The Guide of the Dead

Evan set up the tent on an open space. This place was a dried-up riverbed.

The first time we came to watch the stars, it was also here.

Under the romantic starry sky, I slowly moved closer to him that night. I looked into his beautiful eyes.

Evan smiled. That smile could melt my heart.

"You're such a little girl. Why can't you ever be reserved? Can't you wait for me to make the first move?" Evan said,

I laughed, too. I wrapped my arms around his neck. "I can't be reserved!"

Under the starry sky, there was only laughter. There was only happiness.

His hand wrapped around my waist. I felt the firm arms of a man. He pulled me into his embrace. A fresh, pleasant scent filled the air. His soft, moist lips pressed against mine.

We were entwined.

I watched his back. My mind was filled with memories.

I watched him revisit this place with his current lover. I should have been happy for them, but the paper in my hand told me this would abruptly end tonight.

To be honest, my feelings were complicated.

"The signal here is bad," Esther suddenly said.

Esther frowned as she fiddled with her phone.

"Perfect, no one will bother us then," Evan lit the bonfire, waving Esther over.

"Look up," Evan pointed.

I looked up and saw the vast starry sky.

"Wow, it's so beautiful!" Esther exclaimed.

Just as beautiful as before.

"There's a meteor shower tonight," Evan said, pulling out a telescope. "We might be able to see it."

"Really? That's awesome," Esther said excitedly, resting her head on Evan's shoulder.

She looked at Evan with affection and said softly, "You're so good."

Then she slowly leaned towards him.

Seeing this, my heart suddenly felt like it was pierced by something. I quickly turned my head away.

Time seemed to freeze.

I didn't hear any lingering affection or intimate caresses.

I only heard Esther ask, "Why?"

"No reason," Evan said.

"Then you didn't have to agree to be with me. Why did you agree and then not let me touch you?" Esther's voice turned sharp.

"Can we not talk about this tonight?" Evan's voice grew low.

"She's been dead for three years!" Esther's expression twisted. "How long are you going to keep suffering?!"

Evan lowered his head and didn't speak.

Esther took a deep breath and adjusted her emotions. "It's always like this. Every time I bring her up, you just stay silent. She's dead, and there's nothing I can do. I just want to live well with the person I love. Can you stop making the living suffer so much?"

Evan stared at the bonfire and said for no reason, "After tonight, it'll be fine."

Esther stared blankly at the man in front of her. After a long time, she turned and went back to the tent. She pulled the zipper tightly, and faint sobs could be heard from inside.

I quietly walked over to Evan. I saw his once calm face start to twitch. Two clear streams of tears flowed from his eyes.

He frowned and raised his wrist. He bit it hard with his teeth, desperately trying to hold back his tears.

My heart clenched along with his.

I couldn't bear to see him sad.

I crouched down. I held his face, and said softly, "Don't cry, Evan. Don't cry."

He couldn't hear my voice. His shoulders shook. He didn't want anyone to see his pain.

I caressed his face. I leaned in and kissed his forehead and his hair.

I couldn't feel his warmth. Life and death had separated our worlds.

"We'll see each other soon, Cecilia."

"Cecilia, that's my name."

He whispered softly, as if he was talking to me.

I was stunned.

"What do you mean by that?" I asked.

Of course, he couldn't hear me. He didn't answer me, just quietly stared at the starry sky. His emotions gradually calmed down.

"What are you planning?" I started to get nervous.

I began to have bad suspicions about the cause of Evan's death.

He stood up and took out some ingredients from his bag. He poured them into the pot over the bonfire. Then he pulled out some seasoning packets from his pocket and added them one by one.

After it was cooked, he scooped a bowl and walked to the tent. He squatted down and said, "Esther, come out and have some tortilla soup."

"I'm not hungry," a muffled voice came from inside the tent.

"It's my fault. Don't be mad..." Evan said softly.

His emotional shift was a bit abrupt. For some reason, he suddenly became humble.

There was no sound from inside the tent.

"Esther, give me some time," he continued.

The sound of rustling came from inside the tent. The zipper was opened, revealing Esther's delicate face.

"So how do you plan to make it up to me?" She didn't seem as pained as before. A smile appeared on her face.

"What kind of compensation do you want?" Evan asked.

Esther threw her arms around Evan, almost spilling the soup.

"Be careful," Evan said, carefully protecting the bowl of soup.

Esther kissed Evan on the cheek.

"Alright, I'll forgive you this time," she said with a playful smile.

Evan handed her the bowl of soup. "Here, drink this first."

Esther took it. "Okay. Since you made it yourself, I'll drink it all."

After saying that, Esther took a sip of the soup.

"Let's go by the fire. It's cold at night."

"Okay."

Just then, I saw another person appear in the clearing.

It was another guide, Justin Walker.

He smiled at me and waved. "Hey there, you're early."

I looked at him in confusion, then looked at Esther.

"Are you here for Esther?"

"Yeah. I just got the paper," Justin said.

I looked at the two by the fire. The red glow on their backs grew more glaring.

"Tsk, what a hassle. It turns out they're both evil souls," Justin said.

"Have you picked up red souls before?" I asked.

Justin nodded. "Once. It wasn't easy."

"What do you mean?" I asked.

Justin glanced at me and gave me a strange smile. "Evil souls have to go to hell. Anyone who sees that scene will wail and resist going in. It's a lot of work."

I fell silent. At this moment, the weather started to change. A strong wind rose, and dark clouds gathered, gradually covering the starry sky.

"I'm a little sleepy," Esther said. "It's going to rain. What should we do?"

"Let's go back to the tent and sleep for a bit. After we rest, I'll take you down the mountain," Evan said gently, helping Esther lie down in the tent.

As soon as they lay down, a light rain started to fall outside.

"It's been raining for the past couple of days. I thought today would be clear, but the weather changed so quickly," Justin paused as he said this. He glanced at the paper and added, "When the King of Hell calls for your life at three in the morning, he won't let you live until five."