A dog that looked abandoned for a long ti was scurrying around the deserted street. Its big head was the only thing revealing it as a Shih Tzu, discernible by its distinctive beard, yet it still looked like a stray mutt. It paused every now and then to look back, barked a few tis, then retraced its steps a bit before running forward again.
This was a bridge tunnel, the old bridge surface made of the oldest concrete architecture, with the bridge body very close to the ground. To get up from the ground, one must climb a long staircase, and upon entering the bridge, one must lower their head or risk bumping into it.
The rain was incessantly washing the ground. This was the first rain since the beginning of winter. The unlted snow, due to this sudden rainfall, added a new layer of icy spectacle to the city.
Raindrops that congealed in the air hit the skin with excruciating and raw pain. In such harsh weather, no one wished to leave ho, not even the holess preferred to wander around in such weather.
With no sign of stopping, the needle-like raindrops fell on the bridge surface. The stray dog paused again, turned around, and perked up its ears to listen to the clattering sounds from within the bridge tunnel. It then barked cautiously twice and ran to the mouth of the tunnel, lifting its head to continue barking.
Raindrops fell on its head, as if pierced by these icy needle-like drops, causing it to recoil and whimper. Its paws stepped into a water puddle filled with gri, splashing water onto the concrete wall. It ran forward, and this long bridge tunnel seed like an endless, eternal corridor.
Only the entrance held so light; the deeper in, the darker it got, occasionally accompanied by the electronic buzzing indicating that this place once had light, though now dilapidated.
Click! Click!
Sothing dropped from the entrance, sounding like so object being dragged along with difficulty. Soon, a shadow erged from the dim light. No, to be exact, it seed more like a mutated lizard walking upright. The barking of the stray dog ca from far to near. It stood in the darkness, roaring at this unfamiliar form to defend its territory.
The figure stopped on the stairs, untouched by the backlight, unable to reveal its face. From its exterior, it hunched over itself, one foot in the water puddle, while the other still clung to the stairs, standing sideways. Its large head emitted light, with rough white mist puffing out from it.
The stray dog withdrew a step, eyes steadfastly watching, not relaxing its guard against this strange visitor ahead.
Perhaps frightened by this thing, or perhaps unaware that sothing would be under such a bridge, it hesitated for a long ti before continuing to drag its peculiar figure downward.
A roaring sound echoed from above, shaking loose enough listone to trigger a reaction from the stray dog, which imdiately shook off the dirty wastewater from its body.
It passed by the stray dog, its walking posture unusually strange—always stepping its left foot first, waiting for the other foot to catch up, then stepping its left foot further along with the right, never adding any extra steps, again and again repeating.
As the stray dog clearly saw this entity, it let out another roar. Inadvertently, its fur stood on end, entering a state of full alert. With animals’ intuitive sensitivity, it adopted a defensive posture at the sense of external danger, barking and racing back and forth in place.
It suddenly halted its bizarre walking stance, turning its head to make a clicking sound at the stray dog. Its chubby body bulged abruptly as if about to pierce through the thick surface, only to shrink back imdiately.
"No mood for bloodshed today!"
It’s not a monster but a human, an unidentified person shrouded in a rubber raincoat. This person left behind the whimpering stray dog and proceeded with his peculiar posture, step by step, into the darkness, while the stray dog seed crazed, darting out from the entrance.
"Animals are much more alert than humans," the person, almost like they had eyes on the back of his head, smirked slightly.
The bridge tunnel lay at the junction of the city and a remote railway. It was essentially abandoned, with only occasional specialized trains transporting material between sites.
Due to the rain, the top of the bridge tunnel was obscured, its entrance barely visible with remnants of large painted characters suggesting it once was a bustling agricultural trade hub. Yet now only darkness remained, with a mildewy dampness and slippery moss-covered walls. Missteps on dung or potholes could result in a fall—while not fatal, it could surely leave a mark.
This person seed familiar with the place, avoiding obvious water puddles and not falling into natural traps due to the darkness. The stray dog, drenched, returned silently to follow the person. Paws made a very faint tapping sound on the ground. The person humd, slowing his pace further.
Man and dog ford an eerie scene in this bridge tunnel, occasionally stopping, then walking, in a chilling silence that paradoxically rendered the darkness more serene.
Finally, after passing through deep darkness, a faint light appeared in the distance: an old-fashioned pendant lamp with a circular bulb enclosed by a fisherman-style iron shade. Yet, in such pitch darkness, even a bit of light was a blessing.
"Here we are." The person murmured to themselves, their face showing no happiness from the light’s presence but rather overshadowed by more gloom. He shook his raincoat, dripping water to the ground that splashed onto the stray dog behind him, causing it to lower its head in silent frustration.
His hands groped along the wall, searching.
Under the faint light ahead, he ticulously searched, leaving not even the inexplicably nailed screws on the wall untouched. Despite this, he seed unable to find what he imagined, sighing with frustration.
"Wrong?"
Muttering to himself, he persisted. The wide and long tunnel wall made a canvas for the stray dog, turning its round eyes to the person, the deep brown pupils reflecting golden light in the lamp’s glow.
The person’s fingers, as thick as his physique, bore large knuckles, unattractive hands. The stray dog cocked its head, stepped back two paces, then hid in a corner against the opposite wall. (To be continued. If you enjoyed this work, you’re welco to visit Qidian (qidian) to vote with your recomndations and monthly tickets; your support is my greatest motivation.)
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