Beneath the whispers

Chapter 13

Anthony

“you should never go anywhere without a burning coal” The woman says.

her charcoal-stained hand sweeps a handful of coal into the deep cylindrical can made of what seems like metal sheets, it’s hung by a thick rope which she held with the other hand.

Tapping my feet impatiently I watched her fill the tin. A few long minutes ago, we had been awoken by the sudden screaming probably at the hotel. Left for the woman’s warning and Olivia’s reluctance to risk her life I would be racing down there by now.

The screams, although not frequent and now distant still disrupted the silence of the night making it all the more difficult to just stand here and watch this woman slowly package some coal lamp.

“If no one can leave this village for years. How are you even surviving?” I ask. Something I had been wondering from the moment my boss showed me this game ad to our long unbearable journey to this god-forsaken town.

“Hopefully the lands are fertile” she replied. At this point, she was dropping some fluid into the coal

“you never thought of escaping?” I ask, trying to get a sensible reply.

The woman’s lips curl downwards, her eyes focused on the charcoal that she now fed to her fireplace and the metal tin filled with charcoal resting on the floor beside her. The heavy breath she let out moving her chest down to her stomach answered it all.

They would be stupid if they didn't try to leave and let me not skip the fact that the network was non-existent in this town. Even I cannot contact anyone even if I was in a life-and-death situation “So you wake every day awaiting your impending doom?” I ask

The woman’s eyes darkened with blood searching my face intently. The tiny stretch on my lips that was meant to lead to a chuckle disappears, blinking my eyes for a more serious face. Her gaze softens and she turns back to the fireplace

"It stopped eventually after it was just we, the older ones – I could say the land was quiet" she says

“We will find a way to leave, there is a whole world out there,” I say

I look around the house for a sight of Olivia, her tiny hand stroke on Bella’s hair tugging some gold strands further and further behind her ears repeatedly - whatever it was between these two I definitely don’t want to be part of it

“that was like a month ago – a couple of youngsters got lost here” The woman struggled to lift her body into a standing position, squeezing on her waist, her brows cringe a little and she lets out a deep breath “she was here too” the woman gestured at Olivia

“let's head back, we need to find out what is happening in the hotel,” Olivia says approaching me with a paper she had slipped out of the pocket of the straight-cut blue jean she wore below her loose blue shirt.

“I thought you gave me all of them” I snatch the paper from her hands but it slips when she raised her hands higher with a grin. I frown at her and her bright grin disappears but she still had that amused look in her eyes, she slides the paper into my hand with the world's most annoying wink. I didn’t have time to look through the paper so I stuff it into my butt pocket.

**************

Bella

Rose would normally catwalk outside the hotel with her head slightly raise and an annoying grin that spewed innocence highlighting a glossed lipstick that could be any color and of course, she would be on one dripping hot outfit you have never seen before.

On second thought she wouldn't even bother coming out of her room so why is it that a few miles from us, Rose seems to be running so fast her legs barely touch the floor and she has on the white spaghetti hand gown she normally wore to sleep clutching her chest with one hand and terror decorating her face

“you guys are not going to say anything?” After the shadow attack and a calming sleep. I was woken and without a word, Tony and Olivia had made me follow them in the middle of the night with the lamp to the hotel. I genuinely just thought the woman had wanted us to leave since nobody speaks to us here

“Did something happen at the hotel?” I ask Tony while Olivia walks ahead of us hurrying toward Rose, who could barely stand. Rose crashes on Olivia dragging her to her knees with her face buried in Olivia's shoulders.

I and Tony hurries towards them “Rose, what happened?” I raise her head from Olivia's shoulders holding it between my two palms

“the shadows – they came" she manage the few words and returns to her heavy panting.

Looking at the hotel, Thelma is pacing in front of the hotel building avoiding the darkness from the shadow of the building courtesy of the bright full moon. I exchange glances with Tony as Olivia helped Rose to her feet. I had only slept for a few hours and it seems a lot has happened

“We heard a shout from the village so I left with Rose to check it out and when we got back the house was dark. The children were screaming -” Thelma could barely complete her sentence without choking on her words

"how many are still up?" I ask, breaking free from Thelma’s grip

"I ... I don't know, everyone was running" I have never seen Thelma so panicky

“We need to go in” I demanded and they all glare at me

“Bella… are you –”

"let’s wait here till morning, the moonlight is bright enough. They wont reach us" Rose interrupts Olivia, her voice shaky and clogged with tears

“Someone might be inside" I persisted, but no one moves so I nod my head and looks at the dark hotel building, darkness oozed like a cloud of smoke from the windows and the whispers tingled in my ears so distant.

This is definitely not how I imagine this game vacation will go but I am already in the middle of this and I have to make sure I figure this out to the very last. Call me stupid but I don’t sit around asking questions, I find answers. unfortunately, my curiosity chose this very moment to play a wild goose game in my head, and from the way I walked slowly toward the hotel, it was winning.

"Anyone that didn’t leave is probably taken" Thelma was right but apart from saving a life, I need to understand how they pull off this wind gust of a thing. she holds me firmly on my arm and doesn’t let go when I try to shake her off.

“Have you ever wondered why the oozy darkness hasn’t left? It is looking for something. We need to find out what” I suggest

she nods negatively “No, we don’t. this is no longer the joke we signed up for” Thelma persists but I finally succeed in losing myself from her grip and steadies back to them grabbing the coal from Tony and heading first towards the building. Tony's huge hands wrapped in my elbow he pulls me back.

"You really think I would let you stroll in there alone?" he asks and I let out a dragged breath

"Bella, don't be stupid - that hotel is as good as haunted right now" Olivia still had Rose in her hands

“I will go in with her, you all stay here and wait” Tony says and that puts an end to the resistance – thank goodness