Authors: Holly Copella
W
ell-dressed men and women danced to the pulsating club music in
the dim lighting within the lounge. It was a little after one o’clock in the
morning and the dance floor was again crowded to maximum capacity. Mel and
Desi danced with several young men, although it seemed as if Vance was
mysteriously absent. Judging by the way both women scanned the crowded dance
floor, each was secretly hoping he’d show up. Penny was sitting at the bar and
appeared disinterested in the fun time being had by others. Tam refilled her
drink and studied her mood.
“Don’t you know you’re supposed to be having fun,”
Tam informed her.
“How can I?” Penny asked while returning the look.
“No one’s seen Amy since she left with that guy last night.”
Tam easily shrugged it off. “It wouldn’t be the
first time a girl ran off with some stud for a weekend in the sack,” she
announced. “Another girl took off just a few days ago. I’d heard she’d called
her friends from some rich guy’s yacht.” Tam groaned lustfully while sinking
into her own fantasies. “Lucky girl. Why is it I never meet the rich studs?”
“I’m sure that sort of thing happens a lot around
here, but it’s not like Amy,” Penny insisted. “She wouldn’t even have gone
back to his room with him let alone run away with some guy she barely knows.
She doesn’t do that sort of thing, and she certainly wouldn’t run off without
telling us where she was going.”
“They always turn up,” Tam announced while
attempting to remain cheerful.
Penny sharply eyed the bartender. “I’d heard rumor
someone found a body in the woods,” she remarked. “Did you hear anything about
that?”
Tam gave a disinterested wave. “That was just a
cry for attention from a desperate guy with too much time on his hands,” she
remarked. “It wouldn’t be the first time we’d heard wild rantings from that
one.”
“That’s a relief,” Penny said with a sigh.
Penny looked into the mirror behind Tam and saw
Daniel making his way through the crowd. She turned on her stool and saw the
familiar man leaving the lounge. Penny’s expression dropped as she sprang to
her feet.
“My God, that’s him. I have to go,” Penny cried
out and weaved through the crowd after the man.
Penny hurried from the lounge and into the main
hallway. Daniel walked along the nearly empty corridor toward the lobby and
paused before the elevators. Oddly enough, he pressed the down button. Penny
maintained her distance and watched him enter the elevator. Once the doors
closed, she hurried to the elevators, noted it went down, and pressed the down
button as well. It seemed odd that he’d be going down, since it only went to
the basement. When the doors opened, Penny stepped inside and pressed the down
button. She looked around the elevator and seemed to consider her actions with
insecurity. She rubbed her arms and waited for the doors to open.
The basement corridor was well-lit with a massive
laundry room just ahead and the maintenance department off to the right. The
basement was nearly as large as the hotel itself. Daniel walked along the
basement corridor with purpose. It seemed unusual that one of the guests would
be familiar with the hotel’s basement. Penny followed from a safe distance and
appeared curious to his actions. She turned a corner, and he was gone. The
door to the laundry room was locked. Not far from the laundry room was an old
freight elevator. She paused before the old elevator and studied it while
considering her next move. It was possible he entered the elevator, since it
seemed improbable that he had a key to the laundry room door. There was a down
button, indicating there was a floor beneath the basement. She hesitated only
a moment before pressing the down button.
The elevator arrived and the old, creaking doors
slid open. Penny nervously stepped into the elevator, stared at the button
labeled ‘one’ below the basement button, and anxiously pressed it. The old
elevator jolted with a strange grinding sound and headed down to the floor
below. Penny clung to the side of the elevator with concern to her ride. If
the elevator would become stuck, it would be hours or longer before anyone ever
found her trapped inside the dank dirty monstrosity. The elevator finally
jolted to a stop. Nothing happened. For a moment, she appeared to panic. The
door finally opened with a hideous grinding sound. As the door slid open,
Penny stared at the dingy and dimly lit sub-basement corridor. She slowly stepped
out of the old elevator and looked both directions. Both were equally creepy
and lined with cobwebs. She walked several feet along the dingy hallway.
There were odd archways leading into dark rooms
scattered randomly along the corridor. At the far end of the main corridor,
the hallway continued both right and left with even less light. It was a
chilling, dismal area that left a lot to be desired. Penny stared down the
corridor a moment, conveyed her fright, and shook her head.
“I don’t think so.”
She quickly turned and hurried back toward the
elevator. She was nearly to the open elevator when she heard a low snarl
behind her. Penny abruptly stopped, looked behind her, and saw glowing eyes in
one of the rooms off to the side. She now hurried for the open elevator and
looked back while passing another darkened archway. Penny was suddenly knocked
off her feet. She barely had time to scream as she was dragged into the dark
room. Her startled scream trailed off into the darkness.
†
H
ailey slept restlessly in her short, satin nightgown beneath
the sheets on her massive, king-sized bed. The little black cat remained
curled at her feet despite her random thrashing. In her dreams, she ran
through a dimly lit tunnel in a tattered nightgown. She could feel the cold,
damp stone floor beneath her bare feet. Old lights exploded as she ran past
them, leaving complete darkness behind her. She heard a strange sound and
immediately stopped. She listened to the sound then felt something brushing
along her feet. She looked down and saw hundreds of snakes surrounding her.
They slithered across her feet and wrapped around her ankles. Hailey thrashed
in her sleep, screamed aloud, and shot up in bed. One of the glass balcony
doors shattered, terrifying both her and the cat. The cat jumped straight up
from a dead sleep, puffed twice its size, hissed, and leaped from the bed.
“Skyler!”
After her panic-filled scream, the room was
completely silent. Hailey’s heart pounded so hard, she had a difficult time catching
her breath. She placed a trembling hand to her head then looked at the broken
glass door. There was an urgent pounding from the main suite door, startling
her. Hailey leaped from her bed, hurried across the suite, and approached the
living room door. She opened the door without even looking through the peek
hole. Rafe stood before the door wearing only a pair of shorts and clutched a
26” rattan escrima stick used for self-defense in martial arts. He quickly
scanned the room.
“I heard a scream.”
As she stared at Rafe in her doorway, she couldn’t
believe her nightmare was still continuing. She fumbled for something to say
and conceal her body beneath her thin nightgown.
“It’s nothing,” she announced, finally catching her
breath from the shock of her nightmare. “I just had a bad dream.”
Rafe bolted past her, apparently not caring what
she said, and stormed across the room. He entered the darkened bedroom with a
mission. She placed her hand to her head and groaned softly, wanting to crawl
into a hole right about then. Rafe was obviously itching to kill something and
was hoping he’d find it in her bedroom. Hailey often wondered what it was
about testosterone that possessed men to run blindly into darkened rooms.
“It was just a nightmare, Rafe,” she called after
him while looking for something with which to cover herself. Before she could
reach the nearby throw blanket, he was already returning from the bedroom.
Rafe stood in the bedroom doorway with an odd look
on his face while indicating her room. “The glass on the balcony door is
broken.”
He wasn’t telling her anything she didn’t already
know, and she was quickly losing patience.
“Yeah, I guess a bird must have hit it.” At least
she hoped that was all it was.
“It’s broken from the inside,” he remarked firmly.
She stared at him with a strange look and squinted
to the comment. “What?”
That didn’t make any sense. How could the glass be
broken leading outside to the balcony? Had someone been in her room and broke
the door while attempting to flee? She couldn’t help think about the man who
broke into Lucinda’s suite. Thundering footfalls were heard in the hallway,
interrupting her thoughts and startling her. Hailey turned as Skyler appeared
in the doorway in a pair of satin pajamas and clearly out of breath.
“Are you okay?” Skyler gasped. He then saw Rafe
with his rattan stick and jumped in front of Hailey with his arms stretched
out. “Run, Hailey!”
Rafe rolled his eyes then groaned and muttered,
“Give me a break.”
Hailey turned Skyler around to face her and
attempted to keep him calm. “I appreciate you becoming a human shield to
protect me, but Rafe just got here.”
“What are you doing here?” Rafe demanded while
scanning the satin pajamas he wore.
“Hailey called for me,” he replied while panting
heavily.
Hailey cast a strange look at Skyler. She knew she
didn’t call him. She would have remembered that. Was he hanging outside her
room in his pajamas? If that were the case, it would be taking stalking to a
new level. Rafe groaned with annoyance, walked past them, and headed from the
room.
“Why am I always next to the crazies?” he muttered
as he entered the hall and disappeared.
Hailey looked back at Skyler and slowly shook her
head while folding her arms across her chest. “I never called you, Skyler.”
“You did. I was in my room reading Logan’s
manuscript when I heard you call me,” he insisted. “I thought you were in
trouble, so I ran up here as fast as I could.”
His words almost made no sense to her.
“As in telepathy?” she suddenly asked with surprise
then another more concerning thought occurred to her. “Did you say you were in
your room?” Her arms fell to her sides. “Are you telling me you actually ran from
the employee’s wing to the nineteenth floor in less than a minute?”
Skyler casually shrugged with little forethought.
“I got picked on a lot when I was a kid. I learned to run fast,” he replied.
“So what happened?”
Hailey inhaled deeply while running her fingers
through her hair then sighed.
“The usual--snakes and tidal waves.”
I
t was late the following morning and yet another sunny, warm
day in paradise. They were all pretty much the same, but that was what the
guests were hoping for on their expensive vacation. Rather than enjoying the
sun, surf, and beach like a normal guest, Hailey stood with Skyler on the path
just inside the woods by the clearing. Both watched as Logan wandered through
the tall grass where the beast and panther had gotten into their altercation
close to where she had seen the dead woman’s body. Hailey hated to admit that
she didn’t want to explore the clearing after what they’d witnessed yesterday,
but she was quite rattled just thinking about it. Thankfully, Skyler was less
inclined to hide his feelings about venturing into the clearing, giving her
just cause not to join Logan in his search. Logan finally straightened, looked
back at them, and shook his head.
“I don’t see any remains of the panther or your
beast,” Logan announced. “I’m seeing some blood, but not enough to indicate
anything was killed.”
“You believe us though, right?” she asked, feeling
almost defeated.
“Why would you lie?” Logan countered.
Hailey stared at the path not far from Logan and
indicated it with a general nod. She hated to ask, fearing the thought of
exploring deeper into the woods.
“Where does that path lead?” she reluctantly
questioned.
Logan looked behind him then met her gaze from
several feet away. “To the ravine,” he replied. “It has one of those
old-fashioned rope and board bridges, but it’s been out of operation for
years. If Amy attempted to cross that bridge, she’d certainly be on the
bottom.”
Hailey couldn’t believe the words coming from her
mouth, although it did take some courage to say them. “I think we should have
a look.”
Skyler’s body twitched in response. He was
apprehensive about their secretive journey and didn’t mind letting it be
known. Hailey reluctantly joined Logan, giving Skyler little choice but
obediently follow. They walked along a well-worn path in the woods for several
minutes, passing a less traveled trail leading downhill. They finally reached
another, larger clearing containing the ravine. The deep ravine had an old
rope and board style bridge crossing the fifty-yard opening. All three stood
near the edge and looked to the bottom of the one hundred yard drop. The
bottom was a bed of large and small boulders. Anyone falling from the bridge
would meet with a very painful death on the field of rocks below. If Amy had
fallen, her body would be clearly visible on the rocks. Skyler made a face and
took a step back from the edge.
“Man, I hate heights,” Skyler muttered.
Hailey stared into the ravine a moment longer. She
hated to admit that Marcus had been right. Neither Amy nor the dead woman were
at the bottom of the ravine, which was evident. Whether or not she had
actually seen Amy walking in the woods was one thing, but she had definitely
seen a half-eaten woman in the field. Something dragged her away, but to
where? She groaned softly with defeat then looked back at Logan, who continued
to stare into the deadly drop.
“Where did that other path lead?” Hailey asked
while pointing back the way they’d came.
“Downhill to the stream,” Logan replied. “It’s
rarely traveled. A real bitch to climb back up. An old mineshaft collapsed
beneath it years ago.”
Hailey and Skyler suddenly looked at Logan with
shared concerned.
“Mineshaft?” Hailey asked softly and felt something
inside her body twitch.
“Just like the cave in Hailey’s nightmares--”
Skyler gasped as his entire body appeared to tense.
“There are tunnels beneath this entire area,” Logan
casually informed them. “A catacomb of condominiums for the native island
bats.”
“Bats?” Skyler said faintly, his eyes wide with
alarm, unable to look away from the big man.
“Yeah,” Logan replied casually and made a gesture
of size with his hands. “Real huge mothers the size of cats.”
“I’ll pass.”
“Is there an entrance to the mine shaft around
here?” Hailey asked despite her apprehension.
“Yeah, part way down that steep path,” Logan
replied, “but I don’t think you want to go that way.”
“If something dragged that woman’s body away, that
mine would be the perfect place to stash it,” Hailey informed him as her
concerns increased. “And that still leaves Amy. I swear I saw her. What if
she’s injured somewhere around here? We need to look for her. She could be in
that mine.”
“If that beast dragged either of them into that
mine, it also means that thing lives in the mine,” Logan boldly announced.
“You don’t follow a wild creature into its home.”
“We need to make sure she’s not in there,” Hailey
replied and pleaded with their sensitive sides. “If Amy is still alive, we
can’t just leave her there.”
Skyler chewed on his finger while shifting glances
between the two but offered no comment. Logan groaned softly while throwing
his head back with defeat.
“I know I’m going to regret listening to you,”
Logan muttered under his breath.
†
M
el walked alongside Vance on the worn path in the woods. He
held her hand reassuringly while practically pulling her to keep up with him.
Mel had a look of apprehension on her face as she looked around the moderately
creepy, nearly silent woods. For late morning, it seemed odd that there was no
sounds in the wooded setting. If there were birds, they appeared unwilling to
sing. Even the usual small woodland creatures were absent. She resisted his
firm, guiding hand and attempted to slow her gait even more.
“I think we’ve gone far enough from the resort,
Vance,” Mel informed the handsome man, who continued to pull her along by her
hand.
Vance had a smile permanently chiseled on his face
while glancing back at her. “That’s sort of the idea,” he announced while
raising his brows suggestively.
Mel remained unconvinced and continued to look
around the secluded area while clinging to his hand. “Hailey said she saw a
dead woman in the woods yesterday. It may not be safe out here like this.”
“No offense to your friend,” Vance remarked, “but
she’s been spending a little too much time with that crazy guy from the front
desk.”
“What do you mean crazy?”
“I’ve heard things around the hotel,” he replied.
“Cass at the front desk said he claims to be psychic or some bullshit. She
thinks he’s batty. Tam, the bartender, says he’s insane. One of the maids
thinks he’s some sort of psychopath.”
“For a guy who’s only been here a couple of days,
you’ve certainly gotten your share of gossip,” Mel announced and appeared to
consider his remark. She then muttered under her breath, “Ironically, from a
lot of women.” She again looked around with apprehension. “So where is it
you’re taking me?”
“There’s a secluded, romantic spot not far from
here,” he announced. “You’re going to love it.”
“I thought we were coming out here for a scenic
romantic walk,” she announced. “I didn’t realize that meant sex in the woods.”
Vance suddenly stopped and looked at her. It was
hard to tell if he was more disappointed or offended by her comment. He
offered a gentle, reassuring smile.
“I’m more of a ‘spontaneous, let the chips fall as
they may’ sort of guy,” he announced. “When a man puts too much emphasis on
whether or not he’s getting laid, it just creates anxiety and disappointment.
When you let go of those thoughts, it’s easier to enjoy yourself. I’d much
rather enjoy the here and now, wouldn’t you? I expect nothing from life yet
anticipate everything.” He grinned proudly. “I didn’t bring you out here to
seduce you. I brought you out here to appreciate this wonderful life we’re
living. Life is good, Mel. You just need to relax and enjoy it.”
Mel stared at the boyish grin across his handsome
face. She seemed dumbfounded for a moment then threw her arms around his neck
and kissed him passionately. Vance eagerly returned the aggressive, passionate
kiss.