Chapter 8: 1_ ch 6: A. empty house

I turn toward the last door.

And cautiously open it, while looking behind it.

Then behind that door is ......

Complete darkness.

Taking a flashlight, from my pocket, that I found in the supplies, I cautiously turn the lights on.

And .....

Nothing is happening.

No surprise attack, no traps activating, and no bombs exploding.

“fuuh. Well, that was nerves wrecking.”

Releasing the air, I was unconsciously holding, I feel relieved at the safety of my situation.

Then Looking around me with a flashlight illuminating the darkness, I see a bed, a wardrobe, and a desk.

Some movie posters on the walls, and .....

“is that an anime figurine there? For real ?”

Well, I see nothing out of the ordinary here, just a normal bedroom.

Of course, that is if we ignore the weird door sticking from the wall, the suspicious armored girl, and the absence of light in this place.

Otherwise, it actually looks no different from an old room that nobody use.

But that is what is actually creepy.

Somehow I have a feeling, that I am ignoring some details, but I will ignore it for now, as I am unable to guess it.

And then deciding so, I Move to the room’s door.

But before doing so, I turn to look at the door of my room, sticking from a wall, as if it always existed there.

And the moment, I am 1m away from it, it just disappeared.

From the introduction, that I read in the manual, after taking a shower, I know that it can appear anywhere behind me, that is if I want it to be, of course.

So, having my way of emergency escape prepared, I carefully touch the room’s door.

And when nothing happens, I put my ear on the door, and listen to the other side.

Silence.

There is no voice.

No movement, no wind, or anything.

Taking the layout of this room, it is possible that I am in a house, or a dormitory of some sort.

Of course, It can be anything, from a secret lab dormitory to a normal countryside house.

So taking that into consideration, having no voice from the other side may very well be normal.

But a normal situation in this time is what can make it eerie.

And so I prepare myself and start a countdown.

3,

2,

1,

NOW.

Sudden door opening sound.

Opening the door, nothing happened.

Moving to the other side, with an unsheathed sword in hand, I once again, survey the surrounding.

Normal.

Once again, everything is surprisingly normal.

A hallway, two doors to other rooms, a living room, and I can also spot the kitchen on one side.

But somehow, something is still bugging me.

What is it?

Even though everything normal should not be that weird, what is it? the anomaly in this place.

A normal room, a normal house, a normal kitchen.

Though it looks kinda chaotic.

Chaotic?

In a normal house?

........

OF COURSE.

This house is empty, and no one lives in it.

But then why is it, relatively clean, for a deserted house?

Why is it that everything is in its natural place?

Clothes in the wardrobe. Books on the desktop. Slippers in the living room. Plates on the table.

Everything is normal as if it was just another everyday life.

But then suddenly, there is chaos in the room, as if a great earthquake shook the place.

And in the middle of that earthquake, the whereabouts of the residents became unknown.

So that was it, the thing bugging me.

A normal room, but everything was in place as if the owner of it, simply was in the toilet, and is going to appear at any moment now.

But at the same time, there are signs that nobody got out, from inside the room.

Because to begin with, the door of it was actually closed from the inside.

Then smiling at my possible conclusion, I start my planning for the exploration of this place.

“I guess, for now, I should check the other rooms for any new information.”

Then moving to the other rooms, I start by the nearest one, so that I check them one by one.

And when finally finishing that, I then move to check the kitchen.

Then finishing all of that, I once again move to the living room and start thinking about all I just saw.

“so the second room, is a little girl’s room, while the third is possibly the parent’s room.

Also the kitchen is still normal, and even the fridge still has some food leftover.”

And so,...

Taking into account everything that was found here, I guess something must have happened fo-

Squeak. Squeak

r them to ......

And then, just as I am trying to reason all of my thoughts, I suddenly hear a weird squeaking sound.

“What was that ?”

Some kind of Squeak?

So something is actually still alive here?

But what was that?

Squeaking?

Is it some kind of rat, or mice, maybe?

But where did it come from?

The outside?

No, it was the door, probably?

So something, must exist outside this apartment’s door, right?

Squeak. Squeak.

Once again hearing the squeaking, I start to slowly walk toward the door.

Slowly, and step by step, to not make a voice.

All while gripping the handle of my sword tightly, I walk.

Then reaching the door’s peephole, I take a look.

And see them.

“Well, this is something.”

Like is this okay?

Won’t sensitive people faint?

So if I guess correctly, you are interested to know what is behind the door, right?

Well, it is nothing weird, just a normal hallway, except that there are some rats on the other side.

Nothing weird.

Or at least it should be, .....

If not for the 2 meters rats.

Two of them, actually.

Two damn 2m rats.

So yeah, this is going to be hard.

Looking carefully, the rats have black fur, some real sharp fangs, four eyes, short ears, and a very long, snake-like tail.

So, yeah .....

What should I do?

Attack recklessly, you said?

Well, thank you for the great suggestion, smart-ass.

Just smash the damn door open and fight two unknown rat monsters.

Make some noise, and then wait for the rat monster gang to groups up, and make a dance party, right?

Maybe, I should also prepare some refreshments, no?

As if there will be an idiot, that will just jump there to fight.

Do I honestly look like a shonen-manga protagonist?

Or maybe some chuuni and edgy teen?

Well, no matter what, I am not going to just jump there recklessly.

No, no. Jumping, literally, to the heart of the problem directly is only for hot-blooded characters.

Not my style.

At least, there is no reason strong enough for me to do so at the moment.

But that doesn’t mean I will just give up.

Oh, no.

Instead, I will fight my way.

A smart way.

And so looking once again, at the rat monster from the peephole, I Start to calculate my chances and draw a plan.

And though It is very simple of a plan, it’s the only possible one for now.

And though it is a gamble, at least it still has more of a winning chance than any other one.

And so taking a deep breath, I make some distance between me and the door.