Chapter 176 I'll Handle It
Emma had watched a ton of ghost stories and horror movies as a kid. Dark places always freaked her out. But having Elizabeth there made it a bit less scary.
Elizabeth's footsteps were comforting, but the dropping temperature made Emma feel a chill deep inside. Goosebumps rose on her arms, and she missed the musty-smelling blanket from earlier.
"Are you cold?" Emma asked. Elizabeth was shivering, even without answering.
So, holding the lighter in one hand, Emma grabbed Elizabeth's hand with the other.
Elizabeth's hand was even colder than hers, making Emma shiver. But she didn't let go. Holding hands, they shared warmth and ventured into the unknown together.
By the faint light of the lighter, Emma checked out their surroundings. It felt like a secret military base from TV.
The staircase seemed endless. After countless turns, Emma felt they were deep underground. Whether it was the heat from moving or the environment warming up, they didn't feel as cold anymore.
They walked for what felt like half an hour, but when Emma checked her watch, only ten minutes had passed.
Finally, the staircase ended at a room. Emma pushed the door open and found it was an office.
Who would work underground?
Emma suddenly thought of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and laughed at her silly thought. Her laugh startled Elizabeth, who couldn't understand why Emma would laugh in such a creepy place.
Elizabeth thought, 'Has she lost it?'
Emma realized she had lost her cool for a moment there.
But honestly, she wasn't all that freaked out. She'd already faced death once, so the idea of it happening again didn't really scare her.
Her only regret was not getting the chance to take out Anna and George. But hey, if she died today and turned into a ghost, she could totally haunt Anna for revenge.
Emma's fearless declaration didn't last long, though.
She slowly moved towards the desk, and suddenly, a face flashed before her eyes! "Who's there?"
"Elizabeth, did you see that?" Emma asked, her voice shaking. She thought she saw a face, but it vanished in an instant.
Elizabeth hadn't seen a thing. She looked pale and scared, "What was it? I didn't see anything. Don't freak me out."
Seeing Elizabeth so scared, Emma decided not to push it. Maybe she imagined it. But as she took another step forward, she saw that face again and quickly stepped back, too scared to go any further.
What the heck was that?
Emma's mind was racing. She didn't dare move in that direction anymore and started scanning the office for another way out.
In the corner by the fireplace, she noticed some half-burned papers with writing on them. She could just make out the name "Russell."
She wanted to take a closer look, but the paper was so fragile from the fire that it crumbled to pieces as soon as she touched it.
Emma felt a pang of regret, thinking she might've lost an important clue. Now, she was even more curious about the room. Was the name "Russell" just a coincidence?
In another corner, she found some old household items like dishes and clothes, all covered in dust and faded.
There were several old black-and-white photos on the wall, clearly from decades ago. Emma examined them closely. They seemed to be group photos of researchers, both ordinary and extraordinary.
Ordinary because old photos were common. It was unusual because she saw Michael's face in those photos!
If the photo hadn't been so old, taken when he was probably just a baby, she would have suspected that the person in the photo was him. Could there really be someone out there who looked just like him?
Emma took the photos off the wall and stuffed them in her pocket. If she made it out of here, she was definitely going to investigate this. After putting them away, she kept looking around.
There were several doodles on the wall, simple drawings made with colorful chalk. These weren't random kid drawings but deliberate lines by an adult. It looked like a map with mountains and rivers. Emma found it familiar but couldn't place it.
The whole wall was covered in these drawings, with no words at all.
Since she couldn't take the doodles with her, Emma had to rely on her memory to remember them. While Emma was still studying the doodles on the wall, Elizabeth had already made her way to the desk. Just as Emma was about to stop her, she saw Elizabeth open a drawer and pull out a notebook.
Emma's curiosity was piqued. She pushed aside her fear and approached the desk, noticing that the face didn't appear this time.
Then she spotted a round object on the desk. "Was this here before?"
She pointed at it and asked, "What is this?"
"A mirror! It was standing up just now, and it freaked me out, so I covered it."
Elizabeth picked up the round mirror and waved it in front of Emma.
The face she saw was her own reflection in the mirror, but in the dark, she had misunderstood. Emma finally breathed a sigh of relief.
Elizabeth then waved the notebook in her hand. "There are words in here. Do you want to see?"
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