Hotel Le Grand

xii

The mime's lips curled into a grin and he suddenly began to crawl towards me in an inhuman, broken fashion. I shrieked, kicking out at him and trying to scoot back but my hands and feet slipped on the slick, blood splattered flooring.

Hands wrapped around my arms and yanked me into the room, and I saw Faye and Kayla panting while Violet stood beside me, eyes wide in silent terror. The mime crawled out of the door and stopped, craning his neck to look at us, the bones cracking. He opened his mouth and strange, haunting whispers began to fall out. Blood dropped from the mime's eyes and fell onto the floor, soaking into the carpet.

Suddenly, the alarm clock began to chime, that stupid children's song flowed out. With each lyric, the mime moved his mouth, his head cocked to the side as he continued to crawl towards us.

His bones began to crack and he quickly began to rise to his feet, his neck hanging at an odd angle. We all stumbled back, trying to get a good distance between us when Jace suddenly launched out from behind him and knocked him to the ground. The rope on his arms slithered and writhed before transferring from Jace to the black and white creature before us. The mime opened his mouth in a shriek and kicked at the rope that began to crawl up his leg.

Jace- now free- jumped back and watched the mime scowl and halt his struggles. He lifted his hands up and formed a fake gun with his fingers, swinging the pretend weapon from person to person.

He stopped, lowered his thumb, and jerked his arms as if the gun had recoiled in his grasp. We stared, "What the he-"

The mime suddenly collapsed in a pile of black rope and blood stained clothes- his physical body no longer there. I took a step forward when a sudden gurgle alarmed me. I wheeled around and spotted Kayla, clutching her chest as a growing red flower began to bloom on her shirt. Violet screamed, lurching forward and catching the girl right as she fell, tears streaking down her face.

"No. No no no no. Kayla-" Violet moaned, holding her friend. "Kayla, you're gonna be okay? Okay? Don't worry."

Kayla gurgled, blood flowing from her mouth and dropping down her chin. I covered my mouth in shock, my muscles stiffening and I was suddenly unable to move.

"Temperance, do something!" Violet wailed, looking directly at me. Out of all our friends, Faye and I were the only ones taking a medical route. But I didn't study trauma. "Temperance, please!"

"I-I..." I blurted, at a complete loss for words.

"TEMPERANCE, PLEASE!"

Lurching forwards, I fell to my knees beside Kayla and brushed her hair from her face. The blood continued to flow from the wound and i swallowed, "Vi, put pressure on it. Here- yeah." I pressed Violets hands over the hole in Kayla's chest. Her breathing was shallow and labored, and blood continued to soak through the fabric of her shirt despite Violet's added pressure. I cursed under my breath and looked into Kayla's eyes, which were full of pain and sorrow.

"It's okay," She murmured, her voice strained and blood spilled out from her mouth. "It's okay."

Then Kayla shut her eyes and became quiet.

She died.

In Violet and I's arms; in a ratty, haunted hotel.

From an invisible bullet that punctured her lung.

My friend died from this nonsense.

I stood up and attempted to wipe away the blood on my hands. It only smeared more, staining my skin and my legs. We all fell silent while Violet and Faye wept. I watched as Violet placed her limp body onto the ground and sat back on her haunches, staring at her red hands.

"Vi-"

"Don't." She snapped. "Don't say anything."

Pursing my lips, I nodded and rubbed my arms. The silence was almost deafening until Levi broke it, his voice strained. "Guys."

We turned and saw Jared laying on the ground, his chest violently quivering with every struggled breath. His entire body was sliced, chunks of skin and flesh missing, his skin covered in a sheen of sweat and deathly pale. "Faye..." He wheezed, his hand twitching.

Faye covered her mouth in shock and limped over, her hand clutching her injured side. She knelt down by her brother and laced her fingers with his. He smiled a strained little smile and leaned his head back, which look painful because half his scalp was gone. "Love you, Faye May."

Tears slid down Faye's cheeks and fell onto Jared's chest. "Love you, Jare Bear," She murmured, gently stroking his arm where it wasn't maimed.

Jared smiled again and squeezed his sisters fingers before looking at Levi, who had walked towards me and wrapped his arms around me. I buried my face in his chest and swallowed the wails in my chest. "Love you, guys." Then he looked at the ceiling, his chest hitching. "This hotel, it's something else. You need to make it out. For me. For Kayla." His eyes flickered to the girl's crumpled, blood soaked body, "I'll tell her hi from you."

I pulled away from Levi and knelt down by Faye, touching Jared's shoulder. "I need to tell you something." He looked at me as I leaned forward and pressed my lips to his ear. His face became serious as the words escaped my lips, then he nodded when I pulled away.

"Okay."

"Okay." I sighed and looked at Faye. "We need to go."

"But-"

"Go, Faye. I'm dying anyway." Jared sighed, smirking at his younger sister. "And Jace? Take care of my little sister; if she gets hurt, you're dead." Jace nodded and Jared leaned back, hissing in pain. He shut his eyes and took one great, shuddering breath before his chest fell, and failed to rise again.

I couldn't breathe. Two of my friends had died in the same room, from the same cause. I turned and hid my face in Levi's chest while Faye let out a wail.

We needed to get out of here before anyone else died.