I was the sole front desk clerk at a haunted hotel. Welcoming players, checking in on the bosses’ quarters, and slacking off a bit were all part of the job. At least, that was what I thought. It turned out my days were far from ordinary. A blood-drenched little girl in a tattered red dress kept ringing the service bell. Her eerie voice echoed, “Miss, why didn’t you come play with me?” A creepy black cat with glowing eyes wouldn’t stop meowing and rubbing against my legs. And then there was the old woman with claws like knives, cheerfully knitting me a sweater… out of players’ skin. One day, I took a day off to care for my sick mother. That was my biggest mistake. The entire game instance erupted in chaos. Bosses interrogated players, demanding to know where their precious front desk clerk had gone. “Did she abandon us? Is she never coming back?” I ran. They chased. But no matter how fast I fled, their grip on me only tightened. In the end, escape wasn’t an option.
View MoreFor small tasks like passing the remote and room keys, my mom ran back and forth, completely at my command.But at 5 p.m., when it was time for room inspections, she was completely floored.A little girl clung to my leg, looking up at me with teary eyes.“Miss, you’ve been gone so long… you didn’t forget about me, did you?”Mew Mew, dressed in the little outfit I’d given it, rubbed against my foot, purring and putting on its most adorable act.“Meow, meow,” which meant, “You despicable human. You’ve been gone so long, even I kind of missed you.The elderly woman in the black scarf had already reunited with her son.Apparently, on the third day of my leave, her son saw the notice I’d posted and, with the guidance of the other game bosses, found his way to her.The old woman gifted me a peculiar sweater.“Young lady, you’ve done so much for us. This is just a little something, probably worthless, but I hope you will like it.”Then, pulling her son along, she gave me a deep, formal bow of
Because of this, the lucky players who managed to escape alive were left in tears, scrambling to use every connection they had to track me down.In just a few days, my name had become legendary at the haunted hotel.…When the hotel boss called me again, his tone caught me off guard.Practically begging, he said, “Please, I’m on my knees here. When can you come back to work? I can’t do this without you, and the hotel can’t survive without you either. If you don’t come back soon, I don’t think I’ll make it…”I glanced over at my mother, who was lying in bed.It had been a week since her surgery, and she was finally able to get out of bed without issue.I felt guilty for being away from work for so long. After all, I needed to make money to support us.So, I said, “Tomorrow. I’ll make my mom breakfast in the morning, let her know, and then I’ll come in.”The hotel boss eagerly agreed. “Great, great! I’ll be waiting for you. I’ve already taken care of all your benefits, so don’t worry an
Her frail appearance made my breath catch.In a trembling voice, she said, “You ungrateful brat, all you ever do is bury yourself in work. Have you forgotten about your mother?”A wave of guilt washed over me.Lately, she’d been convinced I was lying about having a job. When my explanations didn’t work, I gave up and avoided talking to her altogether.How could I say that her illness had nothing to do with me?Right then and there, I made a decision and requested time off from my boss.Although he wasn’t thrilled about it, he reluctantly agreed.Which led to this conversation:“Mom, I work at a haunted hotel. The benefits are amazing. They’ve got cockroaches with thirty eyes, dogs with eight heads, and all sorts of bizarre game bosses…”“Are you messing with me? What kind of nonsense is that? There’s no such place in the world!”“It’s true,” I insisted. “If you don’t believe me, I’ll bring the employment contract tomorrow. For now, just rest and get ready for your surgery tomorrow.”“B
What a heartbreaking situation.The room was still unbearably hot, scattered with dried flowers. The old woman walked over and placed her son’s black-and-white photo, small and delicate, next to her own larger memorial portrait.The silence in the air was deafening, broken only by her muffled sobs of grief.I remained silent for a moment before saying gently, “Ma’am, please don’t be so sad. I think… your son might already be in the game.”She abruptly looked up at me, hope flickering in her tear-filled eyes.I continued, “Earlier today, I saw a young man who looked very much like your son. But I can’t say for sure. I didn’t want to get your hopes up… I think, if it is him, he may have entered another boss’ room.”It was as if a spark of hope had ignited in her eyes. She gasped, breathing heavily, and clutched my hand tightly.“Really? Then I… I have to find him—” she said, before breaking into a violent coughing fit.The emotional toll was clearly too much for her frail body to handle
Thinking about how hard life must be for Ruby as a little girl, I decided to send her a small offering.To me, it was just a small gesture, but Ruby’s eyes suddenly turned red. She threw herself at my legs, hugging me tightly.“Miss, why are you so good to me? When I was born, my parents hated me because of this lump and abandoned me in a garbage dump. I didn’t even make it to ten years old in the orphanage.”She clung to me, sobbing. “If only you were my mom… Waaa…”I hugged her back, gently patting her. “There, there. Don’t cry. You’ve got me now, okay? Be good.”She sniffled and nodded, still clinging to me.When it was time for me to leave, she looked heartbroken, begging me to come back earlier next time for room inspections.In the second room, the elderly woman was already waiting at the door with Mew Mew in her arms.With a warm smile, she greeted me. “Ah, young lady, you’re finally here. Mew Mew’s been waiting for you all afternoon.”Mew Mew meowed loudly, “Lies! I wasn’t wait
Nana said she was determined to score straight A’s so her dad in heaven could see.After that, I went to another house and knocked on the door.An older woman answered, her face lined with age.I said, “Your husband’s last words were something like ‘bag, raisins,’ weren’t they?”Her eyes widened in surprise. “Yes, how did you know? But I already went through the bag and checked if there were any raisins but found none.”I replied, “He wasn’t talking about raisins. He meant research! He’s been so frustrated in the afterlife because you misunderstood him!”She stared at me with a puzzled expression, as if trying to make sense of my words, but then her face suddenly changed.She rushed inside, pulled out a bag, and retrieved a folder from it. The label read Biological Research Projects.As she flipped through the contents, a check fluttered to the ground. The number of zeroes on it practically blinded me.Her voice trembled as she said, “So that’s what he meant… That scoundrel… he was hid
“Thank you, dear. Truly, thank you…”At that moment, the barrier between us seemed to dissolve.When she found out I hadn’t eaten, she warmly pulled me to the dining table and served me a plate of pasta.As I ate, she rambled on, “After I passed, my son nearly lost his mind. He’s been leaving flowers and lighting candles for me at the cemetery every day.”“When the fire broke out in our home, he tried desperately to turn on the fire hydrant, only to realize it had been broken for years.“He blames himself for everything, and it hurts me to think about it. Thank goodness I met you. When you see him, please tell him that his mother doesn’t blame him…”Tears streamed down her face as she spoke, and I stayed quiet, listening intently.I figured she must have been stuck here for so long that having someone to talk to was a rare comfort.Meanwhile, the unseen spectators were already in tears:“This is so heartbreaking. Ma’am, I admit I was too harsh on you before!”“Poor granny… she’s had su
The elderly woman with white hair said, "Oh, my dear, you’ve arrived. Let me pour you some tea."She shuffled toward the coffee table with unsteady steps. Worried she might fall, I reached out to steady her.Suddenly, a shadow darted out, landing at her feet.I froze, staring at it.It was impossible to describe exactly what it was. Its entire body was blood-red, with no discernible shape. Its eyes locked onto me, its mouth opening wide as it let out a sharp, menacing screech.The old woman crouched down and scooped it up. Strangely, the creature seemed almost liquid, stretching out as she picked it up before curling into a ball in her arms.“Mew Mew, look at you scaring this young lady.”Only then did I realize that it was a cat.“Ma’am, may I pet it?” I asked, curious.Mew Mew let out a sharp, angry meow, its expression still ferocious, but somehow, I understood its message: “Foolish human, leave this room immediately!”The old woman patted its head and laughed. “Of course you can.”
"Those female ghosts in horror movies don’t usually have canine teeth like yours. You’re actually kind of cute," I said as I untied the rope around her and helped her down, brushing the dust off her clothes.Her expression darkened at my words."Cute? No way. I won’t allow you to call me that."I thought, “Well, it’s my mouth—I’ll say whatever I want.”Before I could respond, she turned around, and my breath caught in my throat.On her back was... another head.At least, that was what I thought at first. The face on it was smiling at me.But when I took a closer look, I realized it wasn’t a head at all. It was a massive lump, nearly half the size of her real head, with eyes and a nose drawn on it. She had even styled a small tuft of hair, tying it up and letting it fall around the “face.”That was why I’d mistaken it for another head at first glance.Her smug voice came from behind me.“Well? Are you scared now? Bet you won’t say anything like that again!”“Hey, what are you—” she sta
One moment, I was at a job fair arguing with HR over a measly $600 monthly salary.The next, I found myself pulled into a haunted hotel's terrifying game instance scenario.Everyone around me looked pale and shaken, their bodies trembling....“I’m doomed! How did I end up here? I’m going to die!” someone wailed.I squeezed into the crowd, moving toward the door along with everyone else. Still trying to figure out what was going on, my eyes caught a bold notice taped to the glass door:"Front Desk Clerk Wanted. Meals and accommodation provided, generous benefits, salary negotiable. If interested, call 135-1234-5678"My eyes lit up. Without a second thought, I dialed the number.After haggling with the boss over the phone for barely half a minute, a man rushed down the hallway toward me.He wore a crisp white shirt and black slacks, his figure clean and sharp.Standing in the crowd, I waved at him. He spotted me, pulled me out of the group, and led me to the back office.“So, you’re the...
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