You had just returned to your hotel after a tiring day at Tokyo Disneyland.
Having had only 3 hours of sleep, you had decided to return to your hotel and have a good rest rather than continue playing with your friends at Disneyland.
"We have arrived at Sakura Hotel. Please do not leave anything behind on the bus." The bus captain said in Japanese kindly. You could vaguely understand what he was saying from the tons of anime you had watched in the past.
Slowly opening your eyes, you could see the blurred image of an amiable man extending his hand outwards, inviting you to exit the bus.
"Y/N-kun, I won''t be accompanying you in the hotel because I have to go back and wait for the rest. Here's your room key, I have checked in for you beforehand. See you later!" Your chaperone, a kind old man handed you your room key as he waved goodbye to you.
"See you later..." you yawned as you walked leisurely into the hotel. Despite its grand appearance, there were not many guests during this time. There was something odd about the hotel but you just couldn't put your finger on it. After all, all that mattered was getting that precious forty winks.
Looking at your room card, you could identify a poorly written '606'. It really bugged you that the first 6 was written slightly differently than the last 6, but you were too tired to think further about the situation.
"Hey... Have you heard... about that room..."
"Yeah... I've heard the rumours... He was locked inside his room... Couldn't get out... Was too late when he was found... Cursed all those who entered..."
"So that's why... No wonder they told us not to go to that level..."
You could make out some meaning from the slight murmurs of two Japanese girls but you didn't give it too much thought.
"Ghost stories huh... Can't believe people still believe in these kinds of fairytales..." you sneered inwardly. You couldn't believe that people believed in science, and yet could also believe in these unfounded rumours.
Pressing the lift button, you tapped your feet impatiently, waiting for the lift to arrive.
"Ding!" The lift had arrived and there was no one else inside. Looking around, you realised there was no one who wanted to take the lift, hence you stepped inside and went to press the number ''6''.
There was something written in red beside the number, but you couldn't understand what was written as it was in Japanese.
Being sleep-deprived and impatient, you could not care less as you crossed your arms and closed your eyes while waiting for the lift to move.
"Ding!" The lift rang again as it reached the sixth level. You walked out of the lift, pulling your luggage with you as you quickly identified room 606. It was dimly lit, as some of the lights were not working and it was completely enclosed. Luckily for you, it was a straight hallway and 606 was just the sixth room from the left.
The hallway was very long and with its elaborate patterns, it seemed like it would never end. However, despite the sheer number of rooms, it was deathly quiet, and the only sound you could hear was that of your luggage wheels being dragged against the floor. It was as if no one had been living on this floor for quite some time.
Feeling the chills, you hastily dragged your luggage to room 606, tapping your card against the door. Instead of the usual green light, a red light appeared on the lock, followed by an annoying buzz.
"What's going on?" You thought to yourself after trying again, resulting in another buzz.
In annoyance, you tried opening the door and to your surprise, it had opened. However, there was another surprise waiting for you.
The first thing you registered after entering the room wasn't it's absolute darkness. It was the putrid smell that lingered in the air. It was an overwhelming smell of rot, seeming as if someone had left their food to rot in the air for months.
Quickly covering your nose with your shirt, you placed your room card into the slot, but the room did not light up as expected. You rummaged your bag for a flashlight, just to find out that it too was not working.
Feeling frustrated about everything bad occurring today, you decided to take a short nap, covering yourself under the blankets, hoping everything would be fine when you woke up.
BUT WOULD IT?
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"Bzzzzzz. Bzzzzzz. Bzzzzzz." The sound of your phone awoke you from your slumber.
Rubbing your eyes, you looked out at the only window in your room, and could see that it was not early.
Scrambling for your phone in the darkness, you were once again hit by that unbearable stench. Covering your nose with your shirt once again, you finally located your phone after much effort.
Tanaka-san
Missed Call (2)
It seemed like your chaperone had been calling you for a while. Not wanting him to be worried, you quickly picked up the call.
"Moshimoshi (Hello?)"
"It's great that you finally answered! Where are you now? Didn't I tell you to wait for me in your room?" Your chaperone chided with concern.
"What do you mean? I've been in Room 606 all the time!"
"Room 606? Isn't that- How did you even get there! Get out of there now!" your chaperone bellowed.
"What's going on? Hello-" after that, all you could hear was static noise from your phone.
Gaining clarity of thought after having some sleep, everything seemed to link up. The weird '6''. The thing the girls were talking about. The putrid stench. THE PUTRID STENCH. The realisation you had sent chills down your back.
Without even bothering to take your luggage, you rushed to the door. The handle was jammed. The door was locked. You were stuck.
To be continued?
