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

Chapter 823: The House [6]

My heart skipped a beat.

I pulled back, my shoulder pressing lower against the floor as my nodes started to stir. A familiar pain spread behind my eyes, but before I could do anything—

‘No.’

I clenched my teeth and cooled my head immediately as I just barely stopped myself from leaving.

Taking another deep breath, I continued to stare at the two. They were smiling, but neither was moving at all.

After a moment, I decided to move closer to them.

In hindsight, it didn’t seem like the greatest of ideas. But I was desperate, and also crazy.

So I just did it.

I moved my phone slightly, moving the dim light across their faces. The woman’s eyes remained fixed ahead, even when the light passed directly over them.

Then I noticed the man’s chest moving.

‘He’s breathing.’

His hands stayed flat against his thighs.

“…..”

I stopped trying to activate my nodes.

These two…

They weren’t conscious.

At least, they didn’t seem to be aware of what was happening around them.

But there was no mistaking the way they were seated and their position. It was one I had seen it in the past.

Geneva’s brother.

The way he sat on the bed back then, with the same smile.

‘Right, this is the same.’

My gaze moved between the two faces.

VILE-1048.

I had no doubt about it before, but I was even more certain now.

The compass had led me the right way.

Even still, this wasn’t enough of a clue for me to get closer to the truth behind VILE – 1048.

I slowly drew a breath, trying to calm my heartbeat.

“…..”

Lowering the phone a little, I looked around the room.

A narrow bed stood against the wall on my right, its blanket folded near the pillow. There was a small cabinet beside it, and a table farther inside.

The food was still there.

Two bowls, with a spoon resting inside each one. Neither seemed to be touched. A small stain ran down the side of one bowl, stopping where it met the table.

I remembered the old woman telling them to be careful because it was hot.

‘It doesn’t look like she forced herself to feed them. How are they still alive?’

I looked back at the two.

They didn’t seem capable of moving at all.

‘How long have you been doing this?’

I wasn’t certain I wanted an answer.

Behind me, cold air slipped through the broken window. One of the loose boards moved slightly, making a soft sound as it rubbed against the frame.

I turned slightly, frowning at the sight.

The other wooden planks were fixed across the window at different angles. From inside, I could see the ends of several nails poking through the wood.

It was difficult to tell whether she wanted to stop something from getting in or… getting out.

My attention returned to the two people, their smiles creepy under the dim light. A little saliva gathered beneath the woman’s lower lip, drool moving down the edge of her chin.

“…..”

‘There must be something here.’

The compass brought me to this house for a reason.

‘…Right, I’m also sure that I heard something else here.’

A third person.

Or…

I looked at the two of them, my heart feeling heavy.

Creak.

“….!?”

My head immediately lifted as a soft creaking sound echoed from the distance. Immediately, my gaze fell back on the two of them.

Neither moved, both eyes still as wide as before.

I waited for several seconds, listening for movement outside the room.

But…

Nothing.

Only then did I continue, keeping a close watch of the two of them. Up close, the resemblance to the drawings was even more obvious.

From their shirt, to the colour of their hair.

I stopped beside the woman’s chair, looking at her face from the side.

For a moment, my hand moved towards my pocket.

The red ball.

Perhaps if I put them under, I could get them to—

‘No.’

My hand stopped.

I already tried that with Geneva’s brother, and while it worked, I wasn’t sure the current me could handle the aftermath. Especially since there was the risk of VILE – 1048 doing something to me like before.

My fingers slowly pulled away from the pocket.

I moved past the chairs and approached the table.

From this side, their backs were towards me. Both sat so straight that I found myself looking at the space between their shoulders and the chair backs.

Neither was resting against anything.

I lowered my gaze to the table.

There were a few papers beside the bowls. Old receipts, an envelope, and a folded cloth. I lifted the edge of the envelope and checked beneath it before putting it back.

‘There’s nothing useful.’

The cabinet stood beside the bed, close enough that I could reach it without crossing the room.

I crouched and carefully opened the upper drawer but it was just as I expected. Just a bunch of clothes.

I moved the comb aside, checked beneath the clothes, then slowly closed the drawer.

‘Come on. There must be—’

“When is your turn?”

My hand stopped.

The voice came from behind me.

It was soft, but I could hear a certain hoarseness to it. The kind you’d expect from someone who hadn’t spoken in a very long time. I froze on the spot, the hairs on the back of my hand rising. At the same time, a cold feeling spread down the back of my neck as I slowly turned my head.

The two backs remained facing me.

Neither person was looking in my direction.

“…..”

I stared at them, waiting.

Then another voice answered.

“I’m not sure.”

It was the woman’s voice.

“I’ve been told to wait. From what I’ve heard… there’s been a special admission.”

My fingers tightened against the cabinet. In that moment, I realised something. They weren’t speaking to me.

They were speaking to each other.

That’s…

‘A special admission?’

I looked towards the closed door.

Their voices weren’t loud, but the house was quiet. If I could hear them speaking from here, then the old woman might hear them too.

I needed to hide.

Keeping my eyes on the chairs, I lowered myself beside the bed.

There was just enough space beneath it.

I slid my phone into my hand and started recording before carefully pushing myself under, keeping the screen pressed against my chest.

My sleeve brushed the frame as I pulled my legs in and turned onto my side.

From here, I could see the lower parts of the chairs and both pairs of feet.

They were placed neatly together.

Still.

My forehead started feeling hot.

“…..”

I closed my eyes for a moment, only to open them again when the floor seemed to tilt beneath me.

‘Fuck, not now.’

The bed leg in front of my face became difficult to focus on. I blinked several times, waiting for the feeling to pass, but it only grew worse.

Then my nose started itching.

‘Fuck.’

I immediately covered it.

My breath stopped as I pressed my fingers beneath my nose, trying to keep the sneeze from coming.

The silence around me felt louder than ever.

I could hear the faint movement of my sleeve whenever my hand shook.

At the same time, the voices continued to echo.

“…But we’ve been waiting for so long.”

I looked towards his shoes, trying my best to focus on their conversation. .

I kept my hand over my nose, my chest growing tighter as I waited.

Then—

“Yeah, but…”

The woman’s voice reached me.

“That’s what the doctor said.”

My brows rose.

Doctor?

‘What—’

CLANK!

The door burst open.

I flinched, pulling the phone tighter against my chest as light spread across the floor.

A pair of slippers stepped into the room.

It was the old woman.

She moved quickly towards the chairs, the hem of her cardigan briefly passing through the narrow space I could see beneath the bed.

My breath stopped completely.

I remained where I was, my hand still pressed against my nose.

“You two…”

Her voice echoed softly across the space.

“…We’re moving. I need you to get ready.”