Late Night Bookstore - Chapter 1

Zhou Ze splashed a handful of water onto his face, slowly raising his head to look at his reflection in the mirror. He appeared somewhat haggard, which seemed to be a standard look for an emergency room doctor.

“Dr. Zhou, a new patient is on the way. It seems he fell from the stairs. We’re not sure if it’s a suicide!” Nurse Wang Ya shouted from the entrance of the men’s restroom.

“Got it, I’ll be right there,” Zhou Ze replied, grabbing a tissue to wipe his face dry before heading out.

The ambulance quickly pulled into the hospital and on the stretcher lay an elderly man dressed in a gray tang suit. The old man was coughing incessantly, occasionally spitting out blood and fragments of his spleen, his body covered in blood.

Zhou Ze rushed over, pushing the stretcher while observing the patient’s condition and shouted to the people ahead, “Prepare the surgical instruments, quickly!”

The patient’s condition was critical.

“I… I… don’t want to die.”

The old man opened his eyes and looked at Zhou Ze, who was closest to him.

“Don’t worry, you will be fine. We will help you. You won’t die.”

Most critically ill patients tend to say such things at this moment. After all, few people can face death calmly. As a doctor, this was not the time to analyze the patient’s condition and discuss the chances of survival. What the patient needed at this moment was psychological comfort.

“No… no… down there… down there… it’s really too scary…”

Suddenly, the old man grasped Zhou Ze’s wrist, looking at him with a serious expression.

“Calm down, relax. Your life is not in danger.” Although Zhou Ze felt a slight pain in his wrist, he did not try to pull away.

“I don’t want… I don’t want to go down there… They… they found me… I… they found me…”

“Hiss…” Zhou Ze suddenly felt a sharp pain in his wrist.

“Dr. Zhou, your hand!” the young nurse beside him shouted.

The old man’s nails were long and for some unknown reason, they were black, resembling a translucent amber color, not appearing as though dirt was gathered underneath. At that moment, the old man’s nails had already embedded themselves into Zhou Ze’s flesh.

“I won’t go down… I won’t go down… I won’t go down… Haha… cough cough cough…”

The old man suddenly straightened up and began to cough violently. Then, his body trembled and the hand that was holding onto Zhou Ze fell away, leaving him motionless.

“Prepare for resuscitation!” Zhou Ze shouted.

The old man was pushed into the emergency room, where doctors and nurses began to perform resuscitation measures and the defibrillator was also prepared.

“Dr. Zhou, let me help you with the wound,” Wang Ya said as she walked over.

As doctors, they were not particularly worried about minor injuries. Their biggest concern was that the old man might have other diseases, which could put the doctors at risk of occupational exposure. After all, the old man had just bled a lot and no one knew if he had any infectious diseases.

Some illnesses, once contracted, could ruin a life.

After the wound was bandaged, another doctor came out of the emergency room and shook his head at Zhou Ze. This meant that the man could not be saved. Everyone felt a bit down but for them, such things were already commonplace and they would quickly adjust.

“Dr. Zhou, you should get checked out,” Wang Ya suggested.

“No, I have something to do tonight,” Zhou Ze shook his head, went to the changing room to change his clothes and then drove away from the hospital.

As soon as he drove under the Jianghai Avenue overpass, Zhou Ze’s phone rang.

“Hello, this is Zhou Ze.”

“Dr. Zhou, the children are all waiting for you.”

“I’m sorry, Principal Wu, I was delayed by a patient. I’ll be there right away. Please have the kids wait a little longer.”

“Okay, okay.” The call was quickly ended.

Zhou Ze glanced at the time. It was already 8:30 PM and the children at the orphanage usually went to bed early.

The red light turned green and Zhou Ze pressed the accelerator to drive forward.

Hooonk!

At that moment, a heavy truck ran the red light and came barreling through. Zhou Ze only had time to turn his head and catch a glimpse of the blinding headlights before—

Crash! 

The world spun around. The small car was like a fragile piece of white paper, directly struck and sent flying by the heavy truck. After rolling several times in the air, it crashed down to the ground.

……………

“Ugh…”

Zhou Ze regained consciousness.

He found that his body couldn’t move at all, as if it were trapped.  At the same time, he couldn’t open his eyes. He knew he had been in a car accident, a very serious one. Out of professional instinct, he wanted to check his injuries right away but he couldn’t move.

Around him, he could hear the sounds of other vehicles passing by, along with various honking noises.

Am I still at the accident site? 

Am I still in the car? 

Zhou Ze thought to himself.

Soon, the sound of police sirens came, followed by the sound of fire trucks and finally, the familiar sound of an ambulance siren reached Zhou Ze’s ears.

Zhou Ze sensed his body being moved and the temperature nearby was slightly high, likely due to the cutting of his car to rescue him.

He had participated in many rescue operations and was familiar with some of the procedures.

What a pity… The cake in the trunk and the Children’s Day party for the orphans… It’s all ruined.

“Dr. Zhou!” A familiar voice called out. It should be Dr. Chen from the hospital.

Zhou Ze let out a long sigh of relief in his heart. At least he had saved his life. This could be considered a stroke of misfortune, after all.

There were a few nurses’ voices nearby but it was too noisy for Zhou Ze to hear them clearly.

But then, Dr. Chen’s next words sent Zhou Ze’s heart plunging into the abyss!

“Dr. Zhou has lost vital signs.”

No,

I’m not dead!

I’m not dead yet!

I’m not dead!!!

Zhou Ze screamed desperately in his heart!

He wasn’t dead, he was still conscious, he wasn’t dead!

Next, Zhou Ze sensed someone performing CPR on him. He felt the heavy compressions but he couldn’t open his eyes or speak.

He wasn’t dead.

He hoped they would quickly realize he wasn’t dead!

After a flurry of activity, Zhou Ze heard the cries of several nurses he knew. Dr. Chen punched the nearby car door in grief.

Hey!

Don’t give up!

Please, don’t give up!

I’m not dead!

I should be in a state of apparent death,

Excessive blood loss?

Severe injuries?

But I’m really not dead!

I should still have a breath, I should still have a heartbeat!

Zhou Ze roared frantically in his heart.

He felt himself being lifted onto a stretcher and loaded into the ambulance. He could hear the sound of the vehicle starting up.

The nurses in the back of the ambulance were still crying. But this crying sounded particularly harsh to Zhou Ze’s ears.

I’m not dead.

Why are you crying?!

Why cry?!

Look at me again,

Look at me again,

Check me again,

I’m not dead!

The ambulance came to a stop and then Zhou Ze heard the voice of a hospital director:

“Is Dr. Zhou really gone?”

“The accident was severe. Dr. Zhou’s injuries were too great, and he lost too much blood. He’s confirmed dead.”

“Really? Just like that, he’s gone?” The deputy director still couldn’t believe it.

“Dr. Zhou is gone,” said a department head, “I just checked again.”

I’m not dead!

You bunch of quacks!

I’m not dead!

You idiots!

Bastards!

Zhou Ze kept cursing in his heart. At this moment, the people around him were no longer his colleagues, nor his friends and certainly not his leaders or mentors. They actually believed he was already dead. But can a dead person still hear sounds and have perceptions?

I’m not dead! 

You bunch of bastards! 

Animals!

I’m not dead! 

Help me! 

Save me! 

The stretcher began to move and the surroundings were eerily quiet with the temperature gradually dropping.

“Xiao Ya, don’t be too sad. The director said there will be a memorial service for Dr. Zhou tomorrow.”

“Sister Suqin, I just can’t believe it. A person… gone like that. Dr. Zhou was such a good person, how could this happen?”

“Life is unpredictable and accidents happen without warning. Try to accept it.”

After saying these words, the two nurses left.

The surroundings were empty.  The chilling sensation was palpable.

Zhou Ze kept struggling, trying to resist. He wanted to wake up. He desperately longed to make his voice heard. But it felt like he was being pressed down by a ghost. Despite his relentless efforts, his body was completely out of his control.

In the end, he gave up in despair. He was tired and exhausted. He knew where he was now, in the hospital, in the morgue.

……………

When Zhou Ze “woke up” again, he felt a faint coolness on his face and the stinging sensation was very clear.

“Is the makeup done?” someone asked nearby.

“Don’t rush me. Look at him, he’s been smashed to pieces. Makeup can’t be done that quickly.”

“The hospital is urging us. We need to send him to the memorial service soon.”

“Why don’t you do it then?”

The mortician seemed a bit annoyed and applied the makeup more forcefully. Of course, their clients were dead and dead people wouldn’t complain about pain, nor did they have to worry about receiving complaints. The only goal was to make the living satisfied with the results.

Zhou Ze no longer had the strength to struggle. He lay there quietly, enduring the stinging sensation of the makeup brush pressing against his face. Finally, the makeup was finished.

“Alright, let them in. We’re done here.”

Zhou Ze felt himself being dressed and then he was pushed out. The hospital attendants lifted him and placed him into a soft, cramped space.

This should be a coffin.  Then, all the noise around him was suddenly isolated, the lid must have been closed.

Bumps. Shakes. Jolts…

He didn’t know how long it had been when Zhou Ze finally heard a sound. The coffin lid must have been opened.

What entered his ears was the sound of mourning music.

The director was speaking into the microphone, praising himself and lamenting his own situation, followed by the deputy director and the department heads.

Zhou Ze could hear footsteps moving past his coffin, some people quietly taking their last look at him, while others tried to call out to him, their voices tinged with tears. This was the viewing of the body.

Viewing… my body!

I’m not dead. I really am not dead. I’m still alive!

I’m not dead!

Zhou Ze was wailing in his heart. He tried to exert himself again but still couldn’t manage it. He could only hear and feel but he couldn’t speak or open his eyes. Everyone had concluded that he was dead but he knew the truth that he was not dead!

The children from the orphanage had also come, crying beside him. Their tears were genuine because Zhou Ze himself was a child who had come from the orphanage. After starting to work, he donated most of his salary to the orphanage. This car accident happened because he was rushing to drive back to the orphanage to spend Children’s Day with the kids.

“Xiao Zhou, you can rest in peace. This accident happened while you were on duty. You don’t have any family but the hospital will donate your compensation to the orphanage, so don’t worry,” the deputy director said, standing next to Zhou Ze.

Zhou Ze sensed that he was once again being isolated; the lid of the coffin must have been closed again.

Then there was another jolt and finally, it stopped. The lid of the coffin was opened again. It was somewhat quiet around, with occasional, subdued voices.

There were two people, one holding his shoulder and the other holding his legs, lifting him up and placing him on a cold, metal platform—likely steel. These two people were very skilled, extremely skilled.

Around him, there were faint sounds of crying.

At first, Zhou Ze couldn’t discern where he had been taken but soon, the horrifying realization dawned on him.

Bastards!  

They’ve brought me to the crematorium!

They’re going to burn me!

I’m not dead, you bastards!

Damn you all!

I’m not dead!

Not dead yet!

Don’t cremate me,

Don’t cremate me!

I really am not dead!!!

You animals!

Bastards!

Sons of bitches!!!

This was the most frantic Zhou Ze had ever been, the most desperate. He knew that once he was cremated, there would be no turning back!

He would face death directly!

A complete and utter end!

He was unwilling; he was truly unwilling. He was not yet thirty, he had not started a family and he had no children. He still had a life; he still had a long way to go!

“Mom, I just saw this uncle’s hand move a little,” a little girl’s timid voice sounded nearby.

Slap! A small slap was given.

“Don’t talk nonsense. Wait until I get home to deal with you,” the girl’s mother scolded.

Zhou Ze felt despair because no matter how he struggled, no matter how he roared in his heart, the people outside could not perceive it.

He was placed on a conveyor belt, the machine started up and he was being pushed forward. He knew what he was about to face and that filled him with immense fear!

No,

No!

No!!!

I’m not dead, I really am not dead!

Don’t burn me!

Don’t burn me!!!

No one could hear his pleas, they only mourned.

Only responsible for grieving.

Only responsible for going through this process.

Then going home for dinner and resuming their lives the next day.

Finally, Zhou Ze sensed that he was being pushed into a narrow space filled with the stench of burnt residue.

Immediately after, a sticky liquid was sprayed all over him. He knew what it was— Gasoline.

The next sound was a faint hiss as the fire ignited.

Hot! 

So hot! 

Pain, 

Intense burning pain! 

Fire, 

Fire, 

A great fire, 

Fire everywhere…