There was no ti to spare.
The mont the doors smacked open, I got ready to move. The others also sprang into action, dashing towards the door.
"Quick!"
I couldn’t care less about the other teams.
The only thing I cared about was my team, and catching a glimpse behind , my worries vanished when I saw everyone move.
’As expected, all those gas hadn’t been for nothing!’
Their reactions were quick, and none of them appeared to be flustered by the situation.
No, it was more like they had pushed all of their panic away.
"Left or right?"
There were two paths to take coming out of the door. Looking at both sides, I wasn’t sure of what path to take. Thankfully, I wasn’t unprepared as I quickly took out a compass and looked at it. With just a look, I imdiately dashed towards the right side.
"Here."
Nobody questioned my decision.
They all just followed without asking any questions.
This was the trust that we had built over the course of the month that we had been together.
To so extent... I hadn’t actually spent much ti with them. It was mainly the doppleganger, but this was good enough for .
Staring at the compass, I continued to run straight.
The corridors before stretched as far as my eyes could see, twisting endlessly, with new passageways branching off into entirely different areas.
Flick! Flick!
The lights above flickered, swinging from bright to dim, while so passageways were swallowed entirely by darkness.
...It was almost as if sothing was chasing us.
My heart pressed tightly against my chest.
I wasn’t entirely sure where I was going. I knew the compass could lead astray; it had done so more than once in the past, but just as often, it had guided exactly where I needed to be.
If I had to place a value on the things I owned, the compass would rank among the most precious.
While the consequences of going to the wrong place were pretty serious, it was also true that it helped get out of tough situations, just like in this situation.
In fact, I could also use the compass to help find the spot where the cult was.
I had plans on doing that, but held myself back, considering that I had ti. There was no need to rush for such a quest. The stronger and more prepared I was, the better off I was. This was why I held off on using it.
"Squad Leader!"
Snapping out of my thoughts, I ca to a sudden stop as I looked ahead.
’Elevator!’
A line of elevators greeted my sight. My eyes lit up.
I didn’t hesitate about what needed to be done. But just as I reached for the elevator buttons, soone else’s hand got there first.
I stopped to see that it was Sarah.
Fast...
I relaxed a mont later.
"...You got for a second."
I looked around. Although their breaths were heavy, the entire team was present. Looking back at the corridor, it looked like we were the only ones to have made it to the corridor.
"It doesn’t seem like the others followed us," I mumbled, my gaze locked onto the corridor. The lights were dim, flickering into darkness as a tense silence settled over us.
Just as I began to feel tense, Niel spoke up.
"There were a couple that did, but everyone scattered in different directions. I don’t know where they are now."
I frowned as I listened to Niel, but it was probably for the best. If everyone was scattered, whatever presence had been at the dinner table would have a harder ti finding us. Just the thought of that presence sent another chill down my spine.
What in the world was that?
It wasn’t like I had ever encountered a scary and creepy presence in the past. I was used to encountering such things, but this was the first ti that I had encountered sothing that truly gave the chills.
Not even the Conductor gave this type of chill.
It was one that seed to seep directly into my own soul. Almost as if... it wasn’t an anomaly, but sothing else entirely. Sothing more sinister.
My throat unknowingly dried up as I thought about it.
And then—
Ding!
A chi rang, and the elevator doors opened.
I looked around, mainly at the empty corridor where the darkness lay. For a brief mont, ti seed to slow down as I stared at the corridor, the outline of a certain figure appearing, staring right at .
In that mont, it was as if the very air in the area had been sucked away.
I couldn’t breathe. I couldn’t move. I couldn’t...
"....!?"
I regained sensation quickly, the outline fading from my sight as I blinked.
I didn’t think twice before dashing into the elevator.
"Hurry in."
I pressed the close button, acutely aware of my heart pounding like a drum in my chest.
Click! Click!
Even as the doors closed, I didn’t relax. I tapped the button that led to the next floor, my entire body tensed as I looked around .
A warm streak ran down the side of my face, my breathing growing heavier with each breath. I didn’t know what was going on, but I could feel it clearly.
I...
I was being watched.
"Squad Leader? Are you okay...?"
"Squad Leader?"
"Is there sothing wrong, Squad Leader?"
"We should be safe now. What’s wrong?"
"Uh? Ah...!"
I quickly realized that my actions were likely unsettling the team, and that thought forced to take a deep breath and try to calm myself as I turned to look at them. But just as I opened my mouth to reassure them, my face froze.
A mirror hung at the end of the elevator, and within its reflection, a figure occupied the very spot where I was ant to stand.
Their entire body was charred, save for their eyes, which locked onto mine with their blank yet focused stare.
"H-ha."
Tiny trickles ran down the back of my neck, as if countless little creatures were crawling upward, while sweat slid down my back and my breath caught in my throat.
Ba... Thump! Ba... Thump!
It beca louder now.
The sound of my own heartbeat.
"H-ha."
My chest trembled, and—
The mont I blinked, it was all gone.
The only thing I saw was my reflection as it stared back at .
"Squad Leader...?"
The voices of the others faded into the background as I continued to stare at it, a sinking feeling settling inside my chest.
That was no hallucination, was it?
But who...?
Who was the charred figure that stared back at ?
Ding!
The chi rang once more, and the elevator doors slid open. A pungent stench of charred flesh hit my nostrils, making recoil. My chills intensified as I looked ahead, where several dozen burnt corpses lay scattered, their hollow eyes staring emptily.
But that wasn’t the worst part of it all.
The worst part...
They were all wearing the Guild uniforms.
"....Ah."
I felt it then.
’I need to puke.’
***
Creaaak—!
A creak quietly echoed, a door slowly opening to reveal a certain silhouette.
Greeting him was a dark room. One that looked close to a storage room. It was small, with several boxes within. The sll of dust lingered in the air as the silhouette quietly walked in, his hand pressing against the side of his chest, covering the cara hidden within it.
Tak! Tak—!
The quiet sound of his steps echoed as he moved in, his body coming to a stop before a certain tal rack, all sorts of files and docunts appearing within.
As he did, he reached forward with his hand and pushed the tal racking.
Clank!
A harsh tallic screech echoed as he shoved the rack aside. When he finally forced it away, a hidden door revealed itself before him.
A large eye appeared in front of the door.
A pair of dimples ford on his face shortly after.
"...There it is."
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