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

Chapter 778: Troubling Anomaly [2]

“…You’re already dead.”

Mirelle stared at me. Or at least, tried to, but I couldn’t quite tell, as her dark hair covered most of her face.

I waited for her to say something, but she only lowered her face onto the keyboard again. A window opened on the monitor behind her, and I carefully lifted her chin before she could delete anything important.

Her chin moved right as I lifted it.

“So I’m… less important than the documents on your desktop?”

“…..”

“End me.”

I moved her hand away from the keys and pointed towards the anomaly on the screen.

“I need you to laugh at it.”

Her eyes followed my finger. For a moment, she looked at the anomaly before turning back towards me with an expression that made me feel as though I had asked for something terrible.

“So that’s why you called me? To use me?”

“…..”

“Am I nothing to you but someone you discard after you’re done with me?”

“No.”

“So I am…”

I rubbed the side of my face.

This was going well. And I was supposed to be the one with the voices inside his head.

Her situation was even worse than mine.

“Just a little laugh. You don’t have to enjoy it.”

“Ah, so I have to suffer.”

“…That’s not what I said.”

“Sigh.”

She remained where she was for several more seconds before slowly pulling herself back through the screen. I watched her last remaining hair disappear into the screen, then appear in the monitor feed, displaying the anomaly room as her head popped out from the camera that was overlooking the room.

The anomaly took a step back.

Mirelle dragged herself into the room through the camera.

Then⎯

Thud.

Face first.

“…..”

I turned on the microphone.

“Are you all right?”

⎯No.

At least she was responsive.

She eventually pushed herself upright, her hair still covering most of her face as she looked towards the anomaly.

The anomaly looked back towards Mirelle, showing no reaction to her sudden presence.

⎯He… he… he…

I waited for her to continue.

“Try harder.”

⎯He…

Her shoulders lowered as she let out a sigh and started drawing circles with her finger.

⎯What is life?

‘Fuck.’

I pressed a hand against my forehead. Her laughter could interrupt another anomaly’s abilities, which was exactly what I needed before attempting [Containment Vessel].

Unfortunately, she seemed to find the entire arrangement rather upsetting.

“Mirelle. Just once, properly.”

She looked towards the camera.

Then a soft giggle escaped her lips.

⎯Hehehe…

The anomaly’s smile disappeared.

Its right shoulder jerked, and one of its hands rose towards its face. It pressed its palm over its mouth, rubbing down towards its chin before taking another step away from her.

I straightened.

‘There.’

Mirelle giggled again.

This time, the anomaly’s knees bent. It caught itself against the wall, its fingers scraping over the plaster as it lowered itself towards the floor.

⎯…That’s enough.

My hand stopped beside the microphone.

“Eh?”

That… That wasn’t me.

The voice came through the speakers, sounding exactly like me.

⎯You can come back now, little one.

Mirelle turned towards the camera.

Behind her, the anomaly’s hand was still covering its mouth.

“Stay there.”

I said into the microphone as her head turned back towards the anomaly, then towards me.

⎯But didn’t you tell me to go back?

“I haven’t told you to come back.”

⎯…You just did.

“No, it did.”

She looked at the anomaly again.

Then lowered her head.

⎯Even you don’t want me.

“That’s not⎯”

I stopped myself before the conversation could become any worse.

“Keep laughing. Ignore anything you hear, even if it sounds like me. I’ll send you back myself when we’re done.”

There was a short silence before another miserable giggle came through the speakers.

⎯He… hehe.

The anomaly lowered its hand.

Its lips remained slightly parted as it looked into the camera, and I found myself staring at the anomaly for longer than I would’ve liked.

‘It really sounded exactly like me.’

It wasn’t the first time something like this had happened, but it still felt weird seeing it live.

Especially since it almost fooled Mirelle.

⎯Hehehe.

‘Alright, it’s time for me to move.’

I waited through several more giggles before opening the Gate’s entrance and stepping through.

The laughter sounded different without the speakers.

I could hear each small pause between them, along with the faint scraping of the anomaly’s fingers against the wall.

It was sitting beneath the camera.

Mirelle stood several steps away from it, her head lowered while she continued making an effort to laugh.

I appreciated it.

‘Still, the fact that the anomaly hasn’t attacked Mirelle or even tried to take over her body is a good thing.’

It meant that its abilities only worked on humans.

The anomaly looked towards me.

Its fingers stopped scraping.

For a moment, it remained completely still. Then its eyes lowered towards my hands before returning to my face.

I stopped near Mirelle.

“…Keep going.”

“I’m trying.”

“I know.”

Her next giggle made the anomaly’s shoulder jerk again.

I watched carefully this time.

It lowered its head, its right hand sliding off the wall and dropping beside its leg. Its other arm hung loosely across its lap.

It looked as though it could barely hold itself upright.

That intrigued me.

‘Is Mirelle’s ability somehow injuring it?’

Could it be that interrupting its ability was bad for it?

I took note of that observation.

Still, I remained where I was and watched another giggle pass.

The anomaly’s head dipped. Yet again, it seemed to be suffering under the laugh. Then, during the pause that followed, its eyes lifted towards me without the rest of its face moving.

I took a step to the side.

Its eyes followed.

“…Hmm. You’re thinking of ways to get to me, aren’t you?”

The anomaly didn’t respond.

Its lips moved slightly, though. I watched them open and close several times before realizing it was repeating what I had said.

At least, it tried, but no sound came out.

It continued for a little while after I stopped speaking.

‘This is rather troublesome. I need to get close to use [Containment Vessel], but I don’t really want to get closer.’

It couldn’t know exactly what I was planning, but it certainly made me cautious. I started having second thoughts, but I was quick to make up my mind.

I needed to get stronger. There was no doubt about it in my mind.

My time was limited, and with the recent events at the school, I knew that I had to take even more risks in order to get better.

I turned to the side, facing the several anomalies that had suddenly appeared.

“If anything happens to me, make sure to use your abilities.”

In particular, I was talking to the Conductor, who stood in the corner of the room with a thin smile on its face.

I waited.

“Hehe.”

Another one of Mirelle’s giggles passed before I started to move. I knew that in that moment, there was no way for its abilities to work.

This was my window.

“There we go.”

I moved closer, stopping beyond its reach.

Its eyes still stared at me, but I could tell that it was trying to use its abilities. Mirelle’s giggle was preventing it from doing so.

“Hehehe…”

Its hand suddenly moved as Mirelle’s giggle continued.

In that moment, a part of me made me want to stop, but I didn’t.

I could see that it was trying to trick me into wasting time. Mirelle’s giggles didn’t last forever. The short window that she took to take a breath was enough for it to act.

Of course, the moment Mirelle used her giggle again, I’d be free again.

In that sense, I wasn’t too worried.

“…..”

The anomaly slowly withdrew its hand.

There was no point pretending that I hadn’t seen that.

“Impatient, aren’t you?”

Its lips moved, my voice coming out of its lips.

I ignored its words and hastened my steps, my node churning as I readied myself for what was to come. Looking at the anomaly more closely, it seemed like it had even gotten the rhythm of my breaths exactly the same.

I swallowed.

Its throat moved as well.

Mirelle’s giggle continued to echo in the air as I approached the anomaly, stopping right before it. I only looked into its eyes for the briefest of moments before finally reaching towards the anomaly.

I felt slightly nervous, but the thought disappeared rather quickly as my fingers touched its shoulder and I activated [Containment Vessel].

The response came immediately.

“⎯⎯!”

Pain travelled up my arm, sharp enough to make my elbow stiffen. I clenched my teeth and tried working my first node.

‘…T-this is a bit more painful than I expected.’

I hadn’t struggled this much in the past.

Still, clenching my teeth, I persisted as the pain continued to travel down my entire arm while I held onto the anomaly’s shoulder as it continued to stare at me.

Calmly.

The more it looked at me with such calmness, the greater the unease that I felt.

But I tried to push the unease away.

I tried to focus everything on my first node, pulling the anomaly closer and closer towards me as I tried to integrate it into my mind.

But just as things were starting to stabilize⎯

“Huh?”

A notification flashed before my eyes.

[Containment failed.]

My node stopped working at once as my eyes widened slightly.

At the same time, I felt something press against my wrist as I tried to pull my hand away. Something cold closed around my wrist as the anomaly’s lips pulled into a smile, and our eyes met.

“…Oh, shit.”

“…”

“…”

“⎯”