The Dark Forces of the Devil's Hotel

Prologue

One.

He had one minute to hide, if even that.

Then it would be upon him, and there would be nothing he could do to stop it.

He could hear the blood rushing in his head, thoughts swimming and heart pounding so fast he was certain it would outrun him. It'd leap out of his body, feet unable to keep up with its panicked pace, and he'd be left behind. Breathless.

That would be a much better way to die compared to whatever this...thing... had in store for him.

He cursed under his breath as his foot caught on the leg of a chair, costing him a couple of seconds and making far too much noise for the accident to go unnoticed. It would have a general idea of where he was now, thanks to the disturbance in the otherwise silent building.

Without thinking, he bolted down the remainder of the hallway and ducked into one of the many open doors. Room 1031. His eyes frantically scanned the room for a way out before they fell upon the old bookcase at the back, sending a wave of relief flooding throughout his body.

He was going to make it.

Finding the right book was second nature to him at this point, his hand instinctively reaching up to the red, leather spine near the top right corner. He held his breath as the entire shelf began to move, hoping the sound wouldn't be too loud. Thankfully, it wasn't, and the object moved almost noiselessly.

He was going to make it.

The man slipped through the newly revealed doorway, moving the bookcase back into place as he began his short journey down the miniscule hallway. He didn't have to worry about being quiet anymore. The room was soundproof. He'd made sure of that.

Footsteps were muffled and breaths were stifled sobs, his whole body trembling as he arrived in the room and collapsed on the floor

Shaky.

Terrified.

Alone.

But alive.

He didn't dare let his relief show just yet, as he'd always believer in not speaking too soon. But still, he couldn't bring himself to supress the smile that was creeping its way onto his face.

He'd made it. He was safe.

"Aw, you have such an adorable smile."

His head snapped up at the sound of those words, the voice speaking them sounding hauntingly familiar, yet strangely foreign.

"No," he muttered, backing away from the figure in front of him. "No no no. Arthur, I-,"

The figure cut him off. "I think you know that I am not Arthur. Though, I will admit, he does serve as a good vessel."

The thing that was once his friend grinned, its countenance making it even more of a stranger. Its face was cruel and unkind, so unlike the soft timidity usually Arthur expressed. Used to express. Because although this creature was wearing his friend like some sort of horrific suit, it wasn't him. It never would be.

He stood slowly, mustering every ounce of courage he could for what he was about to do. The book he'd left on the chair nearby caught his eye, and he reached out his arm to grab it, gripping its surface so tightly his knuckles turned white. As calmly as he could, he flipped open the pages to the one he'd bookmarked.

"Get out of my friend, devil. Exorcizamus te omnis immundus-,"

But he never got to finish.

An invisible force knocked him backwards, catapulting him across the room and into the wall. A sharp crack was heard from somewhere near his ribs.

"I would apologize for this," the thing said, sauntering towards its injured captive. "But that would be dishonest, and I have grown quite tired of the charades at this point. Do you not agree?"

He could only let out a small whimper, the cracking sound having given way to a burning pain in his chest.

"I believe you do!" It said with far too much enthusiasm in its voice. Whatever sinister plots were hidden behind that fiendish smile were apparently exciting to this creature.

Which spelled doom for his new victim.

It blinked, opening its eyes to reveal pools of nightmarish darkness.

The smile vanished from its face.

"I look forward to reuniting with you in hell."