Horror Game Developer: My games aren't that scary! Chapter 818: The House [1]

I adjusted my face mask as the black car approached.

It stopped a short distance away, and the driver stepped out to open the rear door. I nodded towards him before getting inside.

Liora said she would look into the matter.

That was all.

She made no promises, especially since I wasn’t actually a member of the Guild. If I decided to join properly, it would be another matter.

Well, fair enough.

I couldn’t expect them to lend me money simply because I asked nicely.

’It would’ve been nice though.’

The door closed, and I settled into the seat as the car started moving.

There wasn’t much for me to do at the Guild. The team was resting, and nobody seemed particularly interested in speaking with me. The only other thing I could do was stay inside of my room and just listen to the radio cackle the entire day.

Stuck, I was.

So I decided to go out.

I was allowed that much, provided I used the Guild’s transport and remained in contact.

The disguise was still necessary.

It wasn’t so much the ordinary people I needed to worry about.

The other Guilds were a different matter.

I doubted they would be pleased to see me walking around after everything that happened. Most of them didn’t care, but there were quite a few that disliked me.

"Achoo."

I turned my head and rubbed beneath my nose.

Then I stopped.

The back of the driver’s seat seemed to tilt slightly.

I blinked.

For a moment, my surroundings continued to til, making it difficult to tell whether the car was turning or I was the one moving.

My hand pressed against my forehead.

It was strangely hot.

But slowly, everything returned back to normal.

"....."

I remained still, my lips pressing together beneath the mask.

I could feel the effects of the ’disease’ starting to get worse and worse. It wasn’t even my nodes at this point.

The driver glanced towards me through the mirror.

"Are you alright?"

"Yes, yes. Keep going."

He returned his attention to the road.

I lowered my hand and looked outside, waiting until I was certain the buildings weren’t moving in any way they shouldn’t.

I drew a small breath.

’It would suck if all of this was fake.’

VILE - 1048 could get people into dreams. That was the thing I was most worried about. The only thing that made me feel better was the fact that I could see the status window. Surely...?

’No, it doesn’t matter. Even if this is a dream, I need to be more proactive.’

Reaching into my pocket, I took out the compass.

Its needle pointed slightly to the left.

"Take the next turn."

The driver nodded.

I watched the needle as we turned, keeping it steady against my thighs.

Since looking for the anomaly itself wasn’t working, I decided to go broader.

Something that could help me understand what I was dealing with.

At least, it was worth trying.

The needle shifted again.

"Left here."

The car slowed before turning onto a quieter road.

I kept watching the compass.

By the time we reached the outskirts of Sines, it was dark.

The buildings stood farther apart here, with stretches of empty road between the streetlights. Occasionally, the headlights caught a low wall or a gate before leaving it behind.

The needle remained steady.

I looked in the direction it pointed.

"Slow down a little."

The driver eased off.

We passed a house with its front windows dark.

Then another.

The needle started turning towards my side of the car.

"Stop here."

The car came to a halt.

Beyond the window stood a small house, set back from the road behind a low fence. A light was on downstairs, although the curtains prevented me from seeing much inside.

I looked at the compass again.

It was pointing straight towards the house.

"....."

I took out my phone and checked the address against the case files stored on it.

It took a little while before I found the matching entry.

One of the older cases.

I frowned a little, hoping that this wasn’t going to be a waste of time. The compass brought me to a place that could hold clues regarding VILE - 1048, but it was also possible that it was a dupe, or already cleared.

My attention moved towards the lit window.

I put the phone away.

"I’ll be back shortly. Stay further down the road where they can’t see you."

The driver looked towards the house before nodding.

"I’ll do as you wish."

I stepped outside and closed the door.

The air was cooler than I expected. I pulled my sleeve down over the bracelet before approaching the fence.

The small gate scraped against the ground when I pushed it open.

I stopped for a moment.

Nothing moved inside the house.

A narrow path led towards the front door. I followed it, my shoes catching against loose gravel while the light from the car grew fainter behind me.

The porch light wasn’t on.

I could see the door well enough, but the space beside it was dark. Something brushed my sleeve as I approached, and I looked down to find a branch extending from a plant near the steps.

"....."

Right.

Just a plant.

I moved past it and stopped in front of the door.

For a moment, I listened.

There was a faint sound coming from inside. It was muffled, and I couldn’t quite make out what it was.

I raised my hand.

To Tok!

The sound inside stopped as I waited.

A little while later, footsteps approached from the other side. Something turned near the lock, and a thin line of light appeared as the door opened.

An older woman looked out at me.

"Who might you be?"

I lowered my mask, leaving the other disguise in place, and smiled.

"Hello. Sorry about the hour. I’m here regarding a past investigation."

Her eyes moved across my face.

"It concerns what happened to your husband. Would you mind if I asked a few questions?"

The woman’s hand stopped against the door.

"Oh."

For a moment, she looked at me without saying anything.

Then she opened the door a little farther.

"No, I don’t mind at all. Please, come in."

"Thank you."

I stepped inside.

The house was considerably warmer than outside. A lamp stood beside the sofa, and a folded blanket rested over one of its arms. There was a television in the corner, although the sound was turned down so low that I could barely hear it.

The woman closed the door behind me.

"Please sit wherever you like."

I nodded, only to pause when I heard a soft scraping sound.

A child sat at a low table near the far wall.

He was bent over a sheet of paper, moving a marker back and forth while several others lay scattered around his elbow.

He didn’t look up.

"My grandson."

The woman followed my gaze.

"He’s nine."

"Ah."

"He likes to draw. It keeps him... occupied."

I watched the marker move for another moment before looking back at her.

"Are his parents here?"

Her expression softened slightly.

"No. They passed away in an accident. He’s been living with me since."

"...I’m sorry."

"It was a while ago."

She adjusted the sleeve of her cardigan before gesturing towards the sofa.

"I’ll make some tea."

"You don’t need to."

"It won’t take long."

She left before I could say anything else.

I sat down and looked around.

There were several photographs on a shelf beside the television. I couldn’t make out the faces properly from where I was, but one showed the woman standing beside a man in front of the house.

My gaze lingered there.

Then the marker scraped against the paper again.

I looked towards the child.

He was pressing quite hard.

The tip moved slowly across one section before returning along the same line.

For some reason, I found myself leaning forward.

"What are you..."

I stopped.

From this angle, I could see the drawing.

Two people.

An adult man and woman, judging by the clothes and the way he drew their hair.

They sat beside each other.

Their backs were straight, their feet together beneath their chairs. Both rested their hands on their knees, with the fingers spread neatly across them.

"....."

My hand stopped against the sofa.

I glanced towards the child’s face.

He was still looking down, his expression quite ordinary as he reached for another marker. He seemed completely absorbed in the drawing.

He set the old marker aside and uncapped the new one.

Then he started colouring inside one of the open eyes.

"I’m back."

My head turned.

The woman approached with a tray, setting it down before placing a cup in front of me.

"Careful. It’s hot."

"...Thank you."

I moved my hand towards it, but didn’t pick it up.

She sat in the chair opposite me and smoothed her cardigan over her lap.

"So, has anything been found?"

I looked at her.

"It’s been five years since the incident, and we’ve yet to receive any news. There was a lady who came to ask questions before, but it’s been a while."

Geneva?

That seemed likely.

She never mentioned this place to me. Perhaps there wasn’t anything here that she thought would help.

I looked towards the child again.

The marker kept moving.

"There were a few people before her too," the woman continued. "I told them everything I could remember."

"I see."

"Is there something else you need to know?"

My lips parted.

For a moment, I couldn’t stop thinking about the drawing.

I looked down at my pocket, remembering the way the compass pointed towards the house.

Then I returned my attention to her.

This time, I smiled.

"That’s what I’m here for. I think we may have gotten a lead."