C hapter 2 — Echoes in the Empty Building
The fluorescent lights above buzzed faintly. Kaito stood in the sterile lobby of the corporate building, staring at the man in a gray guard uniform holding out a ring of keys.
There was something off about him.
He was tall, unnaturally so, and his cap cast a shadow over his eyes. He didn't speak. Just handed Kaito the keys, slowly, as if his joints creaked from disuse.
"Thanks... I guess," Kaito muttered, taking the keys.
The guard didn't reply.
Kaito narrowed his eyes. Weird. I've never seen him around. Isn't old man Sugiyama usually on night shift?
He turned toward the elevator, casting one last glance over his shoulder. The guard was gone.
Gone—no footsteps, no door clicks. Nothing.
The silence in the building pressed in on him like a thick fog.
Kaito sighed and pushed the elevator button. "Tch. This is what I get for being too good at my job, huh?"
As the elevator climbed, he could still feel the chill from that eerie lobby. I swear, the lights flickered when I walked in. Maybe I'm just tired. Maybe...
Ding.
The doors opened to the 7th floor.
Kaito stepped out. A heavy stillness lingered. Rows of cubicles stretched before him like a graveyard of forgotten tasks. Half-empty coffee cups, turned-off monitors, a single jacket draped over a chair.
He clicked on his flashlight and walked deeper into the maze.
"Boss said the report mentioned noises from the storage room..."
He followed the narrow hallway, his boots muffled by carpet, toward a dark corner room marked Storage 7-C. The door was ajar.
He pushed it open with his flashlight.
The beam revealed rows of stacked paper boxes and old monitors. Nothing unusual—until the light caught it.
A smear of black mucus.
On the ceiling.
Trailing downward, in a long, winding streak, as though something crawled there.
His throat tightened.
I've never seen bug residue like that.
He stepped in cautiously, pulling a spray gun from his holster. The nozzle hissed faintly in the quiet.
A sudden skitter—fast. Behind him.
Kaito whirled, light flashing wildly.
Nothing.
Then—thump. Thump. THUMP.
From above.
He aimed his flashlight upward, and his heart stopped.
The thing clung to the ceiling, its limbs jointed and thick like a praying mantis, except each segment was armored and glistened black. Its body was bloated, veined with red, and its eyes—too many to count—glowed orange like streetlamps in fog.
"No... no way..."
The mutated insect let out a high-pitched chitter, vibrating through his bones.
It dropped.
Kaito screamed and rolled aside. The creature crashed onto the floor with a sickening thud, legs stabbing into tile like spears.
He scrambled up, heart pounding.
I'm not equipped for this! What the hell IS that?!
The bug lunged.
Kaito dodged, barely, as a razor-sharp limb slashed a pillar in half.
"This... this isn't pest control anymore!" he shouted, reaching into his belt and pulling out a pressurized gas bomb. He slammed it down. A hiss of smoke exploded outward, burning the air.
The insect shrieked, rearing back.
Kaito used the moment to run. Down the corridor, past the empty cubicles. His breath came in ragged gasps.
But he wasn't fast enough.
A limb speared past his shoulder, ripping open his sleeve.
He fell, rolled, then—on instinct—grabbed a rusted steel rod from a cleaning cart.
The bug charged again.
Kaito screamed and swung. The rod cracked across its mandibles, a sickening crunch. It staggered.
He didn't stop.
He pounced forward, hammering the rod again and again, yelling with every blow, until the thing collapsed in a convulsing heap.
Panting. Shaking.
Blood—not his—spattered his hands.
A horrible, pungent smell filled the hallway. Like burning tar.
The creature melted. Dissolved into black sludge, sinking into the floor like ink into paper.
Then everything was quiet.
Kaito collapsed on his knees, breathing hard.
The hallway was still. The lights buzzed. Nothing else moved.
What was that...? That wasn't a normal bug. That was a monster...
Then, like a whisper from the walls themselves:
[Bug Extermination Complete.]
[Sync Rate: 3%. Welcome to the Swarm System.]
Kaito's eyes widened.
A glowing screen appeared before him. Floating. Digital. Impossible.
"...System?"
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End Of Chapter 2