It ignored the toy completely, choosing instead to claw at its shadow on the wall. Its tiny body bumped around clumsily, which only made it look even cuter.
With the second room inspection done, I headed to the third.
Knock, knock, knock.
From inside, a rough, raspy voice called out, “Who is it?”
“It’s the front desk. I’m here to inspect the room.”
The door opened just a crack before slamming shut again with a loud bang.
“Seen enough? Good. Now scram.”
“I haven’t seen anything yet,” I said flatly.
After a pause, the door creaked open again.
An elderly woman with a black scarf tied around her head stared at me grimly.
As I stepped inside, I froze.
A wave of heat hit me, and the room felt like a giant furnace. From the ceiling, countless dried flower petals floated down like snow.
In the center of the room stood a black-and-white photograph of the elderly woman herself.
“Should I clean up all these flowers?” I asked.
She responded coldly, “No. These are offerings my son gave me.”
I had already started piecing things together before coming in here, but now her words confirmed my suspicions.
These game bosses weren’t just game characters. They were likely the spirits of people who passed away in real life, now finding a place in this haunted game instance.
“Do you miss your son? I can help you pass along a message to him if you’d like.”
Her body stiffened at my words. “You… really would do that?”
“Of course,” I said with a reassuring smile. “I get off work in about an hour and can return to the real world. Just give me his address or anything you want me to tell him.”
Her eyes lit up with a mix of disbelief, hope, and emotion. She hurried over to the table and grabbed a pen, but froze for a moment, looking unsure.
With an encouraging look from me, she slowly began writing.
When she finished, she carefully folded the letter, her trembling hands passing it to me.
I tucked it gently into my bag and said, “Don’t worry, ma’am. I’ll take care of it.”
