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

Chapter 747: Stuck [3]

The teacher’s head lifted slowly across the camera.

“…”

A very thin line appeared across the burned surface, one that I initially mistook for a shadow until it slowly began to widen.

Creeeeak—

My stomach twisted as I realized it was a mouth, the skin separating horizontally and stretching from one side of its face to the other.

There were no lips, only darkness inside.

‘…And this is the teacher?’

The mouth remained open.

Then the second camera feed disappeared.

CRACK!

Two were gone, leaving only one behind, and unfortunately, that camera was positioned near the pods.

I knew that the moment the last camera broke, it’d be my turn.

My entire body tensed as I pressed a hand against the inner surface of the pod, contemplating whether I should run or stay where I was.

However, after taking another look at the bar in front of me, I clenched my teeth and pulled my hand back.

‘Almost there. Almost…’

“…”

I stared at the final feed.

‘Oh, fuck.’

My heart started hammering against my chest as the teacher disappeared from view, leaving me with nothing but the sound of it moving nearby.

Step.

Silence followed before another step echoed, this one noticeably closer than the last.

I swallowed as I looked at the third camera, which showed the rows of game pods from the side, including mine. There were twelve of them in total, all identical and tightly shut.

‘It doesn’t know which one.’

That was the important part.

As long as I didn’t make any—

Step.

A dark shape entered the corner of the feed, and my body immediately tensed as the teacher slowly stepped between the first two pods. Its head disappeared beyond the camera’s view once more before it came to a stop beside the first pod.

“…”

One of its hands lowered toward the lid, its fingers coming to rest against the metal before tapping against it three times in slow succession.

Tik. Tik. Tik.

The sound carried through the room.

Then—

Click.

The lid opened, and I stared as the teacher leaned over it, its elongated neck slowly disappearing inside. For several seconds, nothing happened before it finally straightened again, finding the pod empty, and moved to the next one.

‘…It’s not going for the cameras anymore?’

I was surprised at first, but then I understood.

‘It probably understands that the cameras aren’t the source of the gaze.’

My breath paused.

Step.

Tik.

Tik.

Tik.

Click.

Another lid opened, and my mouth went dry as I counted the distance between us.

There were ten pods left before it reached mine.

‘Come on… Come on…”

It moved through them one by one, making it painfully clear that it really was searching for me.

It even started to skip some of the pods, its head raising from time to time as if it could sense my presence.

—-

[————————[81%]—]

—-

‘Come on!’

My eyes moved back and forth between the percentage bar and the camera as the teacher continued through the pods one by one.

Nine remained, then eight, and soon only seven separated it from me.

Every single time—

Tik.

Tik.

Tik.

It would tap against the lid, as if indicating it was coming.

My heart nearly jumped out of my chest; the tension making every breath even more suffocating.

Click.

The teacher opened each lid, checked inside, and moved on without bothering to close it behind itself.

Six.

“…”

My breathing became shallower.

Five.

I lowered the phone until it rested against my chest.

The brightness was already almost at zero.

The pod itself was soundproof enough to dampen regular noise, but I had no idea how sensitive that thing was.

Four.

Step.

It was getting harder to tell whether the sound came from the phone or outside the pod.

Three.

Tik.

Tik.

Tik.

The same tapping sound.

For a moment, I almost thought it was my own pod.

Click.

My eyelid twitched.

‘Two more.’

The teacher pulled its head from the neighbouring pod.

Then stopped.

“…”

It didn’t move, and my gaze narrowed as several seconds passed without the percentage bar changing.

‘Why did it stop?’

[————————[81%]—]

I shifted in the pod.

The sight of the frozen bar made my blood run cold.

“…Come on.”

I urged, but the bar remained fix.

Nothing changed.

Then the teacher’s neck slowly turned toward my pod, and the back of my neck shivered as I realized it hadn’t checked the one before mine.

It had skipped it.

“…”

Did it sense me!?

The creature stepped directly towards me.

Step.

“—”

I pressed my lips together tightly.

The camera showed its body drawing closer until it completely blocked the view, leaving nothing but dark fabric and its unnaturally long arms on the screen.

Then the feed shook.

Tik.

Something touched the camera.

“…”

Huh?

The sight stunned me.

The creature was still in my feed. How did it…?

Tik.

A faint tap directly above my head.

My body tensed.

“…”

Another.

Tik.

The sound was clearer this time, coming from directly above me as something pressed against the lid.

My heart hammered so violently against my chest that, for a moment, I almost convinced myself it could hear it as the hand slowly dragged across the top of the pod.

Screeeee—

My jaw tightened as the nail continued scraping from one side of the lid to the other until it finally reached the latch.

“…..!”

My eyes shifted towards the percentage.

Still—

[————————[81%]—]

‘Why isn’t it moving?’

The teacher’s fingers curled around the edge of the lid and pulled, shifting it just enough for a thin line of light to appear beside my shoulder.

My lungs froze as it pulled again.

Creeeak—

The opening widened another centimeter.

And then—

‘Fuck it.’

I tapped my phone, and almost immediately after, a loud blaring sound resounded across the entire space.

Beep! Beeep! Beeeeep⎯!

Instantly, the hand stopped.

The pod, which had been slowly opening, stopped opening as the teacher stopped.

I knew that wouldn’t be enough to fool it, but I also knew that this was enough of a distraction to run. It had been my plan all along as I reached for the pod and dashed out, my body grazing past the teacher’s body as it suddenly turned my way.

I didn’t care enough to see if the teacher was following me as I immediately dashed towards the door of the room.

Without looking back, I reached for the handle when⎯

—-

[Analysis resistance detected.]

[Target is actively interfering with observation.]

—-

“What…?”

Another message appeared.

—-

[Maintain visual connection.]

——

Are you kidding me?

I had the sudden urge to toss my phone away, but still clenched my teeth and looked back.

The creature’s enormous frame appeared before my eyes, its long body moving in my direction rapidly as I opened the door behind me.

Visual connection…

The instructions were clear.

I also now understood why the bar had stopped.

“…You’ve got to be kidding me.”

Moving back, I stepped out of the room and slammed the door before me.

Clank!

At the same time, I moved towards the windows of the room as I maintained eye contact with the anomaly.

The anomaly seemed to take my actions as some sort of provocation as it moved even faster.

I paid no heed to it, taking fast steps back as the door slammed open again and the creature stepped out.

Sweat trickled down the side of my face, my breath nearly stopping as I turned to face the opposite direction.

And just as I began to run, a chime rang in my head.

—-

[—————————[100%]

—-

Ding!

The tiny sound felt deafening.

But also rewarding as a panel appeared before my eyes.

—-

[Analysis Complete.]

[VILE-2217— “The Teacher”]

[Classification: Unknown]

[Target may now be used inside the Gate Development System]

[Expand]

—-

Yes!