The Labyrinth of the Monsters

Today marks the twelfth year since Gao Yang's time travel.

Before the time travel, Gao Yang was an orphan who had just celebrated his 6th birthday at the orphanage. That night, he ate a cupcake bought by the dormitory supervisor aunt, went to bed satisfied, and made a wish before falling asleep, hoping to find his parents. He then drifted into a hazy dream.

When he woke up, Gao Yang found himself sitting at a dining table with a steaming bowl of noodles in front of him. He was in the middle of eating, with half the noodle still dangling from his mouth.

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In the old house's hall, the morning light was gentle. Across the table sat a pair of unfamiliar middle-aged couple, while an elderly woman with kind eyes sat at the head of the table, leaning against the door. Beside him was a little girl with big eyes, about four or five years old.

"Don't just sit there, hurry up and eat, or you'll be late for school," the woman urged. She was in her thirties, dressed in simple pajamas without makeup, yet still very beautiful.

"Son, do you want Dad to give you a ride?" the man asked with a toothpick in his mouth, smiling. He was tall and strong, with a slightly protruding belly and a receding hairline, but you could still see the handsome features of his youth.

"No! Daddy has to take me to kindergarten!" the little girl shouted angrily, pushing around a bowl of millet porridge in front of her.

"Hehe, how about we take your brother first, then you?" the elderly woman suggested kindly, patting the little girl's head.

Gao Yang opened his mouth wide, and the noodle fell onto the table with a "plop."

At six years old, he couldn't comprehend what "time travel" meant, nor did he understand the concept of a "parallel world."

He thought he was still dreaming, but little did he know, it would be a dream lasting twelve years.

...

Now, Gao Yang had long adapted to this new world and had fully integrated with the host. He was Gao Yang, 18 years old, a senior high school student living in a warm family of five, with a kind grandmother, loving yet occasionally bickering parents, and a mischievous little sister.

He led a good life, like most of his peers, burying himself in studies for the college entrance examination, occasionally dreaming about which university to attend, what job to pursue, whom to marry, and how many children to have...

In short, Gao Yang's wish at six had come true; he "found" his parents, with a grandmother and sister as a bonus.

He was happy and wanted nothing more.

Until his 18th birthday, when everything changed.

After evening self-study, Gao Yang rode his bike home. As he passed through a dark alley, a shadow suddenly dashed out from the alley entrance, knocking Gao Yang and his bike over.

Gao Yang fell but wasn't seriously hurt. He stood up, grinning, and saw the person who had hit him. Under the dim streetlight stood a short middle-aged man, looking emaciated, with a pale face and a terrified expression, wearing a tattered hospital gown stained with blood.

"Uncle, are you okay..."

"Run!" The man grabbed Gao Yang's shoulders with terrifying strength. "Monsters! They're everywhere! Run! Get out of here!"

The man's voice carried a desperate, bloody scent. "Don't trust anyone..."

"Bang!"

The man tried to say more, but a bullet pierced his temple, went through his skull, and exited the other side, instantly blooming into a blood-red rose.

"Zzz—" The thick blood mist mixed with a pungent metallic smell assaulted Gao Yang's senses.

The hands gripping Gao Yang's shoulders slowly released. The man's terrified expression was forever frozen, his bulging eyes no longer moving, etched with despair, confusion, and unwillingness.

Two seconds later, the body fell heavily.

Gao Yang was stunned.

He stood there, his feet quickly soaked by the spreading pool of blood, feeling sticky and wet. The slight ringing in his ears from the bullet's impact was gradually drowned out by the pounding of his heart: thump, thump, thump, thump, thump...

"Kid, are you hurt?"

"Don't be afraid, you're safe now!"

"Close your eyes, don't look down..."

Several police officers rushed over, one of them pulling Gao Yang into an embrace, covering his eyes.

...

The next day, Gao Yang made the local news headlines: "Severe Mental Patient Kills Two Nurses, Escapes at Night, and is Shot Dead After Holding a High School Student Hostage."

Gao Yang took a day off to rest at home.

He was indeed a bit shaken, having witnessed a life being violently taken at close range, something no ordinary person could endure. Moreover, the whole mental patient situation was full of suspicious points, making him feel uneasy, though he couldn't quite pinpoint why.

That night, Gao Yang took a sleeping pill.

As he fell asleep, he dreamed.

The memories from before the host was six years old had long been digested by the time-traveled Gao Yang, but there were still some vague memories that seemed forgotten.

In the dream, Gao Yang returned to a summer night when he was four.

He had eaten too much watermelon, his bladder swollen, and got up in the middle of the night to use the bathroom. As he passed his grandparents' room, he heard a rustling sound.

Gao Yang was curious, pressed his ear against the cold door, and the sound became clearer, yet more unfamiliar.

He had never heard such a sound, like the whimpering of a beast, or the wailing of a deep-sea whale, sounding painful, mixed with a twisted excitement. Upon closer listening, there was a rough and dull biting sound beneath it.

Gao Yang felt a chill run down his spine.

He had just heard the story of "Little Red Riding Hood" from his kindergarten teacher. He thought, could it be that the Big Bad Wolf had sneaked into his home and eaten his grandparents?

His heart was pounding, but he mustered the courage to gently push open the door.

Through the crack, he saw something!

Terrified, he turned and ran back to his room, diving under his blanket, even forgetting to relieve himself.

The next morning, Gao Yang wet the bed, thinking it was just a nightmare. Just then, his mother came in, holding him tightly, crying, "Gao Yang, your grandpa is gone."

When Gao Yang followed his mother out of the room, his grandpa's body was being carried away on a stretcher by medical staff, covered with a white cloth. By the time of the funeral, grandpa had already turned into an ashes box.

From start to finish, Gao Yang and his sister never got to see grandpa one last time.

Looking back now, there were many suspicious points.

Grandpa loved Gao Yang and his sister the most. They were his closest family; why couldn't they see him one last time?

If his memory was correct, grandpa's body covered by the white cloth had a strange shape on the upper body, as if one hand was missing.

Wasn't grandpa supposed to have died of a heart attack? Why was a hand missing?

In the dream, Gao Yang stared at the body on the white stretcher, puzzled.

Suddenly, the body on the white stretcher sat up!

The white cloth was pulled down, revealing the face of the mental patient man. His eyes were gouged out, leaving only two deep, bloody holes. Thick black blood gushed from his orifices, and he reached out with bloody hands, gripping Gao Yang's shoulders tightly.

—Monsters! They're everywhere! Run! Get out of here!

—Don't trust anyone!

...

"Ah!"

Gao Yang woke up with a start.@@novelbin@@

It was ten in the morning, the sun was shining, and the April breeze lifted the curtains. Outside the window was the hustle and bustle of the city.

"Big brother, did you have a nightmare?" His sister sat at the foot of Gao Yang's bed, tilting her head to look at him, her big eyes blinking.

Gao Yang was taken aback. "Why are you in my room?"

His sister gave him a disdainful look. "The sun's already up, and mom asked me to wake you up!"

"Oh, okay, got it."

His sister left the room.

Gao Yang was still a bit dazed. He got out of bed and took a big gulp of water.

Just then, his phone rang, and Gao Yang casually opened WeChat.

"Poof—" He spat out the water he was drinking.