Hotel Selten

Distracted Trip

“We are going on an adventure!!!”

“But how about the other residents?” Bennet asked, one of the fighters. “We can’t just carry them around and go to France and Ireland. It’s dangerous to expose some of them, especially those who have exposed strange characteristics.” He added. “But we can’t just leave them here!” Peony blurted. “How about one of us be left in the hotel?” Arabella suggested the only healer survived. “To at least, fight off some attackers.”

“That might be a good idea,” Adam commented. “No, no one gets left behind. This enemy we are facing is getting stronger and stronger. We can’t even handle them even when we’re 18. 1 is not enough. We can’t even leave these residents.” Thilda stands, “We will go together.” “Won’t that be a hassle?” Melvin opposed. 

“We don’t have the choice, we really need to take offense to them this time. The hotel might be guarded sooner or later.” Thilda said as she starts to draw a route they will take. “They are determined to get us.” She added. “Maybe we can help the Martin Mansion too,” Ophelia suggested which made Miss Eve smiled. “Maybe it’s time to help others and be together.”

“The only thing is our survival, we can’t just sleep in the streets.” Hugo blurted which made Thilda roll her eyes. “We solve that once we encounter it.” He sighed, “I guess there is no point debating with you.” She looked at him, “It’s not just that I dreamed to travel in the world, I mean, I do dream it.” The others chuckle. “But, it’s the only way to put a stop to this.” 

“Also, the fact that even other shelters get raided to make this an amazing opportunity, not just for us, but for the others too.” Miss Eve added, “I know we might lost the others in the way,” she sighed. “But, this is all or nothing, it might be the solution we are waiting for.” The lady looks at them, “Do you all agree with this plan?” 

Some of them nod immediately, some hesitated and just went with the flow. “Tomorrow, we will start rolling. Hugo, get us some food supplies that can last at least for a week but you can still carry. Blaise, have you got your devices?” The blonde boy thinks as he mentally counts the gadget he has, “Well, only those who are small enough to carry. I destroyed and dissembled some big machines I have, so if they investigate the hotel, they will be clueless with my inventions.” Thilda smiles, “That’s great!” Thilda looks at Ophelia, “Since you are more exposed in Germany than us, you lead the way.” 

The brunette teenager hesitated a bit, Peony was looking at her. She sighed, “Fine.” The enthusiastic green-haired girl squeals, “I know you had it in you!” She hugged her which Ophelia gave back, the lady smiles. Thilda continues to assign work to everyone. Each one of them has an important task and Thilda was sure that they will do it accordingly.

Meanwhile, Blaise gave the device to heal Miss Eve faster to Ophelia. She inserted it as she looks at the lady, “Go on…” She hesitated at first but then she injected the needle of the device to the lady’s wrist. She looks at Miss Eve as she change reaction. “Put it out!” She exclaimed as the teenager pulls it away from her. She sighs as she breathes heavily, she looked at Blaise. “Don’t worry, that’s normal.” 

Ophelia looks at Miss Eve as she slowly calms down. “I need to rest.” Both of them nods as they leave her alone. Peony was planting her seeds around the wall made by Adam, so they wouldn’t be attacked. She grew it and tangled some vines trees by trees. She made a vine ladder if someone needs to go out of their temporary premises. As the night comes, they ate their dinner and have a temporary assembly to wrap up and announce their plans to the others.

“Tomorrow, we will leave the forest for the first time,” Thilda announced as the other gasps and some got confused. “We had enough getting attacked mercilessly by the enemies. With the information on our site, we can turn the tables.” Some of the residents start to gossip, some are concerned about the plan. Miss Eve takes the spotlight, “We will go to France, we will gonna help the residents of the Martin Mansion.” The residents who are refugees of the mansion gasps. “They are being attacked too, we can help each other to fight off the enemy we been facing, years after years.”

“Can we meet again our lost residents or friends?” A resident asked, hoping they will answer yes. “That, we don’t know about it. Let’s just hope some of them can be rescued, then, we can meet them again.” They cheered, “I know you guys badly want your friends back, me too, I want my residents back. But, let us focus on one thing, to defeat our enemies and finish them already. I know, this is hard and I am sad to say that we can lost somebody in our way, but I hope not. This is the only way we can get our freedom and other freedom.”

“Don’t worry miss, we trust on you. We want this problem to end too.” A man said, looking at everyone around him. “We are scared, I am right now. But if it’s the only solution, then, I am in.” A girl smiles as the others agree.

“Yeah! Freedom will be in our hands!”

“Adventures!!!”

“I wish to see Hannah once more…”

“I am glad that you are agreeing with this, in the first place, I thought you guys will disagree with this.” The residents cheer the lady up. “It’s for us, so we are agreeing with it.” Dulse commented which made the lady smile more. “Have a nice sleep tonight, we will leave early.” They all nod as they prepared to sleep and rest themselves for tomorrow.

“Wake up everyone!” Thilda shouted as they do, stretching their limbs and yawning their sleepiness away. They had their quick breakfast as Adam and Peony took down the walls of their temporary home. Everyone was ready to leave the forest where their home is standing. It was 3 in the morning, they need to leave as much as possible to hid away from the border officers of France. They started to get their way out of the forest, the fighters are keen to any dangers that lies ahead. 

Hugo already advanced before them, he will manipulate the border officers from patrolling the border. It was an hour's walk, but it will be worth it sooner. They reached the forest outskirts as they look around, crickets are singing and the road is so empty. They crossed roads one by one, avoiding any attention from people who are still awake. They stop when they saw a vehicle passing by and people in the way. They are a total of 28, a crowd of them will be alerting for others. They were passing by a bunch of houses, which is kinda risky. This path will make them faster, so they have no choice but to quietly pass the houses. 

Everything would go to the plan accordingly until Ophelia notices a woman just frozen while looking at them. She was holding a glass of water, she was just outside. She raised her hand a bit as the water splashes at the woman’s face. “Quick! Get to the house!” She said as the others got alerted as some of them ran to the house and quickly tackle down the woman, knocking her off. The others followed as they all calmed down. 

“Honey? What’s happening down there?” They all stop and was hesitating to say any word. They waited for her husband to go down. He went down upstairs with his pajamas on. “Who are y—” Before he can finish his sentence, the others tackled him down too and knocks him out. “What do we do with them?” 

“Tied them on their bedroom. We need to stay here for a while.” Miss Eve said as she closes the open curtains. “But why miss? Our time is running!” She looks at Thilda, “The people are suspicious. We need to stay here until night.” “But how about Hugo!? He is already there!” Peony exclaimed. 

The lady thinks, “Maybe we will go there groups by groups. To those who have strange external qualities, you will go last so those humans would not get you. To others who seem like them enough, you will go in the daytime.” They all nodded, the lady peeks from the curtain, “There are others who seem to scrutinize the place, let’s let them first.” She came back to them as the others put the couple in their bedroom, tying them up. “Why are we staying?” Thilda asked, Miss Eve looks at her. “You’ll see.”

The sun rises as the first batch went out of the house by the backyard and went to the border. They all just chill in the house and were f*******n to go out. Meanwhile, Miss Eve and the rest of the fighters who were left went into the bedroom, just in time the couple wakes up. The first one was the lady who just froze and looks at them. Her lips were sealed with tape. The next one was her husband, “Who are you!? Let us go!” He looks at them as he notices some of them have strange characteristics. “Are you some kind of d**g addict?”

“Hey! Of all things you can say to us, you chose that!?” Peony tightens the vines that tie them up, making them hurt a bit. “What did we do!?” He struggles. The lady moves forward as she looks at them. “Is this true honey? Why there’s an emo lady in front of us?” The wife said as Miss Eve holds her temper. 

“You, man, where do you work?” The husband hisses, “Pssh, of course in my office!” The lady chuckles as Arabella handed an item of familiar clothing. “Then, why is your uniform like this?” She shows to them all, the uniform of the men who are trying to get them. The man gulps as he insisted on his innocence, “What are you trying to prove here!?” 

“You are killing people.” His wife looks at him as he insisted more. “I am not, maybe you are killing people!” Miss Eve rolls her eyes, “How come you still manage to lie even the evidence is within your eyes reach.” The man struggles, “I am not lying! I am telling the truth!” The lady sighs, “Just say the truth to us and no one will be harmed.” Thilda approaches his wife and places the sharp blade of her knife hand near her neck, which pushed the man to his limits.

“Yes! I am a member of the private army!” He was shivering as his wife’s eyes widen. “I am sorry, honey. I am sorry…” Miss Eve’s lips curve up a bit. “Tell me more.” The man was lowering his head. “I have been serving them for 3 years. We are deployed to destroy and abduct monsters and magical people. Mostly, I am being deployed to England, that’s why I am always away at home for months.” 

The lady widens her eyes, “Why are you doing this?” He was shivering, “They pay us big money, that’s why I was lured to it. Every time we abduct one of these people they are targeting, we get a bonus. I saw one of them in a research facility, I also witness them getting sold for I don’t know the reason. The base is in Rennes, France. That was the military base, I have heard they have more headquarters like in Poland and Ireland.”

Thilda looks at Miss Eve, “The guy we encountered just a day ago was right.” She looks at the couple as Miss Eve asks, “One way to find out, who is your leader?”

“General Arthur Trepagnier!”