Developing Games: To scare players all around the world! Chapter 5: Overwhelming Fear

"Then I'll proceed," Natalie stated, regaining her balance as she continued along the hallway.

It wasn't long before a wooden door came into view at the corridor's far end. Its appearance suggested it might lead outdoors.

"Huh? Guys, this door seems like the exit. I think we can actually leave the house from here!" Natalie exclaimed, a hopeful note in her voice.

She truly wished to escape the oppressive darkness of this hallway.

Speeding up her pace, Natalie rushed towards the wooden door, flung it open, and burst through.

Then, she abruptly stopped, her eyes widening in disbelief.

She found herself standing right back in the same corridor. The identical dim lighting. The same suffocating hallway.

"Fuck, I'm back where I started!"

"Damn, is this some kind of loop?!"

"No way out, is there?"

"Looks like you're trapped! This game isn't just scary, it's got puzzles too!"

The chat erupted with comments, and Natalie herself was completely stunned.

Abruptly, the door behind her slammed shut of its own accord.

"I swear to god, what kind of messed up game is this?! It's looping?!"

Natalie cursed under her breath as she slowly made her way back through the hallway that had already sent shivers down her spine once before.

She soon passed the familiar landmarks, the clock frozen at 11:59, the radio emitting the same repetitive message, and realized everything was beginning anew.

"Alright, everyone, I'm not scared now, I know this area. It's nothing. No big deal!" Natalie announced, attempting to project confidence.

Putting on a brave face, she strolled forward, past the bend, past the ominous bloodstain. But just as she approached the bathroom door once more, the viewers began to chime in.

"Natalie, try opening the bathroom door again! Maybe it's the key to ending this loop!"

"Yeah, check if it's unlocked now!"

"Go for it! It could be the trigger!"

Natalie faltered. She harbored a strong reluctance to interact with that particular bathroom. The mere thought of what might lie within was enough to make her deeply uneasy.

But...

"Fine, fine! I'll do it!" she conceded, her voice straining for bravery.

Taking a deep, fortifying breath, Natalie approached the bathroom door and placed her hand upon the doorknob.

That's when...

"HOLY SHIT!!!" Natalie shrieked as if electrocuted, her entire body recoiling in sheer terror as she leaped backward.

"Jesus Christ, I spilled my drink!"

"Bro, I almost peed a little!"

"SOMEONE'S KNOCKING FROM INSIDE?!"

Even the audience was startled. The sudden, forceful knocking had caught everyone completely off guard.

"Nope nope nope, I am not opening this! Something's in there, something awful!" Natalie shouted, thoroughly unnerved.

The knocking ceased after only three impacts, but that brief moment was sufficient. Natalie had absolutely no intention of lingering.

She spun around and fled.

She sprinted down the corridor as if her life depended on it, making a beeline for the wooden door that was supposed to be the exit. Clutching the handle with both hands, she yanked with all her might.

It wouldn't budge.

"What the hell?! This door is locked now too?!"

Natalie tugged and twisted the handle desperately, but her efforts were futile.

"Seriously?! I'm trapped? Don't tell me I have to open the bathroom door..."

Just as her frustration began to boil over, a soft creaking sound drifted from behind her.

In the profound silence of the corridor, the sound was chillingly distinct.

Natalie's eyes widened. Slowly, she turned her head, her gaze drawn to the source of the sound.

The bathroom door, which she distinctly remembered being locked moments before, had swung open ajar.

A faint sliver of light escaped the opening, and a few cockroaches scuttled out from the dark gap.

Natalie's heart felt ready to leap out of her chest.

"My god... the bathroom door opened by itself..."

"There's no way it was unlocked before!"

"Whatever's in there... it opened the door..."

"It's trying to lure Natalie in, forcing her to go inside!"

"This is insane! My heart can't take this tension!"

"Man, even I'm scared now, and I'm a grown dude!"

"This tension is wild!"

"Whoever created this game is clearly a madman!"

The chat exploded once more. The door leisurely creaking open on its own was no mere accident.

It was an invitation. A silent command to the player.

Go inside. Now.

The game was masterfully building this dreadful anticipation. You knew something horrific awaited beyond the threshold, yet you felt compelled to look.

This was true horror. Not reliant on cheap jump scares, but on a heavy, suffocating atmosphere that was more than enough to terrify anyone.

Even without anything manifesting visibly yet... the fear was already overwhelming.

"Don't just stand there, go take a look!"

"Yeah, what are you waiting for?!"

"There's no other way forward, you've got to check it out!"

Her chat was relentless with their urging.

"I swear, you all just want me to die faster!" Natalie snapped, her back already slick with cold sweat.

At this point, she deeply regretted even agreeing to Tony's suggestion to stream this particular game.

This was far from the childish horror game she had anticipated. This was the genuine article. She felt as if she had stepped into the role of a protagonist in a horror movie, constantly on the brink of death.

Just then, a flurry of rockets blazed across her screen – significant donations pouring in from her viewers.

"Natalie, look! Such big donations, go check them out!"

Natalie found herself in a dilemma. Honestly, she had only been playing for a few minutes, yet her earnings already dwarfed her usual streaming income.

As the old saying goes, "People court danger for the sake of profit, just as birds risk their lives for food."

"Alright! I'll risk my life for my viewers today!" she declared, psyching herself up as she cautiously approached the bathroom.

Normally, when watching a horror film, Natalie would avert her eyes during the most suspenseful moments. But in this game?

It was a thousand times more terrifying than any horror movie she had ever witnessed.

Now, she couldn't even dare to blink, because the immersion was so profound; it felt as though a monster might leap out at her if she closed her eyes even for a second.

She was gripped by the fear of dying without understanding how.

"It's fake, it's fake, all of it is fake! Please don't scare me!" she chanted repeatedly, attempting to maintain her composure.

She didn't rush towards the bathroom door immediately.

Instead, she leaned forward from a distance, her gaze fixed on the previously opened crack in the door. Her intention was to peer through before getting any closer.

However, the game developers had clearly foreseen this maneuver.

Inside that crack, there was nothing visible. Only absolute darkness.

"Damn it... that bastard is forcing my hand," she grumbled bitterly.

With no other recourse, Natalie slowly crept towards the bathroom.

"Alright everyone... I'm opening the door..." she whispered, her voice trembling.

Her hand, quivering, reached for the doorknob.

And then, it happened.

From the gap in the door, a face, startlingly pale like a ghost, suddenly materialized!

"Hehehehe..."

It wasn't even a complete face; a section was missing, yet it bore a sinister grin as it abruptly slammed the bathroom door shut!

"FUCK FUCK FUUUUUUUCK!!!"

Natalie shrieked as if electrocuted. Her entire body seized with terror, feeling her very soul about to depart. Her heart genuinely skipped a beat.

"NOPE, I'M DONE! I AM FUCKING DONE!! WAAAHHH!!!"

Natalie wailed, abruptly closing the game and tearing off her sensory suit. Then, sobbing uncontrollably, she vanished from the livestream.

At that precise moment, no one in the chat suspected she was faking her reaction.

"Man, that ghost's face just froze me solid!"

"I actually yelled out loud. Haven't been this terrified in YEARS!"

"That jump scare was on another level. I'm not even in VR and I nearly had a heart attack!"

"This isn't a horror game; it's psychological torture!"

"Wait, why hasn't Natalie returned yet?"

"I think she actually cried... I heard her sobbing!"

"Can't blame her... That was genuinely horrifying. I've got goosebumps all over."

This time, no one was mocking her. Every single viewer had experienced the same profound horror.

If watching the game via stream was already this dreadful, imagine playing it in full immersive VR, complete with surround sound, haptic feedback, and a first-person perspective.

Natalie wasn't merely watching a horror film; she was its central character.

And that distinction made all the difference.

---BREAK---

Meanwhile, Natalie rushed into Tony's room, tears still streaming down her face.

Tony, who had been observing the stream the entire time, was already waiting by the door.

The instant she saw him, Natalie clenched her fists and began to strike his chest while crying.

"You scoundrel! What in the blazes is that game?! You nearly scared me to death! To death!!"

"I'm sorry, I truly am sorry!" Tony responded swiftly, absorbing the weak blows from her fists as he embraced her, attempting to soothe her.

"I warned you it was scary, and you were the one who volunteered to try it..."

"How could I possibly have known it would be THIS terrifying?!"

Natalie continued to sniffle, wiping her tears onto Tony's shirt.

Tony made no outward reaction, simply saying in a relaxed tone, "It's alright, sis. If you don't want to continue playing, then don't. No one is compelling you to."

He understood better than anyone just how nightmarish the game truly was, recognizing the psychological strain it could inflict.

There was absolutely no way he would ever force her to persist with playing.

Not after witnessing that kind of reaction.

1502 Words.