Chapter 38 Gotham City Horror Game Stage Horror
Dick took the lantern and shook it twice in his hand.
Thomas, do you want to come with me?
“I’d rather not, I’d rather sleep at night,” Thomas replied. “People’s curiosity fades over time, and I’m obviously past the age of staying up all night exploring Wayne Manor.”
“Okay, but you don’t seem to be much older than me, Thomas,” Dick muttered under his breath. “I remember Alfred saying you were just old enough to drink legally?”
That's not necessarily true.
Thomas had lived for almost forty or fifty years; the only person in the family who had lived longer than him was Alfred.
"Anyway, you can try wandering around Wayne Manor at night, becoming a member of a small, large family, wandering around an old and luxurious mansion, exploring the secrets of a wealthy man hidden in the night, avoiding the butler Alfred who will drag people back to bed, and the bats and owls that set the atmosphere of terror," Thomas changed the subject, "sounds like some kind of video game or horror movie."
"And what about you?"
"Me? I'm probably just a tool NPC, who will suddenly die after delivering an item, or maybe I'm actually the mastermind behind everything, whose real purpose is to use you to attract Alfred and Bruce's attention, then steal all the snacks in the kitchen, and finally use you as a scapegoat."
“Okay, that sounds really evil.” Dick played along with Thomas. “Then you should be the main villain, and bring me some if you can.”
"Sure, do you prefer cookies or donuts? If you're watching a movie at home, you can have something other than popcorn."
Thomas promptly changed the subject, just as Alfred happened to walk past them from behind.
"Young Master Thomas, Young Master Grayson, what are you two talking about?"
“Let’s discuss what snacks to eat with horror movies,” Thomas said, turning to look at Alfred.
"Yes... I'm planning to choose a horror movie this week and would like Thomas to recommend one."
"You want to watch the horror movie that young Thomas recommended?" Alfred seemed a little surprised.
“Yes?” Dick said uncertainly. “Do you have any recommendations, Thomas?”
“…I haven’t watched many horror movies,” Thomas replied. “I don’t even understand why they’re scary.”
If Thomas wants to see a killer creature, he can just look in the mirror. He has many classic elements of horror movies, but these elements don't seem to be so scary when applied to Thomas.
"So if you ask me, I can only find it for you from highly-rated movies, uh, infant spirits? Rosemary's baby? The Shining? The Exorcist?"
"...Are you really going to watch these horror movies while eating?"
"Will watching horror movies affect my appetite?" Thomas asked hesitantly.
He knew that some people couldn't eat when they saw a real corpse, but did that mean they couldn't eat when they saw a fake one?
“I believe in your courage,” Alfred said, “but minors seem unsuitable for horror movies, especially since most of them also contain sexual/erotic elements.”
"That makes sense. Let's watch a musical then."
Dick nodded hurriedly.
Alfred gave him a meaningful look, then casually reminded him, "There are no desserts in the kitchen tonight."
"I was wrong, Alfred," Thomas apologized immediately, trying to save his milkshake...
There were no cold drinks either.
"All right."
The two watched Alfred leave.
“So what are you afraid of, Thomas?” Dick looked at the infamous “ultimate villain of Gotham City” (that’s how Thomas is described in some urban legends) with a hint of malice.
"Uh, I don't know?" Thomas hesitated for a moment, then thought, "First, rule out a body."
The fear of seeing a corpse doesn't apply to Thomas. What kind of corpse hasn't he seen? In the end, a human being is just a piece of flesh. No matter how many thoughts, goals, or emotions that piece of flesh may have... it's still just a piece of flesh.
"Then we can rule out things like ghosts, mentally ill people, mutants, or serial killers..."
These things were even less likely to frighten him; compared to the Night Owl, who had actually planned to destroy the world and almost succeeded, they were all rather... weak.
Thomas thought about it for a long time, and finally could only answer: "I'm not sure, and even if it really exists, it would be something very abstract."
"Looks like I can't scare you on Halloween." Dick said with some regret, but immediately asked Thomas, "What is Bruce afraid of?"
"I was afraid of bats, though I probably am not now," Thomas answered confidently. "When I was a child, I fell into a hole full of bats, but luckily I wasn't seriously injured or sick."
“Great! I’ll dress up as Batman next Christmas, and when I see Batman again, I’ll ask him if it’s okay,” Dick said happily. “I think he’s very kind, so he probably won’t ask me for royalties.”
-
Night fell at Wayne Manor.
Dick timed it perfectly and sneaked out of the room.
He learned from some classic illustrations that children sneaking out of their rooms at night must drape a blanket over their head or body, hold the blanket in one hand to make it into a cloak, and carry a brass lantern in the other, walking with their backs half-bent.
As it turns out, one cannot blindly learn from books. Dick had only walked a short distance when he was covered in sweat. Just then, he came to Thomas's bedroom door, so he secretly opened it, intending to cover Thomas with a blanket.
Why not put it outside? Putting it outside would make it easy for Alfred to find.
Thomas was lying quietly in bed, fast asleep (quite unusual; he was probably the only one sleeping in the house tonight). Dick placed the lantern at the foot of the bed, and it made a slight metallic sound.
He then took off the blanket he was wearing and tried to cover Thomas with it.
The bed was empty; no one was in it.
etc!
Dick was 100% certain that Thomas had just been in bed.
Dick took two steps back and bumped into something. He was about to call out to Alfred and Bruce when his mouth was covered tightly.
In an instant, a bunch of horror movie images floated through Dick's mind...
“Don’t shout, it’s me,” Thomas said above him, having almost instinctively hit him while half-asleep. “Don’t call Alfred and Bruce over.”
Dick nodded.
Thomas released his grip.
"Are you really Thomas?" Dick asked, still shaken.
Is Thomas really that good at fighting?
And he disappeared without a sound... Could it be that actually...?
“I’m not a ghost, at least not now.” Thomas interrupted him, somewhat speechless, and sat on the edge of the bed, turning on the bedside lamp. “Besides, I am 100% Thomas, not someone else in disguise.”
Okay, it should really be the real Thomas... I think so.
—Would a normal person really emphasize that they were not being impersonated?
With a hint of doubt, Dick grabbed the blanket and lantern and cautiously left Thomas's bedroom.
Before leaving, he turned back for a final look and his eyes met Thomas's.
Thomas stared straight at him, the pale light from the bedside lamp illuminating his sculpted face from below, making the scars around his eyes appear even more menacing. His beautiful blue eyes were fixed on him without a single unwavering gaze, lifeless, more like some kind of inanimate object…
Dick jolted, flung open the door, and strode out.
Thomas was left sitting on the bed, puzzled.
Huh? Weren't you going to cover me with a blanket?
Why did you leave?
-
Thomas definitely has a secret too!
Dick covered himself with a blanket and ran towards Bruce's room.
Just now, when he made eye contact with Thomas, a chill ran up Dick's feet, down his spine, and down to the back of his neck, grabbing his hair.
He now understands why his seniors always draped a blanket over themselves; a blanket protecting the back of the body really gives people a great sense of security.
Bruce's room was nearby, and Dick opened the door immediately...
There is no one.
By the way, Bruce has a mysterious identity at night.
Dick looked at the empty room and wrapped the blanket tighter around himself.
He carefully carried the lamp and walked out of the room.
This time he stopped running and tried to walk quietly towards Alfred's house, glancing back every now and then.
Sure enough, there was no one in Alfred's room.
A strong wind began to blow outside the window, just as the weather was about to change, and the moonlight gradually disappeared behind the clouds.
A flock of bats flew past the window, and an owl, quite oblivious to the danger, hooted a few times.
It seemed that only two people remained in the entire manor.
One of them is still unconfirmed.
Where to go now? I definitely can't go back to my own room. The most important thing is to find Bruce or Alfred.
He wandered aimlessly through the old mansion, eventually settling down beside the burning fireplace.
It's quite bright and spacious here, making it easy to observe your surroundings.
Come back soon, Bruce and Alfred!
Just as Dick was on guard, he suddenly heard a strange sound of something sliding beside him.
He suddenly stood up and nimbly dodged to the side of the fireplace.
“How strange. I thought that with young master Thomas’s help, young master Grayson would discover your dark little secret tonight, young master Bruce.”
Alfred and Bruce!
Dick jumped up and rushed over to hug Bruce.
"What's wrong?" Bruce crouched down and looked at Dick.
It's amazing how Bruce, despite having similar blue eyes, possesses a magical power to calm people down.
“Thomas’s acting strange!” Dick said.
Bruce quickly pressed, "Isn't he in the room?"
Several murders targeting gangsters have occurred in the past few days, and some clues point to Thomas. Coupled with Thomas's statement a few days ago that he wanted the gang to take responsibility, it's hard not to suspect something.
"No, he is... well, but I'm sure it's not Thomas."
Dick described in detail what he had seen Thomas that night.
“So,” Bruce concluded, “you were scared of Thomas too?”
“That’s normal. Young Master Thomas scared away at least half of the visitors to Wayne Manor, which saved me a lot of work,” Alfred comforted him.
“Your eyes look strange, don’t you?” Bruce explained to Dick. “I don’t know why either, but that’s how Thomas looks. He doesn’t blink much and rarely blinks. So to avoid scaring people, he usually looks down on purpose and tries not to make eye contact.”
Aside from Alfred and Bruce, these two could make eye contact freely; they were already used to it.
"And the last thing you need to worry about is someone impersonating Thomas the Tank Engine," Alfred quipped. "You'll understand someday."
That kind of eerie aura is something most people could never fake.
Now that Thomas's problem is solved, it's Bruce's turn to uncover his secret.
Dick peeked into the hole behind the clock.
"...Okay, you've caught me. Want to come in and sit down?"
-----------------------
Author's note: Today I read the Batman story version (yes, with machine translation), and I had to read the first chapter twice because of a serious bug that caused me to get stuck in the crotch.
It was quite touching, though. Usually, when you choose some options, it says "Alfred noticed" or "Alfred remembered," but when you choose "You will always be my family," it says "Alfred will never forget." The ninja and the cow cat are just so cute!
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