After that brief jaunt to the other side, I found myself back in the storage room.
So, what the heck just happened there? Not good. Actually, it's pretty darn disconcerting.
Not just bad, but...like, seriously messed up. An anomaly just pops up right after Bud Gleeful drops off that strange amulet and the eerie paper. That can only mean one thing.
"Those Society of the Open Eyes folks can mess around with...these anomalies."
How and why are they dragging me into this? No clue. Is it because I turned down Bud Gleeful's invite to their mystery club? But...there's more to it. He hinted at knowing about my powers. Do they get what I can do?
...What's the deal with this cult anyway? Why did they crash into the scene out of nowhere? What do they expect to go down?... One thing's for sure. These guys can squeeze info out of this anomaly. If I bite the dust, they'll just think I'm your average Joe. If I tough it out? Then they'll figure I'm anything but ordinary.
Okay, so if I go back to the shack again, there will be a paper and the amulet. It will trigger the anomaly, and I'll have to tangle with it. But, on the other hand. If I don't go back, maybe I'll be able to safely exit the shack without setting off any weird events.
...But here's the problem. The kids and Stan...will eventually come back here since this is where they sleep. And if they stumble upon the anomaly, things will get pretty disturbing. What's even worse, if the checkpoint is made after the kids and Stan find the manual, I might not be able to save them. So the most ideal decision that I can make is just to head back to the shack and follow the manual rules.
With a sigh, I started to saunter towards the shack. Through the window, I could see the manual and the eye amulet.
...Hm. Maybe, if I just grab the paper and the eye, and bolt out of the shack instantly, this might be an easy win. I wonder if the story will allow it though...
I entered the gift shop, snatched the paper, then tried to make a break for it with my hands on the paper and...
-splat!
With a sudden sensation of my head swelling, my eyes were coated in blood. No, not just the eyes...but I couldn't feel anything anymore. My head exploded. That was when I saw the back of the paper for the last time.
*Warning. Leaving the shack without proper permission from the manager or at a proper quitting time will lead to unwanted results.
"...That...wasn't...there the...last...time..."
[Critical user function failure detected. Life signal... Negative. Commencing respawn sequence at the last checkpoint...]
[Calculating the amount of caused time paradox... 0. Expurgation complete. Restoring Data...]
[Restoration complete.]
...Okay. Back to the storage.
One thing I just learned about this anomaly is...it hates people trying to ignore it. I mean, I have a good memory, but I don't remember anything written on the back of the paper.
So, what it wants is...me to follow the exact thing written in the manual. If I try to run away, it'll change the rules to kill me. By the way, what is this horror story anyway? I never heard about one...
...After searching my phone for a moment, I found these kinds of stories on the internet.
The so-called 'rules horror'. It's basically about horror stories that show weird, uncanny rules that just don't fit common sense. Like, some rules contradict each other, and the rules contain things that should not probably be in a manual...
...But the biggest problem is, there are no other stories about how to survive this because the whole story is just...the manual itself. No more than that. For now, the best expectation about how to solve this thing is... follow exactly what the rules say, until my job is over.
Okay, let's do this.
I walked into the shack and held the manual and the amulet on the counter. I sat down at the counter seat.
...the sky was still quite bright...a lovely day to go outside and have a walk. But look at me. Sitting inside the shack with some creepy rules that are determined to kill me.
I looked at the rules again to see if something differed. And...
Employee Guidelines for the Care of the Mystery Shack
The Mystery Shack is a secure haven, free from peculiarities. However, adherence to these rules is advised for personal safety and well-being.
Should you hear a knock on the gift shop window, refrain from looking and maintain breath-holding until the sound ceases.
Prior to vacating your counter seat, activate all lighting fixtures using the controller beneath the table. If, however, the light on an alleged fifth floor is illuminated, promptly return to your seat. Notably, the shack doesn't have a fifth floor.
Ensure all doors are unlocked. This precautionary measure facilitates a secure exit in unforeseen circumstances.
If distant screams reach your ears, feign ignorance and continue with your tasks. Refrain from involvement with anything associated with the screaming.
In the event of an eerie presence above, close your eyes and count precisely to ten. Under no circumstances should you open your eyes immediately; a brief suicide is recommended before further damage.
This guideline does not encompass Rule Number 4. Should you encounter one, dismiss it and act contrary to its instructions.
If you chance upon subterranean stairs, obstruct the entrance and abstain from descending.
Answer every single phone call in the shack.
Remember, there is nothing weird with the shack. Maintain simplicity and have a good day.
...There was a new rule. I should answer every single phone call...? Why is this added? Ah, and there's no warning at the back of the paper this time...maybe because I didn't try to run away.
-Knock! Knock!
Knocking at the window. Just like last life... Okay, let's follow the rules this time. What does it say?...I should refrain from looking at it, and hold my breath...I can do this.
I instantly held my breath, and just stared at the wall infront of me.
-KNOCK! KNOCK!
The knocking was getting stronger and stronger, as if it was trying to break the window. And...My breath was failing. I can only hold my breath for too long...!
-KNOCK!...
With a final knocking that almost sounded like it was shattering the window, the noise stopped.
"HA...! Ha...!"
...How many times do I have to do this? With one single mistake, I'd be dead again. And I have to do the whole thing over again... I need to find a way to overcome this. But...how?
And, when is Stan coming back? I just realized that today's not my usual work day...So the only way I can finish my job is for Stan to come home and dismiss me.
...Fine. That means I just have to leave my ears and eyes wide open for anything happening in the shack.
-ring! ring!
Speak of the devil... I could hear a phone ringing in the shack. I didn't know where, but it was ringing loud enough to make my ears hurt.
So, according to the rules... I need to get that phone. But to get that phone, I have to leave the counter.
"If the rules are correct, then that means there should be a controller beneath the table..."
And there was. I had never seen it before the whole time I'd been working here in the shack, but there it was. A greenish-brown colored controller with switches. Each switch had a number beneath it, and I deduced that it implied the shack's floors...
...and it was weird. There was...B1, 1, 2, and 3. B1? From what I know, there was no basement in this shack. And even if it had one, I should have known because there should be at least something that leads the way...and the third floor. Huh, if we add the rooftop,
-ring! ring!
...Okay. Thinking next, acting first. I had to do something with that phone...where is it coming from anyway?
I woke up from the counter seat after turning all the switches to [on]. The light flashed all around the shack. It was even brighter than usual, that's for sure.
I walked past the vending machine and into the living room. There was no phone ringing here... and the ringing was coming from somewhere around the first floor.
In the living room, where oddities mingled with the familiar, the phone's ring echoed. My search led me to the final frontier—the museum. There, next to a peculiar sculpture of a gorilla with a scorpion tail, the black dial phone awaited my attention.
-ring! ring!
As I approached, the tranquility shattered with a blood-curdling scream, reverberating through the air. The manual instructed me to feign ignorance and continue with my tasks. Easier said than done, as the chilling screams echoed and intensified.
"AHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!"
I stood my ground, biting my tongue to suppress any reaction. The pain surged, but I dared not show it. The screams drew closer, a relentless assault on my senses. Step by step, I pressed on, maintaining an outward appearance of indifference.
-tick! tick! tick! tick!
-Ring! Ring! Ring!
-AHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!
The screaming entity seemed almost at my heels, yet I pressed forward, reaching the black phone. I raised it to my ear, the screams abruptly vanishing.
-BEEEEEEEP-
A moment of disorienting tinnitus followed, gradually fading away. I cautiously uttered a hesitant greeting.
"...Hello?"
[...You're alive! So he was correct, once again...Oh, the great one always knows what's going on.]
Bud Gleeful's voice, dripping with a mix of amusement and cryptic assurance, resonated through the line. I couldn't suppress my frustration.
"Bud Gleeful...What the heck did you do to this place?"
[I? I didn't do anything, young man. The only thing I placed was the Rosary. That was it. Did you like the design?]
"Then why did you call me?! What do you know about all this?! Who are you guys!? I'm already stressed out enough with the Dorito...I don't have time to play with you."
Bud chuckled on the other end, reveling in the chaos he had inadvertently unleashed.
[HoHo! Playing, I'd like the sound of that. Anyways...it's not my decision, young man. We do what he tells us to do. Now, would you die? I want to get back to my work.]
"...I'm going to do this again and again. Forever."
[Forever? There is no tomorrow or forever to you, young man. You die today.]
...Okay, now I'm sure he doesn't know anything about my powers and what my powers are. They don't know that I can go back in time.
"...Then who is 'He'? If I'm going to die anyway, you can tell me that."
I need more information about them. As sudden as they are, I need more information about them.
[Oh, you know. Our proprietor...Can't tell you more than this, son. Now. Can't you hear that lovely sound?]
"..."
-Ha...Ha...
The noise of something breathing was coming from right above me.
[Good luck counting to ten.]
[Beeep-]
The phone call ended as soon as I got silent.
-Ha...Ha...
-tick! tick! tick! tick! tick! tick!
My eyes were closed, and the ticking sound of the Memento-Mori echoed through the museum.
