Chapter 200: Inside a cartoon [2]

’That’s easier said than done…’

Staring at the little girl standing behind the Matriarch, I felt a tight knot form in my chest. Getting to her was nearly impossible. Whatever the hypnosis had done, it had changed these people, subtly but unmistakably. Their bodies moved with a strange stiffness, like puppets strung up too tight.

Their eyes no longer blinked at the right times.

No, they didn’t blink at all.

…And they were all far stronger than they were before.

’What do I do?’

I didn’t have much time.

I needed to think quickly. I tried to quickly think of any possible item that I could purchase from the shop, but right as I did—

Thud!

I felt something touch the soles of my feet.

“——!”

My heart nearly leaped out of my chest as I saw it was a button.

’Shit!’

I kicked the button away, but it was too late.

I… had already seen it.

BANG!

“….!?”

One of the old metal drawers along the wall snapped open with a sharp clang. A patch of yellow fabric peeked out from within.

I quickly looked up.

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“!!”

Dangling just beside the lamp above, like it had always been there, was a tangled red wig. Its synthetic fibers were stiff, brittle, slightly singed at the tips.

’Shit, shit!’

I started to visibly shudder.

My heart drummed so loudly inside my ears that everything else felt quiet.

But that silence was soon shattered.

Tatata~

A certain tune played in the air, and my breathing grew heavier.

’Go, I need to go!’

Looking back, my heart nearly leaped out of my chest.

Thump! Thump! Thump!

Figures dropped from the ceiling above, slamming into the ground before rising again. Their limbs moved jerkily, like marionettes with frayed strings. Behind them stood the Dreamwalker, trying its best to stop them.

But—

“——!”

There were too many of them. The moment it acted, they attached to him, their arms bent at odd angles, and their heads twitching unnaturally. Their necks craned slowly toward me, all in perfect sync as they smiled.

Shivers.

I started to feel shivers.

’For such people to hold back the Dreamwalker…’

“Are you ready?”

Then came Mr. Jingles’ voice, and my heart stopped.

’No, no…’

I hastily looked at Mirelle, feeling my heart trying to rip its way out of my chest.

“Mr. Jingles says~”

“Do it, do—”

“Freeze.”

My entire body froze on the spot.

My mind, which had previously been clear, suddenly grew sluggish, and I started to struggle to think.

In the background, I could even hear faint hints of a giggle, but.. Correct content is on f|re(e)w eb.n\ovel.(c)o.m

Nothing.

It felt like a thick fog had settled over my mind, leaving me unable to think clearly.

’Hihihi~’

I could still hear the giggles in the background.

But…

Nothing.

My mind felt completely numb.

I didn’t know for how long I was like that, but by the time I snapped out of it, the scenery before me changed.

“….!?”

I was now standing before the matriarch and the little girl, whose hand held onto the phone as she positioned it right before me.

A familiar cartoon.

…A familiar clown, covering both of his eyes.

“Are you ready?”

A high-pitched, squeaky voice echoed from the phone.

My head nodded right after.

“Good!”

Mr. Jingles sounded delighted.

The people behind him looked delighted, their smiles as wide as they could be.

My mind churned.

I tried to think of all possible ways to solve the situation, but…

Nothing.

My mind was still completely empty.

“Mr. Jingles is here~ Mr. Jingles wants to play~ A play we shall!”

The clown danced across the screen, its red boots squeaking as it lifted one foot to the side.

“Mr. Jingles says~ What is this?”

“Boot.”

The answer left my lips automatically.

Like something had drilled into my thoughts.

“Correct!”

But…

I was completely helpless.

Tatata~

The tune played again, and Mr. Jingles danced across the screen.

It then extended its hand to display its white glove.

“Mr. Jingles says~ What is this?”

“Glove.”

The words yet again slipped out of my mouth without my control.

“Correct! Wow! You’re such a good boy… Seth!”

Tatata~ Tatata~

The music grew louder, almost circus-like. The clown spun in place, laughing with its head thrown back. On the screen, its painted mouth was stretched into a huge grin while its eyes… They were still covered.

I watched. Horrified.

And yet, I felt my own lips twitching upward.

Smiling.

’No, no…’

I wanted to fight with everything I had, but… I was helpless.

I couldn’t do a single thing.

This was the first time for me.

’What do I do? What am I supposed to do…?’

There were items in the shop, but even those wouldn’t help much. There was the conductor recording, but Mr. Jingles had control of all electronics. The Dreamwalker and Mirelle were both unable to help me.

I… what was I supposed to do?

’Think, think, think…!’

“Mr. Jingles says~”

“Hair.”

“Mr. Jingles says~”

“Nose.”

“Mr. Jingles says~”

“Clothes.”

“Mr. Jingles says~”

“Stripes.”

Each word I spoke felt like it hollowed me out further. Like something was digging into the folds of my brain.

I wanted to stop it, but I couldn’t stop it.

And then—

“Are you ready for the final round?”

It was as if the world had warped. Twisted. The walls no longer looked straight. The floor felt… uneven.

The sound of rain dulled to a muffled whisper, as though the world outside had been sealed away. The darkness around me thickened, swallowing the last traces of light until I could barely see my own hands.

Mr. Jingles’s grin faltered ever so slightly, and a certain cold took over the room.

My heart stuttered in my chest.

Ba… Thump! Ba… Thump!

I could hear it loud and clear in my mind.

“…I said, are you ready?”

“Yes.”

I nodded, and Mr. Jingles smiled wider, the red paint stretching unnaturally far across its face.

“Mr. Jingles says~”

The hands covering his eyes began to part.

Just a sliver of pale sclera peeked through.

The moment I saw it—

Everything stopped.

The sound. The air. My thoughts.

Thump! Thump!

A loud thump echoed in the background, and I couldn’t tell whether it was my own heartbeat or something else entirely.

I… just stared.

Stared at the clown in front of me, unable to move my head at all.

Slowly but surely, the edges of his eyes began to reveal, and the thumping sound grew louder and louder. I felt entranced in that moment. As if all thoughts were starting to slip away from my mind.

As if… I was slowly starting to turn into a puppet.

Some part of me understood that the situation was bad, but that ’noise’ was drowned out by the thumping that grew louder and louder in my mind.

And then—

“…..”

Silence.

The clown stopped, and the smile that had been so twisted just a moment prior suddenly flipped, turning into a downward smile as his head slowly turned away from me.

“There seems to be some uninvited guests.”

Guests…?

In that moment, clarity returned to my mind for a brief moment, and it was there that I saw it.

All heads within the animation turned towards a certain direction that I couldn’t see.

’What exactly—!?’

My eyes widened the next moment as I saw a familiar figure suddenly pop up on the screen.

Kyle…?