Storm.

I.

Knock, Knock, Knock.A man's fingers rapped on the trunk of his Mercedes XLR Convertible. The shiny finish on the

black paint reflected the setting sun's rays straight onto the building. The man lifted his hand and with a swift gesture slid his shades from where they rested on his nose to the top of his head. He squinted.

“So this is it?”“This is it.” Answered a second voice, lower in register. The second man stepped out of the car

and with a shrug of the shoulders fixed his jacket. It was an Armani Tweed, embossed with the famous company logo on the cuff. The white dress pants complemented the suit well.

“Chuckie picked a shit-hole like this? For god's sake we have millions worth in the case and we're gonna sleep on jizz-stained mattresses!” The man with the Armani tweed said.

“Come on, don't be an asshole. Chuck was a good guy. And he's gone. At least have a little respect You won't die in a second class hotel for a day.”

“No pun intended, huh?” He answered sarcastically.The duo stared at the six floors of brick and plaster spotted with wood-frame windows. The

Hotel Lianni was not a run-down place by any means, even with the small stretches of crumbling plaster on the sides it still held an air of fancy hospitality.

“Hey open the car. Why'd you lock it?”“Are we bringing it with us? It's probably not safe...” He didn't finish his sentence before his

partner cut him off.“And what? You suppose the case stays in the car so the vallet can get a little snoopy around

such an expensive vehicle and decide 'Hey, here's a couple of million in this attache' and he'll never be found again. Are you stupid?” The man with the glasses tapped his forehead in anger.

“Alright, take it with us.”The muffled thump of the locks releasing inside the car was the only sound around. The little

town of Hattfield, Louisiana was as dead as ever. The man in Armani popped the trunk and grabbed the case. He left a vacant compartment behind him as he closed the lid of the trunk. Everything they would ever need from now on could be bought. There was no reason for them to take anything. Even the car was rented. They planned to leave it in 24 hours once they were out of Hattfield and safely on their way to the airport.

An older gentleman in a white dress-shirt and suspenders appeared on the front steps of Hotel Lianni.

“Gentlemen! You are in need of a vallet?” His accent had a slight bit of southern twang. “Yea, sure.” answered the man with the sun glasses. “Just leave it here, it will be taken care of. Follow me, there's a storm coming.”“Great.” they said in unison.The gentleman turned around with a youthful stride and led the pair inside of the hotel. The

lobby was nothing like the outside of the hotel. A red carpet with roses and vines covered the whole floor out of which stood numerous columns, etched in a Greek Style, that supported the floors above. The front desk was a flashy mahogany construction that seemed to blend right in with the light brown wallpaper. A small waterfall enclosed the left end of the counter.

“Maybe it wasn't such a bad idea.” The man in Armani thought as he looked around the foyer. The old gentleman stepped behind the counter and punched in a code into the computer.

“Ok, lets see here. 6 PM. Which one of you is Mr. Pebble?”The man with the sunglasses still perched high on his head raised a hand in the hair and pointed

with a finger to the sky.“Alright. Mr. Muse?”He looked at the man with the Armani tweed.He nodded.“OK. And..Hmm..finally, Mr. Ronald Chuck?”“Umm...he will not be joining us for the stay, I'm afraid.” Pebble spoke. Muse put his hands on

his hips, exhaled deeply and lowered his head to the ground.“You gentlemen reserved a room for three, would you like a smaller room? It would save you

some money?”Muse looked up, a bit annoyed.“No, listen, that's fine. We'll be alright. Can we get the keys, please?”“Here they are. You are in room 305, elevators are just to the right. Enjoy your stay.”Pebble bend over and picked up the suitcase. Muse followed him to the elevator as he took his

room key. A peculiar sound caught their attention from the outside. Had it been a busy day at the hotel they would not have noticed it but today, in the quiet hours before the apparent coming storm, they heard what sounded like someone slamming the trunk of a car. No other cars had arrived in the last five minutes. At that moment Pebble realized he was still holding the Mercedes keys.

He stopped and yelled in the direction of the front desk.“Sir, the keys to the car? Where is your vallet?”“Ah! Thank you! He will be here shortly.”“Thanks.” Pebble said with a wry smile.“Um, if need be, gentlemen, the car will be in spot number 305 in the garage. It's accessible

though that door to my left. The keys are here behind the desk so let whoever is on duty know you will need them.”

The pair nodded without saying a word and entered the elevator. The doors closed slowly the lights above the door began to light up, one after the other, at a snail's pace.

Ding, ding.“So what the hell happened? I mean, to Chuckie. You know, how did he...?” Muse said after a

pause.“I don't know what the fuck happened! I told you already!” Pebble half yelled at his partner.“He got shot? He didn't try to run or anything?”“They shot him in the head, Muse. You want him to fucking run?”“You got away.”“Yea, I stayed the fuck low to the ground. He was screaming all that 'Leave me, leave me' shit.

I wasn't gonna stick around and get cuffed. I'm telling you, it was a sniper or some shit. The sirens came as I was almost out of the damn bank. The street cops couldn't have shot him.”

“Shit...” Muse took another deep breath.“Listen, all that matters is that we're here, and we're safe. We lay low in this hotel joint until

tomorrow. The we head to the airport and we're out of here for good. The hardest part is over, kid. Just don't go all sentimental on me now.”

Ding.The elevator reached the third floor. The doors opened slightly before a crash filled the hereto

quiet atmosphere. The elevator cabin dropped a slight two inches. Not serious enough to cause any type of injury but the duo occupying it were thrown to the ground, shaken.”

“What the hell?!” Peblle yelled.

“This old piece of shit.” Muse chimed in. “See if we can pry these doors apart.”Muse and Pebble each got on their feet and fit their fingers in the inch of space between the

doors. A small portion of the hallway was visible via the slit. “On three, pull your way.” Pebble said. “One, two, three.”Muse and Pebble used the weight of their whole body in an attempt to separate the doors. The

slit between the doors, however, got no larger. Even the two of them, muscular and heavy-set, could not budge the steel doors.

“Shit!” Muse said as he hammered his hand on the wall.“There's no emergency button in this thing.” Pebble yelled as he stood up from looking at the

key pad. “Anyone out there?!” he screamed but all he got in return was total silence.“Are you serious right now?” Muse was getting flustered. Pebble answered him.“Here! Hold this!” he handed over the briefcase to Muse after which he leaned into the inch of

space between the two elevator doors. The floor was still and quiet, no one was walking about. He took a beep breath and let it out.

“There's gotta be someone here.” Pebble said, now more calm. He scratched the back of his head and slowly put his eye to the crevasse between the elevator

doors. The skin of his cheeks touched the cold gray metal. Pebble leaned his head left and right trying to get a good look of what was around the elevator.

“Hey did you see that?” Muse said quietly behind him.“What?” Pebble kept his face pinned to the doors.“Some cat or something. It just passed by the doors on the floor.”“I didn't see anything.”The elevator once again fell silent for a few seconds. Suddenly a loud thunderous noise echoed

though the elevator as a dark, black, object slammed into the doors from the outside. It was like heavy palms were banging on the doors with great force. Pebble screamed and lunged backwards, hitting the back of the elevator.

“Holy shit!” he yelled, doing his best to pin himself to the back of the elevator. Whatever it was, was now gone.

“What the fuck happened?” Muse questioned, looking at his terrified partner.“I..don't know. There was something there, Muse. It wasn't a cat!”“What was it, then?”“It was something dark. I swear it was looking at me. Muse, it had a face!”“You're crazy, they would say something if it was a person.”“I'm not fucking crazy. I don't know what it was! I saw an eye.”Muse didn't answer. He nodded and turned his attention to the doors. There was nothing on the

other side, from what he could see. He decided to try the metal doors once more. He placed his hands inside the slit and pulled with all force, grunting in the process.

The creak of metal started slowly. The sound escalated too quickly for Muse to realize what he was to do. The elevator doors slammed shut, trapping his fingers between them. Muse screamed in pain as he shook violently to free his fingers from the jammed metal. Pebble jumped up to help him.

“Jesus Christ!” he yelled as he grabbed his partner's arm and pulled. Muse's fingers finally came loose from the grip of the doors. They were scratched and fresh blood was flowing from his finger tips. Muse tried to close his ten fingers in a fist. It hurt like hell, but it seemed to him that nothing was broken.

“Everything alright?” Pebble asked him.“Fuck! This hurts like hell. It's not broken, thank god.” He kept opening and closing his hand.Muse took off his jacket and shirt. He began to wrap the button-down over his hand when a

voice from the outside penetrated the elevator silence.“You guys in there?”

It sounded like the old concierge.“Yea we're in here! Get us the fuck out!” Pebble yelled.“Alright, hang on!” the response came quick. And soon after that the sound of prying steel and

the sight the elevator doors separating. A metal rod made it way though the doors from the outside. It was a crowbar. Soon, the doors was propped open enough for Pebble and Muse to exit the elevator. The crowbar's operator was a young man, not more than 25 years, Pebble judged.

“Sir. Good lord. Your hand!” said the concierge as he tried to catch a glimpse of Muse's fingers.“I'm gonna be fine! Your license to run a hotel tho isn't! What kind of shit is this!?”“Gentlemen, I'm ever so sorry! Please, don't make a scandal of this. This kind of thing never

happens. You may stay for free for the night.”As if money was an issue for Pebble and Muse.“Damn right. We want dinner served at our room at eight. And that will also be free.” Pebble

said in a stern tone. “Will do. I assure you this was a one time affair. We have first aid kits in all the rooms, in the

bathroom.”Muse and Pebble started to walk away, Pebble tightly squeezing the handle of his briefcase in

his hand. He stopped for a second and turned around to address the concierge and the silent young man beside him.

“Just one more thing.”“Yes, anything?” answered the concierge with haste.“Were you on this floor just a minute or two before you opened the doors?”“No sir, we saw the warning light on the elevator and took up the stairs. We yelled to find out if

you were in there as soon as we were on the floor. Anything the matter?”“No, nothing.”They parted ways. The two con men walked to their room as the concierge and his assistant

headed for the stairs.“We'll have to call someone to fix that first thing in the morning.” the elderly man said. Outside the hallway windows rain drops began to fall. They increased in number as the seconds

went by until the sky lost its seductive sun-set blue and orange and gave way to gray and black.

II.

Muse and Pebble were sitting on the bed, contemplating their next moves carefully. Muse's hand was bandaged up with gauze and band aids to keep it in place. A a dark shade of red was slightly visible though the white fibers but Muse and Pebble were fairly certain the bleeding was stopped. His hand still ached and he tried not to make unnecessary movements with his fingers.

“Tomorow, we leave at 8 am.” began Pebble. “We take the car to the airport via the back roads, in case someone had seen it and is tracking it.”

“Can't we just steal a new car?”“No we can't. We can't afford to make any moves that attract more attention. Especially in a

small town like this.”“Alright. At the airport we catch the flight to Cancun?”“That's the plan. The tickets are reserved for us in a locker at the Airport.”“Right. Doesn't this feel a little weird?”“What does?”“Not even weird, a little sad. I mean, Chuckie planned all this, he went though all the trouble of

finding a hotel in a city where we can lay low, securing the air plane tickets, the car rental.”“And so what?” Pebble said in a harsh tone.“I know we didn't know him that well, but he did all this for all of us and we just left him to die

back at the bank.”“You're a real moron, Muse. They shot him in the fucking head. He was already dead before he

hit the floor. I saw his brains fly all over the little basket with lollipops.”“I know, I just have a weird feeling. Can they trace something back to us?”“We all used fake names, gloves and we agreed on nothing in our pockets as we went into the

bank. What are you so worried about Muse? You weren't even in the damn bank. All you had to do was wait comfortably on your ass in the damn car.”

“I guess you're right. This is all just just a bit too much.”“Calm down. Where the fuck is dinner?”“Lets go see.”Pebble and Muse got up from the mattress and walked over to the door. They opened it and

stepped into the hallway. The rain was beating heavily on the windows outside. “Jesus, do you see this?” Muse asked as he cupped his hands over his eyes on the window. “It's

pitch black out there.”“We're inside aren't we? Let's go.”Pebble and Muse started walking down the corridor when the lights flickered above them.

There were five light bulbs on the ceiling, each one spaced three meters apart down the length of the hallway. There were four doors on each side, room 305 being the last one on the right. Each hotel door had a small light that was eye level.

“That was weird.” Muse said.“You still believe in ghosts, Musie?” Pebble laughed.“And you don't after what happened in the elevator?”Pebble threw his head back in a haughty manner.“It was a simple industrial accident.”At that moment the small lights that accompanied every door on the floor began to flicker out.

First the one closest to them, then 304, 303, 302, 301. Each one fizzled with an electric hiss until they were all unlit. The pair stopped in their stride and looked at the phenomenon puzzlingly. Then something brushed past Muse. He felt it on his face, on his shoulder and on his leg. It felt like a hand, an invisible hand stroking his cheek. He could almost make out the sensation of four fingers on his throat and face. He screamed.

“What the fuck is going on with you?” yelled Pebble in response.“Something fucking touched me! I'm not kidding, man. It felt like a hand!”Pebble had no time to say anything in return before the lights on the ceiling began to blow.

They did not just fizzle out like the small ones, they exploded. The light way down the hall was first. It rained white shattered glass on the red carpet. Pebble and Muse were speechless.

One by one, the ceiling lights exploded. Pebble and Muse watched as the hallway quickly became darker and darker, like a monster moving fast towards them. The lights continued to shatter more quickly until the last one over them blew, leaving the pair in total darkness.

“Get back to the damn room Muse!” shouted Pebble.“What the hell...” Muse said as Pebble head him moving over the broken glass. Suddenly his

partner's voice was muffled. Something had grabbed muse. Pebble could hear his thrashing in the darkness as he himself tried to find the door to the hotel room. The glass on the floor sounded like a heavy object was moving over it. Whatever had gotten hold of Muse was effortlessly dragging him down the hallway.

Pebble's pulse hit the roof as he jumped for the wall. A gust of cold air brushed past him giving him chills down his spine. The window at the end of the hall was not open. In panic, Pebble felt the length of the wall searching for room 305. Possibly the only place where he could be safe. He continued to listen to the muffled screams of his partner which now appeared to come from way down the hall.

“Oh fuck!” Pebble said as he fingered the wall which only seemed smooth with wallpaper. His hand finally struck metal. It was a doorknob. The doorknob to his room. Pebble twisted it but it would not budge. The door was locked.

Pebble quickly thrust his hands in his pockets looking for the key to the room. That's when a cold realization hit him. Muse had taken the key!

Pebble pushed the door hard in an attempt to get inside room 305. When his efforts were fruitless he began slamming his shoulder against the fancy wood door. One time, two. Three.

Suddenly Muse screamed out in terror, his voice fully audible in the darkness. There was a crash of broken glass down the hallway as someone shuffled on the floor.

“Oh God! Someone help me! Fucking help me!” Muse screamed. Pebble let loose his grip on the room lock and he stopped trying to break in so he could hear what was happening. Muse continued to scream for help but nothing else seemed to be happening.

“Muse!” Pebble managed to scream. At that moment the individual door lights in the hallway all turned on at once. The hallway was illuminated, though dimly.

Pebble saw Muse on the far end of the hallway. The man was on his back on the ground, rolling around as if trying to fight off an invisible force. Between Pebble and Muse was 50 yards of white broken glass from the lamps above. Pebble started running down the hallway to help his friend.

Muse had stopped screaming as Pebble approached and put his hands on his partner's shoulders.“You're OK Muse! There's no one here right now. Get up! Get the fuck up!” He screamed.“Pebble, what the fuck is happening?!” Muse said. He had a hard time getting up.Pebble helped Muse to his feet but what he saw was not the prettiest of sights. Muse's

expensive Armani suit jacket was torn in streaks like a flag football belt. There was blood running all down his back and shards of glass were embedded in his skin. Muse was moaning in pain.

“Can you walk?” Pebble asked.“Yea, I can walk. Pebble, lets get out of here, please. There's something really bad in this

place!”Pebble agreed. He suggested they go back to the room, grab the case and drive the fuck out of

town. Muse said he was able to walk on his own, despite the pain in his back. He just wanted to get out of here, nothing else mattered at the moment. His survival instincts had taken over; self preservation over all else. Muse knew that he needed to take advantage use the adrenaline boost that nulled the pain for now. God only knew if he could handle it in twenty minutes.

Pebble took the room key from Muse and unlocked room 305. Everything inside was as they left it. Pebble grabbed the attache case from below the bed, opened it to verify its content's were still there and locked it back up. They didn't bother to turn off the lights as they exited the room.

III.

Pebble and Muse walked down the hallway wondering if any of the other occupants had seen or heard what had happened. They had to, Muse was screaming like a madman. No one opened the door to even check? Pebble began to wonder if there were even other guests in the hotel. He had seen no one besides the concierge and his little quiet assistant. This was all too sinister all of a sudden. Muse and Pebble rounded the corner at the end of the hallway to the elevators.

“We're fucking taking the stairs.” Muse grunted out the words. He was pacing slow, as fast as he could at the moment.

Pebble and Muse descended the stairs slowly to the first floor. Pebble opened the staircase door leading to the foyer with a bang. All the lights on the ground floor seemed intact. The suave décor was untouched, just as they had seen it when they arrived a few hours earlier. The lobby was empty.

“Try the front door. Where is everyone?” Muse said as his partner jogged to the front door.

The door was locked with a deadbolt. Pebble turned the lock and opened the door.Immediately he was showered with icy cold morsels from the storm outside. The world beyond

the front steps of Hotel Lianni was dark as midnight during a lunar eclipse. The only thing coming from the darkness were the millions of bottlecap-sized drops that told Pebble that he had no business outside. He closed the door as fast as he could, pushing against the full force of the wind that wanted it so badly to stay open. Pebble deadbolted the front door once more.

“By God! Gentlemen what's happened?!” the familiar voice of the old concierge rang though the foyer. Pebble made eye contact and angrily paced over to meet him. He grabbed the old gentleman by the shirt and pulled him close.

“I don't know what the fuck is going on here, but I suggest you give us the car keys.” “You want to leave? You can't go outside! Do you see whats happening?”“I won't repeat myself again old man. Some really weird shit is happening here and I'm not

staying to get killed.”“Killed! No one's gonna get killed, that's absurd.” The concierge sounded offended.“Do you see my friend? First he has his fingers almost broken and now his back is riddled with

broken glass! Not to mention some serial killer or something lurking around these halls. I saw him, Muse was attacked by him. I don't want to find out what the next step is!”

“It must have been some sort of accident! Please, I'll find out what's happening. Don't go outside.”

Pebble pushed the stubborn concierge backwards and he stumbled, barely keeping his balance. He picked up the attache case he had left by the desk and walked around to the other side. The concierge protested.

“You can't go back there!”“Shut your mouth, old man!” Pebble screamed at him as he opened the vallet box. There were

twenty other sets of keys in the box. So there were other guests at the hotel. Pebble grabbed the Mercedes keys and signaled for Muse to follow. Muse picked up his pace on account of the pain from his fingers and back which was now surging though his body.

“Let's go. Quickly!” Muse said as he took a few more deep breaths in hope of slowing down his heart beat.

The pair made it to the door leading to the hotel garage. Behind them, the concierge continued to shout protests about the weather and about the hotel being safe for them to stay in. Muse and Pebble paid no attention. They continued down the half flight of stairs and entered the parking area.

“What the hell...” said Pebble softly.

IV.

Pebble and Muse found themselves in a typical parking garage, with a gray concrete floor, yellow paint to mark spots numbered from 01 to 48 and special spaces for the staff. Wide gray columns supported the roof. Everything was in order except for one small detail.

“Where are all the cars?” asked Muse anxiously.“That's a really good question.” replied Pebble as he slowly stepped forward. All the guest

parking spaces in the garage were empty. Three cars stood by the wall which belonged to the staff. The single vehicle which was on the garage floor was Muse's rented Mercedes XLR.

“It doesn't matter, lets go! Now!” shouted Pebble after a moment's hesitation.Muse and Pebble ran to the Mercedes and unlocked it. Pebble sat behind the wheel and Muse

took shotgun. The realization came too late and Muse screamed out in pain. The glass in his back! He had forgotten about it in the panic and now it had dug even deeper into his back as he sat on the leather seat of the luxury car. He recoiled forward almost smashing his head on the dashboard.

“Jesus Muse! Are you OK?!”“Yea,” he coughed and grunted “Just fucking drive!”Pebble shoved the key in the ignition and turned it all the way. The car panted three times but

did not start.“Come on!” shouted Pebble.He tried the key again but to no avail. He turned it a third and fourth time but the car just gave

out the same noise.“Oh shit!” Muse said as he slammed his hands on the dash. “Just what we fucking need.”“Let me go out and check.” Pebble said angrily.He left the car and popped open the hood. Smoke started rising from the battery and the engine.

The air filter was saturated in oil. It seemed as though the battery had short circuited. Pebble put his hand to the engine and screamed when he found it to be hot. It had been on recently, within the last half our or so. A few seconds later his peripheral vision caught a black liquid near his feet.

“Fuck! Muse, I don't think we're going anywhere in this car.”“What's wrong with it?!”“There's oil all over the floor, it looks like it leaked from the engine. The battery is also shot.”“This is too fucking convinient...” Muse said in a murmur.“Muse.”“Yea?”“Grab the fucking case, we're getting that concierge to tell us what the hell is happening around

here. It looks like someone is trying to get us to stay.”“Or something, Pebble. What we saw in there, it wasn't natural. I mean, it wasn't human.

There's something evil here Peb.”Pebble didn't want to think of the possibility of anything supernatural trying to hung them

down. He wanted to leave, as soon as possible. He told Muse to get out of the car and head back to the lobby. Once inside, they found the concierge behind the desk.

“I told ya'll it was hell outside. You can't drive anywhere.” he said.“Listen you old fart.” began Muse, now fuming “If you did anything to our car I swear I will gut

you.”“Sir, the key's have been here the whole time, no one has gone to the car since we had it taken in

when you arrived.”“Where's the vallet?”“Jimmy is asleep at this point I believe, gentlemen. Please, whatever is going on, I am sure

there is a logical explanation. Just go back to the room, I've called the police. They should be on their way.”

The Police! Pebble and Muse were getting angry. The concierge was not only stubborn and idiotic, now he had called the police. They had no legitimate identification and news of the bank heist was sure to have spread to the headquarters. Everything was going wrong. Pebble put a hand on Muse, a signal to keep quiet and calm. He continued.

“How can we go back to the room? You expect us to wade in broken glass and barely any light?”

“What do you mean?”“The lights on the third floor shattered before we came down. How do you think Muse got

hurt?”“That's impossible. I will go and see it with you gentlemen.” The concierge was annoyed. He

had had enough of these troublemakers and their lack of manners.“Yea, maybe then you'll understand that something is wrong.”

V.

When Pebble, Muse and the concierge reached the third floor, the latter turned to the two guests.“So, what has happened?”Muse and Pebble stared at the hallway before them in disbelief. Where just not ten minutes ago

there was broken glass and barely a sliver of light to see by, now all the ceiling lights were working. Each one was untouched and the carpet clean and free of any debris.

“I..don't...understand.” Said Pebble. His grip on the case in his hand got stronger. “It was right here! It dragged me down the hallway!” Muse added.“I saw it. The broken glass...”“Gentlemen, I don't know what kind of game you're playing, but it's not funny. I suggest you go

to your room and get a good nights rest.”“Are you serious?! Look at his back! Look at it!” Pebble pointed to Muse's scarred and still

bloody backside.“I have seen it!” the concierge yelled, now angry. “But the lack of evidence to prove any of this

makes me think you two are playing some sort of trick. I've had enough for tonight. Go to your rooms and rest. The police will clear everything once they get here!”

“When will they get...here!?” yelled Muse with hesitation.“With this storm, god known when.” The concierge said as he turned his back and made way

down the hallway.Pebble and Muse entered room 305 and sat back down on the bed.“Maybe its all a fucking dream?” Muse said in a melancholy tone.“A dream?”“How else would you explain it? Look at what's happened Peb.”Pebble sighed and rubbed his hair.“I have no idea whats happening. For now, lets get you cleaned up and we'll figure out an

escape plan. We can't be here when those cops show up.”Pebble led Muse into the bathroom where he put the first aid kit to use once again. With each

glass piece that he removed from Muse's back, the latter tried to suppress his screams of pain. Tried to, at least. Within twenty minutes, Pebble had done all he could for his partner. They left the bright red towels filled with blood in the sink as went back into the main bedroom.

“Hey, do you see this?” asked Pebble. He was holding up the bedroom alarm clock.“What? It's a clock?”“Do you see the time? It says its 3 AM.”“What? We only got here like 3 hours ago. We arrived at, what, six?”“Yea, I checked the car watch, we came in a little after six.”“There's no way its 3 AM. It must be wrong.”Pebble walked into the hallway, which was empty as ever. He looked at an analog clock down

the hallway. It also indicated that it was 3 AM.“What the fuck? The clock in the hallway also says the same thing. Something's happening

here.”“Wow.” That's all Muse could say. He still believed it was all a dream. The two stood up talking about possible escape plans. They could try and borrow a staff car,

but they would have to muscle the keys out of either Jimmy the vallet or the old concierge. They could try and troop it, but the heavy rain outside would surely hammer them into the mud. Either way, it seemed hopeless. Pebble said that the best way was to wait off the rain for a bit. It looks like the cops wouldn't be here for some time. He placed the case next to his bed and laid down. Within ten minutes, both men were taking a nap. The lights in the room shut off after thirteen minutes.

VI.

Muse awoke sometime during the middle of the night and was surprised to find the lights off. He lay half naked on the bed, on his stomach. He dared not many any sudden movements, the pain in his back was not as severe anymore and he wanted to keep it that way. Something in the dark caught his attention to the right, next to the windows. The rain outside didn't seem to be stopping and now lighting was added to the mix. Muse turned on his side, slowly, looking for the clock in the room but he couldn't find the LEDs anywhere. The lighting sporadically illuminated the room. The object grabbed his attention again.

Muse could see nothing in the dark and waited for the lighting to give light. He was scared to get up and try the lights. Something inside told him that moving was a bad idea.

Lighting flashed again after several moments of silence and the image that Muse saw for a split second petrified him. Against the backgrop of the window, stood a man. He was tall, wearing boots and a dark leather jacket. His face was distorted, as if he was wearing a mask. Now more than ever muse hoped that this was all a dream. He stared at the spot where he had last seen the man, looking for any signs of movement.

As the lightning flashed again, Muse took in a deep breath. The man was in motion, he looked like he was moving closer. Muse recognized the mast on his face. It was the mask of Loki, god of the underworld. And he was holding something in his hand. The lightning did not flash again for a minute but Muse could hear the object dragging along the hotel room carpet. He could not discern what it was, but every nerve in his body told him to move. The thunder outside the windows was once again followed by a flash.

Muse screamed at the top of his lungs when his eyes registered the man with the grotesque mask not more than inches away from him. Muse made eye contact with the pupils of Loki. The man's arms were extended above his head, and then Muse saw what he was holding. Gripping a large pickaxe with both hands, the phantom was about to mangle him on the bed. Muse could hear the man chanting. He was saying “Kill...Murder...Kill.”

Muse rolled to the side screaming, shuffling, despite the pain in his back to get up from the bed.“What the hell...”Muse continued to scream as he fell from the bed onto the ground. The sound a window

breaking scared Muse even more. Then, the lights went on.Near the door, Pebble stood, groggy from sleep staring at Muse on the floor.“What the fuck is going on? Are you insane?”Muse jumped up and looked around the room, the cold air from the broken window was filling

the inside and the rain began to drench the carpet.“I saw him Pebble! There was a man here! He was gonna kill me!”Pebble looked at the broken window and then the floor. There was no glass on the inside, save

for a few small pieces. There had to have been someone here, and he broke the window from the inside out as he escaped. Pebble went to the broken window and looked out. Below the window was a large cliff that fell more than a hundred feet. At the bottom of it was a field, Pebble guessed it was a farm field. The lightning flashed again and Pebble saw, for a brief second, the field and around it for a mile. There was no one there. There was no one on the building either.

“Muse, we need to get out of here. Right now! Get dressed!”“Whats wrong? You saw something, didn't you?“It's not what I saw, Muse. It's what I didn't see. There no one out there. If he jumped out he

would be dead at the bottom of that field. Unless...he's not human.”Muse put on what was left of his clothes, slipped his shoes on and followed a still drowsy

Pebble to the door. Pebble grabbed a tight hold of the suitcase and exited the room with Muse in tow.

VII.

Outside the room, the scene was ghastlier than anything they had ever seen so far. The lights flickered on and off, a slight buzzing sound with each flicker. The two men stood dead in their spots, their minds trying to comprehend what was happening around them. In the hallway, the white wallpaper was streaked with blood. Red, fresh blood was on both walls, still dripping down to the ground in skinny streams. The lights went off for a second and then came back on.

“Run!” Pebble shouted and took off down the hallway. Muse was ring behind him, trying to move as fast as he could.

The light went off for a few more seconds as Pebble made it to the middle of the hallway and then they went back on. Something passed by him when the lights were off, he felt it. That's when he stopped.

“Oh, Jesus!” he yelled. Muse was panting behind him, curious as to why his partner had stopped. Pebble turned to the side and vomited on the carpet. His stomach was tight and he expelled all the food he had eaten before arriving at the hotel. A couple more dry heaves came before Pebble was able to compose himself.

Muse, after seeing it himself leaned over and threw up as well. “What the fuck is that?!” he screamed between the dry heaves.In front of them was a body dressed in a vallet uniform. It lay face down on the carpet. Into its

back was embedded a large pickaxe which stood up right. The body was still gushing fresh blood and intestines were spread all over the floor. The blood trail from the walls led to the poor kid on the floor. It was as if the body was dragged along the walls before it was left at the end of the hallway.

Pebble put his mouth in the crook of his elbow to block the rotting smell in the hallway and perhaps to prevent himself from throwing up again. He went to the side of the body. The lights flickered once more.

With a gentle nudge, Pebble lifted the boy's head to see if it was the same young man that was with the concierge after the elevator incident. But what he discovered was even more shocking. Muse had joined him in horror. They were staring into the face of a man they knew. It was the face of Chuckie. Ronald Chuck, his alias, the only name they knew him by.

“This can't be real!” Muse shouted as he turned to run for the elevator.“Fuck this!” Pebble yelled and turned around, sprinted for the stairs. “It's every fucking man for

himself!”“You can't leave me! We had a fucking contract!” screamed Muse after him. He gave up on the

elevator switch and turned to chase after Pebble. Pebble would have a way out. But as he tried to get close to the door, a hand grabbed his leg. Muse tried to shake free but whatever was holding him would not let go. Muse turned around and for the second time that night gazed into a maniac's eyes. The man with the Loki mask had him.

He was strong. He grabbed Muse by the collar of his torn shirt and slammed him against the elevator doors. Muse screamed and lashed out, but he could not hurt the assailant. It was as though he was invincible. The lights went off. The hands released Muse and he was left in darkness, his only companion was the sound of his own frantic breathing.

VIII.

Muse took several deep breaths. He dared not to move. He had no idea what to do next. Muse truly believed he would die like the vallet, or Chuckie; whoever it was. Muse knew this hotel was haunted. He had a bad feeling about it all along. And now his partner deserted him, and he was going to die. Muse was not ready to die. The sudden realization swept over him and he began to convulse

and shake. I don't want to die! “Well Muse. What have you got to say for yourself?” A voice penetrated the darkness. A dark,

very low and bass filled voice.“Wh..what?”“I asked you a question. What have you got to say for yourself?”“I have..I have no idea what you're talking about?”“Muse...” The voice continued. Calculated and deep from the darkness.“How do you know my name!?” How did the voice know his alias?“You are guilty. Do you feel guilty?” Muse did not speak, he simply listened, trying to figure out from where the voice was coming

from. Maybe he could sneak out.“You are guilty, Muse. Isn't that right? What happened to Abigail. It was your fault. And you

know that very well.”The mention of Abigail's name turned Muse's blood cold. This was like a manifestation of his

worst fears, his worst phobias. Abigail...“You did this to Abigail, Muse. You did it. Isn't that right?”“Shut the fuck up! Stop it!” Muse wailed, his voice cracking. The haunted hotel, this was the

ghost's modus operandi. It brought out the worst fears in people, put them against what they don't want to ever face. Their dead partner, buckets of blood, storms, Abigail...A real house of horrors. “Get the fuck away from me!”

“Muse, you can't escape it.” the voice became softer, almost feminine. The lights flickered in the dark and in the flashes Muse saw a silhouette of a woman. She wore all white, floated in the air it seemed. Abigail...

“There is only one way out of this, Muse. Step one is to admit what you have done.”“Abigail...” Muse recognized Abigail's voice. He was starting to believe what the voice said.“It was your fault she's in a wheelchair, isn't it? You thought that you'd get drunk and take her

for a ride in the new convertible. What a splendid idea that was, huh Muse. You wreck a brand new car, stolen, and put your girlfriend in the hospital with a broken back below the shoulders.”

It was Abigail's voice. He was sure of it. He had done it! It was his fault.“Yes. It was my fault! I fucking did it! I'm to blame!”“And you figured you could fix her? You figured you get a couple of men together, pull off a

big heist and use the money to pay for her new and expensive operation?”“No...” Muse replied.“No. Correct. What did you do? You decided to get a couple of men together, pull of a big

heist and use the money to escape the country. Why? You got tired of looking after an invalid? Did you get tired of looking after the woman you loved now that she was paralyzed? Answer me!”

“Yes.” Muse sounded submissive, he had accepted his fate and his decision. “I did it. I wanted to escape.”

“You know what must be done. Don't you.”Muse answered in the affirmative in a daze. He was no longer fighting, he was in complete

agreement with the spirits in the hotel. Re finally realized why he had been brought here, why fate had brought him to this evil place. The devil wanted him to face his decisions, his wrong choices. There was only way way Muse believed he could make this right.

“Then do it!” screamed the ghostly voice. The small door candles lit again in the hallway and Muse stood up, slowly dragging his feet to

the corridor. The man with the pickaxe stood nearby, the Loki mask following Muse's every move. Muse slowly neared the window and opened it. The cold rain pelted him with drops, drenching what was left of his clothes.

“Do it!”

Muse took one last deep breath and lunged head first into the open window. His broad shoulder's cracked though the frame and let Muse's body sail though the air for a few seconds. Muse felt at peace. He knew that what he had done was wrong and now he truly believe, as he was racing towards the ground, that he had done the right thing. He had paid for his sins.

A moment later Muse hit the concrete below head first. His head cracked open like a watermelon, sending brain tissue flying into the dark night. He was dead on impact, but what was left of his mouth showed a smile. Muse died a happy death.

IX.

Pebble heard the crash of a broken window on the floor above. He was rolling as fast as he could down the stair case. He crashed into the first floor door and fell though it into the foyer. The lobby was the same as when he had visited it last. He had to find a way out into the street. Not thinking, he lunged for the front door but found it dead-bolted again. He could not undo it this time.

There was no sign of the concierge or any other staff around the hotel. The attache case had still not left his left hand. The garage was his next exit. He stopped by the hotel desk and opened the vallet box. To his surprise, there were no keys inside.

“This is crazy.” he muttered to himself. The door to the stairs burst open and a man walked though. He had on a Loki mask and a dark

jacket, heavy boots and black pants. He was carrying a pickaxe in his left hand. Pebble froze as he looked into the devilish face of the mask. The man lifted his right hand and pointed it in Pebble's direction.

“You want me you son of a bitch?! Huh?!” Pebble yelled. He came out from behind the counter and pulled the case to his chest. The masked man dropped the pickaxe to his side. His legs were firmly on the ground, shoulder wish apart, his hands to his sides. He seemed to be staring Pebble right in the eyes.

“You crazy fucker! Comeon! Come get me!”The masked man reached with one hand behind his back and pulled out a gun. A shiny Smith &

Wesson .45 caliber handgun. He pointed it right at Pebble's feet and pulled the trigger.Pebble yelled at the top of his lungs as he felt the bullet pierce though two of his toes, blowing

them off with a portion of his expensive leather shoes. He fell to the ground, still clutching the case in his left hand, and trying to hold onto his remaining three toes with his right,

“What the fuck is this?!” he managed to yell in between screams of pain.The masker man came closer and let off another round into his right shin. It missed the bone

but cut right though his calf muscle. Pebble has never know this much pain in his life. To the right, the front door to the Hotel Lianni opened. The rain flooded a foot or so into the

foyer. Loki let off another shot which landed just short of hitting Pebble. He began crawling, with

whatever strength he had left to the open door. The attache case still glued to his left arm.“What the fuck do you want?!”“What do you think I want?”Pebble recognized the voice behind the mask. The man lifted his right hand and grabbed the

Loki mask from the chin. He pushed it up and over his head and threw it on the ground. Pebble spoke in gasps.

“You! But I...I...”“You what? You shot me?”

X

Pebble was staring into the face of Ronald Chuck. Dear old Chuckie. Alive and well, with a gun in his hand.

“What are you doing, Chuck? You...you're dead?”“Am I Pebble? Did you make sure of that after you shot me?”“Chuck, I...” “No need for explanations old pal. I understand. A bigger score if you split it two ways instead

of three, right?”“Chuck...” Pebble was gasping from the pain “...it was all Muse's idea, I swear! He wanted you

dead after the score went down!”“Oh, I'm sure poor old Muse wanted that to happen. Don't try to play me like an I'm an idiot

Pebble. I knew more about you and Muse before we even did the bank job. Its what I do. It ensures my safety at all times. Especially from double-crossing bastards like you. You're asking yourself how? Simple, I wore a fucking vest!”

“But...how did you get here? There were no other vehicles that arrived.”Ronald chuckled. “You drove me here. As soon as you left I snuck out the side of the bank and

got to the rental car pickup location before you. I installed a little extra compartment in the back of the trunk, you know, where the seats are. And hey, you guys and your running around gave me the perfect time to do all the trap setting and clean up around here the last few hours. Very well played.”

“You...you planned all this.” “Not even weird, a little sad. I mean, Chuckie planned all this, he went though all the trouble of

finding a hotel in a city where we can lay low, securing the air plane tickets, the car rental.”“You son of a bitch! You set everything up from the start, the rental car, you picked the hotel,

you picked the room, the escape plan! You...did everything.”“Bingo! How did I know you would betray me in the bank?” Chuck laughed. “I didn't. But see

what measures I went to just to make sure I'd be getting what I worked for in case you did?”“You're insane! What happened to Muse?”“Muse was easy. His weak will and guilt took care of it. I didn't even have to lift a finger. He

took quite a tumble from the third floor.” “Jesus.”“I think its quite time for you to go. In the morning the police will find two dead bodies in an

old haunted hotel. And it cost me pennies to rent out this building and hire some 'staff.' Two suicides, no other prints, just some joke-store blood and guts. A mystery for the ages.”

“No, Chuck, Chuckie, please don't. Here, have the case! Just let me go, I won't ever get in your way. I'll leave the country. Please!”

Ronald Chuck didn't feel like saying any last words. He just walked slowly to Pebble, placed the barrel of the Weston on the pleading man's temple. Gotta make it look like a suicide. He squeezed. Pebble, or whatever his real name was, was no more. His left hand relaxed over the case handle.

Epilogue:

Ronald Chuck, real name Harvey Clooney, stripped off his ghoulish costume and wiped the gun with a damp cloth. He placed it in Pebble's hand and fired it. Gun-shot-residue.

The scene was set and Harvey was ready. He reached under the concierge desk and removed a set of keys for a BMW M3. He walked to the garage but stopped for a second to look at himself in the mirror. Black skinny suit, snazzy shirt and tie and sunglasses. In his left hand was the attache case. The sole item that this whole charade was about.

When Harvey got to the BMW which was parked in a private garage to the back of the building, he placed the case on the hood and opened it. He looked inside with a smile. Pete Rose, Babe Ruth,

Joe DiMaggio, Lou Brock and Barry Bonds and quite a few others stared back at him. Baseball cards. All there. Time to make some money.

The END.