Beneath (WIP)

My life has changed....for the good.

The day the "For Sale" sign was taken out of the window was one of the best days of my life. My dream was coming true right before my very eyes. I had always dreamed of wanting to own and operate a hotel ever since I graduated college with my business degree. I worked in the financial sectors of many different companies, but now it was my time to be the boss of something. Out of all of the services available, I wanted to be involved in the travel industry. I moved a lot in my lifetime and sometimes you just need a place to settle down for a bit before you continue your journey. That's what my vision for this hotel was, and hospitality would be our main focus. All travelers should have a comfortable place to rest before pressing on and living their best life.

As I walked into the main lobby, I could see the last of the painters and renovators finishing up their craft. The place looked beautiful with the pale yellow walls with a couple of new paintings and wall decor hung up on the walls. Everyone who walked inside would immediately be in awe over our design. I nodded my head to the painters who greeted me and moved my way through the next sections of the motel. The hallways were cleaned up and no longer full of dirt, dust, and cobwebs. A couple of holes in the wall had been fixed. The place almost looked haunted when I saw it for the first time. Now it looked like any spirits that could have lived in here were driven out by all the bright colors. Haha! If only I did own a haunted hotel....I would make so much money.

People who owned haunted hotels or claimed to be haunted hotels (I don't believe in ghosts or anything like that.) made a load of money. Travelers would pay top notch to experience haunts while they slept or even went about their daily activities. If ghosts were real, I don't know if I could ever handle their hauntings. They were cool to me, but the idea of an entity stalking me and trying to scare me just doesn't sit well with me. My friends tease me and call me names when I say I could never go to a haunted location or even an attraction at a fall theme park. I don't know. Those things just don't entertain me. Call me someone who loves to cling to normalcy for a chance. There is never time for the supernatural when life is already taking you on a scary journey.

"Oh, Mark. It looks beautiful!" my wife, Helen exclaimed.

I love Helen. She is always so supportive of all of my endeavors. We fought over this idea for a long time. Some issues about money and budget came up and almost split us apart, but I told her we could make it work. Boy, am I glad I have her by my side now. It's like she is finally seeing the light of the future, and the future is now. I smiled at her and continued to observe the last of the renovations, feeling proud of myself.

"This place is going to be wonderful for us! We're on a busy state route. Things will be alright. The Desert Fox Inn will be the most popular hotel in Texas!" I exclaimed. My wife looked over at me with a grin on her face.

"Desert Fox? Where did you come up with that name?" she asked. I looked around awkwardly.

"Well I know how much you like Fennec foxes, and they live in the desert. Maybe not in this country, but they're a friendly and cute species that will attract people. Fennec wouldn't attract many people so I just called it a desert fox. People like animals, Helen!" She laughed at me, but in a nice way rather than condescending one.

"Desert Fox also reminds me of the second World War, and that Erwin Rommel guy from Germany. He was nicknamed that, you know." I smirked and shrugged my shoulders.

"I wasn't thinking of historical references when I came up with this name, Helen. It has been YEARS since I studied history." I laughed.

I felt a tap on my shoulder. I turned to see the head of the renovation project standing behind me with some papers and a blue pen attached to a clipboard.

"Mr. Thompson, we're finishing up the remaining bits of the renovations you ordered. We'll be done within the hour. I just need you to sign these papers saying that you understand the costs and agree to pay them." he told me.

"Oh, of course, thank you."

I nodded my head and took the pen. I provided them with my signature and scribbled down my contact information. After I was done, the man looked at what I had written down and looked me in the eyes like I was crazy. I didn't know why. I was beginning to feel a little nervous.

"Is everything alright, sir?" I asked. The man snapped out of his weird daze and returned to reality.

"Uhhh.....yeah. Sorry, I just uh...began thinking about something going on at home. That's all."

"Anything I can help with?" I asked. He shook his head and shrugged.

"No, not really. It's just some....arguments with the wife. Hey, uh...are you sure you really want this place?" he asked.

I figured that was a weird question to be asking me, especially at this time after he had just gotten done renovating my entire hotel making it look sparkling new and fancy. If he was trying to scare me or something, he wasn't doing the greatest job at it. He should stick to his day job.

"Yes, why wouldn't I?" I asked. He shrugged.

"Just wondering. People always thought this place was never going to be any kind of business or something worthwhile because it was so.....decrepit. I'm shocked we got it all cleaned up for you. I just hope you get some guests." he explained.

I felt his reasoning was good enough. So he wasn't trying to scare me. He still looked nervous, but I rationalized his behaviors back to his home life where he was arguing with his wife. If Helen and I ever began fighting and falling apart, I would be acting like him too.

"Thank you. It wouldn't happen without you." I said. He smiled and nodded his head.

"Well have a great day. Glad me and my team could help out." he said.

Then he walked away. The team finished up in a half an hour, and Helen and I went home to sleep soon later. We came back the next day to celebrate the grand opening of our new inn. People actually came! It made me so happy to be able to help serve people and give them a nice place to stay. The Desert Fox Inn was actually going to be a pretty popular place! We hired maids and chefs to help us keep the place tidy, and they were happy to be on board. We were making money and gaining great reviews. Everything was going great for us, and we felt successful! Until four days later.....