The Yaoguai: Part Two (complete)

When Sun Bao was little, he used to love ghost stories. His grandmother would oblige his taste for the gruesome by telling him all matter of horrible tales. His parents absolutely hated it, but Sun loved his grandmother, and his grandmother loved him.

“Before your grandfather and I came here, we used to live in a small house in the middle of the forest. We would see all sorts of things there. When your grandfather went to chop wood, he had to be careful of the Yaoguai that sniffed around our home.”

“The Yaoguai were monsters, right, Grandma?” Sun would ask, always eager to hear her description of the creatures.

His grandmother would smile. “Oh yes, dreadful things. Always trying to get into the house. But your grandfather was strong and knew how to handle them. Some tried to make deals with your grandfather, since he was such a strong and honorable man. They would offer him power, money, good fortune, whatever they could think of.”

“Why?” Sun asked, eyes wide with curiosity.

“To corrupt him and spread their power,” his grandmother said. “Most humans can’t see the Yaoguai, so all they can do is annoy or frighten them. But when a human can see a Yaoguai, that means that human has a special power. If the Yaoguai can make a bond with that human, they can spread their influence in our world.”

“But Grandpa never did it, did he?” Sun asked with worry.

His grandmother smiled and stroked the top of his head. “Never, little Sun. Your grandfather was wise. Which is why I am telling you this now. You never know if you have that power until you actually see something. So be careful. If you see Yaoguai, pretend they are not there, or they will never leave you alone.”

Sun kept his grandmother’s words close to his heart while he was young. But as he grew and matured, he took the stories as fairy tales. He forgot his grandmother’s warnings. And when he was faced with a Yaoguai, he said this instead:

“Who are you?” 

Sun shakily took back his camera. “What are you?”

“Is that really the question you want to ask when I am standing right here?” The figure scoffed, tilting his head to the side. The pincers on either side of his jowls clicked and rubbed together. The mouth behind the pincers was black and filled with sharp, yellowed teeth.

“What are you?,” the figure repeated with high-pitched mockery. “I am a thing with feelings, understand? After I saved your life, I would think you would be more grateful.”

Sun clutched his camera. “Down in that chamber...” His voice drifted off as he remembered falling. There had been roses scattered all about him, and a wall full of strange objects he couldn’t make out in the darkness. 

The Yaoguai laid his hand on his chest. “Wasn’t it lucky you fell into my crypt? Imagine if the old bitch had found you like that? She’s been itching to get her hands on you, hasn’t she?” He snorted as he laughed.

“Fei?” Sun scowled. “Does she know you’re down there?”

The Yaoguai rolled his eyes. “Does she ever. If she knew I was up here with you, she’d have your head under the axe next.”

Sun’s frown continued to deepen as the Yaoguai spoke. “I don’t get it.”

“I’m not surprised. Fei isn’t exactly the informative type.” The Yaoguai sneered. “She likes her little secrets.” He shook his head and looked about the room. Under his robes, something buzzed loudly. 

“Am I dreaming?” Sun held his head in his hands. 

“If you were, would you be dreaming this?” The Yaoguai snorted. “No. No. You’re awake, you silly boy.” He picked up a book from the dresser - a copy of the one Mari and Sun had written together. A wicked scowl crossed his face, and he chucked the book across the room. “Sun Qiangwei - or is it Sun Bao? Which do you prefer?”

Sun stepped away from the bed. The figure before him was tall, with a curve to his spine that made them hunch over. His white hair fell down over his strange face, and two long antennae jutted from the top of his skull. For a moment, Sun’s grandmother’s words came back to him. He remembered her stories about his grandfather in the woods, and how the Yaoguai tried to make deals with him. 

“I think you should get out of here, whoever you are.” He pointed to the door. “Maybe I’m dreaming. Maybe you’re a figment of my imagination. Lord knows I’ve seen a lot of ugly things lately, but nothing like you.”

“You live with Fei. She’s much worse than me. But then again, there is nothing like me.” The Yaoguai gave a flourish of his hands. Something buzzed again under his robes.

“But who are you?” Sun snapped. “I don’t plan to make any sort of deals with a Yaoguai! I’m no fool. I have a lot to be haunted by, but not by you.”

“Whoa, whoa. Slow down there, friend.” The Yaoguai stepped closer. “I am here to offer you a chance to take back what has been stolen from you.”

Sun’s breath shuddered as he pictured Mari. But he could hear his grandmother whispering in his ear. “Don’t make deals with Yaoguai. That is what they want.”

“You can’t possibly give that back to me. You’re either lying or manipulating me.” He shook his head. “Or both.”

The Yaoguai extended his hand to Sun. “I can’t exactly bring her back, of course. But I can help you see her again. I can also give you the power to take care of this ghastly family of yours.”

“The Qiangweis?” Sun whispered. “But who are you?” He was growing frustrated with the lack of answers. Over the last months, he had received few or none at all. No one would tell him any details of the accident that took Mari’s life. No one would tell him why he had to stay in the Wild Rose. No one would tell him why he had to keep on living while his Mari could not. He wanted to lash out. He wanted to burn that rose garden to the ground and ruin the soil.

“I am Zhanglang,” the Yaoguai said calmly. “And the Qiangwei family is my enemy as well.” His black lips curled back from his sharp teeth. “They keep me trapped here. All I need is a little help from you.”

Sun glared at Zhanglang, wanting him gone and banished from his presence. “I have no help to give, you got it? I’ll thank you for saving my life, but perhaps I didn’t want to be saved. Now get out!”

Zhanglang just smiled. “Then why were you running back to the hotel?”

Sun was silent.

“Why were you racing back towards the hotel? Back to where help could be given? Did you really want to die, Sun? Because those are not the actions of a man who longs to die.”

Sun continued to try and ignore Zhanglang. 

“Pretend you don’t notice me. That’s fine. But I am here, and I exist! And I know how badly you want to make that pain go away.” He approached Sun, standing tall over him. “This hotel and the people in it all are against you, and you can feel it. Can’t you?”

He touched the top of Sun’s head. Sun jerked away. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“A hotel full of rooms, and yet there are no guests?” Zhanglang asked. “What is really going on here? Did your beloved ever tell you?” He looked into Sun’s eyes. “She never allows you into the dining hall, does she? She barely lets you off the grounds at all.”

Sun shook his head. “How do you know all this?”

“Because she has done it before, and she will do it again as long as she possibly can. Fei is not what you think she is. You need to protect yourself, Sun.” Zhanglang offered his hand again. “Let me be your guardian, and together you and I can destroy this awful family.”

Sun hesitantly looked at Zhanglang’s hairy palm. Then he glanced back into his golden eyes. What would it hurt? he thought. Whatever he was, whoever he was, perhaps Zhanglang could help quell the pain that was growing deep in Sun’s heart. He lifted his hand. 

The headless woman ran into the room, but Sun didn’t react to her presence. He couldn’t see her, but she saw everything. She saw Zhanglang’s offered hand, and Sun lifting his own to take it. She screamed in horror, and Zhanglang tore his hand away, causing Sun to step away from him again.

The headless woman lunged towards Zhanglang. “I told you to stay away from him!”she screamed as she took hold of him. “You’re going back where you belong!”

Zhanglang jerked forward, and seemed ready to topple over. He shook the headless woman off, but she clawed at him again. She grabbed hold, squeezing tight around his wrist.

“You will go back to the chambers where you belong!” she shrieked.

“I’ll be back! You can’t stop me! I’ll get my way!” Zhanglang laughed as they started to were pulled under by the headless woman. They sank into the floor like a person into quicksand, and grinned up at Sun. “Don’t trust a Qiangwei, Sun! Don’t trust a single one!” Then he was pulled under, vanishing from the room all together.

Sun sat back down on the bed and clutched his head between his hands. The headless woman cautiously approached. She touched the top of his head, then sat down beside him and smoothed her hand down his back.

“I’m so sorry I have to leave you alone here, Sun,” she whispered to him. “I’m so sorry you’re trapped here when you feel so broken.” She placed her hand over his. “I wish you could see me right now, so you could understand.”

A shiver went down Sun’s back, and he got up to go into the bathroom. The headless woman followed after him, watching him from the doorway as he splashed water upon his face. “I never wanted you to come here. I thought I could keep you safe.” She clutched her hands over her chest. 

“Mari,” Sun croaked.

She started in alarm, stretching her hands towards Sun. He just looked in the mirror with the same dour expression as always. “I’m sorry I have so much hate in my heart, Mari.”

Mari dropped her hands and held them to her chest. “It’s okay, Sun.”

Sun gripped the sides of the sink and dropped his head. “I want this pain to go away. I don’t want this hate anymore.” Tears began to stream from his eyes. “I just want to live with you again. I can’t stand it anymore.”

Mari stood beside him, placing her palm against the mirror so it left an imprint. As Sun raised his head, he saw the handprint on the mirror and placed his hand beside it, trying to see if it was his own. But the print could fit into his palm, the same way Mari’s hand would. He splashed water onto the mirror and stormed away from it.

Mari wished she had a head on her shoulders, so she could weep for the man she loved. 

As Sun went to get something to eat from the kitchen, he crossed Fei and Bo standing in the hallway. They were facing one another, but they turned in sync as Sun approached. Sun froze. He’d always had an irrational fear of his mother-in-law, especially now, when he was in such a vulnerable state. He hated her, but he needed her, and it was chewing him up inside.

“Sun,” Fei finally said. “James told me the state you were in when you came back. What happened to you?”

Sun kept his hand against his side. It was still partially swollen from the wasp sting. “I fell asleep in the garden, that’s all.”

Her sharp eyes narrowed at him before she looked away from him again. “You need to be careful. Dangerous things lurk out there in the garden.”

Sun’s breath went cold in his chest. “I see.” He remembered the chamber he fell into. It had been full of roses in all states of decay. He turned to leave, wanting to escape Fei and Bo’s unblinking eyes.

“Wait, Sun.” Fei called after him. 

Sun froze in his tracks and turned around again. “Yes?”

“I mean it. Stay out of the garden. There is nothing for you there, and I’ve noticed some of my roses have been bruised. If you were responsible, don’t you think Mari would be disappointed in you?”

That awful chill poured down Sun’s spine. He shook his head. “She would.” His voice cracked.

“Good. Then stay out.” Fei turned back to her brother, and the two vanished around the corner.

Over the next few days, Sun kept track of the family’s whereabouts. He figured out their schedules, their routines, and when he thought he had them down, he decided to wander the hotel. He took his camera with him as he combed through the rooms. He started by taking pictures of the doors, before he tested the knobs to see if he could open them. Each one was locked. There were no occupants in the hotel.

He studied the photographs he took of the doors, finding that they looked different from what he saw with his own eyes. He hadn’t trusted his eyes since Mari passed, but his camera showed him everything clearly. In the photos, the doors looked old. The wood had dents and water damage, and the numbers were sometimes missing or rusted. It was like when he saw the hotel the first time with Mari.

Sun eventually learned that James had a skeleton key that unlocked every single door of the hotel, kept it under the front desk in a lockbox. Every couple of days he would leave the front desk for a few hours as he dealt with things elsewhere in the building - doing maintenance in the basement, or assisting his mother with something.

But these tasks took time, which allowed Sun an opening to take the key. He was able to break the lock on the box, and he snapped photos from behind the desk. Then he made a pressing of the key so he could duplicate it later.

“What are you doing, Sun?”

Sun looked up, terrified he had been found out, when he saw Zhanglang sitting in the lobby.

“You’re back.” Sun was relieved, but frightened all at the same. “What for?”

Zhanglang spread his arms. “Where else could I possibly go?” He grinned at Sun. “Besides, you need me. You just don’t know it yet. What are you doing, Sun?”

Sun shook his head. “I’m looking for something.”

“Well, then, look no further!” Zhanglang stood from his seat and approached Sun. “I have everything you’re looking for, and more.”

“I can’t trust you. For all I know, I’m losing my mind, and you’re part of a horrible spiral.” He gnashed his teeth together. “I would prefer you leave me alone.”

Zhanglang looked down at the key. “What are you hoping to find, Sun? Answers? Problems? Or are you looking for an excuse?” He placed his hand under Sun’s chin. “I can give you comfort. I can make life safe for you again.”

Sun looked into Zhanglang’s eyes. “How can I believe you?”

Zhanglang gently caressed Sun’s cheeks. “What have you got to lose, Sun?” He mockingly waved his hands at the dilapidated lobby. “All this? Only an arsonist would want this place, don’t you think?

A scream through the lobby, but Sun didn’t hear it. When Zhanglang grew still, Sun pulled away and placed the key back into the box.

Zhanglang turned to see Mari floating down from the glass windows above. He sighed and rolled his eyes. “Excuse me for a moment. Keep going about your business.” He stepped away from the front desk, and Mari landed before him on the red carpet, fists clenched as she angrily threw herself at him. She pushed him to the ground, fighting him as he dissolved back into the earth again.

As Sun rose from behind the counter, he saw that Zhanglang was gone. He looked around, tucking the imprint of the key away. “Any more of this nonsense, and I’m really going to fall off the deep end.”

That evening, Sun made a key from the imprint. The following afternoon, when he knew Fei and Bo would be gone and while James remained at the front desk, he went to the floor below his room taking the key to test on the doors. He took a deep breath as he slid the key into a lock, and slowly he twisted. The lock squeaked and turned, and the door opened up.

Inside, the room was empty. There was a neatly-made bed against the wall that looked untouched, a couple of art prints hanging on the wall, a wardrobe. All in all, it looked like a sparse hotel room. Sun took a picture, and what he saw through the lens caused him to run from the room. He slammed the door shut, locking it tight before bolting back up to his room.

He locked himself inside and sat behind the door, hugging his knees. The room he left behind had looked normal, but the camera showed him a scene that was far from normal. There were creatures all over, climbing on the walls, clawing at the floor. Their bodies were raw and bloody as if they had no skin, and they left crimson tracks and smudges everywhere they went. Their mouths gaped, dripping blood, pus, and spittle as they screamed. 

Were they in all the rooms, Sun wondered? Was that who the hotel was for? He shuddered as he cowered behind the door. It had been just one room. But the hotel had dozens of them. Who knew what else was lurking behind each door? Were there worse things? Oh god, Sun hoped there wasn’t anything worse than that.

He looked back at the files on his camera. Once again, the photos he had taken were completely black. But looking through the lens he had seen that gruesome, awful display. Each black file had slight shadows in them, hidden images within the void that showed the room he remembered. 

Sun decided that if this was what waited beneath the surface of the hotel, and if Fei was purposefully hiding it, then he wanted to leave. He was packing what few things he had left to his name when there was a knock at his door. “Who is it?” he asked.

“It’s me, Sun,” Fei said from the other side. “Let me in, please. I need to have a talk with you.” Her stern yet emotionless voice sent shivers down his spine. 

He stuck his bag into the closet to hide it, then let Fei into his room. She walked in, her posture stiff and hands on her hips. She looked about the room, already suspicious of her son-in-law, and turned to cast her sharp eyes upon him. “James said he heard doors slamming earlier.” She walked further into the room, pulling back the curtains on the windows to look outside. “What were you doing?”

Sun’s insides were like writhing snakes. They twisted and knotted then pressed into his throat, threatening to come out with fangs exposed. 

“What makes you think it was me?” Sun asked.

Fei didn’t look away from the window. “Come now, Sun. We both know the answer. So stop being a child and just come out and say it.”

Sun remained quiet.

Fei sighed heavily. “I grow more and more worried about you each day, Sun. I have you here because I want to take care of you, because Mari would want me to take care of you.” She absently stroked the curtain, and Sun slowly lifted his camera to look at her through the lens. Through the camera, everything was the same, except for Fei’s hand. Her nails were long and black. Her skin was ashen and stretched tight against the bone, showing every nook and cranny of her hand. 

“Mari would want me to have what I want,” Sun said calmly as he lowered his camera. “Fei, I appreciate what you have done for me,” he lied. “But I want to go home. I want to see my sister and my father.”

Fei tilted her chin up. “They are not your blood like we are, Sun.”

Sun heard something move behind him in the hallway. He turned to look, but saw nothing there, although the wall across from the door looked wet. 

Sun furrowed his brow. “You’re not my blood.”

Fei turned, her stare as cold as ice. “As soon as you married my daughter, you became our blood. You are Qiangwei deep into your bones, Sun.” Her fingers curled around the curtains. “You belong with us more than you ever belonged anywhere else.”

Sun’s blood was pounding furiously through his veins, and he could hear it humming in his ears and throbbing in his fingertips. He slowly took a breath, careful not to make a sound. It felt to him like his entire chest was rattling. The more Fei’s cold, dark stare penetrated him, the more it felt as if his bones might come loose at any moment.

“You are Qiangwei! You are family!” Fei snarled at him.

There was a rumbling behind Sun, and something scampered into the room, moving around Sun’s feet to Fei. As soon as Sun could see it properly, his screams caught in his throat. He felt nauseous. The cowering creature on the floor that clutched to Fei’s ankles looked like it had once been human. Its hair was matted in places and balding in others. Limp, unkempt locks fell over a long, narrow face with bulging black eyes. The creature’s back was hunched, and there was a bulbous mass across its shoulders. 

Fei placed her hand on the creature’s head. “This is your cousin, Bai.”

Bai looked at Sun, then buried their face in Fei’s skirts. Sun couldn’t talk. He couldn’t breathe, he just watched. 

Fei walked over to him, with Bai following close behind her, holding the hem of her skirts. “Unpack that bag, Sun.” She placed her hand on his arm. “Get dressed and join your family for dinner.”

Bai started shrieking with laughter, seemingly excited for dinner. Fei’s eyes slid up to Sun, while her fingers coiled ever tighter around his arm. “In the dining hall. Do not be late.” Fei left the room, with Bai at her heels, closing the door silently behind her.

Sun looked through the lens of his camera again, and saw that the curtains were shredded where Fei had been touching them. He lowered his camera again, setting it aside as he took his bag from his closet. He set the bag on his bed and looked through his few belongings. He had never been invited to dinner before. He had always gone to get food for himself or it had been delivered to him. He had been warned not to go to the dining room by Fei before. So why now?

“I can go with you,” a voice whispered in his ear.

Sun closed his eyes as Zhanglang wrapped their hairy arms around him. The embrace felt warm and strong. He leaned back into Zhanglang’s chest as his pincers grazed against his ear. 

“Let me be your dinner guest.” Zhanglang ran a hand down Sun’s chest. “I will show you the truth without your camera lens.” 

Sun kept his eyes closed, feeling only the warm embrace he longed for. Zhanglang’s spindly hands rubbed down his chest and back up, coiling around his chin and cheek to turn his head. “How can I trust you?” Sun asked again.

“It’s me or Fei,” Zhanglang growled. “Make your choice, Sun.”

Sun wanted to make the pain go away, being with Fei only made it more palpable. He took hold of Zhanglang’s wrists. “Please...” he whispered. “Help me.”

“No!” Mari’s voice echoed through the room. “Stop it!”

Zhanglang forced her back with a grin. “He belongs to me now. You and those roses no longer have any hold on me.”