23
Scorched
Asher stood outside Raven’s door. It was late. His homework wasn’t done, but he couldn’t stop thinking about her. He had avoided her since the kiss. It was just a little peck on his cheek, but he’d never experienced something so earth-shattering. Part of him thought it was wrong. He was fourteen. He should be focused on his studies and video games, not a future wife. Would they get married? How would he go about that? He didn’t know a thing about women or kids. Was he in love? He didn’t expect it to be so confusing and stressful. He had to speak to her and find what she really thought of him. His body temperature was through the roof. Gathering what little courage he could, he knocked his bony knuckles on the sturdy wooden door.
He quickly put his hands in his pockets. Not wanting to seem nervous, he withdrew them. Somehow, he felt more awkward and exposed. He put his hands back. Get over yourself, he thought. She’s just a girl. You’ve talked to girls before. Nothing has changed. Except it had. Raven liked him and he wasn’t sure if he liked her. Frankly, she still scared him a little bit.
“This is stupid,” he mumbled and turned to run away.
Creeeak.
The door opened.
Asher’s stomach dropped.
“Hey,” Raven said in a monotone voice.
Asher turned back to her. He was burning up. There were stains under his armpits. “What’s up?”
He clenched his fists in his pockets.
“Are you okay? You look nervous,” Raven pointed out.
She knows. Oh geez. Play it cool. You’re a cool guy. She likes you. You’re already winning. “Me? Nervous” Asher chuckled awkwardly. “W-what are you talking about?”
“Something is definitely up with you,” Raven said suspiciously.
“Y-you’re funny,” Asher deflected. “So are you going to invite me in or…”
“Sure,” Raven said and walked into her suite.
Asher used his inhaler and stepped inside.
Click. Click. Click. David Hunt plucked away at the classic typewriter’s metal keys. He finished a page and added it to the rising stack. The novel must’ve been over five hundred pages at this point. David hunched his back and continued writing. He scratched the back of his head furiously.
Asher closed the door behind him. A sudden wave of cold splashed over him.
“Hello, Mr. Hunt,” Asher said.
Click-click-click! David typed faster.
“Mr. Hunt?”
David stopped and slammed his fist on the table.
Yelping, Asher jumped back.
The grouchy middle-aged man swiveled his chair around. He had dark circles under his eyes and extremely greasy bangs stuck to his creased forehead. He glared at the nerdy little boy. His expression softened and his shoulders deflated. Giving the boy a pitying, pursed-lip smile, he turned back to his typewriter and continued his novel, typing much slower now.
Raven rested on her belly on the twin bed closest to the window. A book was open before her. She swayed her legs. “I heard your brother was ghost hunting.”
“Huh?” Asher asked. “Justin doesn’t believe in that dumb stuff.”
“Well, I didn’t actually hear about it.” A wry grin formed on the girl’s pale face. “I saw it with my own eyes.”
“No no no,” Asher said as he stood awkwardly by the corner of her bed. “Justin has much better stuff to do than that.”
“I think he may know about the MK Ultra stuff too.”
“Justin!?” Asher said astonished.
Raven shrugged. “Probably not. He’s not really the brains of the family. His hunting equipment is amateur at best. An EMF reader? C’mon.”
Asher rubbed the back of his neck. He didn’t have clue about any of this stuff. Maybe he should spend less time on his computer. Lately, he’d gotten hooked on Real-Time Strategy games. His brain fired off different ways to improve his resource management in StarCraft.
Raven kept talking about ghosts and stuff. Asher was caught up in the best way to maximize his states. Focus, he thought, returning his attention to the girl in front of him.
“…You just got to open your soul up to them. They’ll do the rest, you know what I’m saying?” Raven asked.
“Yep,” Asher lied.
“You weren’t listening to a word I said,” Raven said.
“Uh, no, not really.” Asher grinned nervously.
Raven got an idea. “You know what?” She got off the bed, excitement in her big blue eyes.
I don’t like where this is going.
Raven said, “I bet you we can do a lot better job than your brother.”
“How would we do that?” Asher asked. He secretly hoped it would be something so impossible so he could shoot down her suggestion.
“Just trust me,” Raven replied. “I know things.”
Raven headed for the door. “Hurry. I’ll show you the way.”
“Okay,” Asher said hesitantly. “Goodbye, Mr. Hunt.”
The man was too caught up in his story to acknowledge him.
The moment the door closed behind Asher, Raven grabbed his wrist and ran down the hall.
“Whoa!” Asher exclaimed, the black-haired girl pulling him quicker than he could process what was happening.
Raven hushed him. “Not so loud. We don’t want anyone to hear us.”
Raven pulled him up the stairs and to the third floor. Asher was winded by the time they reached the suite with the hidden bathroom wall.
Asher rested his palms on his knees and caught his breath.
“Open it up,” Raven said anxiously.
Asher surrendered the master key and let her do the honors. She pulled Asher to the bathroom and opened the secret door.
Peering into a dark, dusty corridor, she smiled gleefully. “You first?”
“Why me?” Asher said, catching his breath.
“Because you went first last time.”
“Shouldn’t it be the other way around?”
“Don’t tell me you're scared,” Raven taunted.
“I’m not!” Asher replied and stepped into the skinny tunnel. He turned on his phone flashlight.
Raven followed behind him, keeping her hands on his shoulders.
He felt tense.
Play it cool. He took a deep breath, inhaling a lung full of dust. He coughed into his sleeve.
Raven said, “Don’t die on me yet.”
“I’m—” Asher coughed. “Fine.”
He pulled the neck of his shirt over his mouth and continued through the corridor. He reached the T-intersection. “What way?”
“To the fourth floor,” Raven said.
Asher hated the idea, mainly after hearing Raven’s theory behind the butterfly room. Nevertheless, he put on a brave face and soldiered on. He reached the ladder, opened the overhead latch, and arrived at his destination. Raven followed him. The painted butterflies captured her attention.
“Now what?” Asher asked.
Raven locked her elbow in his. “We find out who’s staying here.”
Asher strengthened his resolve. Raven’s close proximity forced him to ditch his fears. He didn’t have the luxury of being nervous. She’d already called him out on his lies too many times.
They stepped into the scorched hallway. Asher’s flashlight was the only source of light.
Raven said, “Imagine being trapped up here when this place was on fire?”
“I’ll try not to,” Asher replied.
Raven ignored his comment. “It must’ve been horrifying.”
Asher walked with her. His little heart pounded against his ribs. He glanced at her a few times but could hardly see more than her silhouette in the dark. “So, uh… are we, like, uh… together?”
Raven asked, “Right now? Yeah.”
“No, I mean, together together. I just need to know so...” Asher didn’t know where he was going with his train of thought.
Raven asked, “Would you like to date me?”
Asher stopped.
“What?” Raven said, alarmed. “Did you see one?” She squinted, scanning the darkness.
“N-no. I-I-I didn’t see anything.”
They kept walking.
Pressure pushed down on Asher to answer her question. He watched his feet as he went. Finding some words, he said, “I’ve never had a girlfriend.”
“Well, I’ve never had a boyfriend,” Raven replied.
Asher was relieved. It seemed obvious thinking back to the last conversation where Raven talked about being a weirdo. It was nice to know he wasn’t living up to an impossible standard.
Raven said, “How about this: if you’ll be my boyfriend, I promise I won’t kill you in your sleep.”
“What!?” Asher exclaimed.
Raven giggled. “I’m joking… or am I?”
“Alright,” Asher said, “Just no killing.”
Raven nestled her head against his shoulder and smiled softly.
I guess I’m dating now, Asher thought. He couldn’t stop grinning like an idiot.
The decaying walls and pitch-black setting suddenly didn’t seem as terrifying.
“So, uh, how do we track these ghosts?” Asher asked.
Raven said, “We wait. They’re out here.”
“Have you seen them before?” Asher asked.
A noise came from one of the suites. The color in Asher’s skin flushed away.
Raven tugged at him. “Over there.”
Excited, she let go of his arm and rushed to the room.
“Careful,” Asher said. They lingered outside the suite and shined the flashlight through the hole in the wall from the hallway. A rat scurried under the collapsed dresser.
Asher sighed exasperatedly.
Raven was disappointed.
Asher caught a whiff of smoke. “You smell that?”
“What?”
Asher sniffled. The smell became stronger. “I think something is burning.”
Raven shook her head. “I don’t think so.”
Suddenly, a cold hand grabbed Asher’s ankle and yanked him backward.
He toppled hard, slamming his chin on the hardwood. “Raven!” he screamed as he was dragged across the floor.
The phone landed at Raven’s feet, casting its light up her horrified face. Her big, terrified eyes were the last thing Asher saw before he was pulled into the nearby room.
The door slammed in his face.
He screamed and cried. “Please, noooo!”
The thing released his ankle. His leg hit the ground. He scurried to the door and tried the knob. It didn’t turn. He banged on the door. “Help! Help!”
The door didn’t budge. The smell of smoke intensified.
Asher shouted louder and threw his body against the door. He bounced off, not causing any damage. Shoulder throbbing, he twisted around and backed up. He hit the door. His glasses sat lopsided on his face. His eyes started to adjust, but the darkness still masked the threat.
He grabbed his inhaler with a shaking hand. He put it into his mouth and pressed down on the medicine. It didn’t work. He shook it and tried it again. He noticed there was a crack on the side of his inhaler. He put it back in his pocket. Tears trickled down his cheeks.
“A-Asher?” Raven said on the other side of the door. “Are you in there?”
Asher whimpered and sank to the ground. He pulled his knees up to his chest.
“Talk to me.” Raven’s voice cracked. “Please.”
Asher silently cried. His tears were fat and constant. His face became ugly with drool and snot. He shut his eyes. Wake up. Please, just wake up, he told himself.
His chest tightened.
The smell of smoke was suffocating.
Asher coughed.
Something moved in the back of the room. It was just far enough out of sight that Asher couldn’t see, but he knew it was there.
The thing’s feet pitter-pattered.
Asher squeezed himself.
Raven called his name from the other side. Her voice was broken and desperate.
The thing walked into view.
It was a man, or the shape of one at least. His features were masked by darkness.
Asher pulled his knees close to his chest.
The figure reached out. Its movement went from slow to insanely fast, taking Asher’s shirt before he could react.
Gripped by fear, Asher let the thing drag him up the wall and use one hand to pin him there. He leaned his head in, only inches from Asher’s face. He had no breath. His face was without skin. He held Asher tightly.
His mouth opened and a horrifying, throaty rattle filled the room.
Fear froze Asher.
The faceless man whispered into Asher’s ear. “Help…”
“W-who?” Asher asked, wanting to get out as fast as possible.
The faceless man said, “Help… us.”
The door burst open and Raven dashed inside.
Motionless, Asher rested on the floor.
Raven stopped quickly. She covered her mouth. Her eyes watered. “Asher!”
She rushed to him and shook his shoulder. His body rolled to his back. His glasses were crooked. He stared at the ceiling. Tears trickled down the sides of his face. He breathed slowly.
“Can you stand?” Raven asked.
Asher didn’t react.
Raven called his name and shook him again. He blinked but refused to move.
“We’ve got to get out of here,” Raven said. She scooped her arm under the boy and helped him sit up. “You can’t make me do all the work.”
Asher hunched over and almost fell to the floor.
Raven helped him stay upright and gritted her teeth. “Really? Really?”
Grumbling, she tucked her arm behind Asher and helped lift him. He propped against her. If she failed to hold him, he would fall. Raven guided him out of the room and hurried down the scorched hall.
24
Doubts
Seated at the corner of the mattress, Anna put her hand on Asher’s forehead. He didn’t have a fever, but the boy was silent, sickly pale and sweating profusely. Anna withdrew her hand and turned her anxious gaze to the window. The morning sun cast its golden rays across the unlit suite. The fourteen-year-old had been bedridden for days.
Anna sensed something wrong when he failed to be outside on a school day. She found him on the floor in his suite. Anna thought he was playing around, but her son was trembling and silently crying. She managed to get him into bed. He refused to eat. Justin had taken over parts of Anna’s shift so she could check on him. Guilt flooded her heart because she’d refused to take him to the hospital.
She brushed aside Asher’s bangs. “Please talk to me.”
Asher stared at his reflection in the black TV screen.
“I just want to know what happened,” Anna said.
The boy’s emotionless expression sucked the life out of the room.
“Let me in, Asher,” Anna pleaded. “Whatever it is, we’ll get through it.”
She stayed by his side for an hour before returning to her duties. Justin worked the counter. Anna wasn’t in the mood to deal with people. She left him to complete that job while she took over custodial work. The rooms were already spotless, but she wanted something to do that wouldn’t require much thinking. She was getting sick of being in her head all the time.
She re-cleaned mirrors and windows, straightened pictures, and dusted the heating vents. As she cleaned one of the suites on the third story, she discovered a button shoved in the corner. She lifted it, holding the blue button between her finger and thumb. The cute button must’ve belonged to that McKenzie girl. The thread on the back of it was frayed. It must’ve been torn off. If Justin never hurt her, why was there a sign of a struggle?
She pocketed the button and pushed the cleaning cart back into the hallway. Dressed in running clothes, Cameron walked down the corridor. He smiled at Anna. “Hey.”
Anna pursed her lips.
“How is ev
erything?” Cameron asked.
“Fine,” Anna replied. He didn’t know about Asher, and Anna really wasn’t in the mood to discuss it.
Cameron said, “I wanted to thank you for the other night.”
Anna was confused.
Cameron clarified, “Talking to me at the bar.”
“Oh.”
“I haven’t had a chance to make any positive human connection since I got here. I was starting to feel a little stir crazy,” Cameron joked. “In all seriousness though, it was a good time. I hope we can do it again.”
Anna replied half-heartedly, “I’m sure we will.”
Cameron couldn’t tell she was distant. He put his hands in his short pockets. “I should probably get going. There’s this new gym I want to try out.”
Anna smirked. “Now you’re really trying hard to impress me.”
Cameron replied, “Maybe, but I have a feeling that it will take a lot more than a gym membership to woo you.”
A small grin formed on Anna’s distraught face.
Cameron said, “Anyway, I’ll see you around.”
He walked in the opposite direction. Anna rubbed her forehead, but it did little for her headache. Feeling the button in her pocket made her heart hurt. Stressed, she bit into her inner cheek. The pain didn’t do anything to redirect her thoughts. The choice was clear: confront Justin about the button and learned what really happened that night. The truth terrified her though. She took the cleaning cart back to the janitor’s closet and took a walk.
A violet gust swept dead leaves across the browning grass. Over a third of the woods was barren. The rest were gradually losing their leaves. Wearing a jacket, Anna crossed her arms to stay warm. A thirty-minute walk through the woods ended at the rocky beachside. A handful of people strolled along the water. Large waves crashed against shale. The lighthouse stood in the distance. It looked perfect against the rich blue sky.
The Haunting at Sebring Hotel (A Riveting Haunted House Mystery Series Book 13) Page 15
