With these words, our whole family huddled together, nervously watching the inside of the house.

Uncle Liu just laughed.

"She has arrived, but she can't cause trouble in broad daylight. Who knows where the cat is resting? No need to be afraid; if we're going to be afraid, we'll wait until after dark."

It became dark.

We had our dinner early, locked the doors, and the whole family hid inside the house.

My mother first lit an oil lamp, but she was afraid that Qiuge might find her way in, so she blew it out.

After a while, the room was dark, and everyone started feeling scared, so she lit it again.

The whole family sat on the kang bed, nobody saying a word. We looked at each other, not knowing what to do.

Xiaoyong took out a deck of worn-out playing cards from the drawer and smiled at us, wanting to play.

My mother raised her hand and gave him a silent warning.

Xiaoyong immediately covered his head and put the cards back.

From 8 o'clock until almost midnight, there was no sound in the courtyard.

Although we were afraid during the day, as time passed, we didn't feel it anymore.

Xiaoyong yawned one after another, and I was infected, yawning along with him.

My father pointed to the pillow, meaning to sleep.

So we all lay down.

Just as we were dozing off, my mother suddenly shook my shoulder. My father and Xiaoyong also sat up, tilting their heads to listen to the sounds in the courtyard.

Rustle, rustle...

Rustle, rustle...

She's here!

A sound similar to sweeping came from the courtyard.

But the frequency of the sound was faster than sweeping.

It sounded like a sharp object scraping quickly.

Rustle, rustle...

Rustle, rustle...

The sound lingered in the courtyard for a while and then stopped.

Then came the sound of flesh being torn and the sound of bones breaking.

The sound was mixed with sobbing, as if it was filled with endless resentment.

At this moment, we felt scared. We all covered our mouths, afraid to breathe.

"Ah..."

A faint cry came from outside the house.

"Let go of me... Help, save me!"

The cry from outside became clearer and clearer.

It sent shivers down our spines.

Because it was my voice.