The darkened corridor of the annex.
No—the Facility Security Team that had appeared after being “assigned” in response to my call, inside the hospital from the Ghost Story.
[Oh… just look at that outfit, friend!]
The thing standing in the corridor was covered from head to toe in a pitch-black coat, restraint gear, boots, gloves, and a hood.
And the style was familiar to my eyes.
[The very same style our friend was wearing until just a few days ago.]
The special division employee of the Facility Security Team slowly approached.
The result of dragging a being from a Ghost Story into the company, binding it through the bizarre means of an employment contract, and making it work on the Facility Security Team.
[-(static)Congratulations-(static) congratulations dear-(static static static)convalescent-hospital inpatients today of your rebirth congratulations]
I was still following the patient from the hospital Ghost Story carrying the congratulatory cake.
My steps heading for the emergency exit did not stop.
Whoosh.
And then the emergency exit door flew wide open.
In the place where no one should have been, patients were standing there, smiling and sticking their heads out.
The patients from each floor.
Whenever the camcorder screen in my trembling hand swept past what was in front of me, it appeared and vanished again. Dark deep green, black, and yellow contaminations spun in vortexes, making me dizzy.
But at that moment—
the special division employee of the Facility Security Team passed us.
“……!”
Without a word, the Facility Security Team kept walking, overtook the patient carrying the cake, and went through the emergency exit first. In the camcorder screen, I could see the patients stretching out their hands and clinging all over the security employee’s body.
But the Facility Security Team member, face completely hidden beneath the hood, did not move an inch.
At last, the patient carrying the cake crossed past the emergency exit with a wide smile on his face….
And the Facility…