Escape!

The badge given by Mr. Pierrot turned into a real hat. A whispering sound was heard coming from the hat, and it was telling me to find a doll. I couldn't find a doll among the many toys here. I guess I should go to the village. I thought about how to go there. The medicine I got from the dressing table. It seemed like it was something that would make you fall asleep if you took it. I put sleeping pills in the soup during mealtime so no one would notice. Soon after, the monster that took the medicine fell asleep. I put the things I had collected so far into a basket and left the building. This is my first time seeing the building from the outside, and it looks like an orphanage. I walked quickly because I was afraid that the monster would wake up. It was when I stepped into the entrance of the village. Things that looked like villagers appeared. "Tsk." I hid in a hurry. That's because the villagers who were on the dinner menu were not human at all, even though they looked like one....Just as expected. It's not a person after all.

It seems like it would be difficult to get the doll.

It was a good decision to hide.

However, the number began to increase.

Where should I run away?

What would it be like if I could pierce them all with a knife?

It's so helpless to have no power.

The kind of weakness that leaves you with no choice but to be chased by a scary being.

I am so overwhelmed by the atmosphere that all I can do is run away and survive.

Can the others be brought back after this ends?

I'm worried. And.

...Lonely.

"Is this your first time here?"

"Hmm?!"

It scared me! I thought I had been caught by a monster pretending to be a villager.

But what appeared behind me were a boy and a girl younger than me.

...The boy was missing an arm.

"Who are you?"

"I'll tell you later. Come this way before you get caught by those monsters."

I arrived in front of a building, led by the boy's small hand.

It's the doll store!

It was pretty close.

I thought it would be difficult to get the doll, but it seems it will be surprisingly easy to get it.

"Usually, there are villagers in the building, but we took them out of this place. The owner of this doll store especially hated us and wouldn't sell us any. So bam! We showed him some spice."

The boy, who was missing one of his arms, let go of my hand and grabbed the doorknob and opened it, muttering that it was a thing of the past.

When I entered the store, there were many children playing with dolls.

Thank god. I can get one.

"You asked who I was? My name is Charlotte. This is Emily."

"Hmm?"

Emily and Charlotte. They are names I've heard before.

That monster woman mistook me for Emily and Charlotte.

What relationship do these kids have with that woman?

Charlotte, noticing my questioning gaze, spoke.

"That's right. Even though I'm a boy, it's a girlish name, right?"

"No, it just sounds familiar."

The girl named Emily responded to my vague answer

"Mumble..."

I can't hear it well. Rather than having slurred pronunciation, it feels like she can't use the jaw itself.

"-Yeah, I see. This girl has trouble speaking because her jaw is underdeveloped. If I interpret it for you, Emily is saying she's familiar with you too?"

Emily? But this was my first time seeing these kids.

This is my first time coming here in the first place.

Where on earth was I taken? I don't think it's the world I used to live in.

"What, are you new?"

From a corner, a girl with one eye and a leg missing came up, holding crutches.

Now I notice that all these kids are disabled.

"...You look familiar."

The girl looked at me and was pale in surprise.

"Ugh! This... This person is the one who goes around with that girl, right?!"

"That girl?"

"That crazy blonde-haired bitch! I saw that bitch and a bitch named Mary together when they were out for a walk. What was her name..."

"Blonde hair? Tell me more. Pearl."

A girl with blonde hair. Urgh, she's the one I vaguely remembered from my memory last time... !

Friend. I feel like she was a dear friend.

Because fighting monsters with her was fun.

Who is she...!

"Urgh... Why can't I remember her? Anyway! She slaughtered those spider monster bastards! Luckily, none of us died... But she might be dangerous!"

"This... Even if you say that. I don't know who you are talking about. More details... If you tell me her name, her way of speaking, etcetera..."

"She's the person you used to go with, why don't you know?"

"..."

I had nothing to say.

Charlotte and the girl named Pearl were talking about how they were strangely drawn to that blonde girl, but then suddenly said something.

"I'm against this girl coming in here."

Pearl said with a strict, solemn, and serious expression.

I quite like someone with determination.

I smiled brightly and cleared up the misunderstanding.

"excuse me. I don't really want to live here. I just need to get some dolls."

"A few dolls? ...I think there were about four unpopular dolls. They're in poor condition too, but fine. You'll leave as soon as you get them!"

"Okay. I will do that."

Pearl went to get the dolls.

Even though she was missing a leg and an eye, she confidently walked forward without asking anyone for help.

Children with disabilities are often intimidated by the perception that they are different from others, but even if I don't know who they were educated by, I know that they were loved and cherished.

"She has a rather fiery personality. In other words, it's a good thing to be active. Hehehe... Where are you going to live if not here?"

Charlotte asked, sounding like he was worried. I didn't want to worry anyone, so I said it without hiding anything.

"I came from an orphanage that's way up there on that hill."

"What...?"

Charlotte and Emily were startled and waved their arms.

"That. Is that true?! You were with mom?"

"Mumble! Mumble!"

"By mother, do you mean the woman with four arms...?"

"That's right! Ah, I miss mom... I worked so hard on this drawing..."

With a tearful expression on his face, Charlotte showed off a picture he had drawn of her.1

It was a picture he had made of his own mother and the children from the orphanage enjoying a picnic.

There are also people who appear to be villagers.

"Then you can just go there. It's not too far."

"...Mom doesn't love us anymore."

"..."

I don't know what the story was, but I couldn't say anything as Charlotte's face looked like he was about to cry.

I patted him on the shoulder.

It was then. One of the children burst open the door and came in screaming.

"It's an emergency, it's an emergency! Mom is coming down to town!"

It looks like the medicine has lost its effectiveness! I had no idea that she would follow me all the way to the village. A shiver ran down my spine.

However, the children, contrary to me, acted as if they had heard good news.

"What?! She's coming down even though it's not meal time?"

"This time she came deep into the village!"

After hearing the news, Pearl quickly moved with four dolls and made eye contact with me.

"We have to go now! So take all of this!"

"Whoa."

After receiving the four dolls, I watched blankly as most of the children in the store ran outside.

Isn't it dangerous because there are monsters outside?

"Don't worry."

Charlotte didn't follow.

"We may get sick, but we won't die. At least in this place."

"..."

As soon as I packed up the four dolls, Charlotte held my hand and came out.

Then, I saw a being called Mother hunting monsters in the village.

The village, which had been fine, was on fire and only screams could be heard.

"You kidnapped the kids again? I can't forgive you. I can't forgive you!! They are my children!!!"

Kids were running towards the rampaging monster.

I wanted to stop the children, but there were too many of them.

"Mom! Mom, here! Mom!"

"Look this way!"

"You dirty spiders. That's gross..."

"Ah!"

The children were sent away with a single wave from the monster.

There were minor injuries, but no one died.

Charlotte looked sadly at the scene.

"...I don't know why. At some point, mom became like that. You're going to go back to the orphanage for now, right?"

"Yeah."

"Then. Can you show it to mom later? I drew it with all my might."

"Yes... I'll make sure to show her. Definitely."

Even though I couldn't afford to keep the promise, the earnest look on Charlotte's face made me nod.

I put his drawing in the basket.

"Thank you... I'll show you a side road that will take you safely. I don't know what's going on with you, but it looks like you shouldn't be caught by mom."

...

I was able to return to the orphanage safely.

"I was told to get a doll. Somehow, I ended up taking four."

Now what?

One of the dolls suddenly started moving and speaking.2

"You succeeded, Miss Ha-rim. It's me. Pierrot!"

"Mister!"

"I came to get you out of this mental world... What about the other kids?"

"It feels like there's a body, but it's empty inside. We need to start searching for the contents now."

"Is there a place in mind?"

"...Basement."

It was said that the monster would lock any child who did not obey her instructions in the basement.

If they're caught, they'll be there.

The basement is down the stairs

However, when we went down, the basement was blocked.

"It's blocked?! Why!"

"It seems like someone, like you, reached the basement before, so she must have changed it."

"...What should we do?"

"I am really sorry. Here, outsiders are prevented from suggesting an answer. Although it is possible to resist with force, the use of the power contained in this doll has already been determined. I cannot use it carelessly. You have no choice but to come up with a method yourself..."

"Still, let me give you a hint. How about recalling memories with a person who hadn't come to mind before?"

A person who hadn't come to mind until now.

It was the blonde girl.

The person who had been with us since we fell into this world full of monsters.

She was scary at first, but after some time we started to like her.

Because she was strong and dependable.

...No, there was a more decisive moment.

Memories of when it was just me, not the others.

...It was when the monster attacked me in my dream.

"...Dream... Monster!"

A keyword came to mind.

I quickly ran to the room where the others were.

Smiling, I passed by them who were still shells and made my way to the beds they used.

There, I collected their scattered hairs.

Mr. Pierrot looked at my actions with a puzzled expression.

"What are you doing?"

"...Playing hide and seek alone is a famous urban legend. You said this is a mental world, right? If monsters can appear in dreams, I believe I can summon them here as well. And there's no better monster for tracking down a target than this one! The conditions are the target's hair, something sharp, grain, red thread, and a doll!"

It is a ghost story and a necromancy that says that if you try to play hide and seek alone, the doll will be possessed by a spirit and will seek out and kill the person hiding.

Moreover, all the supplies needed to attempt it were already packed.

"Ho... As expected, you are the main character of the stage."

I cut open the doll's belly and stuffed it with grain (flour) and hair.

Next to it, I roughly placed shards from broken flower pots, then I threaded them together, soaked them in water, and roughly recited the incantation.

The three dolls with sharp fragments headed somewhere. They looked like they would be stopped at an ordinary wall. However, the dolls passed through the wall and arrived in a hidden room.

There it is!

"Guys!"

Inside the wall I passed through were three cocoons.

I immediately cut all the spider webs with a knife.

Then the souls inside flew away to find their proper places.

"Then, with this...!"

I ran right away and returned to the room I was before.

There, the members who came to their senses welcomed me.

"Ha-rim, you did it!"

"We're alive. As expected of Ha-rim!"

I'm sorry. I don't think I'll be able to say hello because the doll monsters I used are running out to kill us!

As I was about to run after receiving a short greeting, Kyeong-min, who was standing at the window, shouted.

"Wait... Something is running at us!"

"Let's just ignore the dolls and run away!"

"No, I mean the female monster!"

"Eek!"

"...There's no time! Hurry up and ■■. This can't go on like this. Remember anything that caught your attention!"3

Something that caught our attention...

...The dressing table!

We went up to the second floor and stood in front of the dressing table.

And we removed the metal plate that faces you when you sit in front of the table.

"It came off surprisingly easily. What now?"

"I can't explain in detail because I'm restricted, but we can use that to escape. I'll create the opportunity! There won't be a second chance!"

When the clown doll flicked its hand, the space began to distort.

It was very unpleasant to see the boundaries of objects blurring and mixing together.

"W... Wow!"

"What is this? It's so bizarre!"

"This is also a mental attack. All objects in this world will become ambiguous! A red square that was just colored paper has the property of fire just because it is red. A single strand of grass growing up there could become a knife just because it's thin and sharp!"

The nature of things become ambiguous. So it becomes simpler. I have to use that!

"Suho, you suddenly have your jacket!"

"It's resetting. The world is about to be reset. Arachne noticed the change and is trying to return to the beginning. If you miss this opportunity, you will never come out. Hurry before it's too late!"

The world began to collapse due to the effects of the reset.

The floor also collapsed and we fell to the bottom of the world.

"Urgh..."

"We're... Falling!"

"Eek! Help me!"

"There's a hint in your memories! We need to use that metal plate!"

A hint in our memories.

I concentrated my mind in this intense and confusing situation.

Memories. There was a fragment of a memory that immediately came to mind.

I once broke down when I met a monster in my dream and saw a terrifying future.

It was you who became the light at that time.

You made a promise to me, like a writer who would change a scary scenario of a play.

You said you would turn our fears into adventures.

You were my confidant.

I think I truly became friends with you back then.

And more than anyone else, the friend I longed for the most.

I hate loneliness.

But you are a friend I can always be with as long as I have "this"!

Is there a better friend than her?

I took out a pencil from my pocket.

And I drew my image on a metal plate.

I was so bad at drawing! But the ambiguous nature of things makes this possible!

"This metal plate contains my image! In other words, it is an object that projects me!""...Then this must be a mirror!" The metal plate changes shape. It took the form of a perfect mirror. Hurry and come get us. "Ella!" -That's the correct answer."Let's go back."