6: Dikrein

Gray's words caused the laughter to erupt once again.

Shaun followed suit with a chuckle, but his smile lasted only half a second.

The Bent-Neck... a tall man wearing a top hat.

And then! Standing hunched over by the bedside!

A buzzing sound went off in Shaun's head.

He had seen this description before.

Not in reality, but on Netflix.

The show was called "The Haunting of Hill House".

That Bent-Neck Man was the most iconic ghost image from Hill Manor.

And the woman who saw him...

Shaun naturally knew who it was.

Driven by an inexplicable impulse, Shaun asked, "What does that woman look like?"

Gray was startled by his sudden seriousness. "Huh? What?"

Shaun's expression remained serious. "The woman who came to report the crime, what does she look like? How old is she?"

Gray blinked. "Twenty-something, I guess. Thin, black hair, and she's actually quite... quite pretty."

"It's just that her face is extremely pale, and there are dark circles under her eyes. You can tell she hasn't slept well for several nights."

Shaun's breath hitched.

That was it, it had to be!

"Did she say what her name was?"

"She did, it was registered. I think it was... Nell? Nell Cr..."

"Nell Crain." Shaun finished for him.

Gray froze. "How did you know?"

Shaun didn't answer.

But he was certain of it in his heart!

"The Haunting of Hill House."

It was the most oppressive and saddest of all the horror shows he had ever watched.

It wasn't because of how scary the ghosts were, but because the ghosts in that story weren't just ghosts...

In fact, it would be more accurate to say they were certain bonds and memories.

And Nell Crain was the most innocent and heartbreaking one in that tragedy.

She had been able to see the "Bent-Neck Man" since she was a child, but everyone thought she was sick.

Taking medicine, seeing doctors, being mocked by her sister—these things accompanied her throughout her life.

Until the very end, she realized that the ghost that had been following her was actually... herself...

It was too tragic!

Gray waved his hand in front of him. "Shaun? Shaun! Are you okay? Why is your face so pale?"

Shaun snapped back to reality and waved his hand. "I'm fine."

Gray's face, full of curiosity, was almost pressed against his, his eyes shining with gossip. "What, do you know that woman?"

"I don't."

Shaun's voice was calm, but his mind was anything but.

Nell Crain.

The girl who had been haunted by the "Bent-Neck Man" since childhood, the girl who was treated as mentally ill by her family.

The girl who eventually hanged herself in the basement of Hill Manor.

Shaun remembered that scene all too well!

Wearing a white nightgown, suspended in mid-air, her neck bent to one side.

The exact same posture as the ghost that had been following her.

Just thinking about it was miserable!

And now, she had come to the police station for help.

But the police told her it wasn't their jurisdiction and suggested she see a doctor or find a priest.

And then she left.

Alone, walking into the night of New Orleans.

...

Shaun stood where he was, his palms sweating.

Two voices were fighting in his head.

One voice...

"What does this have to do with you?"

"You're just an ordinary cop. You were scared half to death by a witch today, you just got a mysterious golden book, and you just learned a skill called 'Bullshit'."

"You can't even protect yourself, and you want to worry about others?"

The other voice said...

"But she is going to die soon."

"You know the plot, you know what happens next. She will go back to that damn manor, find that rope, and will..."

Shaun closed his eyes.

He didn't know where that manor was now, didn't know why Nell Crain would appear in New Orleans instead of Massachusetts, and didn't know how the timeline of this world worked.

But he did know one thing: if he just let it go, Nell Crain would die.

Not "possibly," not "maybe," but "definitely"!!

One hundred percent!

In the original plot of "The Haunting of Hill House," she died.

Died in that eternal, inescapable loop.

Shaun was no saint.

He had been in this world for three months, seen robberies, drug addicts, and drunks peeing on the street; he never felt it was his obligation to save everyone.

But this was different.

Nell Crain wasn't the type of person who "brought it upon herself."

She was just a poor girl haunted by ghosts since childhood, a victim toyed with by fate. She never hurt anyone; she just wanted someone to believe her.

But the whole world didn't believe her.

Her family didn't believe her, the doctors didn't believe her, and now even the police didn't believe her.

The despair of someone pushed into a corner with nowhere left to retreat.

"Shaun? Are you okay? Why have you been staring blankly for so long?"

Gray waved his hand, seeing Shaun staring blankly.

Shaun took a deep breath, as if a decision had been made in his heart.

"Which direction did she go?"

"Huh?"

"That woman, which direction did she go?"

Gray was a bit stunned by his serious expression and subconsciously pointed east. "That way... it seems she headed toward the French Quarter. Why? Are you really going to chase her?"

Shaun didn't answer.

He shoved the coffee in his hand into Gray's arms and turned to run outside.

"Hey!" Gray shouted from behind. "Your coffee! Shaun!"

But Shaun couldn't hear him anymore; he had already rushed down the steps and into the night.

...

Shaun actually didn't hold much hope.

The moment he rushed out of the station gate, he was just running on adrenaline. But after running through two blocks, that energy began to dissipate.

A vast sea of people.

Those four words weren't just for show.

The French Quarter was the busiest place in New Orleans, and even though it was night, the streets were still crowded with tourists, street performers, drunk college students, and vendors pushing carts selling souvenirs.

Neon lights flashed everywhere, and jazz music seeped out from the cracks in every bar door.

Looking for a thin, black-haired young woman in a place like this?

Shaun slowed down, standing at a street corner to catch his breath.

He suddenly felt a bit foolish.

The impulse of "I must save her" from just a moment ago was now doused by reality, cooling by half.

How to find her?

I mean, he didn't even know what she was wearing.

Shaun leaned against a lamppost and gave a bitter smile.

Forget it.

He had tried his best.

Do one's best and leave the rest to fate...

Although this "best"... hadn't really been much effort...

Just as Shaun was about to give up, he suddenly caught a glimpse of a small church entrance across the street.

St. Louis Cathedral, one of the oldest Catholic churches in New Orleans.

The Gothic spires looked somewhat eerie in the night, and a small, thin figure sat on the steps at the entrance.

Black hair.

A white nightgown, with a thin knitted cardigan over it, but wearing only flat slippers on her feet, not even socks.

Out of place with the environment, Shaun spotted her at a glance!!!

PS: Signed the contract, please feel free to add to your favorites.