Nightmare Hotel: A Nightmare x Male Reader Story

Chapter Nine: Curiosity

As you had wandered off to chase after the small, dark blur you had seen, you chased it beyond a few corners, unable to capture sight of it. The faster you walked, the faster it seemed to run. Even going up and down stairs didn't seem to give it any trouble. You rounded one corner after another, just to only see the thing disappear behind yet another wall. You were determined to chase after it and find out what it was. The thing had led you up several floors and disappeared around another corner. You rounded that corner and immediately came to a halt as you saw a tall, tattered, brown bear with fiery orange eyes. Three small cubs occupied his arms. The three of them made faint, staticky sounds, opening their mouths wide as they stared at you with glowing, white eyes.

"Well, don't you look a sight," the bear said. You stared at him for a few moments.

"Relax. I don't plan to hurt you. I may not take a liking to humans, but I'm a civil beast," he spoke. He drew closer to you, humming quietly.

"What brought you here? Normally when we come across humans, they're looking for a means of death, even going as far as begging us to kill them. But that doesn't seem to be your goal. Something else brought you here. Or perhaps... someone. Regardless, any time a human showed up here for any reason, it has never been good for said human," he said. You remained silent.

"You shouldn't be roaming around here, you know. It isn't safe for a mere human who isn't looking for death. A mortal human, especially. You're lucky you ran into me and not someone who shows no mercy when it comes to humans," he said.

"I'm aware of the dangers. That doesn't make me afraid though," you said. The bear smirked.

"I see. You think he will protect you. Don't you?" he asked. You slightly cocked your head to the side as you looked at him.

"You bear traces of that demon-bear's scent. You know, any time he's brought a human around, he would devour their soul and bleed their body dry," he said.

"What does that have to do with me?" you asked.

"You're a fool if you think he won't hurt you. You're even more so of a fool to come here. He might play nice to you now, but that's just to lure you in. Once you get close enough to him, he'll devour you like the shadows of the night," he said.

"Why should I listen to you? I don't even know you," you said. The bear huffed.

"Fine. Don't say I didn't warn you," the bear said, brushing past you. You backed away as one of his cubs attempted to nip at you. The bear walked away, disappearing into the shadows of the corridor.

"Huh," you muttered. You then heard a faint growling noise. You turned to look at the source, just for it to duck behind a wall. You then sat down on the floor and sighed. You stared at the wall the small blur had darted behind. After a few minutes, something peeked out from the edge of the wall. You tilted your head. You waited patiently, watching as one of its glowing, golden eyes watched you. You remained staring at it as it stared back at you. You heard a small growl come from its direction. You looked down at the floor, thinking if you didn't make eye-contact with it, it might be less afraid to come out. Though you also knew there was a possibility that it might have been something that would kill you, so you discreetly watched it from the corner of your eye. You soon noticed it start to emerge, making itself more visible. Whatever the thing was, it was slowly creeping towards you. You slowly turned your head to it, careful not to make eye-contact. You could see that it was a small, brown puppy. It ducked its head down slightly, it's small nose wiggling as it sniffed. It continued to creep closer to you, sniffing you once it got close enough. You watched it closely. It inched closer, stretching out its neck slightly, seeming to not want to get too close. It stepped a bit closer, then lightly bit on your hand.