Desolation - Chapter 2

 

They arrived at the hotel. It was a eerie castle like structure, made out of red bricks with it's ivy covered walls, the hotel from the outside, looked menacing and imposing. The windows were dark and and the light played tricks on your eyes.

  "Room number 1313.Could you take our luggage upstairs please?". Stefan brought in the camera equipment and bags, giving them to the bellhop. The hotel lounge was big, empty and soulless .Even standing on the heated flooring, the place felt ghastly cold . Matt felt something was off. Everything in the hotel was quite normal, but he felt an eerie sense of desolation. Perhaps his imagination, but the staff seemed......disturbed. "Come on, let's get a move on Matt, we have to settle in and set up the camera equipment before it gets dark, it's 6:30 already ".He got into the elevator with Stefan, shrugging off his intuition. It was probably just his imagination.

As they  got in to their room, the bellhop was waiting. He rubbed his two fingers asking for a tip. And there it was. The ominous, sinister, disturbing smile on his face. His eyes conveyed no emotion, just the preternatural curve on his lips. "Sir, tip?" Matt quickly handed him some loose cash and slammed the door. "Everything okay?", Stefan asked from inside the bathroom. "Everything's alright", he said. Nothing's alright about this place, he thought.

Matt called his wife to let her know he had arrived. He felt it unnecessary, but his wife had strictly instructed him to do so. "The hotel is great, everything is ok as of yet. We'll be meeting the bride tonight". "Hope she doesn't run off with you", his wife chuckled. He smiled. Matt didn't want to worry his wife, especially since he didn't even know what to worry about yet. He kissed his wife goodbye, just as Stefan came out of the bathroom. "Ready to roll?", Stefan asked. "Let's have some dinner first, I'm famished" .As they both headed out, Matt noticed something. Every room on the floor was empty. Not a single sound, their breath could be heard. It was dead calm. "Relax, we probably just came in the off season". Matt calmed down, letting out a sigh of relief. Then he realized. It was christmas.

They had their meal in silence. The dining hall was completely sealed off, as if made for detaining a person. They sat across each other, on the cushioned, red colored, teakwood chairs, a circular cherry oak table separating them. Despite being on a mission to lose a few pounds ,he devoured a ribeye and fries, convincing himself that it was his his friend who persuaded him into it. "So, excited about tonight? Let's hope I marry the bride", Stefan said half jokingly, in his attempt to break the icy cold decorum of the room. Matt simply smiled. He knew that something was wrong .The sensation of an other worldly spirit .A chill ran up his spine .As they sat there having the last meal of the day, he had an inexplicable, gut feeling that it was the last meal of their lives.