Horror Game Developer: My games aren't that scary!

”Patrick Manz from the Evening Sun Guild.” He introduced himself, briefly catching me off-guard as I answered a half-beat too late. ”.....Itʼs nice to meet you.” ”Not much of a reaction, huh? I guess I donʼt seem to catch your interest. Iʼm also a Paragon.” ”...” I scratched the side of my face, not sure how to reply, but he merely laughed as he turned back. Several silhouettes appeared right after, the members of his team returning quickly, scanning the surroundings. ”Nothing?” They all shook their heads. ʼHm?ʼ My team also returned, spotting Joanna and the others. Looking at their faces, I understood immediately. ʼLooks like they also didnʼt find anything.ʼ

”Looks like we were all too late.” Patrick said, looking at all of us. ”Seems like it.” ʼAnd I thought we were fast. If they donʼt even give us time to rescue them, how are we supposed to save them? What a ridiculous trial. I should leave before whatever thing took them comes for us.ʼ Just as I planned on leaving, Patrickʼs voice echoed once more. ”What do you think about joining us?” I paused, turning my attention towards him as I raised my brow. I could also notice the confusion on his team membersʼ faces as some muttered, ʼWait, Squad Leader... They are...ʼ

He merely extended his hand and stopped them from speaking. ”I know who they are.” He looked me straight in the eye as he spoke. ”This place is dangerous. As youʼve seen from what happened to that team, itʼs safer to stick together. Weʼve found a decent shelter, an old abandoned building. I can tell youʼre all exhausted. Why not join us and work together? When the time comes, we can split the points evenly.”

Honestly, this wasnʼt a bad offer. Looking back at my team and seeing their tired looks, I felt tempted. But there was only one issue. ʼCan I trust him?ʼ He was still a stranger to me. Although I was certain that he was a real person, alongside his team, there was no guarantee that they wouldnʼt backstab me. I needed to think carefully about this. After all, I had to take care of my team as well. But as if reading my thoughts, Patrick laughed. ”If youʼre worried about us backstabbing you, then give the thought up.” He pointed at the camera strapped to his chest. ”Weʼve got a reputation to uphold. You may not have heard about me, but Iʼm sure you know about our Guild.” My expression turned complex as I looked at the half-sun insignia strapped on the right side of his chest. Indeed, their Guild image was rather good. They were known to be rather trustworthy. Sigh. In the end, I sighed. Looking back at my team, and then their team, I eventually nodded. ”Letʼs do that.” The more the merrier. ”Great.” Patrick smiled, turning around and pointing the beam of his torch in a different direction. ”Letʼs get going then.” * They didnʼt have a compass as I did, but they all seemed to know how to navigate through the fog. Although I was curious, I didnʼt ask and just followed them in silence. Eventually, we reached a stretch of path with far fewer branches. The ground was softer, though the strangely shaped trees still jutted into the trail, forcing us to push them aside as we moved forward.

ʼ...Looking at the path weʼre walking, I can tell weʼre finally reaching somewhere.ʼ We continued to follow the path for thirty minutes, the silence around us only growing. At the end of the road, we finally spotted a sign. Slowly, I raised my flashlight.

The beam cut through the fog and landed on the metal sign mounted crookedly beside the treeline.

The sign was almost completely devoured by rust. Orange corrosion bloomed across its surface like rot spreading through flesh. The edges had curled inward while the bolts holding it in place were swollen and dark. Whatever paint or lettering had once been there was long gone

ʼJust how long did this sign stay here to turn like this?ʼ ”Letʼs keep going, weʼre almost there.” Patrick turned to look at me, half-smiling as he continued to walk ahead. I didnʼt say anything and just followed him silently.

We continued to walk for ten more minutes before the scenery changed. The dense, suffocating press of the trees thinned out, giving way to a row of broken wooden railings. They stood apart and splintered in the middle of the forest, like a row of rotten teeth. Beyond the fence sat a massive, sprawling building.