Chapter Three
7:00 PM - And So It Begins...
John had just gotten through telling Rachel and Paul how he was the grandson of the mass murderer who destroyed their families lives. Much to his surprise that had no ill 
feelings towards him. Rachel had explained that there was no reason to ever be mad towards John because he wasn't there fifty years ago. She said it was it was well in the past and there's nothing anyone can do to change what happened. Paul told him he didn't know any of this had even happened until a few days prior, so why should he care. This lifted some weight off of John's shoulders, but being in that hotel had still made him uncomfortable.
The three of them had found rooms just to the right at the top of the stairs. At the top of the staircase was a spacious room that was probably once some form of loft. It had a ratty old couch and love seat with a small coffee table that had been colored in gray with dust. A fireplace sat before the furniture, but there was no fire wood. Towards the back of the loft there was a six seater, round wood dining room table. When the trio had walked up the stairs there was no light coming from anywhere. The bulbs on this second floor were burnt out. John had noticed that the window on the back wall had been boarded up pretty securely, blocking any chance of moon or sunlight from coming in. If they weren't armed with flashlights, it wouldn't have been possible to see a thing. To the right of the window was another small staircase that led to the third floor. It appeared that no light had been up there for sometime either.
To the right of the loft area was a short hallway with two doors to the left, and one directly at the end. Rachel and Paul immediately took the two doors to the right and went in to examine their rooms and get changed. The hallway curved to the right and led down a very long and very ominous path. There were more doors to both sides. The carpeting was the same as downstairs but slightly more worn down. The walls had the same chipped white paint but there were no photos like in the hall downstairs. The end of the hallway could not be seen from the other end, it was to dark.
When the others chose their room, it had become hauntingly quiet. John chose the door that was at the end of the first small hallway. His door creaked open slowly and a puff a dust hit him in the face. This door hadn't been opened in some time. The room was pitch dark. John flashed the beam of light in his hand towards the inside of the room. There was no carpeting. There was no closet space. There was only a queen size bed with a moth eaten bed spread. There also used to be a window in this room, but it too had been boarded up. John threw his bag down upon the wood floor and more dust kicked up. He scanned around with his flashlight. Nothing on the walls, the room was desolate.
The floorboards from the hallway outside suddenly creaked as if someone had taken a few steps. John turned around to face the doorway, the beam of light slightly illuminating the loft in front of his room. He didn't hear a door open. No voices echoed out.
"Guys?" John whispered loudly, but got no response. He stuck his head out the door and looked in front and then to the left down the hallway. The beam in his hand shed some light down the hall but not enough to see. John walked out but did not close his door and began to walk down the hallway. He nervously and slowly moved down the hall. The floor beneath him moaned loudly with every step. His heavy breathing was the only other sound he could hear. There was no one there, maybe it was his imagination. He had reached the end, and there was just a wall. None of the other doors had been opened, and he checked a few and they were locked. He stood dead still.
Right then, he suddenly heard clear and defined footsteps from right behind him. John quickly spun around but saw no one. "Paul?" he said, but no response. "Rachel?" Nothing. The footsteps sounded like they were walking away from John, but he could tell that they were right in front of him but he saw no one. He was frozen, his hands shook and the beam of light was rattling over the wall. John felt paralyzed and a cool chill came over his body. A very slight cloud of breath could be seen for just a moment when he breathed out. The footsteps stopped and John still stood immobile at the opposite end of the hall. He gulped, and began to breath even heavier. Then a deathly silence fell over the entire hotel. John thought he had gone deaf for a moment. He trembled.
He took a step forward. Creak. Another step. Creak. Another. Creak. Out of nowhere his bedroom door slammed shut as if someone had ran full force into it. John jumped from the shock and his flashlight dropped. He fumbled to his knees and felt and quickly grabbed the flashlight and stood back up. He immediately threw the beam of light towards his door and for an instant he saw what looked like a shadow of a person run towards the loft, and the footsteps he heard confirmed that.
"Shit!" He yelled and began to run towards his room door. By the time he got there Paul and Rachel had both swung open their doors and jumped out of their rooms to see what was going on.
"Why are you slamming doors?!" Rachel screamed towards John. John got to his door and briefly examined it. It hadn't been broken. He turned the knob and swung the door open. He peered in his room but no one was there.
"I didn't do that, I think someone was in my room." John breathed it with a hint of fear in his tone. "Were any of you in my room a minute ago?" He questioned the two nervous looking people.
"No, I've been in my room the whole time bro, could it have been Mark or Liz?" Paul said with some excitement.
"No, they're still downstairs, someone was in my room. Someone was in this hallway with me!" John began to raise his voice. Rachel shook her head with confusion, she had no clue what was going on.
Paul grinned. "Damn dude do you know what that means?!" Paul said with a smile and slapped John's shoulder. John ignored this and walked out to the loft. He scanned the whole area with his flashlight. Paul and Rachel were right behind. Rachel looked somewhat scared and she stood hip to hip with Paul. Her flashlight was right next to her face. John spun his light towards the stairs that go to the third floor. He shrieked immediately at the extremely quick glimpse of what looked like a face peering around the bend of the stair case but it vanished as quick as he saw it. More footsteps followed right up the stairs.
"What is is?! Why did you scream?" Rachel whispered.
"I just saw someone," John said and hesitated, "I think." John climbed the first few stairs and peered around the bend of the stairs. He looked up and there was a door at the very top. He ran up the stairs and tried to open the door but it was locked. "Damn," he whispered.
Paul was right behind him. "Dude I heard those footsteps, that was intense!" Screamed Paul with enthusiasm. John's mind was to focused on what just happened to listen to anything Paul was saying. Just then Mark and Elizabeth had just ran up the stairs and met up with the other three.
"Guy's what the hell is going on? I thought I heard someone scream." Mark said slightly out of breath from running up the stairs so quick. John walked down the other stairs and shined his light on the married couple.
"Did you guys hear any kind of footsteps? Someone running maybe?" John asked.
"Well we heard a little bit of that, we thought it was you guys." Elizabeth responded. "Why do you ask?"
John all but ignored Elizabeth, "Mark do you have a key to the door on those stairs right there?" He questioned and pointed towards the smaller staircase.
Mark looked at John than at Paul and the scared looking Rachel. "I do but hold on minute. What is going on?" Mark said directly to John.
John looked Mark straight and the eye, "Well the reason you are here Mark," he said, "I don't think it's going to be all for nothing."
"Meaning what?" Mark said curiously with a grin appearing.
"Meaning I think you might want to start rolling." John shot back. And they all just stood still, in the darkness.
...TO BE CONTINUED.
--Mike--
**Part One can be read by clicking this link: A Lifeless Town
**Part Two can be read by clicking this link: 6:00 PM - Ten Hours Earlier
feelings towards him. Rachel had explained that there was no reason to ever be mad towards John because he wasn't there fifty years ago. She said it was it was well in the past and there's nothing anyone can do to change what happened. Paul told him he didn't know any of this had even happened until a few days prior, so why should he care. This lifted some weight off of John's shoulders, but being in that hotel had still made him uncomfortable.The three of them had found rooms just to the right at the top of the stairs. At the top of the staircase was a spacious room that was probably once some form of loft. It had a ratty old couch and love seat with a small coffee table that had been colored in gray with dust. A fireplace sat before the furniture, but there was no fire wood. Towards the back of the loft there was a six seater, round wood dining room table. When the trio had walked up the stairs there was no light coming from anywhere. The bulbs on this second floor were burnt out. John had noticed that the window on the back wall had been boarded up pretty securely, blocking any chance of moon or sunlight from coming in. If they weren't armed with flashlights, it wouldn't have been possible to see a thing. To the right of the window was another small staircase that led to the third floor. It appeared that no light had been up there for sometime either.
To the right of the loft area was a short hallway with two doors to the left, and one directly at the end. Rachel and Paul immediately took the two doors to the right and went in to examine their rooms and get changed. The hallway curved to the right and led down a very long and very ominous path. There were more doors to both sides. The carpeting was the same as downstairs but slightly more worn down. The walls had the same chipped white paint but there were no photos like in the hall downstairs. The end of the hallway could not be seen from the other end, it was to dark.
When the others chose their room, it had become hauntingly quiet. John chose the door that was at the end of the first small hallway. His door creaked open slowly and a puff a dust hit him in the face. This door hadn't been opened in some time. The room was pitch dark. John flashed the beam of light in his hand towards the inside of the room. There was no carpeting. There was no closet space. There was only a queen size bed with a moth eaten bed spread. There also used to be a window in this room, but it too had been boarded up. John threw his bag down upon the wood floor and more dust kicked up. He scanned around with his flashlight. Nothing on the walls, the room was desolate.
The floorboards from the hallway outside suddenly creaked as if someone had taken a few steps. John turned around to face the doorway, the beam of light slightly illuminating the loft in front of his room. He didn't hear a door open. No voices echoed out.
"Guys?" John whispered loudly, but got no response. He stuck his head out the door and looked in front and then to the left down the hallway. The beam in his hand shed some light down the hall but not enough to see. John walked out but did not close his door and began to walk down the hallway. He nervously and slowly moved down the hall. The floor beneath him moaned loudly with every step. His heavy breathing was the only other sound he could hear. There was no one there, maybe it was his imagination. He had reached the end, and there was just a wall. None of the other doors had been opened, and he checked a few and they were locked. He stood dead still.
Right then, he suddenly heard clear and defined footsteps from right behind him. John quickly spun around but saw no one. "Paul?" he said, but no response. "Rachel?" Nothing. The footsteps sounded like they were walking away from John, but he could tell that they were right in front of him but he saw no one. He was frozen, his hands shook and the beam of light was rattling over the wall. John felt paralyzed and a cool chill came over his body. A very slight cloud of breath could be seen for just a moment when he breathed out. The footsteps stopped and John still stood immobile at the opposite end of the hall. He gulped, and began to breath even heavier. Then a deathly silence fell over the entire hotel. John thought he had gone deaf for a moment. He trembled.
He took a step forward. Creak. Another step. Creak. Another. Creak. Out of nowhere his bedroom door slammed shut as if someone had ran full force into it. John jumped from the shock and his flashlight dropped. He fumbled to his knees and felt and quickly grabbed the flashlight and stood back up. He immediately threw the beam of light towards his door and for an instant he saw what looked like a shadow of a person run towards the loft, and the footsteps he heard confirmed that.
"Shit!" He yelled and began to run towards his room door. By the time he got there Paul and Rachel had both swung open their doors and jumped out of their rooms to see what was going on.
"Why are you slamming doors?!" Rachel screamed towards John. John got to his door and briefly examined it. It hadn't been broken. He turned the knob and swung the door open. He peered in his room but no one was there.
"I didn't do that, I think someone was in my room." John breathed it with a hint of fear in his tone. "Were any of you in my room a minute ago?" He questioned the two nervous looking people.
"No, I've been in my room the whole time bro, could it have been Mark or Liz?" Paul said with some excitement.
"No, they're still downstairs, someone was in my room. Someone was in this hallway with me!" John began to raise his voice. Rachel shook her head with confusion, she had no clue what was going on.
Paul grinned. "Damn dude do you know what that means?!" Paul said with a smile and slapped John's shoulder. John ignored this and walked out to the loft. He scanned the whole area with his flashlight. Paul and Rachel were right behind. Rachel looked somewhat scared and she stood hip to hip with Paul. Her flashlight was right next to her face. John spun his light towards the stairs that go to the third floor. He shrieked immediately at the extremely quick glimpse of what looked like a face peering around the bend of the stair case but it vanished as quick as he saw it. More footsteps followed right up the stairs.
"What is is?! Why did you scream?" Rachel whispered.
"I just saw someone," John said and hesitated, "I think." John climbed the first few stairs and peered around the bend of the stairs. He looked up and there was a door at the very top. He ran up the stairs and tried to open the door but it was locked. "Damn," he whispered.
Paul was right behind him. "Dude I heard those footsteps, that was intense!" Screamed Paul with enthusiasm. John's mind was to focused on what just happened to listen to anything Paul was saying. Just then Mark and Elizabeth had just ran up the stairs and met up with the other three.
"Guy's what the hell is going on? I thought I heard someone scream." Mark said slightly out of breath from running up the stairs so quick. John walked down the other stairs and shined his light on the married couple.
"Did you guys hear any kind of footsteps? Someone running maybe?" John asked.
"Well we heard a little bit of that, we thought it was you guys." Elizabeth responded. "Why do you ask?"
John all but ignored Elizabeth, "Mark do you have a key to the door on those stairs right there?" He questioned and pointed towards the smaller staircase.
Mark looked at John than at Paul and the scared looking Rachel. "I do but hold on minute. What is going on?" Mark said directly to John.
John looked Mark straight and the eye, "Well the reason you are here Mark," he said, "I don't think it's going to be all for nothing."
"Meaning what?" Mark said curiously with a grin appearing.
"Meaning I think you might want to start rolling." John shot back. And they all just stood still, in the darkness.
...TO BE CONTINUED.
--Mike--
**Part One can be read by clicking this link: A Lifeless Town
**Part Two can be read by clicking this link: 6:00 PM - Ten Hours Earlier
