Chapter 23
Chapter 23
The chapped leather felt familiar against her hands and for a moment, Cleo rubbed her fingers around the cover of the small book.
It looked like a diary? a ledger?
Not being able to hide her curiosity anymore, Cleo flipped it open hoping that she was just overthinking.
Day 1. I checked into Hotel La Rue. Linda says it will be good for me. But she lies. She always lies.
Wait…..wasn’t Linda her best friend?
Flashes of memory rushed through her mind again causing an instant headache and ringing of her ears.
Cleo began to rub against her forehead in a desperate attempt to stop the aching of her head but to no avail.
Then just as soon as it started, it stopped.
Cleo tried hard to remember the significance of Linda in her life but she could coke up with nothing.
It was like a huge fraction of her memories had somehow vanished.
Flipping a couple pages down, Cleo’s breath hitched in her throat as the wells of the room seemed to cave in on her.
Beads of sweat bags to gather in her forehead and her brown curls began to stick to the sides of her face.
As if to further add to the already unsettling feeling of the room, the bulb began to flicker at an even faster rate.
She was afraid and she did not even know why.
Day 4. Room 324 is not a room. It’s a reflection. Don’t look too long in the mirrors. Don’t believe the girl. She is not a child. She is the door.
The moment she read the phrase a small laughter echoed throughout the entire room causing a wave of shivers to gather on Cleo’s skin.
With that, Cleo slammed the journal shut.
She mag not be aware of what was happening but one thing she knew for certain eas that she needed to get out of this hotel as soon as possible.
Trapping her phone, her laptop and her small wallet, Cleo headed for the door.
She planned on leaving under the guise of going for a walk to clear her head.
She might be stopped if she were to try to leave with her entire belongings.
She may still be confused on what was going on but only a fool would ignore a warning that was recorded by themselves.
She knew that she had one chance to escape and that chance was now.
She made her way to the door but met the shock of her life.
The door was locked.
Cleo immediately started to struggle with the door knob but it didn’t budge.
She was stuck and traction came to her in an instant.
She immediately started to panic as her struggles with the door knob increased.
Her breath was now uneven and fast as her heart began to beat violently against her chest wall.
More beads of sweat began to gather in her body and it was then that Cell knew she was trapped.
Without wasting any more time, she rushed over to the window.
She didn’t care if she had to jump out of the building and leave injured.
However, when she got to the window, she was met with a black wall.
A wall that wasn’t there when she had first entered the hotel.
She couldn’t even see the road, not the sun.
Cleo threw her belongings on the bed and immediately started to look for something to try and break down the wall.
Her hands were shaky as panic started to set in.
She was afraid and she needed to get out of the room NOW.
Shrrrrr
Skrrrrr
Srrrrrr
It was when she reached the entrance of the bathroom that she heard it.
Her head followed the sound and she saw it.
Just above the entrance of the bathroom.
It was well hidden but perhaps it was the fear that was heightening her senses.
It was a camera….just like she had been warned.
Were there more around the room?
These questions ran through her mind as her vision started to became blurry.
She felt like the room had become small and was caving in on her.
“No!”
No! I’m imagining things.”
Cleo immediately turned to another page of the small journal and she could not help the gasp that escaped her lips.
Day 10. He’s watching. Elliot. But not Elliot. They’ve changed him. His eyes are wrong. Don’t let him touch the manuscript.
Elliot?
Elliot her husband?
He was watching.
Her gaze turned back to the camera as it zoomed it more on her.
Her stomach turned as it threatened to empty out all of its contents.
She slammed the book closed again, making her way back to the bed.
For several minutes, she couldn’t move. Couldn’t breathe. Her eyes darted around the room, half expecting someone to step out from the shadows.
Her entire body was shaking as she desperately tried to get her breathing under control.
Cleo stood up restlessly as she made her way over to the door yet again.
She turned the knob and it gave the same result.
She then tried to peel through the peephole and just like the window, outside was the same black wall.
It was like it had closed her in, making sure that’s he would never be able to see the outside world.
Every instinct if Cleo was screaming that he was in danger and she knew it.
What made her fear even more was the feeling that this happened before.
“Miss Ainsley.”
A voice echoed throughout the room and this was more than enough to make Cleo flinch in fear.
It was coming from the ceiling.
Cleo turned her head to look up and that was when she noticed it.
On the ceiling were numerous cameras.
She was lured here.
This wasn’t a hotel.
She is being watched.
She ran to grab her phone but it wiukd not come on.
Her entire body filled with despair and Cleo knew that this was big.