Horror Game Developer: My games aren't that scary! Chapter 616: Hospital [4]

"Ukeh... Cough!"

Gentle echoes of her coughing filled the room while the Matriarch gripped her throat, gasping desperately for air. As color slowly returned to her cheeks, I gazed at her with a grin, rather entertained by her plight.

Yet, simultaneously...

This woman before me was no longer the one I once recognized.

"Finished coughing yet?"

"U... kh!"

Raising her head, she fixed her gaze toward me, eyes quivering.

"Y-you..."

"I, what?"

I cocked my head and lifted my hand.

She jerked back instantly, though I merely swept my hair aside.

"I won’t lay a finger on you, relax."

For now, at least.

No real intentions crossed my mind just yet.

Though perhaps that would change shortly.

"W-why are you... d-doing this to me? Why..."

"Ah, cut it out."

I dismissed her with a wave.

Truth be told, her state nauseated me.

"I know exactly what you’ve done. Quit acting like the pure Matriarch who nurtured me. Think I don’t know your deeds against me?"

The Matriarch’s lips quivered.

Her expression almost suggested ignorance.

But I was certain.

She knew full well.

"I came here for answers. Speak if you can. And..." I hesitated, recalling the many ways I could force her words before dismissing the thought with a shake of my head, "I’ve got other tricks to make you talk, but I’d prefer a sincere chat between us. You did raise me, after all."

Sort of, anyway.

"....."

Quietness blanketed the room right after my words, the Matriarch still eyeing me, pale-faced and lips shaking.

Witnessing her thus, I dipped my head and smirked.

"No point yelling for aid. No one’s rushing to save you."

With a flick of my wrist, the sheets over her body lifted as a slender black strand darted from my finger.

A faint cry escaped the Matriarch as she tugged at the sheets, but too slow—the tiny gadget in her grasp lay revealed.

Click! Click!

She jabbed it repeatedly, yet I allowed it.

Instead, I tapped my temple.

"Like I said, useless. I’ve blocked any calls for backup."

Thanks mostly to Mr. Jingles.

Click! Click! Click!

Ignoring my assurance, she kept mashing the button. Each press rang out softly, joined by the frantic beeps from the heart monitor nearby.

Agitation gripped her.

"H-help! Help!"

Before long, screams for rescue burst from her.

"Fine then."

That prompted me to rise once more.

"——!"

Sound vanished abruptly as her complexion drained further.

Watching closely, I studied her intently.

"How much longer will you keep up this act?"

Her performance rang true, but fooled no one—me, at least. Terror painted her features, but her eyes gave it away. No real dread lurked there. Obvious to me.

And as expected—

"You... should’ve been dead by now."

Panic fled her tone. It grew deeper now, shedding frenzy for a steady, eerie calm.

"...The instant the transfer collapsed, death claimed you. You shouldn’t exist here. How do you stand before me?"

"Haha."

Her face contorted right there, sparking my laughter as I reclined in the chair.

"How are you still alive?!"

Her shout boomed room-wide, features warping viciously.

"You...! Your head...! You should’ve—"

"Oh, no concerns for my head."

I patted it lightly a few times.

"It’s far from normal, I guarantee. Still, life persists in me, and that counts most, doesn’t it?"

A smile graced the Matriarch.

No...

Not truly her.

To another presence, as I shifted my gaze.

"What say you? Enjoying the view?"

"Huh? What...?!"

Catching my stare’s target, the Matriarch whipped around, freezing solid. Lips stuttering, she faltered, "T-that... didn’t..."

"Well, he perished, yet not entirely...?"

I rubbed my cheek, eyeing Kyle in the shadows. Mouth agape, he gawked at the Matriarch. Frankly, this explained part of my visit here.

Better to reveal my ordeal visually than describe it to Kyle.

Let him witness the truth firsthand.

"K-kyle, that... I..."

"Spare the lies. Kyle was your backup vessel, obviously."

That orphanage...

Not just me groomed for Dantalion’s successor. I fit best, sure, but others qualified too. Post-failure, cult remnants would target Kyle next, only for his ’death.’

One thing puzzled me, though.

"Kyle out of the picture—what then? Another kid ready?"

"Another child...?"

She halted, then pivoted her head gradually.

Our stares locked, her mouth twisting into a grin. Creases around it stretched grotesquely, etching deeper into her skin.

That image erased my own smile, stirring an odd chill.

"It... seems you don’t know."

Her pitch dropped lower, facial lines sharpening as her look warped further into horror.

"Sir ■■■■■■■■■ is lost. You... stole him away. No replacements remain for service."

"Then..."

"...Yet worshippers abound beyond us. They know our vessels, crave them from our grasp."

Abruptly, the atmosphere thickened.

"They know... you. Your true essence."

I scowled, gripping the armrest hard while chaotic notions surged wildly through my thoughts, each darker than before.

Suddenly, her piercing cry shattered my mind’s turmoil.

"YOU NAIVE FOOL! YOU’VE ALREADY BEEN MARKED! THEY ARE AWARE OF YOUR PRESENCE AND ARE COMING FOR YOU!"

The shriek filled every nook, prickling the hairs on my nape.

"...THE END IS UPON US! THE LIGHT HAS BEEN SWALLOWED... THE WORLD IS ALREADY DYING... NOW ITS AL ABOUT CHOOSING WHO TO SERVE...!"

I shot to my feet and spun sharply.

Clank—

The door swung open, admitting the earlier nurse.

Identical in look, yet eerily serene, she beamed at me.

"Did I not say to agitate the patient?"

Her head tipped slightly, smile unwavering.

"...It’s not good to agitate her like that."