Mr. Air

If someone had told me that a big blizzard was on its way I would have insisted more on taking a day off from my job at the hotel, I looked through the window, the blizzard was so heavy last night that the garden has been completely covered in snow, ¨I don’t think Hanna would like how the snow harmed her plants¨, Hanna, she lives in this hotel just like me and my family, I can see why since Mirror view hotel is a little bit secured unless you have a car you have to walk  an hour to get to the bus stop, Hanna doesn´t like guys in fact the day I meet her she screams and hid behind a chair she says “sorry, I’m so sorry…”, but believe it or not she is not the must weird person here, in fact, I would say she is very tame, an old guy on the floor above us once hit a kid that when to knock on his door, the reason Bennet didn’t have a good reason to knock on his door, Bennet´s mom was so upset she even files a complaint to the manager but it went nowhere, I have lived in this hotel since I was 4 years old, me, my mom, and my sister move in after my dad died in an accident,  14 years later and we are still here, well I´m here, my family and I were invited to a Christmas party by an aunt in the city on Sunday, but I had to work until Saturday I wasn´t able to get out of my shift sooner, I work here at the hotel part time to get extra income for my house, I told my mom that I would go by myself on Saturday but the weather had other plans, not only did the blizzard made it impossible to leave the hotel whit out a helicopter, but also, knock out the lights from the hotel, I had to face it I was stock in the hotel what’s the worst that can happen?. Knock… knock… “who is it?” I yell at the knocking on the door, but there was no answer, maybe they go aw… Knock… knock… “come on who is it? Mark? Bennet?” Knock… knock… I went to the door and try to see through the peephole, but with no lights in the corridor, I wasn´t able to see anything, I graved a big book from the table and open the door, that’s when I was knocked down by the weight of something. I scream as the thing dropped me into the ground that’s when I hear the joyful cheers of the ones in my door way, “we did it benny we did it!!!” said Annie in her wheelchair, “we got you good Sam”, Bennet cheer pulling himself off the ground, Bennet let out a small cry when Kara give him a little hit on the head, “Bennet how many times have I told you, that taking my boyfriend to the ground is bad?, apologize now”, Bennet sigh in defeat, and say in a small voice  “sorry”, Kara raised her hand and Bennet rushed his apology, “aaaa, sorry for tackle you to the ground it was my bad, Sam, help me”, Bennet help me pull myself up and hid behind me, I look at Kara grabbed her hand and say “my h****n”, even in the dim light of  the door way, I saw her blushing, she brings her free hand to her check and giggled a little, “Sam, I know this is too much to ask, but yesterday I was meant to go grocery shopping, but because of the blizzard I wasn’t able, and…”, “we are hungry”, Annie interrupted Kara, she clear her throat “yes that, can we borrow some food form your fridge to make diner?”, “Humm… I don´t know”, I said with a playful tone, “come on Sam, you know you can’t resist my c*****g, tell you what if you do this for us I will also make diner for my no. 1 boy”, she got close to my ear and say “and I’m not talking about Bennet”, “well… I… yeah I love that”, “good, Sam can you push Annie to the table I’ll make diner in no time”, I did as Kara told me and pushed Annie´s wheelchair, we sit at the table and waited, Annie pulled out a sketch book to keep herself busy, I turned on a flashlight so she could see better “thank you, Sam, hey I don’t mean to be rude”, she seemed a little bit nervous, “but I think you leave the door open when we came in”, “you are right to give me a second”, I stood up and went to the front door I glanced around into the dark corrido, I detected some movement to my right, maybe someone was going to the lobby after all the elevator and stairs are that way, I returned to the table and set down Annie asked me if I wanted to play with her, I agreed and we play with her book until dinner was ready.   “I made your favorite Sam”, I breathe in the smell of the parmesan chicken on my plate I could feel my mouth salivating Kara does know me well, “thank you for the meal Kara, without you I probably would have ended up eating sandwiches again”, we all had a quiet dinner Kara told me about his day, while Bennet And Annie play and jock around, when we all finish I helped Kara clean up, I accompany them to the door when we were done Annie and Bennet looked distressed “hey kids, is everything all right? you guys don´t look so good”, they shy away from the question, weird, they usually don’t act this way “well Sam, the kid doesn’t really want to stay in their room, with the blizzard and the light out Annie is a little bit scare” Kara explained, “I don’t like my room in the dark, what if he comes”, said Annie, “he? who is he, Annie?” I asked intrigued, “Mr. Air,” she said in a low voice as if scared of someone hearing her, “he was the one that pushed me down the stairs and he wanted to take me away but Bennet scare him away, and then he…” “that’s enough Annie, I told you, you had an accident no one pushed you when your mom arrived at the stairs you and Bennet were alone”, Kara interrupted Annie her expression seemed harder then other times, Annie started to cry she keep saying that it was true Bennet try to calm her but to no end, “so… why don’t you guys stay her”, I say, Annie stop crying and lift her head, “Really? can we?”, “I mean if Kara is okey with that, and I´m sure I can defend you Bennet and Kara form any Mr. Air”, I pat her head kindly, Annie started to giggle and looked at Kara she covered her face with a hand and admitted “well I guess is safer to stay here than alone in our hotel room, okey kids we are going to your room to get your things and we´ll have a sleep over here” declare Kara while cheerfully cheering “sleep over, sleep over…”, I told Kara I’ll go to Bennet and Annie´s room to get their things while she stays with them in my room, I had been in the room a few times, when me and Kara study for a test or help each other in a class, but there was something weird about being alone in the room alone and in darkness, I brought a candle to light up the room, I left my flashlight with Annie, the light form the candle added to the eerie atmosphere of the room, I went to Bennet´s room first his room was messy as always, super hero posters adorned the walls, video game character´s toys were placed in the shelves, I place the candle over the drawer and begin looking for his pajamas, I managed to find his pajamas  quickly, when I picked up the candle form the drawer I notice a drawing left on it, the drawing was of what I can only describe as a lengthy humanoid with very long arms that ended in sharp nails, legs  that look like tooth picks and a face with very small dots for  eyes it had a nose, lips, ears, and strings of hair but no eyes, the drawing itself wouldn´t have bother me it honestly looks like something Bennet could have drawn but he didn´t, the way it was drawn the paper it was drawn on, this came from Annie´s sketch book, I folded the drawing and put it in my back pocket and made my way to Annie´s room, the room feel colder I noticed the window was open, left the candle near over her drawer near her mirror and went to close it I looked down without lights I wasn´t able to see the bottom, I could only see a dark void, I closed the window and began to look for Annie´s pajamas, as I was looking I look glanced into the mirror and noticed something in the reflection illuminated by the light of the candle’s flame I noticed in Annie´s bed there was a grayish arm coming out from under her bed, I turned and look at the same spot but it was empty I looked into the mirror again and I could see the arm in the reflection, I swallow I try to keep looking form her pajamas grab them and run the hell back to Kara and the kid, the hand started to move, the thing didn’t come out from under the bed, instead, it started to quietly fondle the upper part of the bed it graved Annie´s teddy bear and place it on the floor next to the bed that’s when it hit me…, long arms… grayish skin…, looking to lure Annie and grab her to take her away, what was under the bed was Mr. Air.   I hold my gaze in the mirror Mr. Air´s arm retired back under the bed leaving the teddy bear on its back so Annie would pick it up, I could feel my breathing growing heavier and heavier with each moment passing my heart sink to my stomach when the last  time I exhale my breathing put off the candle fire, I quickly look for the the lighter I had in my back pocket, I try to focus on hearing anything different while I re-light the candle fire, by the time I managed to re-light it I heard a whoosh sound like if a gust of wind rides something form the ground I look into the mirror illuminated by the candle´s light, the bed did move at all and the teddy bear was still in its position I looked around in the reflection and realized that Mr. Air was now blocking the bedroom´s door, it was looking at me with its beady eyes, analyzing, testing whether or not I was aware of its existence, it moved away from the door still looking at me, I found what I was looking for I knew what I had to do pass through the door get back to Kara and the kids and alert them I pick the candle with my free hand hoping that when I turned that thing would  not be there, but illuminated only by the flickering fire of the candle’s light  Mr. Air let out a guttural gurgling sound from its longs, I managed to stay calm and try to pretend I couldn´t see it , it took one of his clows to its chin it seems un sure of whether or not I could see him, I started to look for something I could use as a distraction or to defend myself unfortunately Annie´s room didn’t have anything heavy or sharp to use as a weapon, Mr. Air notices what I was doing it raised hits claw and when to strike and cut my face, I dropped to my knees to dodge and I say out loud “ah, I must have droop bennet´s tooth brush”, Mr. Air moved back again confused scratching its almost bold head, I took the chance to open the door and made my way back, I wanted to run, to scream my head off, run back to Kara and hug her and tell her all about what was happening on bennet´s and Annie´s apartment, how we needed to keep them safe, get everyone into my mother´s room, lock the front door, grab a knife to keep everyone safe… but that wanting shatter into a million pieces when I hear a familiar whoosh as if something was cutting the air I could feel the cold sweat in the back of my head, I slowly turned and saw that monster in the middle of the hall its nails scratching the carpet making the noise but this time it was grinning as if an important revelation has made it happy, I pretended I was looking pass him to see if a window was open Mr. Air even move to see that the window was close, I could only wonder why? why did it fallow me? why did he move to let me see the window? why is it smiling at me? I turned around and keep making my way to my apartment… that was it, it does not care I know of his existence, the smiling says it all “I know you know, so what it´s going to be? you? Or them?” I swallow hard at this realization Mr. Air moved its long arms to gesture “lead the way” I started to walk again slowly as slow as I could what was I meant to do? I could lead it to the stairs and in the darkness, he can cut me, drag me to god knows where to do god know what, or walk to my girlfriend and the kids it wants, there has to be another way, a way that me, Kara and the kids are safe I got it, I know the answer I started to walk more confidently toward my apartment door.   During the walk back the creature didn´t do any other gesture, I notice that whenever it breathes the whoosh sounds comes out, I wonder why does it want kids?, where does it take them?, what does it do to them?, but I know that I do not want the answers to those questions, I only have one plan at the moment, I’m going to open the door, call Kara, and that will distract this thing, then I´ll take advantage of the distraction to grab the baseball bat next to the door and bash Mr. Air´s head has hard as I can and all of this would be over I only have one chance and I´m putting everyone in danger if there were aby other solution I surely don’t know what it is, I put my hand on the doorknob, I breathe hard and open the door “honey I´m back… and I brought company”, I called Kara, I made sure to hold the candle up so she could see Mr. Air, she came out of the kitchen holding a pot, “who did yo…”, she dropped the pot and cover her mouth whit her hands, “it's okey, it's okey, don’t scream”, I reassure her, “everything is going to be okey, I´m going to make everything okey” I started to move my hand to the wall next to me but I couldn’t feel the bat, I look at the wall and yell “Kara where´s the bat!!!”, Kara started to tear up, and in a shrill voice said, “be… bennet grab it to play with Annie…”, I felt the blood drained out from my face, my heart beat faster than a drum, I was frozen in places I couldn’t move I had doomed us all, whit a hard swap Mr. Air slammed me against the wall I hit my head pretty hard my vision went black, I could hear screaming, horrible screaming “Bennet save me”, “Annie I´m coming”, and then silence everything went dark, I felt cold, so cold. I wake up in my bed been hugged by Kara, weird I don’t remember she had a scar last night, or why I feel like I took a sledgehammer to the head for some reason my hole body hurt but I don’t remember doing anything straightening “Sam?, wha… what happen last night? ” Kara asked me in a small voice, I greened “nothing we haven’t done before”, she throw a pillow at me playfully, I put one feet in the floor I felt something rolling, it was my bat, I pick it up but strange it was broken and splintered in half “what happen to your bat hon?, play to rough with it” she chuckled, “I… I don’t know I think it broke like 3 days ago yeah, that’s what happened” odd for some reason that does not sound good, “oh by the way Kara what happen to your face?, you have a scar on your cheek”, Kara went to the mirror over the dresser she passed her hand over the cut, “I must have scratched myself while I was sleeping, this morning is very weird”, I walked to the fridge to get something to eat, while I was at it Kara called me over to the table “hey Sam, did you have a coloring book?, or is it your sister´s?”, I told her nether of us had a coloring book in ages, the coloring book looked odd, it was mangled and splattered with red paint,  the drawing on the book appeared to be made by a small kid, but there are no kids in the hotel, 2 drawings caught my eye the first one had 3 kids with names and arrows pointing at each of the drawings, there was Annie, Bennett and Lucas, the last kid was entering my neighbors’ apartment but I don’t remember she had any kids, the other one was a weird creature, almost bold, with very long arms beady eyes sharp claws. The kid that drew this has some problems or a very active imagination, as for Kara and me we started to take or breakfast to forget this weird morning and wait for the lights to come back.