cammou

Bam!

Click's hand hits a hard object.

The wooden skeleton collapses to the ground, the rags on it fluttering in the wind when that voice rings out again—

I found it—I found it—

Gaah!

Ka-chack!

The place where sound came from was nothing more than a mess of tangled wires. Two red signal lights flicker, pause, and then repetitive sounds come from beneath the debris.

'I'm over here! Hurry up! I found it—'

'I found it—I found it—'

'I found it—'

Robbie? Robbie! Why's my video camera completely out of juice already?

Robbie? Captain? Oh right, the captain. I still have my comms terminal... Captain! Where are you? Robbie's gone missing!

Pick up... Please, pick up...

...Click... missing...? Rob... hurry up...!

Click... get out... dark...

Captain! Captain? What's wrong with this thing all of a sudden? Ugh...

What time is it...? Huh? How is it still 12:15?! I...

Why am I back on the first floor? Didn't I go upstairs? Hmm, maybe the second floor looks the same... Yeah, that's gotta be it...

Wait, this is me... doing a V pose...?

Does that mean... I'm on the first floor?

*Rustling sounds*

Suddenly, a noise comes from the video camera. Click looks down: on the screen swirling with snowflakes is Robbie's pale face, plastered with scarlet wounds.

His lifeless eyes look straight into the camera before he lets out a horrific scream—

Aaaaaaaahhhhhhhh!!

Aaaaaaaahhhhhhhh!!

Aaaaaaaahhhhhhhh––––!!

Perfection! That's the ticket, Click! We've got all the footage we need. Our new video's gonna go viral for sure! Let's pack it up, everyone!

I've already decided how I'm gonna edit this. So if you have any ideas, feel free to chime in. C'mon, c'mon, we're aiming for the top!

...Click?

(So scared... I don't wanna think about it anymore...)

(Finally outta there... Soon I can head back to my room, curl up with my blanket, and enjoy some snacks...)

The door... The door opened on its own!

Were you the one knocking on the door just now?

N-No, it wasn't me.

Well, it wasn't me either...

*Rustling sounds*

(No! I need to get this out of my head...)

(I'm out. I'm already out. None of this is real...)

'I'm over here! Hurry up! I found it—'

'I found it—I found it—'

'I found it!'

*Rustling sounds*

(Aaaaaaaahhhhhhhh––––!!)

(What was that noise the whole time?! Was someone else in there?)

Click?

*gasp*... *gasp*...!

Come in, Click. Are you reading me?! Hey, after I finish editing, I'll treat you guys to dinner!

Goddamned kurwa bloody ta ma de hell—!

Huh?

He was like this when I found him. He was going around punching trees, apparently chasing after something that scared him in the factory. There probably aren't a whole lot of leaves left in that patch of the woods.

C'mere, Click. Let's trim the video together. Didn't you always say you wanted to scrounge up enough money to film your own videos? When we top the charts, I'll give you a bonus!

Oh... Sure.

(The captain seems so calm, but Robbie's scared out of his mind... Weren't we in the same place?)

(Ugh... Do I work on the video first, or calm Robbie down? Or maybe, I need to calm myself down...)

Hyah! Dammit, can't believe I'm getting spooked by my own video.

Any idea what happened to make Robbie like this? He still hasn't recovered.

Can't tell... But this scene is pretty terrifying, for sure. You can see the camera shaking and hear his panting, and you even get glimpses of his face every now and then.

Oh, I don't mean him, he's not what's scary.

But, those wounds on his face definitely aren't something he could make by himself, and I kept hearing rustling sounds the whole time...

One sec! Let's cut here to add a transition and some narration. Starting from the staircase, then—

Mmhmm. Turn up the brightness, blur out all the garbage, and then amplify the breathing sounds...

The door opening, the scream, the chase up the stairs. Cut here, then swap over to my perspective...

*Rustling sounds*

Cap'n, do you hear that?

Yeah... What is it?

*Rustling sounds*

I heard the very same sound! It was when I was on the roof. I got your call, and then...

*Rustling sounds*

Though she's returned to the light of day, Click still feels like she's in that dark factory.

She leans closer to the monitor, to the constantly-shaking perspective, the chaotic background sounds, and Robbie's panicked panting. Click turns up the brightness.

Two little red beads suddenly appear in the corner of the video, directly facing the camera. They begin to draw closer.

*Rustling sounds*

Squeak, squeak!

Hold up, what is that...?

A musbeast?!

It's a freakin' chonker!

Where? Lemme see.

Over there! Look!

Wait, why's there one over here too?!

Ah! It, it jumped on Robbie's face and bit the heck out of him! After that... Robbie dropped the video camera, and it jumped out the window!

What?

Let me see!

Wait a damned second, there's another one over here! Why are there so many of 'em?

Wait, don't tell me, the abandoned factory... is nothing more than a musbeast den?

No way! So much stuff was going on in there. There was that knocking sound, even though nobody was at the door, and then it opened on its own!

Then, Robbie's video camera started looping! Also, I couldn't get up to the second floor, no matter how hard I tried, and time stopped! No matter which way I took, the time was stuck at 12:15 and I kept going around in circles on the first floor!

L-Let me see for myself!

Click drags the loading bar aside.

Also, I lost contact with you!

And here!

Our comms went down because... a musbeast tinkled on the base station and caused it to short circuit?!

Then... Then, why was I stuck on the first floor?

And here!

They chewed through the stairs because they were nesting there?!

And the time got stuck at 12:15 because they ruined my watch?

Huh?

...What?

Squeak, squeak!

Huh?!

You little runt, I see you now! Hahaha! I swear upon my honor I will slay you this day––