Horror Game Developer: My games aren't that scary! novel Chapter 100

Chapter 100: Expedition [4]

The main building in question wasn’t far from where we were.

A small crowd had already gathered as we arrived. I spotted Kyle almost immediately. He was speaking with a few Guild members. They all surrounded him, speaking to him animatedly.

I thought about reaching out to him, but then decided against it.

There were simply too many people, and...

"Let’s go. We should be headed this way."

There was also the fact that Rosanne and the others were ushering me towards a different area. In the end, I let out a breath and followed, keeping close as we were led into a room.

The room was relatively small, with a gray carpet beneath and a large metallic desk in the middle with several seats around.

Waiting in the room were a couple of people.

Two appeared to be agents from the Bureau, while the other was the Team Leader from before.

"You guys are here."

He greeted us in his low husky tone.

"Find yourself a comfortable spot. We’re going to be here for a while."

His attention shifted to a monitor in front of him, one of many mounted to the wall opposite to the desk. Each displayed a nearly identical room. The only difference was the person inside.

I recognized a few.

"The Anomaly tends to act around nighttime. Keep watch of all the cameras and see if you can spot anything. We’ll immediately send a team to the rescue if something goes wrong."

The room fell silent shortly after his words.

Even the usually chatty support unit had grown grim. A quiet unease settled over the room.

I checked the time.

[21:34]

Tik Tik—

The clock echoed louder than it should have.

...And so did my heart.

*

Time began to pass.

The entire time, nobody made a noise as they all focused their attention on the monitors ahead.

The inmates remained in their rooms. Some slept, others flipped through books, and a few bounced elastic balls against the walls in a steady, mindless rhythm. A handful stood by their windows, watching nervously as the darkness swallowed everything outside, only the faintest trace of moonlight slipping in to brush the wooden floor.

A strange sense of suffocation took over the room as we quietly waited for something to happen.

Anything.

Tik Tik—

The ticking of the clock appeared to be even more pronounced as I quietly focused on a certain monitor.

There, I could see an all too familiar inmate.

He was the one who had made the largest impression.

How could he not have when he was the first inmate to attack?

He was curled beneath his blanket, eyes wandering blankly, body pulled tight into itself.

At first, nothing seemed wrong.

But...

’Doesn’t he look a little pale?’

Looking closer, his entire face was pale. He was also tucking himself into the sheets... almost as though he was trying to hide from something.

I wasn’t the only one to notice the abnormalities.

Soon, the Team Leader and the others noticed it as the room started to tense.

The Team Leader brought a certain device to his mouth. Some sort of walkie talkie.

"Inmate 701, is everything okay? Is something happening?"

—.....

No response.

It was almost as though the inmate couldn’t hear the voice at all.

’No, he probably didn’t hear it.’

Looking closely, his pupils appeared completely dilated, as though he was staring at something extremely scary.

"What is he staring at?"

"....He doesn’t seem to be staring at anything."

There was no one else in the room. It was just the inmate. And yet, from his body language, it was clear that he was staring at something.

"There!"

Right then...

The moonlight shifted.

And for a fraction of a second... something flickered into view.

—Stay back! Stay back...!

—I said move back! Move back!!

—Help! Someone help me!! It’s here! Help me!

—Help!!! Someone help me!!