Night 14

I finally managed to find my room again…as well as the front lobby to this hotel. Though I'm sure that it won't be as easy to walk out of here as it may seem...I want to exit those doors, the ones that led me into this wretched house in the first place.

The young woman made her way down the dark corridor, passing one teal door after another. Finally, in the dim light of the orange wall candle, she stopped and turned to face a door with the golden numbers 205. She grabbed the doorknob and easily turned it. She hesitated to open the door.

The young woman took a long moment to listen for any noises within the room. There were none. The door creaked as she carefully pushed it open. When she was able to glance inside, the young woman saw that the interior of the room looked as though it was untouched. To her relief, the young woman was reunited with a quiet and simple room that was exactly as she had left it. She paused at the doorway, gaze lingering on the bed. However, her eyes then moved over to the rifle that was idly propped against the bed.

The young woman stepped inside of the room but didn't shut the door behind her. She picked up the rifle and checked the ammunition inside; it was fully loaded. In a practiced manner, the young woman slung the rifle over her shoulder. Out of the corner of her eye, she caught movement. Glancing in that direction, she found it to be her own reflection, in which the young woman looked over at her tied up, blond hair, her white and brown uniform, and her light blue eyes. The young woman then turned from the mirror and made her way out of the room, finally shutting the door behind her.

Purposefully, she made her way back down through the corridors, recollecting the path that Gregory had gone when he first showed her to her room. Finally, she came to a set of stairs leading downward. They creaked with each step that she took until she finally reached the bottom of the stairway. Here, there were dark halls on either side of her, but a bright lobby was ahead of her. The young woman continued straight into the lobby, which was fairly well lit by the surrounding wall candles. There was a cluster of armchairs to her right but she turned away from them and moved past the empty, front desk to her left. She headed for the door and was soon past the desk.

"Leaving so soon, my dear?" came Gregory's oily inquiry. The young woman stopped, looking back at the desk. There, the old mouse sat behind it, wearing a pair of reading glasses, and there was a book opened before him, as if he had sat there this whole time.

"I'm getting some fresh air. I don't like cramped places," the young woman responded dully.

A page noisily crinkled as Gregory turned it over. He then looked to her, light gleaming off of his glasses. "Oh no, my dear. I wouldn't advise that. It much too late for a young lady such as yourself to go out, especially all alone."

"That's why I brought this," replied the young woman, adjusting the gun slung over her shoulder. Light slid down the barrel of the weapon as she moved.

"Very well, my dear. I certainly can't stop you." Gregory looked back at his book and added, "I just hope that you'll be prepared for the consequences. He, he, he."

The young woman didn't respond this time. Instead she took hold of the chilly handle and opened the door, which let out an agonizing creak. The cold night air rushed in. The wavering candle lights behind her gave the young woman a glimpse of what lay before her; that path that led from the building was faded and barely visible. Surrounding the feeble, foggy trail were what seemed to be rows and rows of tombstones. The young woman stepped outside, and the door creakily began to close behind her. The candles that burned beside the door had gone out some time ago, and not even a sliver of the moon was to be seen. As soon as that door shut, the young woman found herself in utter darkness.

Moon's Meow: Did she finally make it? Was it as simple as going out the door? Probably not, considering I've still got twelve more chapters to post.

This chapter is brief but consider it the calm before a storm. Next is one of the chapters I had the most fun writing.