Branded Bones

Chapter 1

"I need a break. Not from you, but myself. I'm going to a hotel for the weekend. I'll be back by Monday. I love you. See you then." I end the voicemail and put my phone down on my nightstand. I sigh and rest my head in my hands. I just, I've been hearing voices in my head and everything they've been saying never makes any sense. I just feel that any day I'm gonna break down. I stand up and start packing clothes into a suitcase. I just need to get away.

I'm shocked out of my trance by my phone ringing. I grab it and answer it.

"Hello?"

"Nate, I heard you're taking a weekend break from life. Where are ya going?" Ahh, my best friend, Hunter.

"I'm going to be staying at the De Miedo hotel. Whatever that means." Silence.

"You do know that that means 'scary' in Spanish?"

"Huh. Well, that sounds great. I promise I'll be safe. I've got to go. Bye."

"Alright, bye." I hang up and put my phone in my back pocket. I grab my duffle bag off the bed and carry it out to the car. I lock the front door, then get in my car and start driving there.

><><Time Skip><><

I pull up to the hotel and park the car. I get out but leave the suitcase in the car. I walk through a small courtyard and realize that I've never seen this place before. I pull out my phone and make sure that this is the right place. It is, so I put my phone back in my pocket and walk into the lobby. I notice that there's no receptionist's desk. I walk into the living room area with a fireplace, passing by an abstract painting of a face. It was, odd. I walk into the living room and keep my head down as I pass by some strange people just standing around wearing steampunk masks. I walk to the fireplace and lean against the mantle. When all the people look up at me, I take a deep breath and close my mouth.

You know what? This place is a little too weird for me. I start to leave when I pass by the painting I walked by earlier. Except, the painting is almost completely different. I just decide to pass by, though it feels like something is watching me.

As soon as I reach the door, I blink and I'm back in the lobby right next to the fireplace. Strange thing, I don't feel like leaving, but feel attracted to a shelf I didn't notice at first. It's filled with steampunk masks. I walk over to said shelf and pick up a mask that I think looks cool. I'm about to put it on when I get a vision.

I'm laying down on a table with hands covering my face. My eyes were wide open.

I take the mask off and hurriedly put the mask back on the shelf and walk to one of the hotel rooms. I walk into the bathroom, close the door, and lean against it, taking a deep breath. I walk over to the sink and wash my face. Hopefully, it wakes me up. I dry my face off and look in the mirror. Seconds later, it shatters. I turn around when I hear the door handle start to shake. The people who were down in the lobby earlier are now barging into the bathroom, so I run to the left and through a door that I didn't notice earlier.

I end up in a hallway in front of a table with a lamp. I look down the hallway and see the same people creepily stalking up to me. I try to walk backward but only run into the table. I try to fight back, but they all grab me and drag me into a different room. They forcefully lay me down on a table and hold me down as I squirm trying to get out of their grip. One of the girls walks over to a table with a single silver platter sitting on it. She lifts up the top and sitting there is a beautiful yet terrifying steampunk mask. Then she comes over and everyone covers my face trying to calm me down. I keep squirming until I'm too tired too. They don't uncover my face until the mask is almost on my face. I then get another vision.

I'm in a dark room wearing a dark grey button-up shirt. I'm in the process of putting the mask on my face.

I sit up and the first thing I notice is that I'm all alone. I look around don't see any sign of anyone or even the mask. I blink and I'm back outside, walking up to the hotel. I almost immediately turn around and start walking away. I'm almost out of the courtyard when I hear a voice in my head.

'Did you really think we would let you go? Did you really think you could get away that easily?' I get dizzy and collapse to the ground. A moment later, my vision goes black and I pass out.