Chapter 149 Strange Old Woman
Strange. I pushed the door, and indeed, no one answered. Moreover, the door was locked from the inside. I had noticed before that this door didn’t have a lock, only a bolt on the inside and a latch on the outside.
This meant it could only be locked from the inside or have an additional lock added from the outside. I had added a lock from the outside when I left, but it was gone now. Coupled with the door being locked from the inside, there definitely had to be someone inside.
“Older Brother Jayad, open the door! It’s me, Parul, I’m back.” I knocked and called out, but still no one answered. I immediately felt a bit panicked, recalling the divination from just now. My closest friend might be in trouble.
I knocked again, and indeed, no one answered. I put my ear to the door, but I couldn’t hear any sounds from inside. Looking through the gap under the door, I couldn’t see very far, but it was pitch black inside. The fireplace in the room wasn’t lit.
Damn it! How could I get in? The door was bolted from the inside, and even if I asked the Landlady for a key, it wouldn’t open from the outside. At this moment, I looked towards the end of the corridor. There was a window there.
It was a very small window, only for ventilation, and practically impossible for an adult to pass through. But I considered my petite frame and it seemed like it would be fine. I should be able to climb out.
“Click!” Just then, the iron door next to me suddenly opened, startling me. An old woman, with white hair and a wrinkled face, poked her head out.
“Eek!” I was startled. My nerves had been tense just moments ago, and suddenly this unfamiliar old woman appeared. But at least it wasn’t a monster rushing out.
“Little girl, was that you knocking just now?” the Old Woman said slowly. Her gloomy appearance looked a bit frightening.
“Yes, I’m sorry to have disturbed you.” I bowed politely.
“Are you the one who moved in a few days ago? With that little boy.” the Old Woman said.
“Ah, yes, I just moved in and hadn’t had a chance to visit. Um, are you living alone?” I looked behind her into the room. It was so dark. Why wasn’t the fireplace lit here either?
“No, I live with my daughter,” the Old Woman smiled. I felt relieved. Although I didn’t see anyone else in the room, her daughter was probably still at work.
“I apologize for disturbing you. I’m looking for Older Brother, and I was a bit anxious, so I knocked a little loudly.” I apologized. Disturbing neighbors was truly not good.
“No need to look. I just saw him being taken away by a black-clad person holding a hand. You’d better go after them,” the Old Woman said, then turned and went back into her room.
“Huh? Wait a minute, what kind of black-clad person? Which direction did they go? Please explain!” As soon as I heard a clue, I anxiously asked, but the Old Woman directly went into her room and closed the door.
“Wait, open the door! Please explain more clearly!?” I knocked repeatedly. The information she provided was too important. I absolutely couldn’t ignore it. I had to get her to explain.
“So noisy, what are you yelling about all by yourself?” At this moment, the door opposite opened, and a seemingly crude big man walked out, smelling of alcohol and sounding drunk. He ruddenly asked me impatiently.
“Sorry, I have a very urgent and crucial question to ask the Old Woman inside.” I turned to apologize to him.
“What are you talking about? Isn’t this the room you used to live in? And what old woman are you talking about in this building? I’ve only heard you talking to yourself for ages, it’s so noisy!” the Man cursed impatiently.
“Huh?” I was stunned. I turned and saw that this room’s door was right next to the room I was currently staying in. If it wasn’t the room Jayad and I used to live in, then where was it?
Impossible! Why didn’t I realize this was the room I used to live in just now? Was it because I’m not familiar with this place yet? And did I subconsciously think that a room from which a stranger emerged couldn’t be mine?
Moreover, this iron door was locked from the outside. After Jayad checked out yesterday, the Landlady herself added this lock. The lock was still intact now. So how did this door open just now? The Old Woman just went in, so how could someone have added a lock in front of me?
The Man who came out was now half-sober. Seeing me standing bewildered in front of this door, he seemed to suddenly remember something, his expression changing drastically. The cold wind in the corridor blew, and he shivered, quickly closing the door.
“Huh? Wait! Brother, I have something I want to ask you too!” I called out anxiously, but no matter how much I knocked, he wouldn’t open the door.
The residents in this building are all so strange, especially this Old Woman. She’s definitely not a normal person, and possibly not even a person at all.
What was her relationship with the Female Ghost who was in my room before? I hadn’t seen this Old Woman before, but just now I heard her say she lived with her daughter.
I dared not think further; fear spread in my heart. The priority now was to find Jayad. However, the information the Old Woman gave me was vague. I ran to the window and glanced at the gradually lighting up street, but there was no black-clad person at all, or perhaps they had already left long ago.
No choice. I still had to go in to find clues. Finally, I returned to the method I had thought of from the start – climbing through the window. I went to the end of the corridor, opened the window, and slowly climbed out.
We lived on the third floor, which was already quite high. Luckily, there was a protruding wooden strip to step on, which I could use to climb. However, the wood seemed old and in disrepair, somewhat damp and rotten. Stepping on it felt soft, making my heart pound.
From this height, I probably wouldn’t die if I fell, but getting injured or even breaking a leg was very possible. Also, the corridor window was still a bit far from my room’s window, with a corner in between.
I slowly shuffled my feet, moving towards that direction. Fortunately, after drinking the Spirit Cat Potion, my body was now very agile. In fact, I could climb walls quite skillfully, but psychological factors made me climb slowly.
I still regretted it a little. I should have drunk more. If I had drunk three spoonfuls before, I could be climbing more easily now, just like Jayad. The last time I saw Jayad climb walls, he was like a monkey, and he climbed up from the first floor.
I clung to the outer wall, my cloak constantly fluttering in the cold wind. Looking at the city’s night view with its gradually lighting up fireflies, I carefully rounded the corner of the apartment building.
Before reaching my room, I had to pass by the windows of two other rooms. The first window was pitch black, seemingly uninhabited, but the window was tightly covered with newspaper, making it impossible to see inside.
The second room, however, had firelight. Someone seemed to be inside. I dared not look and passed by with my head down, only catching a glimpse of many paintings hanging in his room, depicting grotesque abstract Starry Night paintings.
Finally, I reached my room. As expected, it was empty.
