In dread, Emily stood at the door of Mr. Jones's room. Her inquisitive eyes were fixed on the door of the storage room. Numerous thoughts were spinning in her mind. Whereas, Alex put his hands behind his back, and strolled in the hallway and the receptionist headed to his desk, scouring for something there.

"There must be something in there. Maybe related to the killer?... I have to go there! But how? Uh," Emily thought and glanced at the storage room door again. Alex who was strolling in the hallway saw Emily glancing towards the storage room.

"Evelyn, What happened? Why are you looking at the storage room?" Alex said softly and turned towards her. Alex's questions brought her out of her thoughts with an abrupt scream.

"AHH,"

Alex was startled by her scream, he held her hands and asked her with concern "Evelyn! Why did you scream?"

Emily felt a wave of shyness wash over her as he clasped her hands, but she quickly forced it down, blurting out, "Nothing, Sorry for the scream."

"It's okay. I know you must be scared," he said, releasing her hands with a gentle touch. Despite her embarrassment, Emily couldn't help but feel a flutter in her stomach at the way he understood her fear.

"I think we and everyone in this motel should get out of here together and inform them about Mr. Jones's murder to the police What do you say?" He said in a profound voice.

"Yeah, we should go," Emily said in agreement.

"So, let's go to the reception desk. We must also have to inform everyone about this gruesome murder of Mr Jones," he said firmly. Emily nodded and then they both headed towards the first floor.

When they arrived there, they saw Henry and Jules with their son at the reception desk. They also were carrying their luggage with them. Alex and Emily notice that the couple are arguing with the receptionist.

Both of them immediately head towards the reception desk to find out about the argument.

"So, you're saying you can't find a cab for us. You know our car has broken down, how are we supposed to get out of here," Henry yelled at him.

The receptionist said, "Please try to understand me. The weather is so bad that a heavy snowstorm can come at any moment. I am not even able to call the police because of the network problems caused by the weather. "

"Did something else happen here? Tell me!" Jules asked impatiently.

Alex exclaimed, "Somebody has brutally murdered Mr. Jones!" The words echoed through the hall, causing a surge of gasps and whispers to spread through the crowd like wildfire. All eyes turned towards Alex, their expressions a mixture of disbelief and fear.

The once bustling hall fell into a pin-dropped silence, the only sound being the faint murmur of voices as people exchanged fearful glances. The air was heavy with the weight of the news, a sense of unease settling over the room like a shroud.

Whispers of speculation and fear filled the air, as everyone tried to make sense of the tragedy that had happened to Mr. Jones. Who could have committed such a horrible act? The question sweeps in the air.

Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.

As the reality of the situation began to sink in, a sense of unease washed over the crowd, leaving them trembling with fear and uncertainty.

The receptionist announced, "I know everyone must be scared by the sudden murder of Mr. Jones but everyone can't leave this motel."

The young man whose leg was injured said from the crowd, "But why??"

"If you want to know the answer then you can look out from the windows of this motel," The receptionist said and turned to one of the motel's large windows.

Outside the window, thick layers of snow were falling from the sky, which were spread all around due to the dangerous winds blowing in the air. The surrounding trees groaned under the force of the storm, some already surrendering to the onslaught of snow and wind. The road was buried under a thick cloak of white, making it almost impossible to distinguish where the road ended and the forest began.

The receptionist turned to face the crowd of people, his gaze meeting the anxious looks of Emily and Alex. With a clear of his throat, he said.

"As you can see, we have all heaters running at full blast to combat the freezing temperatures outside. In case of a power outage, we also have portable generators at the ready. I urge everyone to head to your rooms, lock yourselves in, and please refrain from opening your windows," he advised.

As the murmurs of concern rose amongst the guests, questions about their safety and well-being began to fill the air. The receptionist reassured them as best as he could, hoping to calm them and wished for their trust in him.

"How can we suppose to believe that we are safe here?" a man raises a question from the crown in speculation.

"Sir, if you don't trust us, take the spare key to your room. And we will inform the police as soon as the network problem is resolved. We just need your trust and support," the receptionist pleaded with people.

After listening to him, some people nodded in agreement to trust him while some people were still not ready to trust him.

"Here we go again. I just remembered that I had read about the snowstorm and I also recall that someone would be found dead the next morning but I can't remember that person's name. From this information, I conclude that a person will be murdered at midnight. I am eager to share this information with Alex but I know I can't tell him," Emily came out of her thoughts as she saw Alex in front of her.

"Evelyn, I haven't asked this question before but I want to ask now. How do you know my name?" Alex asked curiously.

Oh, no. I completely forgot that she hasn't told me her name yet but I know her name because I've read this novel. What should I say now!.. Umm, okay. I can say this!

"When I first met you here I overheard your conversation with the receptionist. She was calling you 'Alex' so I assumed your name was Alex. By the way, are you suspicious of me?" Emily said questioningly.

"No, no. I was just curious. Sorry if my question hurt you," he said quickly.

"Oh, I was just afraid that you would be suspicious of me now. It's a relief that you're not," Emily said and a warm smile spread on her lips. A feeling of relief spread over both of them and they both smile warmly.

"I know this dangerous place where someone is keeping an eye on me is not the place to discover love, but it was where I discovered a love she couldn't ignore. His smile warmed her heart, his presence brought her comfort, and his protective nature captured her attention. She couldn't help but fall for him, despite the unlikely location. I couldn't help but wonder if he felt the same way about her. Perhaps one day, I would finally know his true feelings towards me,"

✵✵✵

Eventually, the long afternoon ends and the night begins but the snowstorm still hasn't stopped, just took a ten-minute break and started again and the network problem is still not resolved. Alex was alone in his room. He had already closed the door of his room and had also closed the only window of his room tightly.

He was lying on the bed thinking about all the events that had happened this afternoon but something else was also revolving in his mind. To clear his mind, he stood up from the bed, sat on the armchairs near the window and began glancing out of the window.

Even though this snowstorm vigorously destroyed things and disturbed everyone's life but still, he still found this beautiful. For a minute, he omitted all the stressful thoughts and relaxed in the armchair.

But all of a sudden, The nagging thoughts that had been wandering in his mind all this time bubbled up to the surface and spilt out of his mouth before he could stop them. "How or who has reincarnated me in this novel?"

To Be Continued...