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

Chapter 268: Despair in perfection [3]

The rhythmic tap of her footsteps carried through the darkness. Clara’s gaze remained sharp, fixed intently on the path ahead.

So far, everything was unfolding as the scout reports had stated.

They were inside a worn-down warehouse. The surroundings were completely dark, and she could feel a lingering presence around, watching her every step and movement.

Pausing, she took out a small walkie-talkie and tried to communicate with it.

“Can anyone hear me?”

—….

She received no reply.

Clara tried again.

“Second check.”

—….

Yet again, no reply.

Clara came to an understanding of her current situation.

’It’s just like last time. The walkie-talkies aren’t working.’

She wasn’t flustered. At least this time, it didn’t seem like the gate had increased in rank. The only issue was that she couldn’t locate her teammates.

’One step at a time. For now, I’ll try to understand how the gate works.’

Clara looked around her surroundings once more.

Her gaze lingered on the massive machinery looming around her, their twisted shapes coiling in the dark like silent giants. The silence pressed down on the air, each shadow carrying a quiet sense of foreboding, as though the presence she felt was waiting to strike at any given moment.

Clara maintained her calm as she walked ahead.

She summarized the situation in her mind.

’So far, the goal of the gate is to find the exit before the ’anomaly’ can find me. The issue is that there’s no clear way to know where the exit is. But that’s not all…’

Clara licked her lips.

’…This is also supposed to be a rescue mission.’

Two scout teams from the bureau were stuck within the gate. She needed to locate them and escort them out.

But with that being said, Clara didn’t have a good feeling about the scouts.

With time so heavily distorted within the gate, they had stayed inside far longer than previously anticipated. She feared that by now their minds were far from sound. In truth, it was more than likely they had already gone insane.

…It was for this reason that she needed to hurry.

Clara picked up her steps while her eyes flickered with a cold glow.

Her node started to churn.

Almost at once, the darkness surrounding her began to thin, giving way to a creeping mist that trailed close behind. As it closed in, her body started to fade, slowly mixing in with the strange mist as her speed picked up.

Clara was of the ’Sentinel’ Decree.

The node she used was [Veil of Shadows]. It gave her the ability to turn her body corporeal and travel faster, while also moving past thin areas.

She was the perfect person to scout the entire factory and find a way out.

Her body sank deeper into the silence, the sensation growing stronger as her pace quickened, carrying her further into the factory.

Clara roamed the place for the next dozen minutes, hoping to see something.

And she soon did…

’Hm?’

Slipping past the machinery, her eyes darted through the shadows until something caught her attention in the distance. Behind one of the rusted hulks, a figure crouched low, clutching their head with both hands.

Their body shook violently, as though completely terrified by something.

Clara stopped, her figure slowly unveling behind the mist as she appeared right before the figure.

“Hieeek—!”

The moment she appeared, he flinched and screamed.

“No, no, no… Stay away! Stay away!”

He huddled himself closer to the wall while looking at her.

“Hieeek!”

He looked completely traumatized and scared.

Clara stared at the scene and frowned.

’Looking at his clothes, he must be a part of the scouting members who had joined at the very start. Given how much time must’ve passed, this is a normal reaction.’

Clara wasn’t taken aback by the reaction.

She had expected it and was also used to it.

Taking a knee, she softened her voice.

“It’s okay. I’m not an enemy. I’m on your side. I’ve been sent by the—”

“Hieek! Hieeek! Stay away! Stay away!”

Despite whatever words she said, the man in front of her continued to squeal. Clara pursed her lips while staring at him.

’He looks too far gone.’

She stood up and shook her head.

Just as she turned her head away, trying to see if she could detect anyone, she heard a small whimper coming from the man before her.

“Please… Please, leave me alone. I… told you everything. I… said everything. Please…”

“Hm?”

Clara once again turned her attention towards the man before her.

As she did, she heard him repeat the same mumbles as her brows furrowed, and she took a knee once more.

“Hey! Hey!”

She shook his body once more, forcing a few whimpers from him.

“Hieek! Please…! Leave me alone!”

“Hey!”

Clara shouted this time. In that moment, for just a very brief moment, clarity returned to the man’s eyes as he took notice of Clara.

Clara took advantage of that moment of clarity to speak.

“Who are you talking about? Who forced you to say everything?”

“Who…?”

The man paused for a moment, his gaze flickering.

And then—

“B-ells… M…ask…” he mumbled, his eyes trembling more and more, until finally, “J-jester—A.. Jest—Hieeeek!”

He screamed once again, but this time, Clara didn’t bother with the scream as her face changed and she took a step back, her face growing numb.

Jester…?

It couldn’t be…

“Haaaaaaaa!”

Another scream suddenly pierced across the factory. The moment Clara’s gaze flicked in the direction of the noise, she found herself in a completely different area.

“Huh?”

She looked around her.

Towards the ground and up.

It didn’t take long for her to understand what had happened.

’Did the loop reset?’

She thought about the scream in the distance and closed her eyes.

’…So it looks like the loop resets whenever someone inside the gate dies.’

Clara made a mental note in her mind. The calmness in her gaze slowly diminished as she thought back to the words coming from the scout she found.

Jester…

She took notice of the utter dread and terror in his voice as he spoke the words and took a deep breath.

’In the end, he’s shown himself here as well.’

Thinking about all the previous experiences, her heart sank.

If the Jester were here, then—

Dang—!

“Hm?”

Hearing a certain tune in the air, Clara stopped.

Her head slowly turned in the direction of the noise.

Dang, Dang—

The notes were quiet.

However, within the quietness of the surroundings, they felt loud.

Clara felt her breath at the sound of the music.

Something about it felt odd.

It was…

Such a beautiful yet haunting piece that seemed to draw her attention.

Without even realizing it, Clara found herself walking in the direction of the noise.

*Step*

Her footsteps echoed through the factory, each one drawing her closer to the source of the music. With every step, the melody grew clearer, and with clarity came an unsettling shift, the once-faint tune twisting into something creepier.

Her skin unknowingly rose.

And then—

She stopped.

A figure appeared before her.

He sat behind a keyboard, his back straight and movements smooth as his hands glided across the keyboard. The melody quickened, and the bells on his hands made a soft sound.

Dang, Dang, Dang—

The Jester stood at the center of it all.

He was all that Clara could see as he played the keyboard.

And as he played another note, he paused.

The surroundings turned quiet.

His gaze slowly rose, and his eyes met with Clara.

The two stared at each other in silence before the Jester placed his finger against his temple.

“…Bring everyone to me if you wish to escape.”

His voice was hoarse, yet chillingly clear, lingering in the air long after the words were spoken.

Then—

Everything faded, and Clara found herself in a completely different place.

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