Chapter 3

When traveling out of town, staying in hotels is inevitable. However, do you know that there are many taboos when it comes to checking into a hotel? For example, you should never ask the hotel staff about the ghost stories of the hotel, and it’s best not to stay in the last room at the end of the hallway. One of the most important points is that it’s best to stay with someone else in the room; if you're staying alone, you need to be extra cautious. Ah Mei is a travel enthusiast. Every holiday, she travels to different places with her friends, and she has even been to Iceland. Because of all the places she’s visited and her tough, independent personality, she always stays in a hotel room alone during her trips. She doesn’t care about any of the taboos mentioned above. Once, a friend saw Ah Mei casually walk into a room and couldn't help but ask, “Ah Mei, why don’t you do something before entering your room?” “Do what? Clean the room?” Ah Mei replied, “That’s the hotel staff's job, not mine.” “No, not cleaning,” her friend said, “before entering the room, you should knock on the door first.” “Why knock? There's no one in the room,” Ah Mei asked in confusion. “Because many times, hotels have wandering spirits or ghosts living in the rooms. If you’re staying in one of these rooms, it’s like disturbing them. So, knocking before entering is a way to greet them, letting them know you’re there and giving them a chance to avoid you.” Her friend was serious. “And once you’re in, you also need to…” Her friend went on and on, and it annoyed Ah Mei. “Enough!” Ah Mei interrupted impatiently. “This is all nonsense! I don’t believe in such superstitions and won’t do any of these silly things!” “Silly things?” her friend exclaimed. “These are serious matters related to your safety!” “No matter how you put it, I just don’t believe it,” Ah Mei stubbornly said. Seeing Ah Mei's strong attitude, her friend didn’t continue the argument. However, after that, they rarely traveled together until one year, just before Qingming Festival, they both received an invitation from a mutual friend to travel to Thailand for a week. This trip gave their relationship a chance to improve. When they arrived in Thailand, their friend greeted them with an apologetic expression. Because it was peak travel season, only two rooms were available, one of which was at the end of the hallway. “Gao Hong, what were you thinking?” Ah Mei’s friend complained. “Why did you book the room at the end of the hallway out of all the rooms?” “I told you, the hotel was fully booked, and we were lucky to get these two rooms,” Gao Hong replied. “But…” “Enough with the buts!” Ah Mei interrupted. “What’s the problem with the last room at the end of the hallway? If you’re scared to stay there, I’ll take it.” “You…” Ah Mei’s friend was shocked, almost speechless. After a while, she finally said, “If that’s the case, I’ll stay in the room with you.” “No need!” Ah Mei refused firmly. “I’m used to staying alone. It will be uncomfortable with two of us in the same room.” Her friend wanted to argue more, but considering Ah Mei’s stubborn personality, she decided to give up. Time always flies when traveling. Ah Mei and her two friends hadn’t even visited many famous spots in Thailand before it was already evening. They returned to the hotel at 8 PM, as planned. Just before Ah Mei opened her room door, her friend suddenly poked her head out of her room and called out, “Ah Mei, if anything happens to you, make sure you come find us!” “What could happen to me?” Ah Mei asked in confusion. “Don’t ask so many questions, just remember what I said!” her friend said. “Alright,” Ah Mei replied, feeling awkward, and quickly opened the door to her room. After entering the room, Ah Mei began to carefully inspect every corner. This was a routine she followed whenever she checked into a hotel. It wasn’t to communicate with any ghosts or spirits, but to check for hidden cameras. This habit formed after an unpleasant experience in her home country during a previous trip. Everything seemed fine until she opened one of the drawers in the cabinet and unexpectedly found something strange. It was an open Bible. “Strange, why would there be a Bible in the hotel room? Was it left behind by a Christian who stayed here before?” Ah Mei thought for a moment but quickly dismissed the idea. “No, a Christian wouldn’t be so careless as to leave behind a Bible. But if it wasn’t left by a Christian, then who did?” Looking at the open Bible, Ah Mei remembered what her friend had told her about hotel taboos. According to her friend, if you find an open Bible in a hotel room, it means the room is not clean, and there might be ghosts or spirits living there. “Could it be that Xu Hua (her friend’s name) was right? No, that’s impossible! There are no such things as ghosts, that’s just nonsense!” Ah Mei reassured herself. To prove she didn’t believe in such things, she even closed the Bible and went to bed. She hadn’t rested for long when Gao Hong called to invite her to dinner. After the meal, Gao Hong suggested they go to the hotel’s spa for a Thai oil massage. “Good idea!” Xu Hua agreed. “I’ve heard a lot about Thai oil massages, and I’ve always wanted to try it! Ah Mei, let’s go together!” “I’m not interested!” Ah Mei shook her head. “I’m not into these things.” “If you’re not going, where are you going then?” “I’m a little tired, I’ll just go back to my room and rest.” “Alright then.” After watching her two friends leave, Ah Mei took the elevator back to her room. On the way up, she suddenly felt very uncomfortable. When she stepped out of the elevator, she felt a chilling sensation on her back. As she walked down the hallway, she felt as if someone was following her. But when she turned around, there was no one there. “Maybe I’m just sick from the cold and it’s all in my head,” Ah Mei muttered to herself. When she reached her door and took out her room card, ready to open it, she suddenly felt a chill on the back of her head, as if someone had blown gently on it. Startled, she quickly turned around and looked around. To her shock, at the other end of the hallway, there stood a woman in a red dress, glaring at her with wide, terrifying eyes.