The Monster's Room - Chapter 71
Riiing.
John Doe pressed his eyes shut. The ringing of the phone was annoying. But if he focused too much on it, he knew he would soon see the old telephone.
The Future Phone.
The troublesome aspect of this SCP was that it only appeared to the current user and followed them around. This made it difficult to secure. It only showed itself when the user received the third call and died, and then it would disappear, luring another user into its grasp.
Riiing.
John Doe desperately wanted to answer the phone. Not because the sound was melodious, but because he felt his nerves were fraying with every ring.
Yet he couldn’t answer it. He didn’t want to die just yet…
“Hoo.”
John Doe took a deep breath and looked at Mary Hunt. Only this child could subdue the highly anomalous entity that although it appeared to have a form, was actually intangible.
What did it mean if it was now free?
It meant something had gone wrong in the dream.
John Doe glanced at the CCTV screens. From the outskirts he saw signs that the sleeping anomalous entities were starting to awaken. He immediately activated the self-destruct system.
Crackle.
But once again, he was interrupted.
Just like the nightmare that blocked everything he tried to do.
Crackle-crackle.
The static on the CCTV screens intensified, with the screens flickering randomly on and off. The darkened screens reflected him like mirrors, and through them, John Doe saw a woman standing beside him.
“Spiegel…!”
– Hello?
John Doe’s body stiffened. Had the monster evolved to the point where it could communicate directly with him? While that was part of it, the real reason for his stiffening was simpler.
– It’s been a struggle finding you since you disappeared.
Spiegel.
The magical mirror was controlling his reflection. A dangerous and troublesome creature.
John Doe muttered to himself and tried to think. Crossing this monster’s will could result in his neck being snapped in an instant.
“How did you do that?”
Fortunately, the monster hadn’t sealed his mouth.
Besides, John Doe was somewhat familiar with this entity. It was one he had personally selected for his project. He attempted to stall for time by talking to the monster.
“Your main body must have been inside the facility.”
– When did things change?
“Changed…? Could it be D-1705, ugh!”
Crack. John Doe’s right wrist twisted. It seemed as though his wrist was twisting on its own in reality, but on the screen, a woman identical to Marie was eerily smiling as she twisted his wrist.
– You should call Marie properly.
“Ugh, guh.”
– Hmm? Try saying it again.
“Marie Garcia…”
– That’s right. My queen doesn’t like being referred to by her serial number.
The twisted wrist went limp. John Doe tried to regain his composure, but the pain was eating away at his reason. The ringing of the phone, now closer and louder than before, was also contributing to his fraying nerves.
“Marie Garcia, if you’re the main body… shouldn’t you be falling asleep together?”
– I also wondered about that briefly, but as a mirror that fulfills the queen’s desires, my love didn’t want me to sleep. That’s probably why I could ‘escape’ to another dimension.
“Selfish. Then again, you’ve always been like that. Capricious and unpredictable…”
– Well.
The SCP disagreed with his statement.
– We don’t change as much as you might think. Once fixed, we’re close to immutable.
“An interesting perspective.”
– You should be more afraid than intrigued.
Spiegel whispered sweetly in his ear as a warning.
– Our immutability has its own dreadful aspects.
* * *
Creak. Crunch. Creak.
Marie couldn’t hide her astonishment as she saw the scene in the middle of the corridor.
<Don’t cry, Lady.>
Creeeek.
It couldn’t be helped.
<There’s no need to worry!>
Three monsters were entangled together in a bizarre structure: the Nightmare’s master, the Iron Horse Knight, and the Marionette Troupe Leader. The surreal nature of it all was enough to make Marie forget her tears.
<Our love remains unchanged!>
Creeeek. Creak. Creak!
Before long, Marie realized why they had ended up like this.
“…Why?”
To stop the Nightmare’s master.
The monsters had bound themselves to restrain the master, regardless of their own appearance. Marie’s wavering gaze touched the three entangled monsters. First, she saw the iron spikes protruding from the Iron Horse Knight, piercing through the child to keep her fixed.
Next, she noticed the marionettes’ hands gripping the young monster’s body.
Creeeek, crunch! Creak, crackle, creak.
The hands of the marionettes that held the eyes, ears, mouth, and limbs kept bursting and then repairing themselves repeatedly. They seemed unaffected by the pain, persistently holding onto the child despite being pierced by iron spikes and even merging together, just like the Troupe Leader.
<Are you okay, Lady?>
His hand, pressing on the child’s shoulder, kept bursting apart. Occasionally, for some unknown reason, his shoulder or neck would vanish. The large hat he had been wearing had long since fallen to the floor.
The Iron Horse Knight wasn’t in a better state either.
He had sacrificed his own body to bloom a massive iron flower. Even so, he couldn’t completely stop the child, and his body occasionally crumpled like cooking foil.
