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

Chapter 825: Looking back [1]

It was just as I instructed him.

Following the main road, I eventually found the Guild’s car.

I caught sight of its dark outline farther down the road and immediately changed direction, my shoes slipping against the pavement.

Behind me, I heard the sound of something breaking.

Clank!

I looked back.

The man was the first one to come out, his body breaking the fence apart as he moved. The woman followed, her hair moving across her face as she turned towards me.

Both were still smiling.

“Fuck.”

I forced my legs to move faster.

The driver noticed me before I reached the car. His head turned, and I heard the doors unlock just as my hand caught the handle.

I pulled it open and practically fell inside.

“Drive!”

The driver looked at me through the mirror.

“What—”

“Drive! Drive!”

I dragged my legs in and slammed the door.

For a moment, his gaze moved towards the house.

Then the car started moving.

I caught the seat in front of me as we accelerated, a sharp pain running through my wrist. I barely noticed it as I turned towards the rear window.

The two people stood beside the fence.

They weren’t running anymore.

The man’s arms hung loosely against his sides, while the woman kept one hand resting on the open gate.

Their faces turned with the car.

Watching.

Then⎯

Crack! Crack!

They both reached for their necks, their bodies falling limply onto the floor as the old woman appeared after, her face deranged as she rushed towards them.

“Nooo! Nooo…!”

The last thing I saw was the young boy standing by the door of the house, his dark pupils following me as the car continued to move.

“…..”

I kept looking until the road curved and the house disappeared behind the trees.

Only then did I turn back.

“Ha… Haa…”

My breathing filled the back of the car.

I tried to sit properly, but the sweat at the back of my shirt made it impossible for me to feel comfortable. When I moved away from the seat, I felt the cold air against the torn section near my shoulder.

“Where should I take you?”

“The Guild.”

“Are you injured?”

“Just keep driving.”

The driver glanced at me again before returning his attention to the road.

I leaned back, pressing my hand against my forehead.

It was still hot.

But the surroundings were no longer moving as much. I could look at the front seat without feeling as though it was about to fall sideways.

‘Doctor…’

The word continued to linger inside of my mind as I looked back to everything that had happened.

My fingers slowly curled against my forehead.

‘It was right in front of me.’

The thought made my stomach tighten. Especially when it had all been so obvious.

‘I thought I was paranoid, but I wasn’t paranoid enough.’

I could remember sitting down for the examinations, and answering each question. Sometimes I’d even go as far as using the glasses on them, but with nothing coming back, I became even more certain that VILE – 1048 was a disease.

But it wasn’t.

It had never been like that from the start.

“…..”

I lowered my hand and looked towards the window.

The buildings outside passed beneath the streetlights, their windows briefly catching the light before disappearing behind us.

‘I need to check.’

Right now, I was still uncertain. Everything pointed towards it, but what if I was being mislead again?

Thankfully, there was a way to find out whether I was wrong.

I sat forward.

“Can you go a little faster?”

*

The car stopped in the underground parking area.

Before the driver could get out, I opened the door and stepped onto the concrete.

My legs felt a little steadier.

Just steady enough that I could walk without needing to hold onto something.

“Do you need me to call someone?”

I turned towards the driver.

He was looking at my shirt. Well, I probably didn’t look very good.

I shook my head.

“No, it’s fine.”

“Is there anything I should report?”

“No. Not right now.”

I adjusted my mask before turning away.

He said something else, but I was already moving towards the entrance.

There were a few people near the elevators. One glanced towards me as I passed, his attention stopping briefly on my torn sleeve.

I ignored him.

Instead of going to my room, I held my card against the panel and selected the Containment Department.

The doors closed.

For a moment, I could see my reflection in them.

The disguise was still there.

So was the face mask. Now I truly looked like a sick patient.

‘Come on.’

The elevator continued moving.

Ding!

I stepped out before the doors were fully open.

There were still quite a few people working. Screens lit up the desks, and several voices reached me as I made my way through the monitoring area.

I looked towards the rooms beyond it, and searched for a certain figure.

Where was she?

“Crow.”

I almost walked past without responding.

Only when someone moved into my path did I stop.

Adrian stood in front of me, a folder held against his side. Marcus was a short distance behind him, speaking with Vera near one of the workstations.

“What do you want?”

His gaze moved over my clothes.

Then his brows drew together.

“Where were you?”

“Where’s Liora?”

Adrian’s expression tightened.

“Lady Halecrest?”

“Yes. Where is she?”

“Why?”

I looked past his shoulder.

There were several rooms along the other side of the floor. Most of the doors were closed, but one near the end remained open.

A familiar figure sat inside.

I started moving.

Adrian stepped slightly to the side.

“You shouldn’t be here. Go back to your room.”

“Not now.”

I pushed past him, my shoulder brushing against his arm as I headed towards the open door.

“Crow.”

I kept walking.

His voice grew sharper.

“Crow!”

Several people looked up.

I could feel their attention following me, but there wasn’t much room left in my head to care about that.

The room ahead held a long table, with several people seated around it.

Liora sat near the far end.

Her tablet rested in front of her while one of the people beside her pointed towards something on the screen.

I walked straight in.

The conversation stopped.

Liora looked up.

For a moment, her attention remained on my face. Then it moved towards my shoulder, her brows furrowing slightly.

“I’ve already asked about the loan. You need to—”

“No. I don’t care about the loan right now.”

“…..”

Someone beside her slowly lowered his hand.

Liora looked back at me.

“What happened?”

“I need access to the cameras. Right now.”

Her expression changed.

“What?”

“The recordings.”

I stopped beside the table, pressing my hand against it.

“The medical wing… I need to see the recordings from my examinations.”

A chair scraped against the floor.

“Hey.”

The man seated nearest to me stood.

I didn’t look towards him.

Liora’s gaze remained on mine.

“Why?”

“I need to check something.”

“What?”

I opened my mouth.

Then stopped.

There were too many people in the room.

Too many eyes on me.

I didn’t know who was aware of my situation, and I wasn’t going to stand here and explain everything before knowing whether I was right.

“It’s very important. It’s related to the case that I’m investigating.”

“Hey!”

The man beside me took a step closer, his face contorting.

“Who are you to make such demands out of nowhere? We have a hierarchy here, and it must be respected!”

I continued looking at Liora, ignoring the shouts around me.

Her fingers rested against the side of the tablet. She wasn’t moving, but she was watching me more closely now.

“I need it.”

The word came out a little quieter than I intended.

I swallowed and tried again.

“I need to see them.”

A hand pressed against my shoulder.

“Step back.”

I moved slightly under the pressure, catching the table before I could lose my balance.

Pain travelled down my arm.

For a moment, my jaw tightened.

Usually, I would’ve found something to say about that.

Right now, I barely looked at him.

Liora’s eyes lowered towards the hand against my shoulder.

Then returned to my face.

“Is this about your condition?”

I gave a small nod.

The man started speaking again.

“Do you not hear me? Are you⎯”

“I’m holding myself back.”

I stared at Liora, her expression changing slightly.

“My patience is reaching its limits.”

The only reason I had yet to do so was because the Guild Master had been kind to me. I didn’t trust him, but there was no doubt about it that he had helped me. For that, I held myself back.”

“All I need to see is the camera logs. That’s all.”

“You⎯”

“Stop.”

Liora raised her hand, stopping the man from doing anything else as nobody spoke for several seconds.

The man’s hand remained against my shoulder, his grip tight. Across the table, another member put down the report he was holding, his attention moving between the two of us.

Liora watched me.

Then⎯

“Let go of him.”

The man’s expression changed, but upon catching sight of Liora’s expression, he could only listen to her as he moved his hand away.

“Alright.”

I continued to stare at Liora.

“Lady Halecrest,” one of the others said. “Those records aren’t something we can simply—”

“I’ll be with him.”

“But—”

She looked towards him.

He stopped.

Liora moved around the table and passed me, stopping near the door.

“Come.”

I followed immediately.

The man beside me stepped out of the way, although the look on his face made it quite clear that he wasn’t pleased about the situation.

Neither were the others.

I could feel their eyes on my back as I left the room.

It didn’t matter.

None of it mattered at the moment.