, but… maybe he was right? It's your fault, Dean. When he tried to say more, wasn't it you who kicked him?"

Dean: "Huh? Are you saying this is my fault?"

Clark: "Of course, whose fault would it be? You've got that temper of yours! That driver's death was too strange; there's definitely something wrong. The more I think about it, the more I believe that old beggar knew what he was talking about!"

Dean (his mind racing with the unsettling memory of Cathy's strange behavior in the darkness, his fear growing, yet on the surface, he forced himself to maintain an air of indifference): "You're talking nonsense! Are you really going to blame me for this?"

Clark: "Of course it's your fault!"

(Dean stepped forward, grabbing Clark by the collar. The others quickly rushed in to intervene.)

Dan: "What's wrong with you two? Why are you arguing now, of all times?"

Carlin: "Enough, can't we talk this through calmly?"

Dean: "He's listening to absurd nonsense and blaming me for it! If we're really going to go that route, when I kicked that beggar, none of you stopped me. So how is it suddenly my fault now?"

... (The heated argument continues, but is left out.)

Time: 00:22 AM.

Dan: "Alright, that's enough! Everyone, calm down! Where's Dustin?"

Dean: "Oh, right. He didn't come over to break up the fight..."

Carlin: "Where's Dustin? Has anyone seen our companion? He's the one with the little mustache, tall and thin..."

And just like that, Dustin had mysteriously disappeared. He would only reappear later in the script, but by then, he would already be dead.

Of course, with Dustin staying behind on the bus, there was no way to know how he would disappear. Nevertheless, the scene where Clark and Dean argue still had to be played out.

The argument had drawn everyone's attention, with the group rushing in to break it up. Some were curious about the old beggar's story. In the chaos, no one had noticed Dustin.

Now, Clark began his tirade against Dean. As scripted, Allen feigned anger, grabbing Clark by the collar with one hand, while his other hand remained firmly clasped in Cathy's.

And then, of course, the others stepped in to break up the fight.

"Enough already! Aren't you supposed to be friends?"

"Everyone's in a hurry to get down the mountain, why are you still talking?"

The surrounding voices grew louder. However, after a while, the senseless argument ended, and the group resumed their journey.

But just then...

"Huh? Wait a minute, where's that young man in the baseball cap?"

"Yeah, he's the one who was planning to go down the mountain with you, right?"

Allen's heart suddenly skipped a beat.

A baseball cap? Could it be...?

He quickly turned around, scanning the group. Sure enough… Liu An, the young man in the baseball cap, was nowhere to be seen!

A wave of terror swept over Allen.

So that's it...

Dustin had escaped, and now Liu An had taken his place?

A deep, gnawing fear began to settle in his chest, and Allen felt an icy chill crawl up his spine.

Then...

The plot, it seemed, was shifting...

Tour guide Miss Mu, now visibly anxious, spoke up. "Yes, I noticed Mr. Liu too. I even had his phone number on record, but there's no signal on this mountain..."

The group exchanged uncertain glances, unsure of what to do next.

Miss Mu continued urgently, "Let's all go search for him! Maybe he's just further ahead!"

A burly man nodded in agreement, "Let's go look for him! I remember him, he's the one who always wears a hat and doesn't say much. He was standing next to me earlier, but when I got distracted by the argument, I didn't notice. Now he's gone... This mountain could have a killer roaming it!"

Miss Mu, growing more frantic, added, "Exactly! That's what I'm worried about!"

At once, the group scattered in different directions, intent on searching for Liu An.

And just like that… the events seamlessly followed the original script where Dustin had disappeared. The group had originally split up to search for him after his sudden vanishing, and it was during this search that Dean would encounter his own misfortune!