Journey into Disaster by NOKBEW™

1.00. Unexpected visitors

The journey starts with a knock!

"Knock, knock, knock!"

Somewhere is a knock. Am I still asleep or am I already awake?

It seems that I am slipping back into life - back to reality.

It's suffocating hot in the room and breathing is difficult. Where am I? What time is it? When did I turn off the air conditioning because of the constant, disturbing airflow?

The fog in my brain clears up. Nevertheless, I still lack any sense of time. In addition to the deep breathing of the children, there are other noises. They shouldn't be here! There is talk in front of the cottage. Now the door rattles. Vaguely I remember: The door is locked!

Another much louder knock and the door shakes and rattles wildly. Light flashes through my closed eyelids. There are many lights, certainly flashlights.

Damn strong lights! I open my eyes, but I'm too confused to act, feel exhausted, and have mild headaches. Mouth and throat are dry as dust. The flashlights cast frantic shadow plays on the heavy curtains and ceiling above the door.

Again: "Knock, knock, knock!"

The seconds go by, but I can't act. My alarm bells are ringing. Come to yourself! Something is strange - really not okay!

Another knock on the heavy glass door. Energetic and annoying. The knocking is dampened by the two-piece curtain, because it is as thick as a Berber carpet and covers the entire front of the room. I'm sitting at the edge of the bed now, and smooth the sheets, put the bedding and pillow back in place. Behind me on the bed on the wall is a boy sleeping. I watch the opaque brown curtain. The calming breathing of the child on the wall is like the breathing of the other children on the two beds in front of me. The children are still asleep and do not notice all the knocking and noises. This doesn't surprise me at all, because it was a day full of great activities. Happy but exhausted, the boys quickly fell asleep as soon as their heads hit the pillows.

The play of light and shadow of the flashlights makes the situation incredibly surreal.

My inner voice roars: An overheated room, sleeping children, outside people with strong flashlights and then knocking on the door. Get up! Something is wrong here.

I remember having these strange premonitions all day long. That kind of gloomy, negative premonition.

It is 10:15 p.m. No, it's definitely too late for visitors.

Sam had texted his older sister today. Maybe she wanted to visit us at the hotel. His sister lives here in Tugalm City. Like the five boys who are with me today, she comes from the village from which we came this morning. I know Sam's sister from the remote village and am very familiar with her family. There I am a welcomed guest and spend my holidays. It is idyllically on the quiet river that flows into the Pacific Ocean.

In dim light, I walk to the door in underpants and shirt, stumble over a children's backpack and look through a gap in the two curtains through the glass door. The entire front wall of the cottage is made of glass. A bright light dazzles me and a red dot remains on my retina when I close my eyes. I put my hand over my eyes, look outside, and am shocked by the sheer number of people. The flashlights cast hard rays into the velvety tropical night. I have a bad feeling in my stomach.

What is going on? Why are so many people outside with flashlights?

My brain is finally working. Alarm bells are ringing. I will surely know in a moment why the crowd is in front of the hotel cottage.

-★-

Carefully I open the door a gap.

"May I take a look inside the room, sir?" asks an elderly woman breathlessly. Her English is good. She probably knocked on the door. The stout woman looks at me, but avoids direct eye contact. In front of her hangs a laminated ID. She sweats and breathes very briefly. I'm worried: Hopefully she doesn't hyperventilate.

Despite her rapid breathing, the woman smiles. It upsets me. This smile is completely out-of-place, because everyone here knows that there is nothing to smile. The situation is neither funny nor cheerful and certainly not amusing. The opposite is true. Mistrust and aggression are in the air. The negative vibrations are clearly noticeable in the stress atmosphere. They are almost tangible.

I wonder and get angry: Why does the woman smile so stupidly?

The crowd stands around the old woman. There is staff of the hotel and other people. Some in plainclothes are recognizable as police officers, but there are also police officers in uniform. A professional cameraman is not missing. In fact, a lot of people are outside staring at me. Some are expressionless, others petrifying and others with smiling faces. There is a tense silence, which is interrupted only by coughing.

This is the calm before the storm.

The tall cameraman stands behind the hyperventilating woman. At this moment I notice the green LED of the camera. The camera's headlight is turned on, turning night into day. No one says a word. It's an explosive atmosphere.

The woman at the door, perhaps around 60 years old, repeats her superfluous question: "Sir, may I look into the room?" and ends her speech with an intrusive: "Please!"

I answer in a suffocating voice: "Why?"

"Perhaps a crime is in progress and a violation of our law!"

Behind the woman, an elderly man suddenly speaks in a commanding tone: "We are here to check this, and we will do it now!"

-★-