Trapped In A Mystifying Fictional World (ONC 2024)

Chapter 9

A long day has ended with many unanswered questions and a new day has begun with a missing person.

"What should I do now? My husband has gone missing!" Jules said, quivering, stepping towards the receptionist, who was sitting over the desk. Some people in the hall begin glancing at Jules in fear.

Whispers of assumption and fear filled the air, as everyone began talking about her husband in the chaos. A worried expression was drawn on his face when he heard that Mr Harry had gone missing.

"Mrs. Jules please sit down and have some water," said the receptionist and gestured for one of the staff to fetch a glass of water.

A woman strolls towards Jules and gently guides her to a couch. As soon as Jules sat down on the couch, she began to cry out loud. A staff member rushed towards her and gave him a glass of water. She took the glass from him, just took a sip and gave him the glass.

"When I woke up this morning, my husband was not in our room. The killer has already killed someone here and I don't want my husband to be killed by him!" She cried out.

"Mrs. Jules, please think positively. I'm going out to find him," the receptionist assured her and walked out of the motel. A staff followed him outside.

As Alex and Emily exit the elevator on the first floor, they are faced with a surprising sight. Jules sat on a couch, shedding tears while a woman tried to console her.

In concern, Emily came over to them and asked, "What happened? Why is Mrs. Jules crying?"

The woman consoling Jules looked up, her expression tense and explained, "Mrs. Jules' husband, Mr. Harry, is missing. The receptionist and a staff member went out to look for him."

Shocked by the news, Alex turns to Emily and says, "I'm going to go out to look for him."

"I want to come with you," Emily hastily said.

"Okay, let's go,"

As soon as they came out of the motel, they were greeted by a cold breeze and swirling snowfall. They immediately regret not wearing a heavy jacket.

Snowflakes were still falling from the sky like small rocks with the vigorous wind blowing in the woods surrounding the motel. The after-effects of the storm were noticeable in the numerous trees lying on the ground with their branches bent down due to the heavy snow. The road leading to the motel was covered with a thick cloak of snow. Chunks of snow were smashing them as if a group of wicked children were throwing stones at them.

Alex shielded Emily with his jacket, protecting her from the swirling snow. Emily clung to him, she could hear Alex's raced heartbeat.

Suddenly, they saw the receptionist and staff standing motionless, their eyes fixed on something in front of them. Emily whispered, "What do you think they see?"

Alex's grip tightened around Emily and she replied, "I'm not sure, but we should check into it."

In confusion, Alex and Emily carefully approached and stood beside them. Then their eyes fell upon the disturbing scene before them, their eyes widening in shock.

Mr Harry's lifeless body was lying on the ground, his eyes looking horrified and there were multiple knife wounds on his stomach. There was a bloodied knife lying near it, as the little boy had discovered earlier.

Caught in a moment of disbelief, Alex and Emily stood still, questions racing through their minds.

"Why is this knife here? As I recall, this knife fell out of the hand of the little boy in the hall when he fainted," Alex said, raising his hand to his chin.

The receptionist said, placing his hands on the waist, "You're right. I'm thinking about it too."

Emily's eyebrows were drawn together in worry and she said, "How do we tell Jules about this? She's already crying!"

"But we have to inform her," Alex said and the receptionist nodded.

"Sir, what should we do with this body?" The staff asked.

The receptionist took a deep breath and said "Leave it here for now, then after we inform Mrs. Jules about Mr. Harry, we'll put it in the outhouse of our motel,"

Four of them were sensing more frightened than freezing there. Emily's heart was pounding like a bullet train. Many thoughts kept surging in her mind. Alex's situation is similar to hers.

The receptionist and staff are the first to head to the motel. Alex and Emily exchanged a glance with each other and then followed them into the motel.

When the four of them arrive at the motel, they spot Jules waiting for them. She rose from the couch, rushed towards them and asked in a trembling voice, "Where is my husband? Have you all found him?"

"Mrs. Jules, we found him but-" The receptionist paused.

"But what? Tell me," Jules firmly asked.

"We found him dead,"

Jules' eyes widened upon hearing this. She can't believe what he just said. “No, this can't be true,” she yelled and everything began becoming blurry before her eyes and she fell unconscious on the floor.

Emily and Alex ran towards Jules. Alex took Jules in his arms and hauled her to a nearby couch and a few people moved away from the couch to leave space for her.

Then Alex placed her on the couch and turned to the receptionist. "My phone still doesn't have a signal. How are we supposed to call the police?"

"I don't know what to do now?" The receptionist said in a panic.

"Now we must have to find the killer!" said the young man who was injured by the killer yesterday.

"Yes, you're right. We have to find the killer," Emily agreed.

"So first we need to get everyone here," Alex said.

"Maxwell, let's put the body in the outhouse," said the receptionist. The staff nodded.

As they were about to leave, Alex called the receptionist from behind.

"And please bring the knife from there. The knife is an important clue for us."

“Sure,” the receptionist replied and walked out of the motel with the staff.

A wave of terror had swept throughout the room. Shivers ran down the spine of each person in the room, injecting an electric current of fear into the air. Their hearts pounding in a bluster of dread. Little did Emily and Alex know, that a shadow was lurking in the air following them everywhere.

A harsh fate looming on the horizon, a fate they could not escape. Time was slipping from their hands like a grain of sand. Will they survive this sinister game or become victims?

To Be Continued...

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