When you meet him he was just a poor man and you were just a poor girl, just like everyone else. he would come to your bar, have a chat, couple drinks and then leave with a hooker. At first he called you by your name but soon you were always called his pinkest rose, and he was your Jimmy. Then one day he didn't leave with a hooker, he left with you. That night was the greatest night of your life, and it ended in you both laying in his messy bed.
"Let's run away together. There has to be one place on this planet not affected by the war that could use a good barmaid." His accent reminded you of the very posh men of your time, the ones who had all the money and all the fame. It was intoxicating.
"Jimmy, what are you saying."
"I love you my pink rose, and I want to take you away from this place."
"Where will we go? What will you do?"
"Sweetheart I am sure I can find an empty field somewhere that has enough room for a million graves."
He chuckled as he pulled you closer. Of course you knew of his tendencies but you could look past it, and see the golden, evil gentleman below.
"We should leave tomorrow." You whispered.
"I'll pick you up at the bar my pink rose, and then we will leave." He pecked the top of your head and watched as you slowly fell asleep.
The next morning you woke up wrapped in his sheets and alone. The clock read that it was almost noon, and knowing him, he was already at the field, either working or killing.you rolled out, located your clothes and hurried home, your bags were packed by the time you had to go to work and you eagerly waited..... And waited...... And waited....... But he never showed.
You heard his name again though, for it was all over the news, Hotel Cortez, the grandest hotel in the Los Angels area for the time period, and it was being built by none other then James Patrick March. In the article you discovered that almost overnight Mr.March rose to wealth thru unknown means. No one knew how he inherited the money, just that he was not old money. He had taken his money and invested it into this hotel, which you guessed could only house his many ideas for torture and death.
As you looked at the article and chuckled before deciding that you had to go. You once again packed your bags and found yourself chasing March again, and then one day, you were there.
" I'd like to check in please?" You told the woman at the front desk.
"No rooms sorry." She snapped, for she was a beautiful blonde and there was something about her that seemed supernatural and inviting.
"I'm a friend of Mr. March, just tell him his pinkest rose has arrived."
The woman huffed a bit and then walked into the back room, arriving several moments later and threw one of the many keys on the wall at you.
"Room 33." She smiled, "Mr. March would also like to invite you to supper tonight. Wear something... Nice."
"Of course. Thank you." You started up the Art Deco stairs and admired the texture of everything. It was all gorgeous, and it was all James. As you wandered down the halls you noticed a hallway with no door, and found your self intrigued by the fact that it let nowhere, and you found yourself down that same hallway, your fingers brushing against the wall as you did.
"You know dear you shouldn't be wandering, especially in this halls." A voice said, she sounded as though she was a shrill person but yet there was some kindness in her voice. You turned to see the voice had come from an older lady with red hair and a maid outfit on, carrying bloody linens.
"Well you see, I have to marvel at the fact that someone would do this, I mean the only thing this hall is good for is trapping the poor victims and ending the chase, something I know he hates to do." The woman's face grew in shock
"How do you..."
"Given by the bloody linens you have, I'm assuming you are working closely with him. I was wondering if you could tell me...."
"Mr.March doesn't want to see anyone, he is preparing for a very important date, had to finish this one up quick just so he could prepare for it." She lifted the linens a bit and smiled.
"What kind of important date?"
"I shouldn't be telling you this, but you seem like a nice, young lady. The master was once in love, and if you ask me he still is. See with him being new money and all he was once a poor farmer, and he would always go spend his warning on this one barmaid, called her his Pink Rose. Then on the day they were planning on running away with each other he slit the throat of a very rich businessman and stole all his money. Had the poor bloke sign it away to him before he did it. He then took the money zand built this. Isn't it lovely?"
"Yes, quite. Do you happen to know why he left the girl?"
"Well now that I don't know, you see Mr.March says he left her because she was not fit for the world of the rich, I think though he left her because he was scared that the wonderful man he became was going to hurt her, that one day she would find herself in one of his traps and she wouldn't get out."
"Interesting, well I best be getting off, I have a very important date to prepare for." You started to walk away from her, brushing past the bloodied linens and making your way back down the hall. You found 33 without another encounter and slowly opened the door revealing a retro room. Throwing your bag onto the chair you sank onto the bed. Just as you started to shut your eyes the phone let out a loud, annoying ring, causing you to sit up and grab the red receiver.
"Hello, [Y/N] speaking."
"Mr. March has left a package for you. You can come get it at the front desk." The line went dead, leaving you in silence. Why would James buy you something, I mean it had really been a year, six months, 4 days, 2 hours, and 30 minutes since you last saw him, and he never had bought you anything before. But here you found yourself, walking towards the front desk where a package sat.
"Is this it?" You pointed towards the box, which was wrapped in black paper and tied with a golden ribbon.
"Yes, Mr. March wants you to have it and wear tonight to dinner."
"Can I know where..."
"No darling, see Mr. March will reveal himself when the time is right, for now just go prepare yourself. Don't want to disappoint him, now do we?"
"No." You said unsure of what the real answer should have been, you found yourself though walking back to the room, the box tucked under your arm, until you once again found your room.
Once inside the four walls you placed the package on the bed and slowly removed the ribbon, then the paper, then the lib. Inside you saw a string of pearls and a black dress, just a simple, form fitting black dress. Once you examined it you discovered it was your size, and exactly what you would have worn if you were rich and could afford something for a fancy dinner, which was set to start at 7.
When the clock struck to 7 you found yourself outside the door labeled 64, the sound of music faintly drifted out from under the door. As you raised your hand to knock though the maid from earlier opened the door, a bundle of bloody sheets in her arm, which seemed to be what she always had with her.
"Oh Miss [Y/L/N], you look stunning."
"Thank you Miss Evers. Is James...."
"Mr. March is quite busy perhaps you can..."
"Let her in Mrs. Evers, it's rude to allow such beautiful guest linger in the doorway." The posh accent filled the room and spilled into the hall, a dark shadow emerged from behind the wall, "oh and could you please wash this shirt for me, I must say it is one of my favorites." A bloody white button down went soaring through the air and landed perfectly in Mrs. Ever's free hand.
"Oh course Mr. March." She went bustling by you, leaving you to stand in the doorway alone, almost afraid it was a dream.
"My pinkest rose, you have returned." His voice was like a refreshing breeze to you, for it was like the sound of songs and made you remember just how much you missed him.
"If I remember correctly Jimmy, you left me after making love to me. So who is really returning to who?"
"It is a decision I have regretted everyday since I made it. But you see I was terrified that this world would eat you up, consume you and then spit you out on the curb."
"Was it the world you feared or yourself?"
He chuckled, the silhouette of his head looking down as he did, "You have always know me too well my dear. Even now I fear that I might break you."
"James I am sure that..."
"You don't get it, in this room alone are multiple ways to disfigure you, killing you in a satisfying way each time, I have a way to dispose of your body and make it so you are never traced here, never found, just gone. Even know I am envisioning you dead."
"And if I didn't trust you then I won't be here love, so either I am dumb in love or trust you far more then you trust yourself."
"I've missed you my pink rose." He whispered as he took a step closer to you.
"And I you." You whispered back as he leaned his forehead against yours.
"Which is why it pains me to do this." That's when you felt the sharp pain in your abdomen, looking down you saw the blood slowly trickling down as he pulled the knife from you, your eyes meeting his again.
"I won't have wanted to go any other way."
You woke up on the bed of his room, the sheets were soft against your skin and the smell was of freshly washed linens. As you rolled over and sat up the first thing you laid eyes on was Mr. James Patrick March, who just sat there with his cane, watching you.
"Ah I am glad to see it worked." James said as he rose and started towards you.
"What worked?" You asked as he slowly sat beside you.
"My theory, you see I have noticed some of the victims have been living in the hotel even after death."
"So ghost?"
"Yes and they can not leave, so I have convinced most of them to stay in the basement or work for the hotel."
"So you killed me to work for you?"
"No my sweet, precious rose. I killed you so that you could stay with me forever."
"James what are you..."
"I already know my days are numbered, and I plan on dying in my hotel."
"So then..."
"We could be together forever my love. You will never have to work, just live with me, you can even help me kill sometimes."
"I'm quite alright in that department but yes my love I will stay." You reach a hand forward and rested it upon his own.
And that is how it went, until the day he died, and then came back. You were dead and hidden in the wall where he put you. You both were happy, together, and he was of course for filling his dreams of murder. Everything was perfect, until he showed up.... But that is a different story 😉
