Zoe pushed open the door to Night, arriving at six in the evening. He had come early to find Jill, but as he scanned the room, he saw no sign of her. He walked around the bar, still finding no trace of Jill. Zoe thought to himself, where could she be hiding in this place? His eyes darted over to the wine cellar. Of course, the cellar—cold, dark, and devoid of sunlight—was the perfect hiding spot for Jill.
Zoe hurried to the small room behind the bar. He crouched in front of the cellar door, rubbing his face as if trying to wake himself up. He bent down, listening intently but hearing nothing from below. Zoe swallowed nervously; this was the first time he had actively sought out Jill, and he felt as tense as if facing a murderer. Grasping the rusty ring, he slowly pried open the door. Light from the ceiling lamp immediately flooded into the cellar.
Zoe descended the wooden stairs step by step, trying to remain calm as he called softly, "Jill... Are you down here? Jill..."
He turned on the light switch on the wall, illuminating the cellar completely. After a second, he called out again.
“Jill, are you here? I want to talk to you.”
“Really?”
A cold voice from behind startled Zoe, and he quickly spun around, stumbling back a few steps. His back hit the wine rack, causing bottles to clink and crash together.
Rubbing his sore back, Zoe snapped, “Can you stop scaring people like that?”
“Sorry,” Jill said apologetically, “I thought you were used to my appearances by now. I didn’t mean to startle you. Are you alright?”
“I’m fine,” Zoe said, shaking his head as he took in Jill’s appearance, which was somewhat surprising.
“Your spirit seems much clearer now.”
“Really?” Jill said, her tone cheerful. “You can see that? That’s wonderful, isn’t it?”
Zoe examined Jill slowly, sounding somewhat surprised. “You’re this happy?”
“Of course. It would be amazing if I could become human again someday...”
Jill stopped mid-sentence, noticing Zoe’s unusual gaze. How could a ghost return to being human unless it committed terrible deeds, breaking the natural laws and taking lives to gain enough power to exist like a person?
Jill seemed to want to avoid Zoe’s direct gaze, as if feeling exposed. It looked around awkwardly and changed the subject. “Oh… You came to talk to me, right? What is it about?”
“I waited for you last night for a long time. Where were you?” Zoe asked calmly.
“Just out for a breath of fresh air. You know I’m quite lonely,” Jill said with a forced smile.
“Was it you, Jill?” Zoe stood firmly in front of Jill, no longer beating around the bush. “You were the one who killed the three men last night, weren’t you?”
“What are you talking about?” Jill floated casually past Zoe. “Which three men? And as a ghost, how could I harm anyone?”
Zoe followed her, growing impatient and serious. “I’m sure you could, Jill. Didn’t you get that object? I checked the accident scene, and it was clear that some external force lifted the car and repeatedly slammed it into the lamp post, causing it to be so deformed that it was unrecognizable. All three men inside died, and their bodies were so mangled that their families couldn’t even identify their faces.”
Zoe stepped closer to Jill. “If it wasn’t you, then what could have caused that?”
“Hahaha…” Jill laughed, looking at Zoe. “Who knows? Are you accusing me?”
Jill seemed to challenge Zoe, coming so close that their faces were almost touching. Her dark eye sockets stared directly into Zoe’s eyes.
“Have you never trusted me from the start?... It’s true, I’m a ghost, how could you believe in something people usually think doesn’t exist?”
In a flash, Jill circled around to stand behind Zoe, whispering into his ear.
“Before, you were never this direct with me. Since you’ve been living with that cop, your suspicion of me has only grown.”
“That’s not true. Stop changing the subject, Jill…” Zoe interjected.
“Indeed.” Jill cut him off, making Zoe fall silent. “You’ve been avoiding me, ignoring me, trying to become a normal person and stay with him.”
Jill sighed, releasing a cold breath. “You know, Zoe, every day when you come home, I follow you and stand outside your window, watching inside.”
Jill’s voice was bitter as she continued, “I see how happy you two are together. He waits on the sofa watching TV for you to come home, and as soon as you walk in, he hugs you. You two have dinner together and smile at each other suddenly. In the mornings, you run together... I wish I could have that, Zoe, but sadly, I’m a ghost. I will never know the peaceful and happy life you and he have. It’s because of those scoundrels that I’ve never known what life and happiness are, let alone enjoy them.”
An eerie silence followed, until Jill spoke again, “Oh, I also heard him tell you ‘I like you, Zoe’ while you two were watching the sunrise by the lake. But maybe you didn’t hear it.”
Jill nodded. “It seems that all that’s left for you two is to share a bed…”
“Shut up!” Zoe could no longer contain his anger and shouted. His voice felt like a pounding headache hitting him suddenly and fiercely.
Muttering through his frustration, Zoe asked, “Have you been spying on me?”
“No, Zoe.” Jill shrugged with a pitiful smile. “We’ve always been like shadows to each other, so how can you say I was spying? Since you moved into that house with him, I wanted to be with you but couldn’t, so I had to stand alone outside the window, watching you enjoy life with someone else.” Jill clicked her tongue. “Aren’t you going to pity me a bit, Zoe?”
“Be quiet,” Zoe interrupted. “Stop being evasive. Just answer me—did you kill those three men?”
Jill exhaled deeply, as if resigning to the fact and not wanting to hide anymore. She smiled. “Yes, it was me. Is it wrong to take revenge for myself? I didn’t want to do it, but they deserved it. When they were in that car, I purposely possessed one of them to ask if they remembered the death of Jill Stephen in the orphanage over a decade ago. Did they feel any remorse for causing the tragic death of a seven-year-old boy?”
“Do you know what they said?” Jill shook her head in disgust, recounting the man’s words. “That kid deserved to die. Even if he had lived, he would’ve been bullied by others anyway. He was weak, just a bit of teasing made him choke and die. Even if we hadn’t bullied him, someone else would have. Better off dead.”
“Was I such a terrible person, Zoe? Are all weak children deserving of death? If so, then those who are weak before my power now, they all deserve to die.”
Jill’s face was cold and expressionless, but her voice was filled with bitterness, as if she was still seething with anger inside.
“Police can seek justice for victims by imprisoning the murderers, but I’m just a ghost. Who can seek justice for a ghost?”
In the chilling silence, Jill looked up with a mocking smile. “You see, those three men weren’t punished by the so-called law or what you consider retribution. They’re still living happily. I didn’t need anyone to seek justice for me; I made them pay for their crimes myself… That’s true justice.”
“I don’t want to argue with a ghost.” Zoe turned his back. “You’ve killed people, not just one but three. Someday, sooner or later, you’ll face retribution. But Jill, don’t think I can’t do anything to you. If you kill another person…”
Zoe, without looking at Jill’s now hardened expression, spoke coldly through clenched teeth as a threat. “You know well what I can do to ghosts, so you better stop while I still consider you a friend.”
Zoe climbed the wooden stairs, hearing Jill’s voice echo behind him.
“Are you threatening me?”
Zoe stopped. “I’m not threatening you; you know that.”
Zoe left the cellar and slammed the door shut. He sighed as he walked back to the bar. Below, the cold air had engulfed the cellar, freezing all the bottles on the wooden shelves. Jill was furious. She hadn’t expected Zoe to say such things to her. Was he displeased and wanting to punish her for taking vengeance with her powers? How could that be? No, Zoe, I will do what I need to do, and you won’t be able to stop me.