The Twist

The ground was barren and empty, as though nothing or no one had ever been there. As though nothing had happened. I started questioning myself. Did I really just witness someone falling out of a 25th floor window? I must've because Natasha saw it as well... But if that’s the case, why was there no one on the ground?

"Natasha, please tell me you saw that too," I almost pleaded.

"Yeah I swore I saw it...but no one is here. How is that possible?" She sounded shaken.

"I don't know, be we should investigate the hotel just to be sure. Maybe someone caught him?" I was trying to be hopeful. I didn't want to think that maybe I just witnessed either a suicide or a homicide.

"I don't know...perhaps... What if we don't find him?" I didn't want to even think about if we didn't find him.

We walked into the hotel to find it almost deserted. Bags and purses were abandoned, sitting next to the chairs, pens were laid down on papers in mid-word, keys left in doors. "Wha- what happened here? It looks as though everyone up and left in the middle of what they were doing.” Natasha and I looked at each other as the elevator opened with the bellhop's luggage carrier still in the elevator.

Natasha walked forward to the couch and felt the seat. "It's still warm. Ivan, why would this still be warm when there’s no one in sight?”

"I don't know...why would it still be warm...?" I couldn't wrap my head around this. I walked to the elevator and pushed the up button. "I'll go check upstairs on the floor the man seemed to have come out of to see if there is anyone up there that maybe saw what happened."

"Okay," Natasha responded, "I'll go look around the kitchen and staff room to see if I can find anyone." We parted ways as I climbed into the elevator to head up to the 25th floor. I nervously paced the elevator as I creep my way up to my destination.

The elevator continues past the 20th floor. 21...22...23...24...25...*ding*

The doors slide open, and I almost scream aloud. In front of me, was the remnants of a hotel hallway. Scorch marks were all over the walls, the plants were on fire, the doors ripped off the hinges, and the smell was more than atrocious. What had happened here?