Level 2 – Chapter 4: Moving In

Acum esti multumita? biggrin

Level 2 – Chapter 1: Introduction
Level 2 – Chapter 2: Awakening
Level 2 – Chapter 3: Wallpaper

Level 2

Chapter 4 – Moving In

Saturday morning
08:06 AM

‘I need a sledgehammer!’
‘What?’

Chloe stared confused as Landon started to gently knock on the wall in front of him. He seemed perfectly calm and aware, and yet he had a crazy look in his eyes. Chloe didn’t like it.

‘Landon, what in God’s name are you doing?’
‘Just get me a sledgehammer, you’ll see.’
‘Landon…’
‘Chloe, trust me!’ said Landon staring deep into her beautiful brown eyes. ‘Focus, damn it!’
‘Fine. But this had better be good. Rico! You heard the man, get him a sledgehammer.’
‘Yes ma’am!’

Landon kept knocking on the wall until he suddenly stopped, apparently pleased.

‘It’s here!’
‘What is?’

Rico showed up just in time. ‘How the hell did he get it so fast,’ thought Landon to himself.

‘Here you go, sir.’

Landon took the sledgehammer, gripped it tight in his hands and began bashing the wall. Everyone stood stunned as they watched him demolish the wall in front of him. Before Chloe could react, a door appeared as Landon completely brought down a portion of the wall.

‘Chloe, call the owner.’
‘Jesus Christ…’
‘I doubt it.’

The owner was a 37 year old British man, tall and thin as a toothpick. He imposed no authority whatsoever and always seemed like he would bury his head in the ground as soon as anyone raised his voice at him.

‘Oh my… God… What did you do?!’
‘Mr…’
‘Morrison!’ He said, barely catching his breath.
‘Mr. Morrison, can you explain this?’ Landon pointed to the hidden door.
‘Yes… yes, I can.’ Said the owner staring bleak at the hole in his wall.
‘About a year ago, a little girl and her mother were murdered in that room by a serial killer that was later caught by the police and imprisoned. All customers who afterwards rented the room complained about noises at nightfall. They all said they heard a little girl crying and no one could ever sleep in that room. After about five complaints, we decided to seal off room #13.’
‘Room #13?’
‘Yes… I know.’

Landon reached for the door knob but before he could grab it and turn it, the owner handed him a set of keys.

‘The one marked 13.’
‘Thanks…’

Landon inserted the key in the key-hole and gently turned it clockwise until it clicked open. He took a deep breath and reached for the knob again. He tried to open the door but it wouldn’t budge. It looked like something heavy was blocking it from the other side.

‘Mr. Morrison, is there any other way into this room?’
‘No sir, we even sealed off the windows.’
‘Great.’

As Landon backed away from the door, the owner gave him a weird look.

‘You’re not thinking of…’

But before he could finish, Landon was already in the room. He had rammed the door open with all his strength. Not a single ray of light could be seen in the room. The only lighting present was from the hallway lights. Landon started moving his hand across the wall, looking for a light switch. He finally found one and switched on the lights. He almost gasped as he saw the room fully illuminated. It looked as if it had been abandoned for years. There was dust everywhere and the wallpaper had begun to fall. In the middle of the room Landon could see a disturbingly fresh looking blood stain. He knew all too well how it had gotten there.
Before he could raise his eyes from the floor, Landon noticed a broken chair on the floor in front of him. Apparently, the chair was the one blocking the door. ‘But how?’

‘Mr. Morrison, are you sure there are absolutely no other ways to get into this room?’
‘Mr. Miles, look around, do you see any other way in or out?’
‘Good point.’

Chloe stepped in.

‘Then how do you explain the chair blocking the door?’
‘Ms. Dawson, I have no idea, but after what I’ve just seen last night, few things can surprise me right now.’
‘Landon, what do you think?’
‘I think I need another cup of coffee. I also think whoever put that chair there never got out.’
‘What are you talking about? There’s no one here.’
‘Maybe…’
‘What’s that supposed to mean?’

A moment later Rico walked in with a hot cup of coffee and handed it to Landon.

‘Damn. Now that’s what I call room service.’

Rico smiled and went outside. The stench in the room was appalling.

‘Mr. Morrison, do you remember the names of the two victims?’
‘Ms. Rachel Fanning, and her daughter’s name was Amy.’
‘What about the murderer?’
‘Robert Foss. An ugly old chap.’
‘You don’t say. Chloe, can you find out where he’s doing time? I want to have a talk with him.’
‘I’ll put my best man on it. Rico?’
‘Yes ma’am, right away,’ said Rico smiling as he felt proud to be Ms. Dawson’s ‘best man’.

Landon looked at the blood stain again. He couldn’t understand how come it looked so fresh.

‘Oh my God!’ gasped the owner.
‘Mr. Morrison, are you ok?’ asked Chloe, concerned.
‘What’s that doing there?!’

Landon followed his eye line.

‘The blood?’
‘Yes, the blood!’
‘Isn’t it from the murder?’
‘Yes, but… I cleaned it the day after the murder; the floor was spotless before we sealed off the room!’

Both Chloe and Landon were now looking at the blood stain. They stood there in silence for a couple of seconds before Rico rushed into the room.

‘Ms. Dawson, Mr. Miles, he’s gone!’
‘What? Who’s gone?’ asked Chloe impatiently.
‘Robert Foss! He was killed last night in his cell.’
‘Killed? In his cell? How?’
‘No one knows. I just got off the phone with the warden; apparently some of the prisoners heard a little girl crying in his cell around 11:20 last night. Soon after, screams of pain followed. When the guards opened his cell door, Robert Foss was… dead. His cell was covered in blood and his body had been dismembered.’
‘Oh for the love of…’
’11:20?’ said Landon interrupting Chloe. ‘Isn’t that about the same time the security guards were murdered?’
‘You’re right, it is!’ said the owner deeply disturbed by what was going on.

Landon kept his cool as he went outside, grabbed the sledgehammer and opened the room’s windows as Chloe and the owner watched him confused. Before Chloe could say anything, Landon started smashing the sledgehammer against the wall outside one of the windows.

‘Wait! Wait, what the bloody hell are you doing?!’ screamed the owner as loud as he could.

Landon calmly put the sledgehammer down and looked at the owner.

‘Mr. Morrison, surely you don’t expect me to spend the night in a room with no view, do you?’ said Landon with a faint smirk.
‘What?!’ yelled Chloe and the owner in unison.
‘Oh, don’t worry; I won’t be needing any bath towels.’

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