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

Chapter 590: Who are you? [1]

The low roar of the engines hummed in the background as the vehicles pushed forward, cutting through the mist and dense fog. The scenery outside shifted constantly, shapes forming and dissolving in the haze as I watched in silence.

Inside the car, no one spoke. Everyone sat facing the windows, their gazes distant and unfocused. Yet even without looking directly at them, I could sense the exhaustion lingering in their eyes.

I was no different.

After everything that had happened, it was hard for me not to be exhausted.

I wanted to close my eyes and rest a little.

But—

’Fuck. Fuck.’

My mind continued to drift towards Kyle.

On one hand, I was glad that he was fine. On the other...

’Is he conscious? Is he aware of what happened? Does he know?’

My mind scrambled to think of a way to handle the sudden situation. No matter how I thought about it, he probably realized something. Could he have met the Conductor and the others?

Ah, shit.

I ruffled my hair while trying my best to remain calm.

But that was easier said than done.

’I’d much rather go back to the Limbo and sacrifice myself than explain everything to Kyle. What is he even going to say?’

I trusted Kyle.

In fact, he was the only person whom I trusted in this world.

But at the same time...

This was a lot to stomach. Especially the fact that he was no longer a human.

Would he blame me for it?

’But back then, I didn’t really have much of a choice. And it wasn’t really me who did it.’

Shifting around in my seat, I raised my head back up to see everyone staring at me. Despite my best attempt at trying to seem calm, it was clear that they had noticed something in my behavior, and they looked away after a brief moment.

They were probably thinking I was worried about Kyle. And I was, but for a different reason...

"Hm?"

In the midst of my inner struggle, I slowly raised my head and looked toward the window.

For a moment, my eyes blinked in confusion.

The scenery had changed.

The mist and shifting landscape were gone. In their place stretched a long, steady road, its surface smooth and uninterrupted. On either side, buildings had begun to appear, rising one after another as if we had quietly crossed into a different world without noticing.

Most importantly, I could now see the bright blue sky above as murmurs filled the car.

"What the hell...?"

"We’re already here? How is this possible?"

"Wait, what? We just left."

I was just as confused as they were as I looked at the driver. Donning a pair of sunglasses, he looked at us through the rearview mirror.

"Don’t be too surprised. This is merely the tip of the iceberg. The BUA is capable of doing way more impressive things than this." He chuckled as the car sped up, and as I looked at the front window, a familiar arena began to appear in the distance.

’Were going back there?’

The roads were empty as the car continued forward, the tires humming softly against the pavement. Before long, we began to follow a familiar route. The same one we had taken at the very beginning of the Congress.

Gradually, the outline of the stadium came into view, rising ahead of us as we were guided back toward it once more.

As the car came to a stop, the doors opened, and we all got out.

Stepping out of the car, we all had to stop for a moment as we looked into the distance, feeling the muffled roars coming from there. It carried a weight to it, something that seemed to vibrate through the air and into the ground beneath our feet.

For a brief moment, it felt as though the entire place was trembling.

The others exchanged glances, their expressions tightening slightly, while the remaining vehicles rolled past us, heading deeper into the parking lot.

"T-that’s..." Mia stammered while looking in the distance.

Nora stood next to her, pulling her sunglasses closer to her face.

"Squad Leader."

She murmured...

"I think I get it now."

"...?"

"I get why you wear sunglasses."

Oh.

Well, not really.

But sure.

"Just imagine it... Walking in front of that many people with sunglasses on. I’d look cool as hell."

"....."

"My aura will be unmatched."

What was this girl on?

From this point forward, I just ignored her.

No, more importantly—

"I need to go to the bathroom. You guys go first."

Without waiting for them to say anything, I headed towards the bathrooms. Well, at least that was my original plan, but as I navigated through the corridors of the stadium, I quickly found myself lost.

"Errr..."

Looking left and right, only to see a long corridor stretching in both directions, I scratched the back of my head.

"Well, shit."

There also didn’t seem to be anyone I could ask for directions.

’Should I use the compass?’

The thought did cross my mind, but after a while, I shook my head and instead just walked towards the nearest door and entered.

Clank—!

Closing the door behind me, I tapped my foot onto the ground, disabling any camera or technological device before flicking the lights on, allowing me to catch a glimpse of the room that I was in.

’Storage?’

Multiple metal shelves lined the room, each stacked with worn boxes and scattered items. Posters clung to the walls, some peeling at the edges, their colors faded slightly. A simple wooden table sat near the center with a lone chair pushed slightly to the side.

The light above flickered faintly, casting a dim glow that left parts of the room swallowed in darkness.

I took a slow look around, scanning every corner. Only after confirming that I was truly alone did I allow myself to relax.

But I only relaxed for a moment as I sat down and sighed.

Massaging my forehead, I muttered, "This is going to suck."

After which, a certain figure appeared before my very eyes.

"....."

Silence took over the room the moment he appeared, my eyes still lingering on the floor as he stood there, unmoving.

The silence stretched on for several seconds until I inevitably spoke.

"You’re not going to say anything?"

Raising my head, I finally met Kyle’s gaze. He stood silently, staring at me with a blank look. My heart squeezed at the sight of him as his lips quivered in an attempt to say something, only for him to stop as he inevitably took a step back.

"Y-you..."

My heart sank slightly.

’I guess he must’ve seen the truth.’

Kyle’s lips opened again as his hand trembled. Shaking his head a couple of times, he took another step back before pressing his lips together.

"Y-you... what.."

The shock marked on his face was evident.

Looking at me, his face underwent a series of changes before he eventually managed to calm down a little. However, despite being calmer, the way he looked at me was no different than before.

No, that was a lie...

There was even more of a change as he finally found his words again.

"W-who are you?"

His words softly pressed against my ears.

"...What have... You done to S-Seth? And... what have you done to me?"