Somnia Moon

Chapter 5: Enemies

Sleeping proved to be a far more challenging task than it had been the previous night. Alex was utterly exhausted, and yet her mind refused to let her sleep, practically buzzing with all the new information it had acquired that day. Whenever she closed her eyes, the dusty, cracked wood of the hotel wall transformed into staggering monsters with decaying skin, the gentle folds of her warm duvet melted into the shiny, flowing waves of Christina's auburn hair, and the glinting stars outside the flawless glass window glowed red, glaring at her with unresolved malice. She tried thinking of other things, but the only memory powerful enough to distract her was so much worse than anything she could ever encounter here, so she closed her eyes and allowed the nightmare inducing thoughts to flood her mind.

When she finally relaxed enough to sleep, her thoughts thankfully left her alone. Her dreams were empty. Her slumber undisturbed.

A loud, piercing knock jolted through her brain like a bullet, and she opened her eyes to bright morning light seeping through the window. She sat up lethargically, still half asleep, and pulled on the fluffy pink dressing gown she'd found folded on the table by her bed. Another jarring knock startled her in her sleepy daze, and she stumbled towards the door, almost tripping. Opening the door revealed Holly, arms crossed and themajority of her weight resting on one leg, and Zoe, giving her a friendly smile.

"Take longer to open the door why don't you, it's not like we have anything better to do than wait for you." Holly snapped, barging past her into the room. Zoe sighed at her impertinence before addressing Alex.

"Have you only just got up?"

"Um, yeah, sorry... if you just wait here I'll go get ready." Alex opened the door wider, inviting Zoe inside. She grabbed her clothes, still slightly damp from her having washed them the previous night, placed them in a neat pile on the bathroom floor before climbing into the shower. She gasped as the freezing jets of water smacked against her skin, and a few minutes later, she climbed back out. Once she was dressed, she exited the bathroom.

"Ok. You ready to go?" Zoeasked. Alex breathed deeply, suddenly feeling incredibly apprehensive.

"Yeah. I guess."

Zoe walked a few paces from the coffee table to the door and swung it open. "After you."

They passed the receptionist on the way out, his glaring eyes making her skin crawl, and found Evan staring at nothing with empty eyes just outside.

"So," Alex sighed. "What's our plan?"

"I'm thinking we check in with Piper, let him know what we're doing and then... walk straight into our inevitable demise." Zoe smiled with uncertainty, fear flickering behind her eyes.

Holly shook her head. "You're completely insane." Zoe laughed, but it seemed slightly forced.

"Aren't we all?"

"No, no we are not. I am perfectly sane, thank you very much." Holly responded, stubborn as always. "Now let's go, before I decide to abandon you and escape with my heart still beating."

"W-wait, um... before we go..." Evan began, his voice shaking, displaying his complete lack of confidence.

"What is it?" Zoe asked.

"Well, I'm...not good at fighting - "

"We gathered." Holly interjected, causing Evan to look at his trainers.

"I think I'd be more useful here...researching...they have a library in the, um, Town Hall, I'm sure I could find something that could help us get back home."

Zoe shrugged. "Sure. I don't see why not. You ready to go?" Alex nodded, and the four of them headed towards the crystal stairs, glowing white in the sunlight. She turned the door handle, but this time Myddnight was not there to greet them; Alex suddenly got the inexplicable sense that something was wrong, but she pushed it down, figuring that Myddnight probably had better things to do than just wait for people to visit. They walked inside, and were greeted by a deathly silence. The red carpet trickled under their feet, a river of blood, and her heart began beating ever so slightly faster. Something was not right here.