Footsteps stretched in every direction.
They shimmered under the blue light of the lamp as I looked around.
The scent of rust grew stronger as the lamp swayed in my hand, casting long, shifting shadows around me.
Swallowing nervously, I looked at all the paths before me. They all led towards different areas of the abandoned factory. The darkness made it hard to see where all the paths led, but I knew that one of the paths probably led to the exit that I needed.
’I just need to find the right path and leave this place.’
In principle, this didn’t sound very hard.
But at the same time, staring towards the pitch darkness ahead of me, and looking around, I felt a certain unsettling feeling grow.
Almost as if someone was staring at me from within the darkness.
My skin crawled.
’Okay, relax. The faster I get this done, the better. I don’t know why the system gave me this mission, but it should be useful for me.’
Tightening my grip on the handle of the lamp, I started moving forward.
At the same time, I checked the time.
Tik, Tik—
It was 17:44.
*Step*
The gentle echo of my steps rang hollow in the silence as I moved forward, the lamp trembling faintly in my grip. Its dim light pushed weakly against the darkness, stretching thin across the floor where the footsteps trailed ahead.
My steps continued to echo as I eventually stopped before a certain point.
I raised my hand and shone the lamp ahead.
A white door greeted my sight.
It was half-open, hanging lopsided on its hinges, and the footsteps disappeared into the darkness beyond it. The faint smell of rust thickened, metallic and sour, stinging the back of my throat.
I hesitated.
But then—
Creaaaak!
…The door opened on its own. As if telling me to enter.
My instincts screamed at me.
Telling me to go back.
But I couldn’t go back.
I gripped my knife with everything I had before going forward.
*Step*
The room inside was vast, littered with broken machinery and towering shapes that loomed in the dark, twisting into strange forms that made me pause.
The lamp’s dim light brushed faintly against the edges of the machines, revealing little more than jagged outlines and broken parts scattered across the ground. My footsteps echoed louder here, bouncing against the tall walls like whispers that didn’t belong to me.
I maintained my gaze towards the steps.
I could tell that these ones were fresher than the ones outside. They were brighter than the older ones.
I swallowed nervously.
’I’m getting closer.’
The fresher tracks curved toward the left side of the room. I followed them, each step feeling heavier than the last, my chest tightening as if the space itself was closing down on me.
Clang!
“….!?”
The sound of something dropping somewhere in the shadows froze me. The lamp shook in my grip as I hastily swung it in the direction of the noise.
Who!?
“…..”
Nothing.
Just twisted metal piled against itself. The shadows it cast shivered slightly as the lamp continued to sway.
I bit my lips.
For a moment, I considered going there, my grip on the knife so tight that my fingers ached.
I soon shook my head.
’Stay calm. Just follow the trail. Just focus on what I’m supposed to do. I can figure everything else later.’
I forced my legs to move. The footsteps continued toward a far corridor, a narrow opening tucked between two large machines that almost looked like teeth gnashing together. I had to tilt my body sideways to slide in.
The passage smelled worse. Rust mixed with something else. Something sharper.
Something like…
Blood.
’That’s…’
I swallowed quietly while raising my hand to illuminate ahead.
“…..!”
That’s when I saw it.
Streaks of dark stains smeared across the metal of a machine ahead, patterned almost like a handprint dragged downward.
Almost as if they were desperately running away from someone.
My throat tightened.
’Just keep going.’
The footsteps turned deeper inside.
I looked at the time.
It was 17:53.
It hadn’t even been ten minutes since I entered, but it felt much longer.
My breathing grew louder in my ears. The corridor stretched endlessly, narrowing further, before finally spilling out into another room.
I stepped inside.
This one was larger but emptier, with less machinery. The floor was smeared with dust and long, dried tracks like something heavy had been dragged across it. The footsteps in front of me overlapped, weaving in and out of the room, forming a chaotic mess of trails.
I froze.
The steps… I could see that they belonged to two different people.
My lips parted.
’What is…?’
I took a cautious step forward, the subtle crunch beneath my shoe feeling loud in the silence.
And then, somewhere above me—
Thump.
A heavy sound.
“….!”
I hastily raised my lamp.
The ceiling stretched far above, swallowed by the dark. No matter how I strained my eyes, the lamp’s glow could only reach so far.
Beyond that, all I could see was the darkness.
Thump!
Another thump.
Something was moving up there.
My grip on the lamp tightened until my knuckles hurt.
’Keep moving. Don’t stop. Don’t give it time.’
I forced my legs forward, choosing the path with the freshest tracks. My pace quickened, heart hammering against my chest. The steps weaved toward another doorway, and I slipped through.
Behind me, faintly—
Tap.
Tap.
My head snapped back.
The sound of footsteps…
They were soft, and they matched my own pace.
The lamp shook violently in my grip, its light jittering across the walls as I hastened my steps. My breath rasped in my throat, a certain panic starting to surge from deep within me.
’Don’t look back. Don’t look back.’
But I did.
The corridor behind me was empty.
Only darkness.
Only silence.
I turned forward again, breath uneven. The trail led me into yet another chamber, this one packed with rows of tall shelves. Rusted tools and boxes leaned precariously on them. Some had already collapsed, scattering debris across the ground.
The footsteps wove between the shelves, so I followed, ducking beneath a half-fallen beam.
As I moved, the sound came again.
Tap!
This time closer.
My stomach dropped.
Swooosh—!
I swung the lamp wildly, its glow spilling across the gaps between the shelves. Nothing. Nothing but dust and broken tools.
And yet…
The hairs on the back of my neck rose.
Someone was there.
Watching me.
Hiding.
The footsteps ended abruptly at the far side of the room.
“Haa… Haa…”
I stopped, panting. My chest heaved with each breath, and the lamp trembled in my hand. The prints simply… stopped.
No exit.
No trail.
Only the blank white wall ahead.
My lips moved silently.
’No… no, this can’t be right.’
I crouched, placing the lamp lower. The faint glow shimmered across the ground, but there were no more tracks.
Just a sudden, empty end.
The sound of breathing filled my ears.
“Haa… Haa…”
It matched the rhythm of my own.
But…
It wasn’t mine.
Slowly, my head turned.
Through the gap in the shelves, I caught sight of something.
A mask.
White, cracked, with dark hollows for eyes.
Staring right at me.
I paused for a brief moment, staring into those eyes as they stared back at me. Every hair on my body rose in that moment as my heart leaped out of my chest.
Then—!
“….!?”
Clank—!
I jolted back, stumbling into the shelf. Tools clattered to the floor with a deafening crash. The mask tilted slightly, fading behind the shelf.
I held my breath, desperately reaching for my knife. My legs moved on their own, scrambling backward as I turned and ran down the aisle, the lamp jerking violently in my hand.
’Run! I have to run!’
I thought about fighting, but it felt impossible.
“Ukh—!”
BANG!
The shelf behind me toppled with a thunderous roar, spilling metal and wood across the floor.
I didn’t look back.
I couldn’t.
The footsteps followed, quicker now.
My lungs burned. The lamp’s glow flickered as my grip slipped, but I held on desperately. Ahead, I saw a door. A real door. It was made out of metal, a little bit dented, but intact.
I sprinted.
The sound behind me grew louder.
Closer.
It was almost at my neck.
CLANK!
I shoved the door open, practically throwing myself inside.
The room was dark, empty, the walls bare. However, I didn’t care as I hastily turned back and reached for the door.
Bang—!
I slammed the door shut, twisting the rusted handle. My body slid down against it as I panted, heart pounding so hard I thought it would burst.
For a moment, nothing.
Just silence.
The quiet dragged on as I pressed myself against the door, trying to will it to hold. I forced several ragged breaths, letting my lungs fill and empty, before lifting the lamp again. Its weak glow stretched across the room, illuminating the edges of broken machinery and scattered debris.
…And then my eyes caught the steps ahead.
They looked fresh…
Too fresh.
And as I slowly brought the lamp up, I saw it.
The same white mask.
Standing right before me.
“…!?”
I reacted quickly, propping myself up. Holding onto the knife, I swung it forward. However, as if deeming my movements worthless, the man dodged the attack before swinging at me. I hastily called the Dreamwalker, but it was too late.
“——!”
Something pierced my lungs as I stared ahead in shock.
And then—
My vision grew dark.
By the time I regained my consciousness, I found myself back at my office.
Slowly bringing my head down, I stared at my watch.
It was 17:40.
Tik, Tik—!