The Golden Hotel

Caution

Lightning tore through the dark gray sky followed by a low rumble.

At the back of the hotel, a rusty steel door slowly squeaked open and a head cautiously poked out, turning to the left then right. It turned out to be Jared, keeping watch for the whole group.

"Uh, guys?" Swallowing the lump in his throat, he pushed the door wider for everyone and stepped aside. "You gotta see this."

The eleven players emerged from the back door and a lifeless park welcomed them: towering dead trees, withering leaves and fallen over logs, something that they didn't expect to stumble upon. Dried leaves were scattered on the earthy ground, crunching underneath their shoes as they passed through. It almost felt like autumn but they knew very well that it was not. The orange and yellow leaves were brown and had turned brittle. If anything, they felt like they were marching through the grim reaper's graveyard.

"Maxine?" Daren stopped walking. He turned to her and the group stood still, waiting for what he was about to say.

"Yeah?" Maxine took a few steps forward, leaving Faith behind along with Theo. She placed her hands on her hip and shifted most of her weight on her right leg. "Got any errands for me?"

"Why don't you scout the area and see if you can locate the Ferris wheel beforehand. Can you do that? If it's too much to ask, you don't have to do anything."

"Wait a minute." Kacey stepped up with a frown. "Sending her alone out there is dangerous!"

"Well, I'm the fastest of them all." Maxine began warming up, stretching out her limbs. "How hard can it be? The killer did say we can roam around as much as we'd like. But escaping . . . it's not an option."

"But what if there are traps?" Kacey crossed her arms. "You're a forest ranger, I get that, but you don't have any protective gears!"

"Then I gotta be careful."

"But you know how this killer plays dirty!"

"Don't worry about me, Kay." Maxine showed a lopsided smile. "I can handle myself."

"We can't risk you out there!" Kacey eyed Olwen this time. She strongly wanted their leaders to withdraw the plan. "There's gotta be another way-"

"Let her do it," Faith interrupted, and they all looked at her. "I hate the idea as much as you do, but . . . she has experience than all of us. What are the odds?"

Kacey shut her mouth. If Maxine was set on exploring the park by herself, then she had to sit this one out and let her decide. Nobody would want to encounter booby traps while they blindly walk through the park as a group. They might suffer a lot of fatalities for ignoring to follow the usual safety precautions when outside a dangerous place. Even though they were concentrated in one area like caged animals, who knows what would happen out there? One false movement, they were in for some slaughtering spree.

Silently, Kacey went back to Klein's side and he wrapped his arm around her waist, assuring her about her friend's safety.

"Any more objections?" Olwen looked at everyone but no one answered. They only shook their head and stared at their leaders, waiting for their next decision. Nodding, she turned to Maxine and placed a hand on her shoulder. "If you think it's not safe, run back as fast as you can. Don't dive into action without us. We have to do this as a group, all right?"

"Roger that, leader." Maxine confidently smiled. "I'll be quick. Give me . . . fifteen minutes or so."

"You be careful." Smiling back, Olwen stepped back and gave her some space to stretch for the last time.

Maxine jumped up and down, cracked her neck and whisked her hands. After puffing out some air, she took off like a rocket and Jared couldn't help but whistle with amazement. She owned the park like her very own track and field with those long legs and speed.

"Damn, girl! Maxine's pretty fast!" He flattened his hand and hovered it above his eyebrows as he watched her. "Look at her go! I think I found my vampire girl."

"Serious?" Hans sighed with defeat. He inched closer to his friend and whispered in a hushed voice, "You hitting on Maxine this time?"

"Hey." Jared smirked and spread his hands to each side. "I gotta make my move. Who knows when I'll die in this killer hotel? You only live once!" Then he nudged Hans' arm and leaned closer. He motioned his head towards Klein who had his forehead pressed against Kacey's while his hands were cupping her face, acting all sweet. "You know what? I told him to smash her real good before he regrets it."

Hans and Jared stared at each other. After a few seconds' wait, a glint of naughtiness reflected in their eyes. They cracked a smile and laughed quietly, playfully nudging each other.

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Maxine came to a full stop after exhausting her energy. Her ragged breaths were quite loud, a proof that she had been running around for at least four minutes. Who would have thought that the killer owned this? But she shouldn't bother questioning about it. It must be hundreds of acres of park land! Finding the location of the Ferris wheel wouldn't be as easy as she had thought. They weren't told about the size of that ride, after all.

Heaving a short sigh, she straightened her back and glanced around. Thick trees overrun the park and the branches were like a network of veins. No matter how long she wished for any signs of life, it was dull, dark and unsettling. What if the killer had buried his or her previous victims in here? Somehow, the cold wind breathed down her spine, making her shudder and wrap her arms around her body. She couldn't stomach the thought at all. Those poor, innocent lives screaming for mercy and forgiveness. They didn't deserve to be treated like them. They didn't deserve to die.

The wind blew harder this time, rustling the withered leaves hanging on tree branches. Several lost its grip and floated down to the ground. However, a leaf seemed to have gotten stuck on a cobweb, just above knee level from where Maxine stood. She squinted her eyes but she couldn't see the sticky thread attached across the other tree, which was aligned with the other. A harmless spider could have made this area its home, but she had to pass through to get to the other side. The surrounding area was fenced up with barbed wires and this was the only accessible route to take.

"Sorry, Spidey. I gotta destroy your home just to be sure."

Picking up a small twig, she took a step back and focused her eyes on the invisible thread. She could have thrown the twig right away but something tugged her heart, causing her to open and close her fists. What if it wasn't a thread but a wire trap? Just to be safe, she looked up and searched for any objects mounted on top of the trees. Leaves. Branches. Leaves. Then she dragged her eyes down to the bark of the trees, touching the rough surface with the tip of her fingers.

Nothing seemed suspicious.

"Okay." Jumping away, she exhaled loudly and aimed at the spider web. "You can do this, Maxine. Everyone's waiting. At the count of three . . ."

She stood on her ground and tightened her grip. The noise pollution around her suddenly went quiet as if mother nature was helping with her concentration. Only the ringing of her ears and irregular beating of her heart echoed. Taking a deep breath, she counted to three and hurled the twig towards the thread, spinning a few times and it hit the target. She was ready to make a run for it but . . .

Nothing happened.

Maxine relaxed her muscles and sighed with relief. She worried herself for nothing but it was better than to be reckless. With no reason to delay her errand, she went ahead and casually passed through the trees. However, right on that very moment, a high-pitched beeping sound reverberated in the park.

"s**t!" Her eyes widened.

Two sharp objects shaped like a guillotine blade jetted out of both trees and whizzed past her, making her stumble over a fallen log. She fell flat on her back with a loud thud and her legs were thrown in the air. A low thump followed, signaling her that the twin blades got stuck on the trunk of the trees.

Maxine's face was scrunched up in pain as she heavily breathed in and out. She let her body relax on the cold, hard ground before huffing out some air. Only then she realized that her heart was hammering so loudly in her chest and how paralyzed she was after that near-death experience. Why didn't she think of a camouflaged trap? She almost got killed!

"Don't dive into action, huh?" She closed her eyes and heaved short sigh.

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"Hard to believe that this kind of park exist. Looks like a forest to me." Daren kicked a pebble away before fixing his gaze on Meg. She was sitting on a log, having a little chat with Yves. "See anything suspicious?"

Olwen shook her head and glanced up. The nimbus clouds were starting to grow darker and gather above them. "lt seems like the killer left out the part about the weather report."

"Do you think it's gonna rain?"

"Not sure. But if it does, then we're all going to call in sick."

"Wish that were possible. I'd rather be out there in the city, working myself to death than in this hell hole." He forced a chuckle. "You wake up in the morning, get ready, brew a coffee, grab a taxi, walk through the streets, meet new people, see my girlfriend after work . . . I miss those days."

Olwen pursed her lips and remained silent for a while, trying to let his words sink in. He was right. How many days had it been since they were away from their normal life? Four days? Just four days. They were supposed to be back on their usual routine, but it was all stripped away right from the moment they entered this hotel. They shouldn't have accepted the invitation. They shouldn't have, but it was too late.

"What were you doing before all this?" She curiously stared at him.

"I'm a piano tutor." Smiling, he pretended to press a few piano keys in front of him. "Or rather was. I mostly teach the kids rather than those teenagers."

"That requires a whole lot of patience." She smiled wider. "Sorry for saying this, but it does show when you're with your girlfriend."

"You pretty much nailed it." He chuckled genuinely this time, his eyes never leaving Meg. "She could get cranky and unpredictable, but I still love her. How about you? What was your job?"

"Defense lawyer."

"Politics, huh? Ever dreamed of becoming a big shot?"

"Yeah, I do. But I still have a long way to go. Needed more exposure." She dragged her eyes towards the group gathered in a semicircle. They were all wearing a solemn look on their face, aching her heart. "But now that we're trapped here, it's all . . . gone."

"Guys!"

A familiar voice suddenly caught everyone's attention. From the distance, Maxine came running as fast as she could. She got back safe and sound but her dirty clothes alarmed them.

"Maxine!" Olwen met her halfway. Seeing her friend's disheveled hair and bruised elbow made her frown. "What happened to you?"

Hurried footsteps followed.

"Are you okay?" Faith placed a hand on her friend's back, brushing the dirt off her clothes. "Did someone attack you?"

"I'm fine . . ." Maxine bent down for a second and breathed loudly. "I made it out alive. But before that . . . I found the Ferris wheel."

"Don't give us that s**t!" Kacey gently took her right arm, eyeing the fresh streak of blood on her elbow. "You barely got out alive! Care to explain this? What happened back there?"

Swallowing her saliva, Maxine straightened her posture and stared at her long and hard as if she had done something wrong. "There was a . . . booby trap."

"What kind of booby trap?" Theo's face turned pale. The idea of a very extreme trap crossed his mind, and they all seemed to have the same thought based on their terrified looks.

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The players arrived at the area to where Maxine had activated the only booby trap set in the park. The blades stuck on two trees were still there, proudly displaying their sharp edges. It was as big as their torso. Some of them embraced their own body at the thought of getting sliced in half while others began to feel the intense anxiety forming in their heart. Breathing steadily and staying calm appeared to have become a sport. It was hard to admit in their part, but they were glad that Maxine had scouted the area. One of them might have been dead right now before the third game.

Daren approached the tree on the right side. He inspected the rectangular gap found in the middle of the trunk, took a peek inside and made a shocking discovery.

"The trees aren't real." He walked backwards and looked up, trying to see if he could spot something else among the branches. "Rather than wood, it's made out of steel."

"A killing machine, huh?" Maxine shook her head and sighed. "Now we know how those blades shot out so fast."

"You didn't try to check it out?" Olwen raised an eyebrow.

"I just followed what you had told me to do. Run back as fast as you can. Don't dive into action. But that's after I found the Ferris wheel."

"Hey! I found the trigger!" Faith's voice came from the left tree. She was kneeling on the ground with a sharp stone in her hand, struggling to tear the bark apart. "Maxine tripped this . . . thing . . . What's it called again? Ugh! I can't take this part off. Can someone help me, please?"

Theo was about to volunteer like he always did but Hans quickly got out of his way and knelt down beside her, opening his palm. "Let me do it. Your pretty hands shouldn't be doing the hard work."

Faith slightly shuddered at the sound of his deep and gentle voice especially his smooth, yet, innocent words. His overall presence as a man was just too overwhelming to bear. Was s*x appeal the right term for that? Theo should have been the guy helping her out but he quietly backed away without complaint. Based on his recent actions, she could sense something wrong and it deeply affected her.

Brushing the feeling away, she faked a sweet smile towards Hans and handed over the sharp stone, her fingers slightly touching his calloused hand. "Thanks again."

Gently smiling, he took over her job and tried to tear the bark apart, hitting and scraping it off. "It's called a motion sensor."

"W-What?" Faith looked at him cluelessly, even though she really knew what it was called.

"The trigger. That's what you call this thing." Hans successfully removed a portion of the bark—which turned out to be plastic—and it revealed a green circuit board with the pyroelectric sensor positioned at the rear. He peered closer to study its design. "Hmm. This type of motion sensor detects body heat. Passive Infrared."

Faith's mouth fell open with awe. "A-Are you an engineer?"

"Electrical engineer," Hans glanced at her with a smirk, "if you wanna be specific."

"I have a high regard for engineers! You can magically fix things when it gets busted."

"I wouldn't call it magical but thank you." He gave a small chuckle of amusement.

Theo's expression turned bitter and bitter as he listened to them. Their interaction together was making his insides twist with jealousy and frustration. He didn't like the way how Faith's eyes were glimmering. No matter which angle he looked at it, Hans was definitely using his natural charm to snatch her attention in every possible way. He should do something about it after the game.