Anomaly

Chapter 1 - Humanity

Emmaline

I walked inside for my first time since the buy; the heels of my boots clicking against the cold, marble floor. The first room that greeted me was vast and empty, only inhabited by broken furniture. A dusty old couch, the fabric torn to shreds by thousands of moths over the years.

The musty air felt ancient itself, growing bitter and stale with age. I studied a shattered chandelier beside me, the shards going every direction, scattered across the cracked tile which had yellowed with time. The place has been abandoned for years, ironically the source of why I came, and why I had purchased it myself.

The red carpet leading to the front desk was caked in mud, soiled with a lifetime's worth of grime. I couldn't say if this runner was salvageable, but I supposed I would give it a chance as I would have to do with the building in its entirety. I followed the path to the front desk, avoiding the muck as best as I could.

A potted plant lay undisturbed next to the front desk, rotting and only adding more to the stench of the place.

Even so, I took a deep breath, taking it all in. This had once been a grand hotel, not to mention it was now in my custody. No one wanted it, and no one dared return for their forgotten belongings.

It was said to be haunted.

Of course, that hadn't stopped me when I was young, and many of the rooms held sentimental value to me.

It would take a lot of work to make it nice again, but I intended to restart up the hotel--to start renting rooms.

I'd have to reinstall the shattered windows and clear out all the broken glass. Fixing up the lights shouldn't prove to be too bad, if not tedious. After that, I wouldn't rely on this cheap flashlight. I would also need to patch up the leaks and thoroughly clean up the place in general. The number of cleaners I would have to go through might cost me more than the building alone, but that wouldn't compare to the time I would have to spend scrubbing, and mopping, and sweating.

Walking toward the right-hand corner of the room, there lies a large archway that leads to the residence hallway of the first floor. I could feel a presence, almost as if a spirit had come already. Maybe even the very one rumored to haunt the place.

That would officially be the first.

I could sense the pain of another, and the gloominess of the place wouldn't offset that feeling. As I reached for the handle on the door, I heard a high pitched scream, running footsteps, and the howling of a spirit.

I turned on my heel to see a shadowy figure trailing in from the opposite end of the room, pursuing my younger cousin. The figure carried a blue-and-white cloth in one hand, as she reached for Kate with the other.

I threw open the nearest door, already formulating my plan. The demonic ghost-girl gazes past Kate and toward me, newfound flecks of rage bubbling over. I could almost feel her sorrow... had she already developed a power? Perhaps emotion manipulation? An aura of uncertainty?

Realizing how much more dangerous she was, resolve rushed over me. Kate cough up to me, cowering behind the open door as I held my hand on its handle. The poor design of the door swinging into the hall was the perfect cover, and I whispered for her to stay there while the ghost focused on me.

The phantom sneered in anger, mistaking my plan to entrap her as one to escape. Dropping her handkerchief, a full-on charge took over as she leaped for me, hands reaching out.

I duck down as she flies right into the room, unable to stop as she attempts to master her high speeds. She was definitely a new spirit. The girl tugged on the handle, and I glanced over at Kate who shook in place, tears filling her wide hazel eyes.