After the questionable encounter with the cat, nobody experienced any supernatural occurrences. By five in the evening the three were back in the hotel, sitting in the Warren's room as they poured through footage and newly developed photographs.
"You got some great external and internal shots of the house," Ed commented to Drew. "Maybe after this case is closed a realtor can use it to advertise the property,"
"There," Lorraine pointed to one of the photos. "Do you see what appears to be an outline of a person?"
The two men leaned closer. "I do," Ed answered. "It almost looks like a woman,"
The lights in the bedroom flickered off and on, then died entirely. There was a whirl from outside as a backup generator groaned to life, causing emergency lights to turn on.
"I'll see what's going on," Drew said. "You two stay here," Drew grabbed a flashlight and went into the hallway, leaving the deadbolt out so the room door would remain open. The emergency lights scattered throughout didn't do much to light the corridor, but he made his way to the staircase with the little he had. Maybe someone at the front desk knew what was going on.
Drew had almost reached the doorway when he heard the sounds of footsteps behind him. They were quick and soft, almost as if a child was running barefoot across the carpeting.
"Hello?" Drew called, shining his flashlight through the dimly lit hallway. Nothing.
Ignoring the goosebumps that were growing on his arms, Drew continued into the stairwell. It took a while for his eyes to adjust to the lighting, but he continued down the stairs to the first level. When he reached as far down as he could go, he opened the door on level "L" and stepped out.
"What the…?" Drew bit back the urge to swear. Instead of being in the lobby, he was on level seven, the same level his room was on.
Next to his ear, a throaty, croaking sound began.
"Drew's been away for a while," Lorraine commented as she looked at her watch.
"Maybe he's helping the staff with the generator," Ed said. "It did sound kind of old. Maybe I should see if I can provide any help,"
"No!" Lorraine said quickly as she grabbed Ed's hand. "Something just…doesn't feel right. Like at the Saeki house,"
Ed looked from his wife to the door, trying to decide if he should see if Drew needed any assistance or stay with his wife. "Let's give him another ten minutes," he decided.
"Okay," Lorraine stood up. "There's one emergency light in the bathroom. I'll start getting ready to turn in for the evening,"
"Sounds good," Ed said. He contemplated doing the same after her; they still hadn't gotten over their jet lag.
A small florescent bulb shone above the bathroom mirror. It wouldn't have been bright enough to apply makeup, but Lorraine thought it would do for washing her face and brushing her teeth.
Running water over the washcloth, Lorraine pressed the fabric onto her face. It felt good, she thought, to close her eyes and have the warm water ease the tension in her muscles. Maybe once they returned to Monroe, she would treat herself to a massage. Or, better yet, ask Ed to give her one.
Removing the washcloth and opening her eyes, Lorraine let out a shriek when she saw the figure in the mirror was not her own, but that of a deceased Kayako.
"Lorraine, are you-" The bathroom door slammed shut, cutting off her connection to Ed.
"What do you want?" Lorraine shouted at the figure in the mirror. How she wished she had something to ward off this spirit! Kayako opened her mouth to respond, but all that came out was a croaking death rattle.
The lights in the building came on as the bathroom door swung open, Ed accidently knocking Lorraine to the floor as he did so.
"Lorraine!" Ed said, trying to push past the sudden temporary blindness from the light as his wife clutched onto him. "Are you okay? What happened?"
"She was here!" Lorraine cried, "Kayako was here!"
Drew came barreling back into the hotel room, struggling to catch his breath. "There was something in the hallway," he gasped. "And the staircase…somehow it connected me back to where I started…" He paused when he saw them on the floor in the bathroom. "What happened?"
"I saw Kayako in the mirror," Lorraine said, her voice high pitched but not as shrill as it had been moments before. "She…she was dead. And made a strange, prolonged sound, almost like a frog,"
Drew visibly tensed. "I think I heard that same sound,"