“….”
I stared at the man passed out in front of me.
I really didn’t have any words. Before I even had the chance to speak to him, he passed out before my eyes.
’Am I really that scary…?’
Holding the lamp as it swayed before my eyes, I thought of the mask on my face. Realization dawned on me rather quickly.
’In hindsight, I probably would’ve reacted the same.’
Nonetheless, bringing my lamp forward, I tried to get a better look at him.
Under the dim blue light of the lamp, his pale face emerged before me. Short black hair, a thin nose, flaky and dried lips… but what caught me were the nail marks carved across his skin. They looked fresh, as if clawed into his flesh with desperation. Had he done this to himself… or had something else done it for him?
I studied him carefully, then shifted my gaze to his clothes. He wore a crisp black suit. One that even put the ones I had to shame. Tilting his body slightly, I traced the lines of the fabric until my eyes landed on his breast pocket, where a golden symbol glimmered in the dim light.
It was one depicting a monolith, and the moment I noticed it, I understood immediately where he came from.
’He’s from the bureau.’
I pulled the lamp back while staring at him. If he were from the Bureau, he was most likely one of the scouts that had been sent in advance in order to gain information about the gate.
My expression changed subtly at the realization.
While there did exist professional scouts, it was also true that a lot of the scouts sent were death row inmates.
In this situation…
This case…
’There’s a possibility that not just one serial killer exists here, is there…?’
The lamp in my hand trembled as I lifted it, its dim light crawling across the shadows around me. I moved it slowly, but a loud thumping echoed inside my mind, drowning the silence and sending a wave of tension rippling through my entire body.
I could feel the atmosphere shift in that moment as I continued to look around.
The temperature seemed to drop as I felt a certain gaze directed my way.
My body tensed as I continued to move the lamp, searching for any sign of movement. All I saw were tall, jagged machines, their edges glowing faintly in the dim light, casting enormous, twisted shadows that writhed across the walls like living things.
My breathing grew quicker, and as I looked around, I looked towards the footsteps on the floor.
I traced them with my eyes as my gaze fell particularly towards a certain step.
It was fresh. Much fresher than the others.
Following it instinctively, I slowly found myself turning around.
I raised the lamp.
A figure stood before me, a blank mask hiding its face, half its body swallowed in the lamp’s dim glow.
The hair on my body rose as our gazes met.
But then—
“Haaaaa—!”
A scream ripped through the distance, its echo bouncing off the walls and filling the entire factory with a bone-chilling roar.
Before I could even process the situation, the world around me changed.
My vision blurred, and darkness swallowed everything around me. When I finally regained my bearings, I was back in my office.
“Wha—!?”
Sweat ran down the side of my face as I yanked the mask away and scanned my surroundings.
“What’s going on? Why am I back here?”
This didn’t make sense at all. How was it possible for the loop to restart? The killer was right before.
He was—
“Wait.”
I suddenly paused, a certain thought crossing my mind as I covered my mouth and slowly sat back down in my seat.
“…What if it doesn’t just have to be the killer that kills?”
I swallowed nervously.
’I’m not the only one who is within this loop. In fact, based on what I’ve seen so far, there are other people, too, and they don’t all belong to the scenario. In that case, does the loop restart whenever someone dies?’
In that case…?
The memory of that heart-wrenching scream, echoing through the factory, slammed into me, and I covered my mouth with even more force.
’There’s more than one killer.’
And…
The killer wasn’t someone who belonged to the scenario. It was very likely one of the death-row inmates.
“H-haha.”
My heart sank at the thought.
Wasn’t the scenario supposed to have been adjusted based on my strength?
Why did it feel like it had gotten harder than it was supposed to be?
Biting my nails, I remained seated on my seat while sorting through the entire situation.
The goal of the entire scenario was easy. It was to find the exit and leave. A serial killer existed, and its job was to hunt me or anyone within the scenario down and kill them before we reached the exit. The moment someone died, the scenario would restart.
’So long as one person dies, the entire loop restarts. And… a death row inmate has started to kill the other scouts.’
I bit my lips.
This entire scenario was messed up.
One serial killer was already incredibly annoying to deal with. But now there wasn’t just one…?
Covering my face, I pulled out all the items from my bag and looked at them.
As I did, my gaze fell on a certain item.
“…Using this should be a no-brainer.”
I picked up the compass and tilted it slightly. The northern arrow quivered, then slowly swung toward the door, as if guiding me.
’With this, I should be able to find the exit.’
I had avoided using the compass before, hoping to get a better sense of the scenario. Now that I understood, it was time to put it to use.
’…If just one person dies and the loop restarts, it should also be true that if one person leaves, the entire scenario is cleared, right?’
I stood up from my seat.
To Tok—
And right in cue, a knock sounded from the door.
Holding onto the compass with one hand and the knife with the other, I decided to head out. Due to the nature of the lamp and how it attracted the serial killer, I decided not to use it for this round.
’In the previous two rounds, the serial killer had found me both times because of the lamp. Leaving it behind this time might give me a better chance of staying hidden.’
The darkness was also not a problem since I had my phone with me. It served as enough light to show me the compass as I followed the arrow. According to the description of the compass, it would lead me to my desired destination.
In this case, it was the exit.
I moved towards a path that I hadn’t taken before.
Tap.
Tap.
Within the silence around me, the echo of the steps felt louder than ever as my heart drummed loudly within my mind.
I tried my best to ignore my rapidly beating heart as I navigated through the maze of the factory.
Eventually, I reached a door and pushed it open. Inside was a huge room. Twisted conveyor belts hung from above, chains dangling like sharp teeth. The floor was broken, and shadows moved in the corners. I kept going, following the faint glow of my phone, alongside the compass.
’I should be going in the right direction…’
I kept moving in the silence, every sound sharpened in my mind. The faint creak of old machines, the drip of water from the damp air, and even my own footsteps echoed loudly around me.
Even the smell of rust hit me stronger as I turned slowly.
Clank—!
“…..!?”
A loud sound jerked my gaze from the compass. I turned my head toward it, every nerve on edge.
Swoosh, swoosh—!
My eyes froze on the chains hanging from above. A few shifted on their own, moving as I watched, as if an invisible wind was brushing against them.
A certain cold crept over me as I kept my eyes on the swaying chains.
And my body slowly tensed.
’Someone is here…’
I could feel it. My nerves were screaming at me.
My grip over the knife tightened as a long and tall shadow appeared next to me.
Holding onto the knife, I stared at the compass once more.
*Step*
I took a step forward.
Swoosh!
The moment I did, the chains above dangled with even more force.
Tap, tap, tap—!
The sound of rapid steps.
Heading towards me.
Fast!
A shadow burst from the darkness behind me, moving with impossible speed. My heart slammed against my ribs as I turned around, and a figure came into view.
It was right before me.
I didn’t have enough time to react as I felt it reach me.
But right as it was about to attack, a shadow appeared before it and clung to its body.
’Now!’
I didn’t waste a second and slashed down with my knife.
Spurt!
Blood sprayed over me in that moment as I froze.
And then—
My vision grew dark.
By the time I regained myself, I found myself back in the office.
And it was there that I realized.
I…
I had just killed someone.