Chapter 2: The Red Egg
I strode to the refrigerator and yanked open the fresh food compartment. My eyes scanned the contents.
The eggs were all yellow.
I exhaled, tension easing slightly.
Returning to the balcony, I checked the cactus—no mushrooms growing beside it.
Pulling the note from my pocket, I clenched it tightly in my palm like a talisman.
Ding-dong. Ding-dong.
My phone rang from the bedroom.
Signal?
A lifeline.
I sprinted back and hit answer.
"Morning, babe! I’m almost at your place—brought breakfast!" Luo Ping’s cheerful voice chimed through.
I wanted to stop him. No one else should enter this nightmare.
But as I opened my mouth to refuse, my body betrayed me.
"Come quickly!" I heard myself say.
The call ended with a hollow click.
Dizziness washed over me.
Knock. Knock. Knock.
He was already at the door.
Through the peephole, Luo Ping stood perfectly postured—crisp white shirt, dress pants, every bit the gentle soul I knew.
"He’s my boyfriend. Not a stranger. The rules allow this."
My hand trembled toward the knob.
The latch clicked.
"Luo Ping—"
"You look awful." He brushed past me, scanning my face. "Feverish?"
"Did you see anything... strange on the way?" I blurted.
"Like what? Jesus, you’re pale as a ghost." He frowned. "Where’s my hug?"
"My breakfast?"
His expression darkened.
"Some lunatic snatched my baozi. Dressed like a damn yuppie too—stepped on them screaming ‘Poisoned!’"
"Poisoned?"
"Yeah. Cops hauled him off. SWAT’s everywhere lately—feels like a zombie outbreak."
He wandered toward the kitchen.
"No baozi, but I’ll whip up an omelet. Whoa—why’s this egg red?"
Red.
"DROP IT!"
I lunged, smacking the crimson egg from his grip.
It shattered on the tiles.
Thick, blackish sludge oozed out, reeking of rotting meat.
Luo Ping gagged and fled to the living room.
"Your fridge’s cursed!"
Kneeling, I scraped the mess into the trash. Only one red egg remained in the carton.
Rule #1: There are no red eggs in this house. If you see one, discard it immediately.
Did the trash count as discarded?
The sludge pulsed faintly in the bin.
Like something breathing.