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

Chapter 623: Surgery [1]

This was fucked up.

This was beyond fucked up.

Staring at the numerous nurses watching me with smiles on their faces and the groaning patient before me, realization began to settle in. The pieces fell into place one by one, and with them came a creeping sense of dread as I finally understood what this scenario was about.

’I need to treat the patients, but every action I take will be reflected on me. I’ll suffer the same pain, and if anything goes wrong, I’ll die alongside them. The only way to survive is to not mess up the surgery.’

I could already feel the sweat forming at the side of my face as I sucked in a cold breath, trying my best to keep calm.

Turning my head to stare at the nurses, I thought about directly beating them into submission, but I knew that the person who deemed himself to be my ’big fan’ wouldn’t just let that happen.

He was wary of my strength and most likely had countermeasures.

’Does this mean that I have no choice but to take care of the patients?’

"Doctor..."

A soft whisper entered my ear, pulling my attention away as the corners of the nurse’s eyes curled even further, her expression tightening into something deeply unsettling.

"...You need to hurry, doctor. I understand that you’re tired, but you must treat them."

She then turned towards the nearby clock.

"It’s currently 6 p.m. Your shift ends at ten. Just hold out for the next four hours, alright? You can rest after that."

’That’s it. I think I’ve found a way to leave this place.’

I needed to take care of the patients for the next several hours.

However...

’That’s easier said than done.’

Hiding the bitterness welling up inside me, I looked from the patient to my own body as blood continued to stain my clothes, the pain still radiating from the spot where I had cut.

I knew that if I kept dragging things out, I’d bleed out.

I had to act now.

As my hands moved again, I pressed firmly against the bleeding point, trying to stem the flow. At the same time, a heavy pressure mirrored itself on my own body, the sudden weight forcing a small flinch as the pain pulsed through me in sync.

"—!"

Biting my lip, I tried not to pay any attention to the pain as I called out, "Suction."

The nurse beside me moved, bringing the suction close as it quietly drew the blood away from the wound, clearing my view as the metallic scent lingered in the air.

Grabbing the scapel, I moved my hand and started to cut the wound open.

A sharp, burning line split across my own abdomen.

My breath came to a sudden stop, my body instinctively trying to recoil, but my hand didn’t stop. It couldn’t stop.

If I stopped—

I’d die.

The thought anchored me just enough to keep moving, dragging the blade lower, opening him further as warmth spilled out, spilling all over my hands as I felt my clothes start to stain with even more blood.

My movements came to an abrupt stop, my eyes widening at the large spill spreading across my clothes. That... it felt as though something was bursting out of my own body. But the moment I froze, a hand clamped down onto mine.

"Doctor."

Alongside the grip, an eerie, almost hoarse voice sounded.

"Don’t stop, doctor. You can’t stop now.’

The grip tightened, and I swallowed.

’Keep going. I need to keep going.’

I looked down at the patient once more.

I had never done surgery before, but I knew exactly what I had to do. From the moment I became a doctor, the information just flowed into my mind.

My hand moved down once more, cutting into the body.

I swallowed hard, my vision flickering for a second as black spots crept into the edges.

"...Suction," I managed again, my voice tighter this time.

The tube slid in, pulling the blood away in steady, wet sounds, clearing just enough for me to see what I had done.

What I had to deal with.

There was so much blood.

It kept coming, pooling, obscuring everything, as if the body itself was refusing to let me see anything that lay inside.

’Shit.’

My hand moved without thinking, slipping past the incision, pushing deeper inside.

I shuddered, a matching sensation rippling through my own body as if an invisible hand was reaching inside me, probing and shifting my organs. The invasive feeling made my toes curl, a cold wave of discomfort tightening through me as I struggled to stay steady.

Warmth continued to spill over my hands as the suction steadily drew the blood away, the wet, slick sound spreading in the air.

Squelch—!

I carefully pried the organs aside, feeling that same unsettling movement echo within my own body, and forced myself to focus as I searched for the source of the internal bleeding hidden beneath the mess.

The more I looked, the heavier my breathing became, each breath growing uneven as a dull ringing began to fill my ears. My vision wavered at the edges, my mind turning increasingly lightheaded.

I was losing a lot of blood, and as things stood, I was dangerously close to passing out.

Fully aware of my situation, my hands began to move faster, pushing the organs aside and reaching deeper as the sensations echoed through my own body.

I felt everything, every movement, every intrusion, as if I were both the one operating and the one being cut open.

Clenching my teeth, I lowered my head further, desperately searching for the source of the internal bleeding as the steady ticking of the clock echoed in my ears. Then, as my vision strained against the haze, my eyes suddenly lit up at what I found.

’Found it...!’

"Clamp."

I called out, and the nurse beside me quickly handed over a clamp. Without hesitation, I pushed it down into the body, the cold metal sensation echoing through my own organs as I secured it around the vessel I had spotted.

The instant it locked in place, a jolt shot through me, like a thousand electric bolts coursing down my body all at once.

"——!"

In shock, I let go of the clamp.

Beeep! Beeep! Beeep! Beeep! Beeep!

The loud beep of the cardiogram echoed sharply through the room as the body before me convulsed, jerking under the harsh lights.

"Uekh!"

I, too, started to convulse, losing complete control of my body as the world around me spun.

In that brief moment, I caught a glimpse of the nurses.

They were... all looking at me.

Smiling.

Clapping...?

Were they cheering? I didn’t know, nor could I tell. In fact, my mind suddenly thought back to the information inside my mind. That... How could I even trust it? Was what I was doing even correct?

What if it wasn’t?

"Haa... Haa!"

’No, no!’

Snapping out of it, I hastily turned back to the patient and reached for the clamp, bringing it down onto the wound. The moment I secured it, I glanced down through my hazy vision, trying to see if the bleeding had finally stopped.

’It did.’

Good. This was good.

"Suction. Suture."

As the nurse continued to suction the area, I began suturing, guiding the needle carefully across the vessel. Each pass sent a sharp, pricking sensation through my own body, the sudden pain forcing me to pause every so often.

But every time I did, the nurses would turn to me.

"Doctor...?"

I pushed through it, steadying my hands and making sure to secure the wound properly.

The entire process moved quickly, my mind doing its best to push past the pain as I finally pulled my hands away and examined the wound for any remaining bleeding. After confirming that the flow had stopped, I began closing it, carefully stitching the wound back up with steady and careful movements.

This part went just as quickly, and once I finished, I let go of the scalpel and tools, slumping down into the chair. My hand immediately went to my abdomen, clutching at it as the lingering pain from the entire ordeal throbbed through me.

"Haa... Haa..."

I felt exhausted, sweat streaking down the side of my face as I struggled to catch my breath. But not even a few seconds after finishing the surgery, one of the nurses straightened and stepped forward, their smiling face appearing right in front of me.

"Doctor..."

Her soft voice whispered into my ear.

"...Good job on the surgery. Let’s get onto the next patient."

She giggled.

"There’s still a lot of time left."

I checked the time.

It was still 6:30 P.M.

Tick. Tick—

Tick—