Chapter 2

Sarah awoke to what seemed like a perfectly normal day. Stretching comfortably on the soft mattress, it took a few seconds for the events of the night to come back to her and for her to realise where she was. Opening her eyes, she noticed the room was only marginally lighter than it had been during the night and she glanced over to the large window. The thick curtains obscured any sunlight from outside, allowing only the palest glow to creep in around the edges.

Making her way over to the window she pulled open the heavy curtains and looked outside unhappily. Clouds had come over during the night and it looked like it was going to be a miserably wet day. She knew the rain could pose another obstacle to fixing her car and didn’t relish the thought of going out in it. Turning back to the bed she considered going back to sleep, pulling the covers over her head and just relaxing for the day. Remembering Tom and the strangeness of the hotel she resolved to go back to her car and hopefully to her hotel, it wasn’t as if a few clouds and a bit of rain would hurt her.

Thinking of the cheap yet modern hotel she had booked she hoped it would have a vacancy for her still as she had only booked the one night. She knew she was too late to catch her flight back home, so she would have to find a way to contact the airport to arrange another ticket. She groaned at the thought of paying for another flight, the extra hotel costs, plus the lost wages if she had to take longer off work. Still, she determined that one way or another she would work it out as any hotel had to be better than the one she was staying in now.

Finding a door in the corner of the room she prayed it wasn’t just a cupboard. Opening it she was relieved to find a bathroom of sorts. Feeling grateful for the privacy, as she had almost expected to have to use a communal bathroom at the end of the hallway, Sarah cleaned up briefly before putting back on her only dress and trying to fix her hair back into the complicated swirls of the day before. It was easier than trying to shape the thick mass in any other way with the amount of hairspray and pins the hairdresser had used that she had been too tired to take out properly the night before. She was sure the hairstyle looked nothing like the original creation and wondered what the hairdresser would think if she could see Sarah’s attempt. The neatly styled mass of curls that had been pinned at the back of her head and along one side to frame her face was now messy and spiky and had the organised look of a bird’s nest, but at least her hair was up.

Making her way to the door she unlocked it with the key she had left nearby. As she pulled open the heavy wood, she was surprised to find Tom outside in the hallway as if waiting for her. The image of the neatly dressed performer from the night before had been replaced but he didn’t seem any less intimidating in the jeans and shirt he wore. This was a man that didn’t need certain clothing to impress people. She wondered if he was still performing.

‘Good morning,’ she hoped her tone was friendly and not coated with the suspicion she felt. He had startled her but she wasn’t about to let him know it. ‘I was hoping you might give me a lift back to my car today, I left my phone behind but hopefully, I can call a mechanic from here.’

Tom’s grunt didn’t answer her question.

Sarah decided not to push him on the topic, assuming he wasn’t a morning person and followed him wordlessly towards the stairs but not before taking a mental note of where her room was located in case she needed to come back on her own. As they descended, her first glimpse of the downstairs startled her as she noticed with curiosity that the room was quite full. Obviously, the hotel was more occupied than she had realised but it was the noise that momentarily overwhelmed her as the crowds of people were all talking excitedly in what sounded like different languages, and they were all talking at once. Slowly while they descended, she became aware of the talking quieting and eventually as they reached the bottom of the staircase the noise ceased altogether.

Entering the foyer Sarah looked around briefly with discomfort, noticing that everyone in the room seemed to be staring at her. Glancing down in embarrassment she realised it was because of the elaborate and old-fashioned dress she was wearing, she could understand she would look out of place. She waited in the pregnant silence not wanting to look at the people in the room that she could feel were all looking at her. The silence continued for what felt like an eternity as she wondered why they kept staring, instead of going back to their animated conversations of before, surely her manner of dress wasn’t that interesting.

Before she could muster up any bravado to face the rude people, she felt Tom’s hand on her arm leading her through the room towards the desk they had approached the night before.

‘We’re going out,’ he spoke clearly to the lady sitting behind the desk but his voice reached every corner of the still quiet room.

Sarah stared at the woman he had spoken to, thinking that she looked a lot like the lady that had given them the keys the night before. Only, instead of the thin, gaunt woman they had met the woman behind the desk now was huge. The women were so similar Sarah assumed they must be twins, the only distinguishing detail between them the obvious difference in their weight. She noticed the necklace tight around the woman’s thick neck with a large gemstone nearly cutting into her flesh and was sure she was right about the siblings as she recalled the other woman had been wearing a matching one. Although, it had been a lot looser around the other sister’s bony neck.

As she watched the woman, she realised that her movements were calmer than her sisters had been, there was a confidence to her that gave her large frame an almost mesmerising fluid motion. Her face wore a satisfied look that Sarah couldn’t picture on the other woman’s bony features. Remembering the first woman’s halting movements and unusual body language and comparing it to the woman in front of her now, she quickly decided that this sister didn’t make her feel any more at ease. Her sinuous movements reminded Sarah of a snake or some other creature that would make her skin crawl.

For some unknown reason, she found the situation disturbing. Even with all the differences, looking at the woman Sarah had an eerie sensation that she had met her, not just having met her sister. She would have sworn the elderly woman in front of her was the same person she had seen the night before. Surely someone couldn’t get so big overnight.

‘Do you have a phone I can use?’ Sarah asked politely while giving the older woman a look that she hoped would tell her that she wasn’t to be messed with. She had noticed the woman had completely ignored her, much like her sister had the night before, and was sick of being treated like she wasn’t an important customer. Plus, the still silent room behind her was getting on her nerves.

The woman returned Sarah’s look with one that would melt the strongest will and Sarah quickly dropped her eyes again.

‘Phone doesn’t work,’ she said simply, her tone underscored with mocking.

Sarah eyed the old, black, turn-dial telephone on the corner of the desk near the other woman’s elbow. Looking at it she suspected it probably didn’t work but then why would she have it on the desk right next to her? Sighing internally she decided not to push the subject. It looked like this old, creepy hotel was going to live up to every stereotype.

Instead of trying out her failed look of importance on any of the other people in the room Sarah turned her eyes to the large curtains covering all of the windows, every moment aware of the silence. She wondered why they didn’t open the curtains, the day outside was miserable but surely even a little bit of sunlight was better than everything being closed up. The room felt stuffy and removed from reality with the artificial lighting and a musty smell lingered in the still air. As she looked closer, she realised that the curtains weren’t exactly like the ones in her room, these were nailed to the wall so that they couldn’t be opened. Shuddering at the thought she was glad that she wouldn’t be spending another night in the strange hotel.

Tom still hadn’t released his hold on her arm and didn’t seem to be letting go, so she waited for him to finish his conversation with the old woman.

‘You can’t go out there, Tom,’ the woman continued speaking as if the interaction with Sarah hadn’t occurred. ‘It’s really bad out there now.’

Sarah looked at her wondering what she could mean, the clouds outside her bedroom window earlier hadn’t been that menacing. Still, with all the windows covered and the thick walling of the old building, there could probably be a cyclone outside and you wouldn’t know it.

‘A … storm … blew in,’ the woman seemed to be picking her words with difficulty. ‘Abbey just arrived and it seemed to be almost chasing her.’

Tom didn’t seem to question the woman’s weather-predicting abilities although they sounded a bit melodramatic to Sarah.

‘If she goes back to her room now, I’ll get you both some breakfast,’ the plump woman continued before her small, black eyes pinned Sarah with a look of pure contempt. ‘I don’t think the dining room will be fit for someone like her,’ she added, looking Sarah up and down as she did so.

Indignation flared in Sarah at her words. She had never been treated like this before and was not impressed about having to deal with this woman’s attitude on top of everything else she had endured. Worse still Tom looked as if he agreed with the woman, or was certainly not defending Sarah in any way. A few witty comments flashed through her mind that she would have loved to hurl at the smug woman in front of her but they all tripped over uselessly on her tongue.

Resigned that she had no choice but to return to her room Sarah tried to regain her composure, not wanting to make more of a fool of herself or make a scene in front of the curious onlookers. Removing Tom’s hand from her arm, if a bit forcefully, she turned and quickly, yet, she hoped, gracefully made her way through the still quiet room, her heels soundless in the thick carpet. Keeping her head up but not looking at any of the faces around her she ignored the strained silence and the looks she knew she was getting while making her way back towards the stairs. Unfortunately, she couldn’t completely ignore the conversation between Tom and the old woman as she left, not that they were talking overly loudly but their voices carried through the large room.

‘You shouldn’t have brought her here Tom.’

‘I know but what else could I do? I couldn’t leave her on the side of the road. You know she wouldn’t have survived the night.’

‘But how long is she going to survive now?’

Sarah moved quickly up the stairs not wanting to hear more.

Back in the relative safety of her room, Sarah made sure to lock the door again, not feeling very reassured when she heard the metal latch click into place. She couldn’t believe what had happened downstairs, was it that terrible of her to wear a bridesmaid dress to breakfast that it caused that unnerving silence? What about that woman dismissing her to her bedroom, was that any way to treat a guest?

Still, as she flopped down miserably on her bed she realised she wasn’t in any position to argue. Remembering the strange feeling from the other hotel guests she knew she didn’t want to be downstairs in the first place.

‘So, what would the lady like to eat?’ Elinor asked Tom, having left her desk, and the argument they had been having and moving to the kitchen to get Sarah some breakfast. Tom followed the portly woman trying to disguise his revulsion. He had known Elinor for years but there were some things about her that he still couldn’t get used to and he wondered how Sarah would react if she ever found out.

As they entered the large dining room, which was thankfully empty, Tom moved his attention from the old woman and instead surveyed the odd assortment of “food” laid out. He groaned as he wondered again what had possessed him to bring Sarah to this place. Dismissing the offered breakfast, Tom instead produced a tray complete with coffee, toast and fruit. It was something he hadn’t needed to come into the dining room to do, but he wanted things to appear as normal as possible for Sarah and a tray of food materialising out of thin air was far from normal. As a magician, he could probably get away with it but he wasn’t sure how far he would be able to push her and he didn’t want to have to deal with any hysterics.

Telling Elinor that he would take it up to Sarah himself, as the last thing he wanted was another confrontation, he teleported up to the first floor where he and Sarah were staying. He hoped that he hadn’t left her on her own for too long. Earlier he had spoken to Elinor that he wished for Sarah to be left alone, completely alone, and he knew she would have passed on his words to the other visitors in the building. Tom knew he would be listened to, it wasn’t a good idea for the others to upset him, but he also knew that the good behaviour would only last for so long.

The situation left a hollow feeling of hopelessness in his gut. The feeling got worse as he wondered again what he was going to do with Sarah, especially as he still couldn’t go outside. Elinor had been careful in her wording earlier but he had understood her message and her fear. The clouds were outside the building, closer than before. This was bad. Tom hoped it was a coincidence but couldn’t be sure, he had thought they would have more time.

Worried about Sarah seeing him materialise on the landing in front of her room Tom made sure to reappear slightly further down the hall. As he approached her room his suspicions that he had been wrong to leave her alone were confirmed as he noticed in the shadows two men-shaped creatures approaching her door. They hadn’t been as put off by his message as he thought. He would talk to Elinor again.

Tom watched in horror as Sarah’s door opened, the noises of the hungry creatures in the hallway must have been enough to draw her out. He had placed a warding spell on her door the night before which would stop any creatures from being able to open it, but it wouldn’t stop Sarah from coming and going as she pleased, or even letting something else in with her. Rushing to intercept the two that were intent on moving through the now open door Tom blocked the entrance with his body, placing himself in front of the creatures with Sarah at his back, the tray firmly clasped in front of him.

‘Sorry guys, you’ll have to look somewhere else for breakfast,’ Tom said with a false smile before firmly closing the door on them.

‘That was rude.’

He was surprised by the note of scorn from the woman behind him before realising she didn’t know he had just saved her life. ‘Believe me, they’re not the kind of men you want to be polite to.’

Setting the tray of food down on the dressing table Tom turned to the woman in the long flowing dress. She had moved away while he entered the room and was standing over near the window, the curtains were thrown wide letting a faint glimmer of sunlight through. Tom was suddenly overwhelmed by a strangely surreal feeling. It was almost like she belonged in the building, her clothes and the room making him feel as if he had been transported back in time. Even her hairstyle added to the look.

A case of content theft: this narrative is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.

Shaking his head at the thought, Tom took a large swig of the cooled coffee to help bring his mind back to the present and also to the danger she had placed herself in. ‘And what happened to not opening the door for anyone?’

‘I thought that was just for last night. Am I a prisoner of this room now and not allowed to talk to anyone?’ her hands were on her hips as she spoke.

‘You’re not a prisoner, I can take you back to your car any time,’ Tom bluffed while keeping his tone low and patient, he knew there was no point taking her to a broken-down car and he could see she knew it too. He absentmindedly put his cup down and retrieved his deck of cards from his jeans pocket out of habit, feeling comforted by the familiar action.

‘Actually, it would be good to get my things from my car. Thanks for offering.’

‘It’s not a good time to go outside,’ Tom responded, quickly covering his surprise at her calling his bluff as he cast his eyes over the clouds outside her open curtains. She copied his action, looking outside before turning back to him with a dark brow raised in amused curiosity, waiting for his explanation. He was sure that to her the weather outside looked cloudy but safe, yet he knew it wasn’t rain hiding in those clouds.

Tom couldn’t suppress his sigh as he realised he wouldn’t be able to convince her of the danger outside. Just as in here wasn’t safe for her out there wasn’t safe for him, and her as well if she was with him. He would have to stall.

Her voice jarred him from his thoughts. ‘I mean, I can’t just sit here all day and stare at the walls.’

Tom laughed as he walked towards the door. ‘I wouldn’t stare at them too long, they might just start to stare back.’

Sarah wasn’t sure by Tom’s last words if he was going to take her back to her car or not. It would be good to have her phone, even if it didn’t work, and her wallet so she could pay for her room in the creepy hotel. She realised she hadn’t even asked how much the hotel cost per night, although she wouldn’t be impressed if the rates were too high. Remembering the way the woman downstairs had treated her she hoped she would be able to afford it and not give the woman the satisfaction of knowing that she was broke.

Shaking her head, she couldn’t believe she had walked away from her car without grabbing her suitcase or even her bag or phone first. She had been scared at the time but still, a little common sense would have been good. As she berated herself, she couldn’t help but wonder what had come over her to make her act so impulsive. She had never been the spontaneous type and was often teased by her friends at her inability to go with the flow, preferring a well-organised agenda and clear contingency plans. The fact that she had gotten into a car with a stranger leaving all her possessions behind without another thought went against her nature, especially when the stranger had acted so strangely.

Thinking back on their odd encounter she wondered at her absence of fear towards Tom. Even the odd assortment of possessions hadn’t terrified her as she was sure they should of. She had felt a calmness in his presence that was from outside her being as if he was exuding it almost physically and it seemed like her common sense and natural inhibitions had been chased away by it. Sarah laughed absurdly at the thought, she had been foolish enough to forget her things and she knew she had no one else to blame but herself.

Gazing out the window she looked for any movement out in the dreary daylight. There was no way to tell what time it was as her watch hadn’t gone with the bridesmaid outfit and had been packed away into her suitcase. She was sure she had slept late that morning, something that was out of character for her as she liked the comfort of a good routine and felt herself flailing in her current predicament. She had never been the adventurous type, preferring to leave all the intrigue, drama and turmoil to the characters in the books she enjoyed. Her idea of a good night was to curl up in her favourite chair with a book and a glass of wine and going interstate for her sister’s wedding was about as crazy as it got.

Sighing to herself she realised that even though she had never wanted an adventure she had found one and it looked like the only person that would be able to get her through it was herself … and Tom. The groan that involuntarily escaped her at this thought surprised Sarah and she didn’t know which part scared her more. She didn’t know Tom well enough to dislike him but the thought of putting her trust in him was enough to make her worry. Could she trust a man that made a living from lying and playing tricks on people?

She remembered seeing Tom on TV while channel surfing one night. Even though she hadn’t intended to watch, and had never been a fan of magic tricks, she had been spellbound and left wondering. This thought had been echoed repeatedly all through her next day at work by both co-workers and even a few customers. Many people had enjoyed his act and were happy to spend their time, and hers, trying to work out his “magic”.

Maybe if he turned off the showmanship for a while and just acted like a normal person she might be able to trust him a little, but going by his behaviour so far she wasn’t sure he was capable of that. Remembering his cryptic comments and his questioning her belief in real magic she couldn’t help feeling that she was just an audience to him, being kept at arm’s length so she couldn’t see what was up his sleeves. She couldn’t put her finger on exactly what it was but there was something about him that just didn’t seem honest and she didn’t think it was just his profession.

Sarah mentally sorted out all that she knew about the man and quickly realised it wasn’t much. There had been nothing in his mannerisms or accent to indicate where he had come from originally and his polite but stand-offish attitude hid his personality. She thought there seemed to be something foreign about him but it wasn’t something she could easily define. Remembering that the introduction on the TV show had said he travelled the world with his magic she assumed that it must have worn away any evidence of his original nationality.

She knew that he made a lot of money from what he did. Even if she hadn’t heard of him before they had met, his car and image would have been enough to inform her, so she could assume he was good at his profession. This was the thought that scared her a little. There were a lot of missing pieces in her mental picture of this strange man and while he focused on his performance she knew there was no chance of getting to know him better. He seemed to be helping her, and she had to admit that so far he had saved her from the side of the road, but she wished he would just act a little bit more human.

Turning away from the window Sarah started to move towards the food Tom had left for her when a strange, dizzy feeling overcame her. Reaching out for the armchair nearby she wasn’t sure if she was going to make it to the safety of its seat as she felt her legs wobble. Suddenly, she realised with concern that the feeling was outside of her body, it was almost like an earthquake but nothing else in the room seemed to be affected. Looking down at the bare flooring beneath her she noticed it shimmering before her eyes as if she was having trouble focusing. Stepping forward she couldn’t help the scream that tore its way from her as the floor which had been there moments before suddenly wasn’t underneath her foot.

Feeling herself quickly falling in a way that was sickening and disorientating, Sarah’s senses reeled with the sensation as she firmly closed her eyes. The blood pounded in her ears as her body went limp. Within seconds of the disturbance, her high-heeled shoe hit the solid flooring under her again, the impact sending her sprawling across the floor. She didn’t care one bit about her ungraceful pose, at least there was flooring there to be sprawled across, something that she would never take for granted again.

Sarah gulped in large breaths of air, slowly opening her eyes and settling her nauseous stomach as she pushed herself up with shaking arms. From her half-prone half-sitting position she looked around her before quickly realising that she was in a kitchen, presumably the kitchen of the hotel, and her first irrational thought was that at least it was clean. The familiar kitchen smells hung thickly in the air and the room’s normality calmed her slightly, taking the edge of her frayed nerves as she slowly made her way off the floor and back onto her feet. Dizziness still affected her balance and she wobbled slightly in her heels, before leaning against the kitchen bench feeling relieved by its solid coolness against her palms.

As her eyes surveyed the large room, she noticed that stacked neatly on every shelf, on every spare bench and even on the floor in the corners of the room was a strange variety of foodstuff. Not that Sarah knew anything about catering but she thought there had to be enough in the large kitchen to feed an army. She scanned the items briefly, her mind not focusing on what she was seeing until she caught sight of the innocuous-looking preserving jar on the shelf directly in front of her. Something about the jar caught her attention and she peered closer before her brain worked out what she was looking at, causing the blood to freeze in her veins.

She moved her eyes away quickly but all the shelves were full of similar jars and containers; some contained a deep red liquid, others liquids in disgusting shades of grey or brown, but it was the one right in front of her containing the eyeball that made her want to gag. She scanned the other jars, not wanting to look but unable to stop herself as she looked around in fear and confusion. She didn’t know which ones repulsed her more, the darker ones where she couldn’t see if there was anything else inside or the ones with the clear liquid that left nothing to the imagination. The jars looked like they belonged in a witch’s house containing a wing of a bat and an eye of a newt and she felt bile start to rise inside her.

Regaining a tiny part of her senses with a concentrated effort she looked towards the open kitchen door and the safety it represented. There was only one thought that was making sense in her mind and that was to escape through it immediately. Staring at the exit she tried to force her frozen limbs to move towards it without much success, her legs felt weak and if she hadn’t still been hanging onto the kitchen bench she was sure she would have fallen. Suddenly she yelped as she noticed someone was beside her.

Turning quickly towards the person she raised her arm, although in attack or defence she wasn’t sure, and barely missed hitting Tom as he stood calmly next to her. His composed look confused her for a moment but oddly she began to feel herself respond to him as his normality broke through her fear, as if she were waking up from a bad dream. She dropped her arm in relief, feeling sure he wasn’t going to hurt her and had to restrain herself from grabbing onto him and begging him to get her safely out of the kitchen. She wondered how he had come to be standing right beside her, she knew he hadn’t come through the only door in the kitchen as she had been looking at it trying to flee.

‘Are you alright Sarah?’

She could hear his voice but just stared at his mouth blankly as she failed to work out the words for a moment. Then slowly as the words became clear she was puzzled about the meaning. Was she alright?

‘What happened?’ she asked in confusion. His presence in the kitchen, that of another normal human in what appeared, mostly, like a normal kitchen made her feel foolish for her overreaction. There had to be a reasonable explanation for the events, something that would explain how she had gotten there and how he had appeared as well. Then realisation dawned on her as her mind fixed on the only plausible reason. ‘Oh, I see, this is one of your tricks. Well done, it was very believable but next time I don’t want to be your assistant.’

Sarah couldn’t help the derision that she knew was evident in her words, she’d been scared but now she was angry. She had never liked the kind of magic that made fun of innocent people, or worse scared them, and the blank look on Tom’s face just made her angrier.

‘I can explain …’ Tom began in a placating tone.

‘This should be good,’ a new voice interrupted him and Sarah spun around to face the other person that she hadn’t known was with them in the kitchen.

As she peered into the shadows, she wondered how long the woman had been there. Sarah was sure the stranger hadn’t entered through the kitchen door either, as the woman was standing on the other side of the room and she would have had to walk right around them. Although she was bewildered Sarah didn’t think even she could be that oblivious.

As Sarah looked at the woman she guessed her to be somewhere in the mid to late twenties but there was something about her that made her look both older and younger at the same time. Her face, although free of lines or blemishes showed maturity yet the way she wore her goth-like clothing made her look young, almost giving the impression that the woman was ageless. The black jeans and tight black top hugged her body and would have shown her figure to full advantage if she had any curves to show.

Her pale face was framed by a mane of straight silvery hair worn loose and shadowing her features but it did nothing to hide the expression in her eyes. Sarah shrunk back from the look in those black eyes. She would never have described eyes as soulless before but as those black orbs were seized on her she could think of no other word that fit.

‘What are you doing here Delia?’ Tom asked in a tone that sounded friendly but bored like one might talk to an annoying younger cousin.

‘I was hungry,’ Delia continued to look at Sarah as she said this, barely blinking her dark lashes over those curiously black eyes. Sarah looked in horror as the woman licked her lips hungrily, and she felt a shiver of goosebumps rise.

‘Well, we’ll leave you to eat,’ Tom said with a note of finality as he led Sarah away from the kitchen and the hungry woman. ‘Come on, I’ll take you to your car now.’

Sarah wondered absurdly why everyone in the hotel was so hungry. First, those men outside her bedroom had wanted her breakfast and now there was a young woman in the kitchen who looked as if she hadn’t eaten for years. There had to be some normal food in the hotel besides the props that Tom had used in his trick to scare her, as her breakfast had looked normal enough. She wondered if they were all actors and maybe the ruse was bigger than she had originally thought.

As they walked from the kitchen to the front door of the hotel Sarah could feel Tom’s hand on her back again and found the touch confronting after her ordeal and his involvement.

‘You don’t have to touch me all the time,’ she stated waspishly.

‘It’s easier for me to protect you if I’m touching you,’ Tom responded unapologetically.

Still, he removed his hand at her look but kept it close to her back as if guiding her as they moved through the room towards the front door. The people they passed quietened as they approached and only a few faint whispers could be heard when they moved on. Sarah just wanted to be out the front door and away from the eerie, disconcerting hotel, away from the “magic” and even away from Tom. The front door loomed up and she could barely contain her desire to run through the foyer and throw herself outside but she also didn’t want to leave the assumed safety of Tom’s presence. She could feel the tension in the room increase with every step closer to the imposing wooden door.

She knew instinctively that the other people in the still-crowded room were watching them, holding their breath even, waiting to see what would happen, and she was sure they weren’t just looking at her and her dress anymore. Finally, they reached the door and Tom opened it slightly, only wide enough for them to squeeze through, and then suddenly she was free. She had only been inside for one night, yet she was sure the air tasted fresher than she remembered. She drank it in with relish, enjoying the feel of the cool breeze on her skin as if it were blowing away all the dust and trauma of the hotel.

The day outside was dark and looking up at the thick clouds Sarah couldn’t believe how low they were, it was almost as if she could reach out and touch them. Shaking off the silly notion, she started following Tom towards his car. She felt light, free from the strain of the night, and if she had been alone probably would have skipped her way to his car.

Instead, she followed him calmly, copying his footsteps along the path before realising that this was no easy task. Tom was staggering, swinging drunkenly from side to side and she wondered if he were the type to have something stronger than coffee in the morning. She was about to question him, as she wasn’t going to get into the car with a driver that had been drinking when she noticed he was gasping as if he couldn’t catch his breath.

‘Are you OK?’ she asked, rushing to him with concern as he gave up any effort of moving forward and doubled over as if in pain.

Slowly, she became aware of the noise. It was as if she had been listening to it for a while but hadn’t been aware of it, like music too far away to make out clearly but on the edge of your hearing. She could hear it now and as her ears hurt and her mind begged to be free of the noise she knew it wasn’t any form of music; it was more like a shrieking. Looking back up at the clouds she was sure the noise was somehow coming from above and was shocked to see the low clouds looked like they were boiling over them.

It was unlike anything she had seen in her life but as she stared transfixed at the rolling clouds, she knew instinctively that there was something up there, and that she and Tom were in terrible danger. However impossible it seemed, the clouds were a cover for some horrible shrieking creature or creatures, and whatever was causing the noise was somehow responsible for Tom’s condition. Suddenly realising she had to get Tom back inside straight away Sarah grabbed him roughly and half pushed, half dragged him back the way they had come.

Mist enveloped them as her eyes strained to make out the hotel in front of her. The disorientating shrieking continued around them, becoming impossibly loud and more insistent until it overwhelmed her senses and she could no longer be sure they were headed in the right direction. Still, she pushed Tom forward, glad he was still on his feet as she was sure if he fell she would never get his taller frame back up again. Approaching the door, she was relieved when it opened from the inside not sure how she would have handled Tom and the large, heavy door at once. Giving him one final push she launched herself in after him and closed the door firmly behind them.

Leaning against the wood she gasped for air, unnerved by what she had experienced outside when something suddenly warned her that the danger wasn’t over. She looked at Tom, prone on the floor at her feet, face ashen and eyes firmly closed and knew that he wouldn’t be able to help with the threat she could feel increasing with every moment. Hearing a growl Sarah took her eyes off Tom and looked around the room, feeling the breath catch in her throat as she did. The room was crowded and every pair of eyes were fastened on her with mirroring looks of evil on each face.