The Dark Forces of the Devil's Hotel

Uncanny Valley

Something was wrong.

This was a feeling that had been percolating in the back of Shane's mind for a while, but once the time for the solo investigations arrived, it seemed to increase tenfold.

Especially when, while Ryan was in room 1031, Shane felt the air settle into a familiar chill and watched his breath turn to steam. The hairs on the back of his neck rose and suddenly, the seemingly ordinary but dilapidated room door felt like a flimsy barrier between the crew and something bad.

Shane had no idea what this 'bad' thing was, or why he felt so certain that this unknown and non-concrete concept existed in the first place. A part of him simply knew, and it was enough to make him physically nervous, no matter how much he tried to ignore this random feeling.

The concrete knowledge that Ryan was on the other side of that door only exacerbated his worry. He'd heard the spirit box's familiar, annoying static a couple of minutes ago and what sounded like whispering, but after that, Ryan had been strangely quiet. Shane considered the possibility that maybe his friend was just bored in there due to nothing happening, but Ryan's skittish behaviour throughout the investigation poked holes in and sunk that theory. Every room in the place had only served to set Ryan more and more on edge, and there was no way that the supposedly 'scariest' room was so much of a let down that it counteracted all of that.

The room door then opened and Shane felt a sense of relief mixed with dread, although he didn't quite understand why he was experiencing such an oxymoron of a combination. After all, he still hadn't come to any kind of conclusion about what this mysterious 'bad' thing was, so what did he have to fear the presence of or feel relief at the absence of?

Ryan exited then the room and said a couple of words to Mark. He seemed... fine. And yet, Shane was unable to get rid of the feeling that something was off with his friend. He couldn't place exactly what it was at that moment, but there was definitely something about Ryan that was different from when he walked into that room.

"So, how was it? Meet a ghost in there?" Shane asked after walking closer.

Ryan didn't answer. He seemed preoccupied with the camera, so much so that he appeared to have not heard Shane.

"Ryan?"

Still no answer. 

Shane reached out and tapped him on the shoulder.

"Ryan?" He tried again for the third time.

Ryan looked up this time, rather abruptly, as if he'd been startled.

"You okay?" Shane asked cautiously.

Ryan's demeanour changed instantly, at once becoming far less stiff than he had been just a moment before.

 "Yeah, sorry. Just lost in thought," he finally answered. "Did you say something?"

"Yeah, I just asked if you saw a ghost in there," Shane said, feeling less tense now that Ryan seemed back down on Earth but continuing to keep his guard up.

"Not another one no. I'm kind of disappointed, but I also think I would've had a heart attack after seeing two in one night," he replied with a nervous laugh. "But who knows, maybe they're saving the all-star demons for your turn in there."

"Every 'demon' we've ever tried to talk to has done literally nothing to me, so that would be a nice surprise." The joke felt hollow when Shane said it.

"You're still taking the holy water, right?"

"If it makes you feel better, but I'm still not using it."