“Are you coming?!” Roland’s voice arose from the landing below as he paused to look up at his newest friend.
“Yes!” Jake turned and ran down the stairs as his mind quietly wondered if he would ever see another sunrise.
Janette was on the third floor landing; pounding on the window to the bedroom it connected with. After a few tense moments, the befuddled face of a middle aged man appeared through the crack in the curtains. Squatting down to appear less threatening, Janette shouted through the glass.
“There is a psycho upstairs shooting up the place! You and anyone else in the room need to take this fire escape and get out now!”
The man looked horrified as he pulled the curtains part way open and ran to the bed where a sleepy looking woman was now sitting upright. Jake and Roland managed to get to the landing just in time for the man to open the window while holding his car keys and his wife’s hand.
“Shouldn’t you all be going down too?”
“We’re staying to get people out.” Janette stated hastily as she elbowed her way past the couple and into the room, “I need you and your wife to get away from the premises. You can come back for your things tomorrow but, right now, you need to go get in your car and get as far from this place as you can.”
“A-alright.” The man boosted his wife onto the landing, “Godspeed to you all.”
“Thanks, we’re gonna need it.” Roland said over his shoulder as he slid into the room, shortly followed by Jake.
“Do we even know how many people are in the building right now?” Janette inquired as she moved to undo the locks on the only other exit from the room.
“Usually there are between twenty and fifty residents, though it’s not really tourist season, so the numbers should be low.”
“Not low enough.” Janette muttered as she stepped out into the hallway, “Which way?”
“Go left.” Roland pointed as he started walking with a rapid gait.
“Is Devon still around?” Jake was genuinely concerned about the man who seemed to have vanished.
“I’m up here!” The now foggy silhouette of the maintenance man was standing by a large painting that hung in the dead center of the wall that stood between the group and their target, “The sacrifice room is straight through here.” He pointed as he flickered in and out of sight.
“Thank you, Devon. Feel free to go incorporeal and just talk to me for awhile, okay? I don’t want you vanishing completely from overexertion.”
Jake watched the form vanish from his sight as Janette ripped the painting from the wall, “Focus guys!” She started throwing intense blows from her hammer into the wall.
“Alright, Devon, can you step through to the other side and let me know if anyone is in the room?” Roland picked up his hammer and thrust the largest one into Jake’s hands, “We’ll get to work out here.” He took a swing at the wall as he finished speaking.
Jake was slightly disheartened as only small chunks of drywall were crumbling away, leaving little more than dents in the wall. Heaving with all the strength he could muster, Jake swung his sledgehammer into the dead center of the wall. A satisfyingly resounding crack echoed as the head of the hammer met the wall. Smiling to himself as he pulled the hammer back, Jake took another three whacks at the wall before his heart dropped.
“Oh no…”
“What?!” Roland and Janette stopped their pounding immediately and followed Jake’s gaze to his torso-sized hole in the dry wall.
“There is a brick wall behind this one.”
“New plan.” Janette flipped her hammer around so that the end with teeth was facing forward, “Roland, trade hammers with Jake. He and I will use the claws on the backs of these two to tear away the drywall. Once we get enough space open, I want you to go at the bricks with the big hammer as you are clearly the strongest person here.”
“Alright. You get started. I’m going to speak with Devon for a moment.” Roland looked over his shoulder to where the man was once again standing.
“What’s up?”
“There isn’t anyone in there just now, but the candles are lit. They’ve never been lit before.”
“And you still can’t find the entrance?!”
“No, I swear it’s just four solid walls with a wooden floor and a normal ceiling.”
“That’s alright.” Roland patted the spirit’s shoulder comfortingly, “You’ve already been incredibly helpful and I am indebted to you.”
“Devon smiled, “Alright, I’m going to go for a little while. I kind of have a back-up plan that I’m trying to get going so just keep working and I should be back soon, okay?”
“Okay. Be careful!”
“What do you think is going to happen?” Devon had a teasing smirk plastered across his face, “I can’t die twice, you know.”
Waving him off, Roland turned back to the wall where he noticed his comrades had managed to tear out a vaguely human sized hole in the drywall.
“Alright, back up and take a breather.” Roland lifted the sledgehammer and took a deep breath, “I don’t want you two getting shards in your eyes.”
As Roland started swinging, Jake noticed that their ruckus had cued in a small audience. Cursing under his breath, he gesture his realization to Janette.
“Damn.” The demonologist turned around and spoke to the people who were cautiously peeking into the hallway from their rooms.
“Alright guys, there may or may not be a gas line busted behind this wall. It would be in your best interests to evacuate the property to ensure your safety. We have a fire crew on the way, but we don’t know how volatile the leak is, though there has been an explosion on the staircase that has caused many of the steps to crumble.” Gasps and muttering arose from the crowd, “Please take the stairs and not the elevator. Please be careful of the fallen concrete on the stairs. If you see anyone on your way out, please take them with you. We will be out to let you know what is happening just as soon as we can.”
Jake spoke up as well, “Six blocks away, there is a public library that is open twenty-four-seven. If you would please be so kind as to congregate there, we will send someone to speak with you shortly.”
The crowd dispersed in a manner that felt to Jake to be lacking in speed, “These people really don’t seem that concerned.” He muttered to Janette.
“In their defense, it’s one in the morning and they have no idea we’re actually dealing with a psychotic serial killer and a demon.”
“Touché.”
Jake looked back to Roland who had unfortunately only managed to slightly shift a few bricks as they appeared to be cemented together unbelievably well. Trails of sweat were running down his temples and neck as his face had turned an alarming shade of red. Turning back to the hallway, Jake was slightly relieved to see that the residents of the third floor were finally making their way into the stairwell as a group. Janette, who had remained calm through the entire ordeal, was now holding a rosary and walking to the door.
“You keep an eye on Roland. I’m going to pray for the safety of the innocents in this building. Shout if anything even slightly off happens.”
As Janette dropped to kneel in the center of the hallway, Jake moved to press his aching back and shoulders against the nearest wall. Reaching under his shirt, he pulled out the cross that Roland had given him and held it tightly in his fist. Glancing over to ensure that Roland was still hard at work, Jake allowed himself a moment to think.
The first thought that went through the blonde’s mind was one of his worries. Every possible ‘what if’ scenario spun through his mind like a raging tornado; cropping up half-formed images of everyone he cared about dying horribly and falling into the fiery pits of Hell. Trying to shake the awful images out of his head, Jake tried to think of anything else. Looking to his left, he saw Janette still kneeling in the center of the hallway, deep in prayer. To his right, he saw that Roland was starting to get noticeably hysterical as his blows failed to move even a single brick from its plac
e in the wall.
Feeling his heart cramp up, Jake couldn’t imagine anyone who cared more about spirits than the medium did. He was literally sprinting head first toward a demon in an attempt to help out a hotel crammed full of trapped souls; most of which he hadn’t even met and none of which he had even heard of in their lifetime. The level of dedication was something that Jake had never seen before and, he was certain, he never would again even if he did somehow manage to survive this.
Looking back down to his hands as he started to feel utterly useless, Jake took a deep breath and sent up a silent prayer to any deities that may exist that somehow, Roland would be able to get through that wall and that, by sun-up, everyone would be alive, well, and out of harm’s way.
Unfortunately for Jake, the gods had never been particularly fond of him.
A shout arose from Janette that shook Jake out of his own mind and back into reality. Even after only knowing the demonologist for the past couple of hours, Jake knew that an elevated volume coming from her mouth meant nothing good was happening. Pushing away from the wall, Jake was running to Janette before he had even registered what had caused the woman to raise her voice.
“Jake, stop!” Roland’s voice rose even louder than his boss’s had.
Skidding to a halt, Jake was horror-stricken as he watched the stocky form of Janette levitate slightly before sailing sideways and slamming into a wall in the same manner Jake had in the stairwell. Almost instantaneously, the strong smell of sulfur filled the hallway, leaving Jake no choice but to take a few steps back in an attempt to hold down the rapidly rising bile in his throat.
“What do we do?!” Jake was looking to Roland who had pulled his small bible out again.
“Stay behind me!” He took a bold step forward and started speaking the same Latin chant that Janette had been using on the stairs.
The doors up and down the hallway were now slamming open and shut with a force similar to that of a hurricane as the lights overhead began to blink on and off in a dizzying pattern that looked more like a strobe light than a natural electrical disturbance.
Across the hall, Jake watched as the elevator doors started to open and close wildly, revealing only the pitch black shaft and cables behind the flimsy grate as the elevator car was clearly stopped on another level.
The volume of Roland’s voice rose as Janette’s body was slowly pushed up the wall by the sill invisible force that was wreaking havoc throughout the hotel.
Panic rose in Jake’s chest, causing him to act without thinking, as Roland’s chanting was clearly having no effect. Running forward, he grabbed onto Janette’s ankle and started trying to pull her back to the floor.
“You let go of her, you absolute abomination! Get the fuck out of this building, you son of a bitch, and let. Janette, GO!”
“Jake, no!”
Roland’s shout was nearly drown out by the sound of Janette’s body falling from the ceiling and knocking Jake to the ground.
Untangling herself from the pile of limbs, Janette looked to Jake, “You shouldn’t have done that!”
“I couldn’t let that asshole hurt you!” Jake was shouting now as the blinking lights and slamming doors started to really grate on his nerves, “None of this fucking praying or chanting your magic Latin seems to be working! If you haven’t noticed, the demon is still RIGHT THERE, completely undeterred from kicking our asses!” Jake pointedly gestured down the hall where a low growl had started up.
“Jake, you have to have faith and patience!” Roland was now leaning over the other two as he tried to see if they were okay without fully losing sight of the demon.
“We don’t exactly have time to spare here!” Jake stood up as a rage like he had never felt bubbled up in his chest.
“Jake, listen to Roland!” Janette was pulling herself to her feet, “Together, he and I have got this but, if you don’t calm down right now, you are opening yourself up to possession!”
Jake’s blood ran cold. He hadn’t even considered that, instead of dying, he could simply become the human suit for the formless abomination to parade around in.
“Oh gods…” Jake’s hands were shaking as he started walking backward, “I’m sorry… please just… fix it or something!” Fear was rendering his mind nearly useless.
“We will!” Roland turned back to the demon that was now starting to form a solid black mist similar to the form it had taken in the dining room, “Come on, Jan!”
Janette bent double to pick her bible up off the floor; the object held words she had long since memorized, but grasping the physical object always made her feel more anchored to the world. Just as her fingers grazed the leather binding on the spine, a brutal force slammed into her chest and sent her flying backward.
The wind left Janette’s lungs as her back connected with the metal grate that stood between her body and the elevator shaft. Gasping for air, Janette was scrambling to grab onto anything at all that would stop her from the fate the demon had chosen for her. Unable to get a hold on anything except the collapsing wall behind her, Janette looked up to Roland for help.
A scream was rising in Roland’s throat as he watched the demon slam his best friend into the weak excuse for a door that blocked off the elevator shaft. His heart was pounding so hard that he was certain it would explode at any moment and deliver him into the arms of the devil who was about to receive his last non-ceremonial spirit.
Before he could even exhale the gasp he had sucked in, Janette’s form slammed back again; finally knocking the faux-door into the abyss below. The woman’s body flew back with enough force to hit the wall at the back of the shaft, forcing a sharp grunt out of the demonologist before her body gave in to gravity and slid down the shaft.
Screaming outright, Roland ran forward and looked down into the darkness where he could see nothing at all, “JANETTE?!” He started to pray that she had somehow survived the fall.
Jake’s hand moved up to cover his mouth as the lights stopped blinking. Everything seemed to freeze for what could have been seconds or minutes before the most horrific sound met his ears. Slowly, and in a normal fashion, the elevator cart slid down from the floors above and headed straight to the bottom of the shaft that now appeared to be the grave of the demonologist known as Janette Schneider.
“Roland…”
The man in question took a step toward Jake, pausing as a gust of wind blew through the hallway. Head snapping to the side, Roland watched as the dark form of the demon came charging forward and wrapped tendrils of black mist around Jake’s ankles.
As the demon pulled forward, Jake’s body was yanked to the ground before being pulled along the carpet toward the elevator shaft.
Roland found that he couldn’t even breathe as he desperately grabbed for Jake’s hand in an attempt to pull him back. The entity, however, was faster than Roland could ever dream to be.
Jake’s fingers slipped right through Roland’s hands as his body was pulled up the shaft and out of sight into the darkness above.
Dropping to his knees, Roland released an animalistic cry of desperation, “GOD DAMN IT!” He threw his fists into the carpet, “GOD, HELP ME! DAMN IT!
8
Tears of fear, frustration, and hopelessness were streaming down Roland’s face as he realized that he had just lost everything that mattered to him. With Janette gone, he was certain that he could not stop the demonic plot that was about to reach its fruition. With Jake gone, he wasn’t sure if he cared to try.
Pushing himself farther away from the elevator shaft, Roland didn’t know what he was going to do. Sliding his back against the wall, he let out a pathetic sound as his cell phone stabbed him in the thigh. Yanking it out of his pocket, Roland’s grief-stricken brain was determined to make him throw it down the elevator shaft, but paused as he saw that his leg had somehow opened the GPS app.
Roland gasped as his eyes landed on a tiny, purple blinking dot that had an even tinier capital J in it.
Releasing a jovial shout, Rol
and jumped to his feet and spent a moment trying to figure out where in the hotel his friend was. The dot was clearly blinking on the level above Roland’s head and farther down to the left. Without hesitation, Roland ran to the stairwell and threw the door open, only to feel his heart nearly stop as he remembered that the vast majority of the concrete steps that led up to the next floor were now lying in a pile of rubble at the bottom of the space.
Cursing under his breath as he started to panic, Roland turned back to the hallway he had just evacuated. His new plan was to get back to the fire escape and go up a floor but, as he stepped into the hallway, an even quicker method met his eyes.
Without hesitation, Roland took a running leap into the elevator shaft that had essentially taken his only friends away from him. Grabbing onto the cables that pulled the cart up and down, Roland started to climb hand over fist. Suddenly glad that his ingrained paranoia had given him the sheer physical strength to manage this insane maneuver, Roland was soon met with the light of the half-opened elevator doors on the fourth floor.
Thanking God that the demon had been in too big a hurry to shut the metal doors behind it fully, Roland started working up his every nerve to jump. Climbing slightly higher than the doors, Roland took a long look at the unfortunately shut metal grate as his mind briefly reminded him to urge Vanhousen to remove them from the building once this case was resolved. Using every fiber of his nerves, Roland inhaled and kicked off the taught cable and threw his body toward the light shining through the cracked elevator doors.
Desperately grasping for anything solid, Roland’s fingers and the tips of his shoes managed to wedge themselves into the tiny metal diamonds that made up the grate.
Exhaling a sharp sigh of relief that he wasn’t falling down into the seemingly bottomless abyss below, Roland took only a second longer to adjust his grip before slowly wiggling the metal frame away from the wall. The instant it was open enough for him to slide through, Roland forced his body through the cracked doors and onto the crimson carpet beyond.
The Moorsfield Hotel Page 11