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Chapter 8 The Mourning Hall

I was floored. "He's the crematorium owner?"

"Yeah, kinda," Alicia replied. "Hurry up, it's pretty far from here, and there are no cars at this hour. Grab the cup and take your motorcycle."

I wanted to ask more, but Alicia was already gone.

With no other choice, I looked up the crematorium's address on my phone, grabbed the black jade cup, and dashed out.

Our county had about six hundred thousand people, and the crematorium was in a deserted area on the south side of town.

By the time I rode my motorcycle to the crematorium, which didn't even have a gatekeeper, it was already 11:30 PM.

A huge chimney loomed over the place, giving off a really creepy vibe.

I walked to the only small building around, parked my bike, and opened the door to the lobby. The first room on the left had a sign that said "Office."

A sliver of light peeked through the door crack, so someone had to be inside.

I knocked gently and waited a few seconds, but no one answered.

I knocked a few more times and then pushed the door open. Inside, there was just an old desk and a peeling leather sofa.

"Hello? Anyone here?" I called out, looking around the empty room.

No response.

It was almost midnight, and I remembered Alicia's warning: if I didn't deliver the coffee, I would die. That thought sent a shiver down my spine.

I rushed out of the small building, glanced around, and saw a faint light coming from a bungalow under the chimney.

Without thinking much, I hurried over.

The sky was pitch black, and the towering chimney above made me feel suffocated.

I pushed the door open and froze. It was a mourning hall.

Even creepier, in the center of the hall was a transparent glass coffin surrounded by two circles of white candles. In the dim candlelight, I could see the white cloth inside the glass coffin.

There was someone inside, or rather, a corpse.

I opened my mouth to call out, but then thought better of it. Whether someone answered or not, it would freak me out. Better to look around myself!

So, I tiptoed along the wall, searching in the dim candlelight. Besides the yellow and white flowers, there was nothing special.

It was almost midnight, and I was getting anxious.

I walked back to the door and surveyed the room.

Suddenly, I heard faint footsteps outside the door. I turned around and looked through the glass door. Under the moonlight, I saw four shadows of varying heights—one tall, one short, one fat, and one thin—cast on the ground, creating a pretty eerie scene.

It was those four strange people!

I quickly hid behind a wall.

The footsteps stopped for a moment, then approached the mourning hall door.

"Hey, Dennis's motorcycle is here, so he must have arrived," said the tall woman.

"I wonder what Lorenzo told him," the thin man chimed in.

"Lorenzo's intentions are hard to guess," said the fat woman.

The short guy added, "We should just go for it!"

No!" the tall woman replied. "We can't do that unless we absolutely have to."

They fell silent, seemingly waiting for midnight.

I glanced at the time. It was 11:56 PM.

Four more minutes, and if that person didn't show up, I would die?

Suddenly, a strange noise came from the silent mourning hall.

I shuddered, initially thinking it was the four strange people coming in. But upon closer listening, I realized the sound was coming from the glass coffin.

Cold sweat broke out on me as I realized the mourning hall didn't have the deceased's name written anywhere.

Who was this corpse?

Time ticked by, and I clenched my fist, thinking that since I was already here, I might as well go and take a look!

Before I could take a step, I heard one of the four outside sigh, followed by their footsteps walking away.

There were two minutes left until midnight.

I didn't care about anything else and came out of hiding, heading straight for the glass coffin.

The glass coffin was very clean, and I could clearly see the human shape under the white cloth inside.

Thinking I should respect the dead, I bowed slightly and turned to leave. I still wanted to check the office in the small building to see if anyone was there.

As I reached the door, I suddenly felt something was off.

In the tightly closed mourning hall, the candlelight flickered slightly, as if blown by the wind. The shadow cast by the candlelight on the wall also flickered.

Vaguely, besides my own head, I seemed to see a second head!

In the silence, I heard myself swallow.

I stopped in my tracks, staring at the wall.

The candlelight soon stabilized, but the shadow on the wall began to change. The lid of the glass coffin behind me was slowly opening.

It was the thin, bony hand of the corpse inside, pushing the lid open!

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