Chapter 16: Exit [2]
Flick!
Light pierced my eyes.
"Haaa! Haa—!"
Holding onto my chest, I bent over and supported myself with my knees.
I could hardly focus.
My lungs seared with every breath, and my legs trembled beneath me.
Sweat dripped freely from my chin.
"Shit... I might.. haa... puke!"
I slapped a hand over my mouth as my stomach churned violently and the built up bile almost left my body.
Barely holding it back, I lifted my head. Six doors. Three on each side.
Each one was locked.
I scanned my surroundings before forcing myself forward again.
".....!"
As I moved, my legs threatened to buckle from exhaustion, and each breath burned like fire in my lungs.
'Should I... just quit?'
I couldn't last much longer. In fact, I was already on the verge of collapse. If I pushed myself further, the steps would reach me. Either this cycle or the next...
If that happened, then—
A cold shudder ran through me.
'I should just quit. I've already found all that I needed to find.'
The main goal was for me to experience how a low-ranked scenario worked. I had achieved my goal.
In that sense, I could now quit and go back to making the game.
As my lips parted open and the words 'I quit' were about to slip my mouth, I paused.
"...."
Staring ahead, I licked my lips.
'Might as well, right...?'
I wanted to see what changes would occur once I turned the corner.
Though the distance was short, it still took me a lot of effort.
And when I did, my eyes fell on the corridor ahead.
The same white walls. The same distant camera. The same six doors. Everything about what was ahead was the same.
Everyth—
"Eh?"
Wait.
I blinked my eyes and looked around me.
Six doors?
My eyes widened at the realization. But before I could fully process the situation, the lights above me flickered.
Flick!
Yet again, I was plunged into darkness.
The moment that happened, my entire body tensed, and my heart clenched tightly. Without wasting a single second, I bolted forward.
The rushed sound of steps thundered loudly from behind me.
Takakakakakkakaka—!
I threw all thoughts out the window.
'One...'
My lungs spewed fire, my legs trembling as I sped as fast as I could.
I could hardly breathe, each gulp feeling like the last as the air around me seemed to turn colder and colder.
The steps behind me drew nearer by the second.
'...Three.'
They were catching up fast!
I was too tired. I could hardly maintain my speed, slowing down each second.
Takakakakakkakaka—!
'Five'
My body was falling apart. My throat burned.
The sound—those steps—grew louder.
They filled everything.
'Seven...'
I couldn't keep up any longer.
I was on the verge of falling. Looking ahead, the only thing I saw was an endless darkness. I knew I was close to one of the corners.
'Nine'
I could feel its breath on my neck, tingling the back of my neck as I almost froze on the spot, my heart leaping out as I opened my mouth.
It was behind me.
About to touch me.
No—!
"I—"
Flick!
Light.
I collapsed in front of a white wall.
"Haa.... Haaa..."
Heavily gulping for air, my head spun, and I could hardly focus. However, slowly turning my head, I saw it. The same six doors.
I groaned, feeling my entire body almost crumble.
'Three...'
I helped myself towards the nearest door.
Click.
It was locked.
'Five'
The next door.
Click.
It was also locked.
'Six.'
Click.
Locked.
'...Seven.'
Click.
Locked.
Arriving my the fifth door, I felt my anxiety shot up, slowly taking over my mind. Time was ticking away, and the doors were all still locked. My hand trembled as I reached for the fifth door.
'Please, please...!'
I touched the handle.
'Eight.'
Click!
".....!?"
A familiar clicking sound echoed, but before my heart could sink, I saw the door slowly open.
My eyes widened.
It worked!
But just I managed to open the door, the lights behind me flicked.
Flick!
Darkness.
".....!?"
I didn't think twice.
The moment the darkness arrived, I quickly plunged myself into the room and smashed the door behind me, locking it directly.
Bang!
"Haaa... haaa!"
Slumping down on the ground, I felt my knees give up on me as I gulped for air once more, my hand touching the ground as my head started to spin.
I was done.
I could hardly lift a finger.
This was where my stamina ended.
I didn't know how long had passed since entering the room, but the moment I recovered my breath and was able to lift my head, I looked at my surroundings.
"What the..."
It was then that I noticed it.
I was inside a small, windowless room. A single wooden table sat in the center, accompanied by a plain chair and an old computer. The screen was already on, casting a pale, flickering glow that barely lit the surrounding space. That faint light was the only thing keeping the darkness at bay.
There was nothing else—no decorations, no sound, just that eerie silence and the dull hum of the machine.
The air felt heavier. Stale. Like someone had just exhaled into the space seconds ago.
I slowly pushed myself up and sat down on the chair before looking towards the computer.
"The cameras..."
The screen displayed a corridor. That corridor.
All six doors in view.
'It's the same corridor I was in before. I can even see all six doors.'
Just as I was in the middle of observing the video, the screen suddenly turned black, and I flinched.
However, I soon calmed down when I saw a green text beneath.
[Do you wish to turn on night-vision mode?]
'There's that feature?'
I reached for the mousepad and was just about to confirm when I realized something.
'There's a time stamp at the bottom, and it's stretching for the same amount of time that I've been here.'
More or less a couple of minutes.
A thought occurred to me, and I reached for the stamp and moved the time back. The video started to change, and my eyes widened shortly after as I saw my figure appear on the screen, catching my breath as I desperately reached for the doors.
The corridor was still well lit.
'I look like I total mess.'
From my hair to my clothes. Everything was a mess.
The sight woke me up completely as the computer screen turned black shortly after.
'Ah, this must be the part where the lights turn off.'
I was just about to skip the part when I saw the same text from before.
[Do you wish to turn on night-vision mode?]
"Wait, this can work with recordings, too?"
I held my breath before clicking 'yes'. Immediately, the recording turned green, and the moment it did, my breath almost left my body as I saw a figure standing behind the me in the recording, their slim black hands reaching out for me as I frantically ran forward.
'Judging from the pace and how frantically I'm running, it looks to be this round.'
I held onto my chin while staring at the figure. It was also right as the ten seconds were up that I noticed a sudden peculiarity.
"Huh?"
Rather than just disappearing, before the timer completely reset, the shadow moved towards one of the doors and entered.
The lights turned on shortly after that.
I appeared shortly after, turning the corner as the camera displayed me moving from one end of the corridor to another.
'That's really trippy to see.'
Did it work the same when the doors weren't present in the first few cycles?
Nonetheless, the video had finally caught up to my last moments in the corridors. It was right at the moment I was about to enter this room.
First.
Second.
Third.
Fourth.
I watched as the me in the recording tried to enter each room.
Fif—
'Wait...'
My thoughts paused as I saw myself reach for the fifth door.
A dreaded realization hit me shortly after as the door opened and I entered.
That...
'That's the same door the shadow entered!'
"Haaa."
A breath. Warm. Damp...
It tickled the back of my neck as my entire body turned cold.
Realization hit me quickly.
I...
Wasn't alone in the room.