Darkness was gradually spreading.
Everything existed in a cycle of destruction and repair.
Piercing screams, frenzied roars, and the deafening noise of chainsaws rose and fell in chaotic succession.
The previously normal corridor was now stained blood-red. For brief moments, figures could be seen collapsed on the floor, twitching before disappearing without a trace as if they were mere illusions.
Cracks extended across the walls, with lines of text seeming to appear on them - yet when looked at closely, there was nothing.
The murmuring voices spread continuously throughout the building. Some were crying, others screaming in despair. They seemed to have lost their souls, their selves, leaving only faint echoes within their hollow shells.
[Alice!]
The things were screaming.
[Alice]
They repeated.
[Alice...]
They whispered.
Their voices grew more confused, yet more furious.
After the sudden appearance of that destructive intruder - that thing possessed by multiple foreign supernatural forces - the entire place had entered an extremely agitated state.
It was at this moment that Yotsuya Miko quietly slipped out of her ward.
During the earthquake-like disturbance earlier, the door to her ward had been damaged enough to create a small opening. The girl took advantage of this to reach through the gap, turn the handle, and quickly escape.
The corridor was now completely empty, with lights flickering intermittently. Through Miko's eyes, she could see some wards completely swallowed by darkness, remaining pitch-black even when the lights brightened. Sections of the hallway were similarly obscured, as if something unseen was blocking the light.
"Haa..."
The girl noticed her breathing becoming uneven.
She was acutely aware of her own powerlessness. If she encountered real danger, escaping on her own would likely be impossible.
Yet she had no choice but to move.
Whatever the reason for the hospital's current state, this was an almost unrepeatable opportunity.
Slow, methodical exploration was not the wise choice here. There were masterminds behind the scenes - people far more malicious than the ghosts themselves - carefully orchestrating events. Following the rules would only lead to traps. But her eyes... these special eyes of hers, along with her heightened perception, might allow her to bypass restrictions and achieve what others couldn't.
She had to use this chance to learn more about the hospital's secrets.
She needed to bring this intelligence back to Takakai-san. Even if she failed this time, she could share what she learned in the next cycle!
The Miko from before likely wouldn't have had this courage or initiative.
But the fragmented inherited memories, along with the pain of two deaths remembered, had gradually tempered her resolve. She now understood what she could do, and so acted decisively to contribute in her own way.
Rumble—
The ground shook violently again.
"Uwaah!"
Miko fell hard onto the floor.
The metallic scent of blood filled her nose.
A terrifying presence made her skin crawl.
Turning her head, she saw through the window that about half of the hospital courtyard had transformed into a bloody slaughterhouse.
Dismembered livestock and human corpses hung together from meat hooks.
A chainsaw-wielding man was howling, entangled with orderlies and patients - their flesh actually merging and tearing in a horrifying carnival of violence.
Miko saw three tumorous growths emerge from the man's back, each morphing into humanoid shapes:
One held a pen, writing nonstop.
Another clutched a measuring tape, muttering about needing to measure something.
The last gripped the man's chainsaw hand with maddened intensity, laughing hysterically while looking directly at Miko -
and giving her a grotesque smile.
What... is that?
Human? Not human? The distinction blurred.
No time to understand.
She scrambled away as the hospital's forces gradually suppressed the intruder. No matter how powerful foreign entities were, they would eventually yield to the home ground's advantage.
The connecting gate between male and female wards was securely locked.
But the staff room was open.
Miko carefully entered, confirming it was empty before taking a document from the desk and exiting through the opposite door into the male ward.
Twelve single rooms. Three group wards.
Finding Takakai would be like searching for a needle in a haystack.
But he's definitely making moves right now.
This chaos might even be part of his plan.
I should have asked for his room number—
She shook her head. No point regretting her disobedience now.
Peering through a viewing window, she saw:
Darkness consuming most of a ward's interior.
Sobs filled with absolute despair.
Not his room.
As she pulled back, a whisper followed her:
[Alice... don't leave us...]
The voice sounded as if...
As if Alice was already dead.
Room after room revealed the same pattern:
[Unforgivable... my Alice... why...]
[Take me with you...]
[My love... my only love...]
[Stay... please stay...]
[I'll kill you... kill you kill you KILL YOU—!]
The hatred congealed into physical pressure, each step heavier than the last.
One truth became clear:
Here, Alice's death was common knowledge.
Yet the posters still advertised her "visit tomorrow."
Parallel timelines?
Miko's head throbbed. Could Takakai-san make sense of this?
The darkness was receding.
The slaughterhouse hues fading.
Time was almost up—
Thud.
A hand clamped down on her shoulder.
"What are you doing here?"
"Saved us the trouble of searching."
Before she could react, strong arms lifted and stuffed her into a medical cart. The curtain fell, plunging her into fabric-scented darkness.
Takakai's smirk flashed in her memory.
"Stay hidden."
Her pounding heart gradually calmed.
For now at least—
—she was safe.