Chapter 10 Memories In The Vi


    Staring at the coded lock, Maria decided to try the original password, the one she set six years ago.


    If that didn''t work, she would have to resort to other methods. The password was 361110. March 6th


    was Arthur''s birthday, and November 10th was James''.


    To her surprise, after entering all six digits, she heard a happy beep. She tried the heavy door, and


    was overjoyed to find it unlocked.


    Her hands trembled in midair. She stood at the door to the living room, frozen, like a statue. She


    came prepared. There were many tools in her backpack, one of which could be used to hack into


    the electronic lock, but it seemed that she had brought them in vain.


    Suddenly, she experienced the pangs of regret. If she had known earlier the passcode had


    remained unchanged, she never would have sacrificed her dignity and asked James for permission


    toe here. She would have simply done it. Everything she did —meeting with James, bearing


    the insults, and drinking those bottles of liquor—was meant to bring her to this point.


    When Maria snapped out of her reverie, she knew what she had to do next.


    She stowed her backpack by the door, and took a shlight from it. She shed her shoes, and


    walked into the living room barefoot.


    The shlight''s beam zigzagged around the silent room. Maria looked around carefully. At first


    nce, it seemed that it hadn''t changed a bit, but there were subtle changes that she gradually


    picked up on.


    The huge photo she hung on the wall, taken when Arthur was a month old, was gone.


    All the furniture was covered with white dust covers. Maria reached out and touched a corner. Dust


    now clung to her fingers. She could tell that no one had been here for a long, long time.


    Stepping on the cold floor, Maria walked to a corner of the living room. There used to be a cab


    there, but it, too, was gone.


    Six years ago, Arthur had an ident there. She heard his screams, she saw the blood on the floor.


    The tragic scene reyed in Maria''s mind again. She clenched the shlight in her hand, breathing


    faster and faster. Sweat beaded her forehead, and it felt like her heart might burst.


    In a trance, she saw Arthur again, and his adorable smile. His voice calling her "Mommy" echoed in


    her ears.


    Maria stretched out her hand and called softly, "Arthur... Mommy''s back." She saw Arthur stretch out


    his chubby arms for a hug. "Arthur, I miss you so much!"


    She wanted to touch the boy''s face, but he disappeared in the blink of an eye.


    There was only empty floor in front of her. Arthur''s voice was gone again. She was surrounded by


    oppressive silence.


    Maria covered her aching heart with her hands, tears streaming down her lovely face. ''Arthur, my


    Arthur!''


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    After a long time, Maria pulled herself together and walked up the stairs with heavy steps.


    Not much had changed on the second floor. She walked barefoot along the soft carpet to the door


    of the innermost room. It was the master bedroom, the very room she gazed at from the vi gate


    the first night she was back in town.


    Maria put her hand on the doorknob and gently opened the door.


    The spacious bedroom seemed empty, despite the furnishings.


    The big bed in the middle sported a dust cover. The baby crib beside the bed and the wedding


    photo of her and James on the wall six years ago were also missing.


    Although this room was the master bedroom, Maria had spent most of her time with Arthur in here.


    She could still smell the scent that her boy emitted. Or was it her imagination? Maria walked to the


    room opposite to the master bedroom. That was supposed to be Arthur''s room, but he never used


    it.


    The decor of the room was the same as it was six years ago, the wallpaper festooned with little


    cartoon animals. But the photos had been taken down, and Arthur''s crib was moved in here. Maria


    looked around carefully and found all the photos of hers and Arthur had been ced in a box.


    Opening it, Maria picked up one photo. It was of herte son. Tears welled in her eyes. She covered


    her mouth tightly and tried hard not to cry.


    ''Arthur, Mommy''s here. I miss you so much!''


    At this point, Maria couldn''t do anything but hold her son''s picture and cry. She rocked back and


    forth and wept in grief.


    A security guard passed by outside the vi. When he heard the faint cries, he was frightened. He


    remembered a buddy of his telling him that someone died here six years ago. He wondered who


    was making that noise—or what.


    When he stopped and listened, the cries had apparently faded. Maybe it was just his imagination.


    He gathered his courage and took a few steps towards the gate of the vi. Then he stopped again


    and listened for a while, but still heard nothing.


    He was certain that he had misheard something. He was about to leave when a woman''s cry came


    from the vi again.


    This time, the security guard was so scared that his legs became weak and he almost wet his


    pants. He was not bold enough to go in and see what was going on. Instead, he awkwardly ran off.


    The security guard ran to the monitoring room, gasping for breath. His co-workers were staring at


    him. His eyes were fixed on the monitor, but he could see nothing in the next two hours. The guard


    became even more frightened. After tonight, he would always avoid that vi, afraid he would


    encounter something supernatural.


    Before dawn, Maria restored everything in the Fairview Vi to their original spots and left as quietly


    as she entered.


    The sucker-tipped darts eventually lost their suction and fell to the ground not long after she left.


    The monitors were back to normal.


    HM Group had hired Maria, and she started working as a secretary. Where better to hide than in


    in sight? Although it was not an important position and the sry was low, she didn''t care. She


    just needed to put down roots in town so she could carry out her n step by step.


    Since she had been to Fairview Vi and stayed there overnight without being noticed, Maria grew


    even bolder. That evening, she went there again through the same route. She brought some simple


    daily supplies with her this time. Fortunately, it was still summer, so she didn''t need to bring a lot.


    Maria stayed there all week, immersing herself in her memories of Arthur.


    It was another sweltering summer night. A man appeared at the door of Fairview Vi, and after a


    few seconds the lock beeped, admitting the mysterious visitor. His brand-new ck leather shoes


    shone in the moonlight. His cold eyes scanned the darkness, then he stepped inside the living


    room.


    The first floor of the vi was quiet as ever. He stood silently downstairs for a few minutes, lost in


    thought. Finally, he loosened his tie and ascended the stairs to the second floor.


    The carpet of the corridor on the second floor was clean and white, like brand new. He walked on it,


    still wearing his shoes.


    When he approached the master bedroom, the man suddenly felt a subtle wrongness. A hint of


    something amiss. He stopped at the door. Although the door was closed, it was not locked like it


    should be.


    Six months had passed since James wasst here. He could remember closing the door himself


    when he left. No one else had been here without his permission. He started looking around,


    wondering.


    However, at that exact moment, Maria''s eyes snapped open. She was almost asleep, but she could


    tell something wasn''t quite right. She sensed that someone was outside the door. Maria sat up


    silently.


    ''It''s 1 a.m. Who woulde here thiste?'' she wondered.


    She could hear the doorknob turning slowly. Maria didn''t have time to guess who it was. She quickly


    got out of bed and hid behind the thick curtain, leaving her thin quilt and a pillow on the ginormous


    bed.


    Fortunately Maria hadn''t closed the curtain before she went to bed, because she didn''t want to


    attract the guards'' attention. Sunlight would be her rm clock. She was as quiet as a mouse,


    senses on high alert and her body tense. She held her breath and tried to make herself invisible.


    The mysterious visitor opened the door. But he didn''te in. His eagle-eyed gaze swept across


    the room. He saw no one there, but he smelt a faint fragrance.


    He sniffed. ''Perfume? A woman?''


    Then he walked in and noticed the dust cover on the big bed had been removed. Under the


    moonlight from the window, he could see the rumpled pillow and the quilt. It was obvious someone


    had been using the bed.


    The man walked towards the bed quietly. His face exposed gradually under the moonlight. It turned


    out to be James. ''Where is she?'' He felt the bed and it was still warm. That meant the intruder


    couldn''t have gone far.


    He also couldn''t figure out how long the upant had been here. She was able to hear him even on


    that soft carpet. That meant he wasn''t dealing with any run-of-the-mill intruder.


    The man''s lips curved into an unfathomable smile in the darkness. He noticed the window was still


    closed, and there wasn''t much in the way of furniture, which meant the person was probably still


    here.


    James kept searching and his sharp eyes finally fell on the curtain at the corner. That was the only


    ce they could be hiding. He stopped moving forward. Being certain where the person was, he


    was not in a hurry to make the next move. He had to be patient, like a snake stalking a mouse.


    Behind the thick curtain, Maria couldn''t see a thing. She tried listening to figure out whether he was


    still there, but she could only hear her pounding heart. Her nerves were on edge and her mouth was


    dry.