It was just a theory, but the more I thought about it, the more it felt like it was the truth.
The office...
It was the exit.
"But, wait."
I suddenly took out the pass from my pocket and looked at it.
I remembered using it before to help me find the exit. It led me to a place that wasn’t my office. I pursed my lips while staring intently at the pass. The one time that I had used to find the exit, I found myself getting in contact with one of the death row inmates.
This suddenly made me wonder...
Was the pass leading me to the exit, or was it leading me to the death row inmate?
’The pass has almost always guided me correctly, but the description did mention it could sometimes lead me astray. Now that I think about it, there’s a strong chance this is exactly the situation it was warning me about!’
I felt a sudden chill while thinking about it.
However, I was still uncertain of this. Holding the pass in my hands, I looked towards the door.
Pressing my lips together, I was just about to move when—
To Tok—!
Someone knocked on the door.
I hesitated.
That knock... Who was it that was knocking? I knew for certain that it wasn’t the same person as before. Since the route changed every time, it was highly improbable for them to be the ones knocking. Not only that, but every time I pulled the door open after I heard the knock, I’d be met with nobody.
The more I thought about it, the more suspicious I felt.
There was something that I was missing.
’Am I probably overthinking things, and this is just a part of the scenario, or is there more to it?’
I clutched the pass in my hands before finally walking towards the door and pulling it open.
At the same time that I did, I closed my eyes and thought about my desire.
’I want to find the exit. I want to find the exit.’
Opening my eyes again, I stared at the pass in my hands.
"....."
It was spinning.
In all directions.
I couldn’t discern where it was trying to guide me. I stood still like that until the arrow eventually stopped.
It pointed towards a pletely different direction than before.
But that direction wasn’t the office behind me.
"....."
I felt my head throb. This was making things a lot more difficult for me. I wasn’t sure if my previous conclusion was right or wrong.
Still...
It wasn’t like there wasn’t a way for me to find out.
Holding onto the pass, I put on the mask and walked towards the darkness.
This time, I hadn’t brought the lamp. The only thing in my hand was the pass, its faint glint barely visible in the dark. Each time I stepped into a new room of the abandoned factory, the arrow twitched, shifting ever so slightly, guiding me deeper inside.
The silence pressed against my ears, broken only by the sound of my own footsteps.
From time to time, the creak of rusted machinery echoed through the dark, followed by the faint clatter of chains dangling above, swaying just enough to make strange, uneven sounds in the silence.
I ignored all the noise and just followed the arrow.
I picked up the pace as I did.
’I don’t know when someone will die. I need to hurry up. I need to—’
Tap!
The sudden sound of a stop halted me on the spot.
It came from a distance, and it was soft.
I pressed myself against the side of a rusted machine, holding my breath as a small shadow drifted past the area I was in. Even with just a glance, I knew it was one of the scouts.
Their movements were sluggish, their back unnaturally hunched. I couldn’t make out their face, but the way they staggered forward told me enough. They looked hollow, empty, as if all sense of self had been stripped away.
I waited for them to leave before carrying out my mission.
Holding onto the pass, I picked up the pace and rushed towards wherever the arrow guided me. After a certain point, I didn’t even bother hiding my presence.
I just started running as fast as possible.
I needed to get to the bottom of the pass.
Where was the exit? Was it my office, or somewhere else?
I ran, and ran, and ran.
I didn’t know how long had passed, but with each second that ticked, I felt my anxiety grow.
’Any second now. Any second...’
I could tell that the loop was going to restart any second now.
But not yet...!
At least not until I found the exit!
I tightened my grip on the pass and bolted forward with everything I had. Broken machinery, swaying chains, scattered boxes. I shoved past it all until, at last, a faint light flickered in the distance.
’There!’
My eyes lit up, and I picked up my pace.
I had finally found the exit!
I pushed past a few more pieces of machinery, running with all the strength I could muster, until I finally skidded to a halt.
"..."
That’s...
Greeting me was my office.
The light’s source was the faint glow spilling through the half-open door of the office.
Staring at the pass in my hands, I closed my eyes and caught my breath.
This pretty much confirmed it.
The office was my exit.
I smiled to myself before lowering my head and looking at the office.
’I just ran around in a circle, didn’t I?’
It didn’t really feel like I did. Perhaps I didn’t, but it didn’t matter. Now that I had confirmed that my office was the exit, the entire scenario had shifted in my head.
’The quest previously told me that I needed to find the exit in order to leave. I have found it. What am I supposed to do now?’
I covered my mouth and thought deeply about the situation.
However, as I glanced around, I quickly realized this wasn’t the place to dwell on it. Steadying myself, I slipped the pass into my pocket and returned to the office. My hand closed around the handle, pulling the door open, but the moment I stepped inside, my expression changed drastically.
"....!?"
The office was a wreck. The desk lay overturned, papers strewn haphazardly across the floor. The painting had been knocked down, lying crooked beside the toppled fax machine. Every drawer gaped open, as if someone had torn through them in a frantic search for something.
"What just...?"
Before I even had the time to figure out what had happened, I heard a scream pierce through the surroundings.
"Hieeeek!"
My vision grew dark shortly after that.
By the time I regained myself, the office was back in order.
I looked around in confusion, until—
Click!
I heard a sudden clicking sound ing from the door.
"....!?"
I slowly turned my head toward the sound and rose to my feet. Approaching the door, I pressed my hand against the cold handle and tried to pull it open, but...
Clank! Clank—!
"Locked."
It was locked.
What the...
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