The Hotel

Chapter 1

This was a small town, where only the rich lived, but even though it wasn't as cool with being near the vicinity of the Sydney Opera House, the people who lived here took pride living here. Some people called it a small island, that required a boat to travel. The population was a considerable amount, probably somewhere around 75,000. There were many hotels to stop by to visit the island, but of course, it required a hefty fee. The Pierlock hotel was located on this island, and it was seen as a fan favorite among tourists. 

A man named Henry was coming by to stay in the Pierlock hotel. He didn't enjoy the boat ride, due to seasickness, but he wanted to come here. A part of him wanted to get as far away from the outside world as possible, and staying in a small city surrounded by the ocean for a good two weeks was the perfect escape for an introvert like Henry. He didn't hate interacting with people; it just wasn't something he liked to do. He would rather do his own thing, then be with people. 

It was as simple as that. 

Henry dragged a large suitcase through the entrance, ignoring the lavish crowded dining area and the people that greeted him with forced smiles. He knew they were doing their jobs, but it was all pretend. One woman that caught his attention reminded him of a mannequin. She was standing ramrod straight, wearing a red suit. She stood still, greeting him with a welcoming smile. Her lips appeared strained, like it physically hurt her to maintain the same smile over and over. He half expected the woman to open her mouth, revealing something not human underneath. Henry suppressed a shiver. 

He made it to the counter, and a man in a similar red suit was waiting for him. He wasn't smiling like the others. He avoided eye contact, as he spoke to Henry. He sort of mumbled his words, as if he was upset he even had to speak to a total stranger. Henry immediately liked this one. There was no pretending here, like the other robots. 

"Name?"

"Henry Rowan."

"You'll be staying in suite 1017. We hope you enjoy your stay."

He gives the keys to Henry without looking at him. Henry took the keys and made his way to the elevator. A family ran inside with him, and Henry almost groaned when he saw it was a couple with a small boy. The parents were arguing with each other, and their son was very quiet, holding a model train up to his face. He looked up at Henry and he instantly looked away. Henry could feel the boy looking at him the whole time on the elevator, and a small part of him felt bad for this kid. 

He could tell that the parents probably fought like this all the time, and perhaps the boy was invisible to them. The elevator opened on Henry's floor, and the father angrily brushed past Henry, making him stumble a bit. The mother followed after her husband, her voice now taking on a high-pitched tone. The boy followed, walking slowly, toy train still held up to his face, as he if was studying a brand-new discovery that not even scientists have yet found. 

Henry stepped out of the elevator, and at some point, the boy looked back to him. His father opened their hotel suite, and the mother grabbed the boy by the hand, dragging him behind her. 

"You shouldn't stare at strangers," the mother angrily whispered into the boy's ear, but it was loud enough for Henry to hear. The mother resembled a sort of monster to Henry for a moment, and he suddenly wondered if that was how the boy saw his parents. The boy was dragged into the hotel, and the door slammed behind him. One hotel door opened that was right across the hotel room of the family. An older, fat man stepped out. He was wearing a trenchcoat with a fedora, along with baggy pants. He briefly listened to the shouting going on between the couple. 

He noticed Henry out in the hallway, and he shook his head. 

"It's a bit sad, isn't it? They have been here for a couple of days now. It's always the same old thing. Those parents are kind of assholes for acting this way in front of their kid. Apparently, the wife had seen her husband hitting on one of the employees here, and she hasn't gotten over that."

"Why are you telling me this? It's not really your business. Or mine."

The man smiled and gave a small shrug. 

"Does it matter? We're both strangers. We will never see each other again. And I leave tomorrow. Good day."

The man tipped his hat to Henry, and walked to the elevator. Henry could hear the ding of the elevator behind him as he walked to his hotel suite. It was two doors down from the boy's room, and he was grateful he wouldn't be hearing the shouting of that awful couple. 

He opened his room, and was greeted by a beautiful suite. The space was huge, enough for Henry to enjoy his stay. It was like stepping into a mini apartment. The living room was all white, a brown mini table in the middle of the room with several couches littered around this table. Henry stepped further into the room, and the bedroom was the same lavish style. The only thing that Henry cared about was the large glass window exposing the ocean, and the pier. Several boats were docking for the day, since it was already reaching evening. 

Henry dropped the suitcase to the floor, and he let himself fall onto the bed. It was soft, enough for Henry to make it through his stay here. He felt a vibration in his pocket, and he pulled out his phone. It was from his sister. 

Sis: Did you make it to the hotel in one piece?

Henry sent a quick text back:

H: Yes. It's not as snobby as it looks. 

Sis: BS. I saw the pictures online.

H: It's mediocre at best.

Sis: Coming from a rich boy. That make's sense. 

H: We are from the same family. 

Sis: No shit, Sherlock.

Henry smiled. He sent a quick goodbye text for now.

H: Going to eat then head off to bed. Jet lag is a bitch.

Sis: That we can agree on. XOXO RICH ASSHOLE.

H: XOXO ADOPTED SISTER.

Sis: P.S: WE ARE FROM DIFFERENT MOTHERS.

Henry barked out a small laugh. Only his sister could break the hard exterior of his emotions. He sat up in bed, and thought about ordering room service. He felt exhausted to consider the thought of stopping by the dining area downstairs, possibly interacting with waiters or other people that he didn't care to speak to. That older man that spoke to him earlier was enough interaction for the day. 

Henry picked up the menu on top of the drawer next to the bed, and he picked up the phone, preparing to make his order. He could already picture his sister now, making endless jokes about how he acted like a rich asshole. Henry had to control himself from bursting into laughter on the phone before the person on the other end picked up. 

---

A man on the seventh floor of the hotel was having a horrible day. He was on a business trip, and had started having multiple coughing fits right after arriving to the area. He couldn't remember anything odd he had done for the day, minus messing around with his business friends on a boat, as they had been poking an odd looking fish. He had never seen a sea creature like that before, it was like something out of a horror movie. 

The fish looked like a regular fish you would order from a grocery store to eat for the day. The fish had red eyes, and it's yellow skin was like touching a cold statue. At some point, the fish had spit something out, and it had landed on the man's face. It was a white residue, and his friends all pointed at him, making disgusting jokes about what the white stuff looked like. 

The man got pissed off, and wiped the residue from his face, but perhaps he wasn't fast enough. Whatever the fish had, it had him feeling like a someone beat him with a jackhammer. The man was now staying in his hotel suite for the day, coughing like a madman. At some point, he felt incredibly sick, and ran over to the toilet, to vomit up a great amount of brown liquid. 

That quickly turned a dark shade of red. 

The man backed away from the toilet bowl, a wave of shock coursing through him. He fell onto his back, backing away from the mess that left his body. 

"What the fu -''

His head stretched to the ceiling, a groan leaving his lips. He collapsed on the floor, his hands clawing at his face. A great pressure was behind his eyes, and he desperately needed to get through that pain, to make it stop. His nails dug into his skin, raking right over his eyelids, directly into his eyes. One eye popped out, hanging down his cheek, but he was not aware of that. 

All he could feel was the pain behind his eyes, and it would not crawl out. Gushers of blood spurted out of his mouth, spilling all over his best shirt, and his pants that had cost more than the room service he had ordered in yesterday evening. His head slammed against the floor again, his hands now turning into claws, right up to his chest. The man was convulsing, foam falling out of his mouth, his face no longer resembling the man he once was. He suddenly lied still, and an odd sort of peace wafted over the room. 

Then he sat up. 

His one eye was a blank white, and the thing that was once a man let out a screeching roar. 

---

Thank you for reading!

Emy Quinn