Black Jaguar

GwinWah

The setting sun cast long shadows across the highway as Kai steered her beat-up sedan towards GwinWah. The air was thick with the scent of pine and something else, something metallic and faintly acrid, that made her stomach churn. She was supposed to be in Shanghai, enjoying a life of privilege and comfort, but instead, she was hurtling towards a place she'd only heard whispers about, a place her father, ShinBuo, had sent her to.

Kai had always been a troubled soul. Her parents, both successful businessmen, had tried to mold her into their image, but she'd always felt out of place, her spirit chafing against the gilded cage they'd built around her. When her father had sent her on this errand, she'd felt a strange mixture of anger and relief. It was a chance to escape, to prove she could handle things on her own, even if it meant facing whatever lurked in the shadows of GwinWah.

As she approached the entrance, a figure emerged from the gloom. A traffic guard, his face obscured by the fading light, stood beside a rickety booth, a faded sign proclaiming 'GwinWah Motel' hanging crookedly above. As Kai slowed, he approached, his hand resting on the car's rim.

'Who might you be?' he asked, his voice a low rumble that sent shivers down her spine. 'You seem new here.'

Kai swallowed, her throat suddenly dry. 'I was sent by my father, ShinBuo. He has something I need.'

The guard's hand tightened on the rim, his eyes flickering over her with an intensity that made her uncomfortable. 'Ah, ShinBuo? Is there anything particular he wants you to get? I can't let just anyone come in here.'

'I'm not sure,' Kai admitted, desperation creeping into her voice. 'But I'll be gone quick. What is this place anyway? I've never heard of it.'

He chuckled, a hollow sound that echoed in the stillness. 'This place here,' he said, patting the car's rim as if it were a pet, 'just a beautiful motel. Used to be consulted with experiments and crap like that. Spook tales about this place, but it's been abandoned.'

Kai frowned, her suspicions growing. 'Then why are you here if it's abandoned?'

He leaned back, his face obscured by the shadows once more. 'I'm just here,' he said, his voice barely a whisper. He laughed again, a chilling sound that seemed to carry the echoes of forgotten horrors.

Then, he stepped back, waving her through. 'Whatever,' he muttered, his face unsettlingly blank. He turned and walked back to the tiny office, leaving Kai feeling more alone than she'd ever felt before.

Kai drove past the office, the guard's wave a ghost in the fading light. The motel loomed ahead, a hulking silhouette against the darkening sky. Its windows were dark, empty eyes staring out into the night. The air hung heavy with the smell of decay, and a cold dread settled in her stomach. This place, she knew, was not abandoned. It was waiting.

She parked in the deserted parking lot, the silence broken only by the chirping of crickets and the distant howl of a dog. As she stepped out of the car, she felt a presence, a watchful eye lurking behind this motel abandonment.

The air hung heavy with the scent of decay as Kai approached the abandoned motel. The faded neon sign above the entrance flickered erratically, casting long, distorted shadows. She had come here hoping to find some trace of her father, ShinBuo, who had vanished without a trace months ago.

She had been told he worked here before, but the motel was long abandoned, left to crumble under the weight of its forgotten stories. A single street lamp flickered nearby, casting a pool of sickly yellow light. A figure emerged from the darkness, the guard again.

'What do you need, madam?' he asked, his voice a gravelly whisper.

Kai cut him off, 'Name's Kai. What door number was my father, ShinBuo?'