Mingshi: A Graphic Portfolio [ Volume 2 ]

WELCOME TO MINGSHI

*Rubs eyes*

Did someone just stumbled by this dark room?
Nah I must be under weeds.

But it's dangerous tho. Lemme put on a signboard in case some fellow silent guy stumbles by.

- POV, Andy

He put up the signboard before entering his penthouse.

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*Knock*

*Knock*

I heard someone knocking outside his door in a pattern. Amid my hazy vision I saw in the old wall clock that it's already 1 past 10.

"Who it must be? The house owner perhaps?"

I slowly got down to see who it was, indeed it's the house owner waiting outside. But why did his face seem so pale? I wondered.

"Please come inside." I said to him with the presence of major uneasiness inside my mind. It wasn't the first time the house owner has come to visit me at this late hour. However this time, something bone chilling feeling I'm having constantly. I kept silent.

The house owner came inside, his face visible in a translucent way due to lack of any bright light inside the room. He sat on the dinning table silently without a word and slowly fidgeted his fingers.

"Anything you'd like to take?" I asked with no hopes of getting any answer.

"Orange juice."
He answered shortly.

I headed inside, opened the fridge and poured the orange juice in a glass after unsealing the packet. To mention I do keep different fruit juice packets prepared in case some uninvited guest stumbled upon this penthouse, if not guest then mostly for myself.

I delivered it to him however the house owner; Damion mentioned,

"Ice."

"...?"

"Can I get some ice please?"

I couldn't find any reasons behind such behavioural patterns represented by Damion so suddenly. Firstly he wasn't suppose to visit me, especially when he informed him previously that he'd be out of the country for the time being. Secondly, it's still winter and no way a person would want to have ice with already cold juice. I finally spoke up,

"What brings you here Mr. Damion?"

Taking a sip, answered him, "I can see you're not doing your work properly."

"How so?"

"You didn't put up the signboard outside that room."

I felt chills out of nowhere. What did he mean that I didn't put up the signboard? I clearly remembered putting it up few hours. Did someone...

"But Mr. Damion I clearly remember keeping it outside the room, and even sticked it with floor in case the wind becomes too powerful."

"Then why couldn't I see it while visiting?"

"I want to see it myself since I believe I've kept it there previously."

"Go ahead then."
Damion said coldly.

I walked past the room picking up the torch from my study table, being pissed off with his unusually cold behaviour. I didn't care if anyone had showed me such behaviour. However getting such behaviour full of disbelief from Damion did hurt my ego. I knew what that room contained and how much it could harm me if I'd just go there at this hour. Yet, my self belief couldn't hear the rings of danger that already had started dangling.

Reaching there I found the board at it's usual place preaching the same message as before. Now I was more pissed off and ready to return back in order to show him but then some tingling sensation slowly started hugging my arms, then slowly towards my neck. Before I could free myself up or shout, I was entangled with some unknown force and my mouth was forced shut as I felt something cold giving shiver to my body.

The torch fell making me unable to see anything however I did hear someone whispering,

"Wanna know why Damion here at this hour?"

"...."

"Oh lemme tell you a secret. The real Damion isn't even here."

That's the last thing I heard before loosing consciousness.

-End Of POV, Andy

After he lost consciousness, he's dragged inside that dark room -Mingshi that contained the warning outside. Nonetheless it was changed in an instant -

TBC..

Ed. Note (04.09.2024) : I'm republishing this portfolio cuz I've no desire to transfer the edits into new templates 🤣😭 bear with the cringe.