The Enchantments: Book 3 - The Key of Sorcen

Chapter 13: Nightmare Hotel

Fin lay awake listening to the sounds of the island closing his eyes and enjoying in the coolness of the sheets. The protective mosquito netting saved him from the constant bites of the bugs but allowed the soft sounds of the world to filter in. As the unrelenting course of crickets wafted gently into his room he was put at ease by their gentle sounds allowing him to concentrate on the last few days. Fin knew his time to find the pyramids was short and the men from the airport would one day find him. He hoped to stay one step and he knew that meant pushing forward as well as keeping a close look behind.

Feeling a little uneasy Fin got to his feet and strode over to the window where he gazed out amongst the grounds. The moon was now only a sliver in the sky so any chance of seeing movement in the trees was doubtful but Fin knew that within that vegetation a dark source of evil was willing. He couldn't narrow down the feeling but there was a scent in the air that wasn't right. He didn't want to alarm Rowell but he also thought the man was ill prepared for the consequences.

A slight breeze wafted through the open window and Fin closed his eyes and took in a large breath. There was that smell again! It wasn't a huge overpowering scent but just enough to twinge the nose. He opened his eyes again and looked desperately around the clearing.

Still nothing. But that didn't mean everything in the area was fine.

Something was really wrong and the alarms inside Fins head began screaming their warnings. The time for reflection was over. Fin in sensing the time to act was now, rushed over the sides of the bed and began putting on his pants and shirt. He was almost finished when he suddenly stopped. What was that? Something outside had just changed.

He slowly put his shirt over his head and headed back to the window. The air was calm but the feeling wouldn't leave him, something was coming and he knew it, he just couldn't figure out why. It wasn't until he put the final tie in his laces that the answer began to filter down.

The noises from the crickets had suddenly stopped.

Fin made sure all the lights were extinguished as he slinked over to the window again. Without the glare from the room, he could easily see the edges of the woods now. As he fixed his eyes upon the ground he knew the tall dark shadows moving across the lawn were coming towards the hotel and without a second glance he rushed over to the door.

Inch by inch he pulled the thin door open just enough to poke his head out. He knew everything would be quiet but still that nagging feeling at the base of his mind told him things were not right.

Stepping cautiously from his room Fin crept quietly down the hall constantly checking over his shoulder for anything out of the ordinary. Yet every step he took there was still that feeling that if he didn't find out the source of the bad vibes he might go crazy.

Approaching the stairwell he looked suspiciously down onto the main floor, yet still, all was quiet. Slowly he padded down the steps keeping a close eye on the areas to his left and right. He was getting used to being on edge all the time that he relished the idea of his adrenaline coursing through his veins.

As he hit the marble of the main floor he noticed the lights were burning brightly all around him. He felt very conspicuous and in the open so he needed to get his bearings, that meant dousing the lights. He trotted over to the wall and with a flick of a switch he turned the area into blackness.

"AGGGHHHHHHHHH!!!!" Fin screamed into the dark. Just a few feet away on the other side of the glass stood a creature of horrifying consequences. A dark skinned man with large lips dripping blood from the severally chapped lips stared back from behind a lit torch. Watching in disgust Fin lips quivered over and over again, unable to understand but powerless to move Fin stood staring at the hideous creature with the bright white eyes.