CHAPTER ONE
EDRIC HONEYBUN STOOD in the street, staring up at the El Diablo Hotel. The famous, haunted hotel had multiple turrets that were cut from black granite and topped in aged copper. Shadows clung to the building’s dark surface, creating a cold, unfriendly aspect that seemed to warn visitors away rather than pull them in. Warped windows looked dark and empty from the street, with only the occasional wisp of movement behind their streaked surfaces to imply habitation.
The hotel was typecast perfectly for a town called Hell, Indiana. In fact, the entire, front façade reminded Edric of Dracula’s famed castle. All it needed was a few vultures shrieking in circles overhead and a bolt of lightning or two to liven things up.
He peered up at the overcast, charcoal gray sky and thought he
