After about ten minutes more of walking, he reached the closest building.
'My Home orphanage'
It gave him a weird feeling and there was this choking smell as slid through a small crack in the gate.
Like something burnt char.
Shen Yu first saw a large courtyard overgrown with weeds. To the left was a swing, a slid, sea saw and merry-go-round. Basically a play ground for kids.
Thick, green vines twine around the reddish brown poles even climbing over the walls which has some cartoon characters drawn on it.
It was completely empty.
Shen Yu was starting to become afraid that he might be the only one in this big city.
The darknest dispersed a little as he pushed the heavy, black doors open. A suffocating odor of scorched flesh mixed with something rancid hit him.
Nose scrunched, Shen Yu fanned his face as he looked around. The smell seems to be sleeping out of the walls, the floor boards like it soaked into every inch of the room.
What exactly is this smell?
The lobby was a bit spacious with just a small foyer, a notice board, worn out benches and coat hooks.
Must be in consideration of the children. He thought.
Shen Yu walked down the hall way, there was a twirl of stairs that lead to the second floor. He ignored it for now and checked the other doors on the first door.
The first door he entered was the kitchen. Shen Yu didn't looked around much before going to the next.
His eyes lit up at the sight of the neatly arranged desk sitting pushed to the wall right next to the small iron bar window. Besides it was a locked cabinet. To the side are mismatched couches and a shelf that held many toys.
It looked like the headmasters office. Or maybe something close.
Before he could start searching through his gaze fell on a printed image which was framed and hanged on the wall.
"It's the city map!" Shen Yu was almost unable to contain his excitement. He looked through it once and confirmed it to be real.
It was just what he needed.
Taking out his phone he took two pictures just in case.
Shen Yu didn't think it'd be possible to find the door by just blinding searching around. Which is why he needed a map first.
With this he could mark out the possible locations!
Truly makes things easier.
Staring intently at his phone, Shen Yu distractedly walked into the edge of the desk.
Thawp....
Some files at the extreme corner slid off and fell to the ground.
"Oh shit." Shen Yu quickly put away his phone and bent to pick them up.
It was mostly old new papers and some children's files.
'Family of three gets into a fatal car accident. Only one survivor, thier daughter, Hua Lian scarred for life'
There was the family picture of a happy couple and their daughter all smiling brightly.
Hua Lian.
Coincidentally, her file was also amongst the one he picked up.
'did she end up in this orphanage home after the accident?' Shen Yu thought.
The file had no picture. Only a name, her age and her class report cards.
Shen Yu arranged them pack on the table the way they were, before walking out of the office. Shutting the door behind him with a soft click.
With the map in his hands there was nothing more, but Shen Yu was curious about this orphanage. He turned and walked up the stairs instead.
The second floor was dimly lit with hardly any light coming in from the window at the end of the hall. Shen Yu squinted his eyes and it took him some seconds to adjust.
To the left was a door that had the bathroom sign, ignoring it he pushed the door to the right.
A line of empty bunk beds on each side immediately caught his eyes.
The walls which were painted a light shade of green and yellow was already fading and the wall peeled open to reveal a brownish black color.
A sign of burn.
Something clicked in Shen Yu's head.
The orphanage must have burned down before. That must explain the order!
He browsed through the bed, they were four on each sides, making a total of 12 beds if you count the top bunks.
There were stuffed dolls scattered all over the place, clothes and sheets of dirty white paper littering the ground.
His footsteps was the only sound of movement in the room as he shuffled about.
The room was a bit stuffy so Shen Yu walked over to open the window. Now the room was much brighter.
Creak... groan....creak....
Shen Yu paused, then he brushed it off.
Maybe it was the wind playing with the window.
But...creak....uuuu...creak...
The dull metallic cry ran out again. Like a dying old appliance that needed a lot oiling.
Shen Yu's view outside the window just happened to be the small playground. And the swing, painted a mix of strawberry red and green poles was now moving on its own.
Back and forth, it swang drawing out a long squeak like a dreadful moan.
Thud...thud...thud.... Shen Yu's hand still holding on to the curtain shook, and the bars rattled which spooked him even more.
He could convince himself that it was just the wind but he there was that awkward feeling of someone propelling themselves with their feet each time the swing descended.
But there was obviously no one sitting on the seat.
As if it noticed him, the swing slowed down, it gave a thin and long metallic whine, then came to a stop.
Shen Yu swallowed dryly.
Click!
Pull the radish, pull the radish,
Pull, pull, pull…
Grandpa pulls, Grandma pulls,
Little dog pulls, little cat pulls…
The soft tune unfurled, trembling with each note. The cheerful song was accompanied by the laughter of children.
But there was no happiness only an eerie somber and emotionless voice molded together like a broken string tied in place.
Unease creeped into Shen Yu's chest, pressing down on his lungs, he turned away from the window and froze in place.
Pull the radish, pull the radish,
Pull, pull, pull…
Grandpa pulls, Grandma pulls,
Little dog pulls, little cat pull,
Zhao Mei pulls, Chen Fang pulls
Liu Ying pulls, Xu Hua pulls
Who will pull the radish.....
You!