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

Chapter 627: Surgery [5]

Tick! Tick⎯!

7:48 P.M.

I thought I’d be a goner the moment I messed up the surgery. I really thought there was no way back for me as the scalpel slipped past the brain tissue, and my mind went completely blank.

For a moment, the entire world went black.

I lost all control over my arms and legs, the scalpel falling to the ground with a soft ’ting’ as I nearly stumbled over the chair.

My entire world spun as currents of electricity seemed to run down my spine, the sensation leaving my entire upper half numb and unresponsive. I drew in deep, unsteady breaths, my chest rising and falling unevenly as I struggled to stay rational, a sharp, constant ringing echoing in the background that refused to fade.

’…This is pretty bad, isn’t it?’

To make matters even worse, I could hear the shifting of something coming from next to me.

“D…”

The words were drowned by the constant ringing sound, but amidst moments of brief clearance, I was able to hear the words clearly.

“Doctor… you only have two minutes left.”

Ah, shit.

I wanted to curse out loud, but my lips refused to move as my stomach churned violently. Lifting my head, the harsh glare of the light above met my gaze, forcing me to squint as it felt sharper than before, almost blinding.

I tried to look away, to move somewhere, anywhere, but the moment I shifted, a hand clasped around my wrist. Her voice followed, close to my ear, soft enough to tickle as she whispered, “Doctor… time is running out.”

Tick. Tick—

Tick!

The steady tick of the clock returned, cutting through the constant ringing that echoed in the background until it faded away.

It echoed softly at first, then grew louder with each passing second, until I nearly clutched my head with both hands, the noise so intense it felt as though my skull was splitting apart.

’Ah—’

I clenched my teeth, lifting my head to stare at the pulsing organ before my eyes.

Extending my hand, the nurse handed me a new scalpel, her soft voice whispering next to my ear once more, “Time is running out, doctor, you must hurry.”

Despite this, her voice carried no urgency. If anything, it sounded almost amused as her stare sharpened, her lips slowly curling as though she were waiting for me to fail. In that moment, I saw something shift within her.

Her skin turning paler, her cheekbones sinking further in. Catching a glimpse of her, my entire body shuddered, and I forced my attention back to the patient.

Tick! Tick—

As time dragged, the change became more and more apparent.

’Hurry. I…’

I stared at the growth before me. With the scalpel in hand, I moved toward it, but as I did, my entire arm trembled, my control slipping as my body threatened to give out just like before.

’D-damn it!’

Thinking about how I messed up, I wanted to curse myself, but there was no time.

Tik! Tick—

I had less than a minute.

I needed to get rid of the growth before then.

“Haa… Haa…”

Trying to steady my breathing and my hands, I lowered myself toward the growth. There wasn’t much left, and as I reached it, I carefully worked to remove what remained. It should have taken more time, but I didn’t have that luxury.

I could feel something shift next to me as my heart pressed against my chest, my movements hurrying.

I cut through the growth in one swift motion, immediately followed by a sharp tingling sensation that surged through my entire body.

At the same time, I heard soft, distinct creaking sounds coming from beside me, a shadow slowly stretching over the space I occupied.

Ba… Thump! Ba… Thump!

The presence seemed to grow with each tick of the clock, the sound echoing louder in the background as I pressed my lips together, a deep sense of urgency settling in my chest.

’Come on! Come on!’

I didn’t know how much time I had, but I knew that I couldn’t afford to care about anything else.

My entire arm shook in my hurried movements, the scalpel nearly cutting the flesh before my eyes again, but I just barely managed to keep it tight in my grasp as I pulled it back and looked at the nurse.

Tick! Tick!

Time seemed to have stopped in that moment, my gaze still locked onto the nurse.

She looked exactly the same as before, her head tilted to the side as she just smiled at me.

As she smiled, she held onto a metal tray before me.

“Congratulations, doctor.”

I plopped the growth on the metal tray.

“…You’ve succeeded in the surgery.”

Staring at her and that smile, I dropped back onto the chair, my breathing ragged as I forced my gaze toward the distant clock. As I did, a sudden wave of nausea hit me.

I nearly gagged when I realized there was still time left before I could leave.

’I don’t want to continue. I… don’t want to.’

I was mentally exhausted, and thinking about all the pain and sensations I had endured, I felt myself nearing my limit. I wanted to stop, but I couldn’t, and as something seemed to rise in my throat. I barely managed to hold back whatever was forming, my hand reaching for my lips.

“Alright.”

The nurse beside me clapped, her cheerful voice taking on something almost demonic as I looked at her.

“Onto the next patient.”

Ah, no…

But despite my protests, the next patient was brought in. The injury was different, but the circumstances remained the same.

I was forced by the nurse to handle everything under a strict time constraint. As I began the surgery, there were moments where I nearly slipped up again, the exhaustion weighing heavily on my mind. It was then that I finally realized the true goal of that so-called “fan” of mine.

Perhaps, there was no real trick to make me fail.

He didn’t need a trick.

The exhaustion from all the surgeries and pain was enough to make me fail.

But despite this, I persisted.

I didn’t stop.

In fact, at some point, I started to ignore the pain and the sensations. Thinking back to the time that I had spent in hell, this was nothing. I had gone days without eating, drinking or sleeping. I had gone days where I would sacrifice a new part of me each day.

Compared to that, this was absolutely nothing.

And thus—

Tick! Tick!

“Haa…”

Time continued to pass this way.

This persisted until—

Putting the scalpel down and staring at the clock as it struck 10:00 P.M., I finally slumped back into the chair, letting out a long, shaky breath. Parts of my body began to tremble uncontrollably, my mind spasming as the ringing grew louder, swallowing everything else.

The lights above turned harsher, and I could barely make out anything beyond a few shifting shadows. Likely the nurses moving, or trying to say something to me.

I tried to pay attention, but my mind refused to listen to me.

I remained in this sort of state for what felt like hours, only for me to realize it had barely been a couple of minutes as everything started to clear up and I barely managed to force myself up.

’It’s over, right?’

I looked at the door.

For some reason, it felt different comapred to the past.

Blinking slowly, I began to walk toward it. Each step felt heavier than the last, the exhaustion deepening as I moved closer and closer to the exit.

Then, stopping just before it, I looked back at the room, blood seeming to cover everything. I gave the place one last glance before turning to the door and stepping past it.

Light blinded me once more, though only briefly. As it cleared, I was met with the familiar sight of a hospital corridor.

Only that…

“Huh?”

“Please make way.”

Ding! Ding!

“If you have an appointment, please head for that room.”

“Yes, how may I help you?”

I was back in the hospital. This time, however, it was no longer deserted. People filled the space in every direction. I looked around a few times, blinking slowly letting out a quiet sigh of relief

’It’s over. I’ve cleared it.’

I nearly stumbled back on the spot, just barely stopping myself as I continued to look around, wondering where Zoey and Rowan were. But I didn’t have to wait for very long as the door next to the one I was in opened, and two figures walked out.

’Good, it looks like they both made.’

I smiled. Although our relationship was a little strained, it was always good to see that they were doing fine.

I went to greet them.

“It seems like you both managed to cl…”

The words died the moment I approached them, my attention catching on Zoey’s gaze as she turned toward me. The instant our eyes met, an intense chill ran down my spine, and I stopped dead in my tracks.

At the same time, I turned my attention to Rowan, noting his extremely pale expression and lifeless eyes. My gaze shifted between the two, and as I took in Zoey’s deathly glare, I instantly understood that something had happened.

My heart sank.

’…I have a feeling that this is going to be extremely troublesome.’