by Josh Olsen
Before Eli could respond, Ashley sat up on the couch, she gripped her head, she clutched at the bandage that held the ice to her head. The pain was blinding, she held her eyes shut tightly, trying not to pass out. “What, What happened to my room?”
It all came flooding back into her mind almost all at once. The creature, its hideous face, those teeth. Her mind raced, she clutched at her temples with both hands, bracing her mind as the night came back to her consciousness.
“Ma’am please, try to remain calm.” Sheila’s voice echoed softly outside Ashley’s mind, her mind soaring to intensely to respond.
She snapped.
“Oh my god!” Ashley grasped Sheila’s uniform tightly, the polyester jacket held tightly in her balled fists. Curling into her hands, she could just make out the word “Paradise” embroidered into the fabric.
“The, the thing!” she stammered out, her panicked voice echoing throughout the lobby. Guests peered into the lobby from the bar, confused at the commotion.
“Wait!, R-, Roy!” “Where is Roy?!” She frantically asked.
“Sheriff!” she heard someone call out, interrupting her, she looked up to the sliding doors of the lobby. From the snow that now fell softly outside, rushed a man, a policeman. Cutting through the other policemen that surrounded the door, he jogged towards her. Following close behind him was…Nate?
“Oh my god” she muttered to herself. “Nathan.”
“Ashley!” he heard his familiar voice call out.
“That’s her sheriff,” Nate said, he pointed to Ashley, sitting on the couch, her wet hair and panicked expression she wore on her face were all that showed through the thick quilt that wrapped tightly around her. She shivered profusely. Her frightened demeanor and soft shaking evoked a slight pity from within Nate. He sighed, gesturing to her. “That’s my wife.”
“Excuse me,” Jason said, pushing through Sheila and Eli.
“Mrs. Clawson, My name is Sheriff Arndt,” Extending his hand to Ashley, Jason continued. “Could you answer some questions for me? We can speak privately if you would like.”
Jason yelled back to the officers in the lobby without turning around, “Is she in the condition to be moved?”
Cal Macklin, a young, stocky man, Jason’s newest deputy, strolled toward Jason, his hands on his belt. “Yeah, we had a medic check her out, nothings broken, no signs of internal bleeding or concussion. She’s got all that snow we got today to thank for that, damn lucky I’d say.”
“Thank you Cal,” Jason said.
He turned back to Ashley, “Please come with me.” he helped her up, the quilt fell to her sides, a torn up nightgown hung around her.
Taking Jason’s hand, Ashley followed, limping slightly.
Jason led them into a nearby conference room and pulled up a chair. “Macklin!” he called out, “I want you in here, Dane’s still in the hospital,” letting Nate in as Cal approached.
Jason turned to Ashley who now sat sprawled out at the long wooden conference table, her hands held the arm rests of the old chair tightly. Her nails, painted with faded and chipped polish dug deeply into the chair as she sat. She shook, her eyes red with frightened tears.
The heavy oak door swung shut behind them, leaving them in silence.
“Mrs. Clawson.” Jason started,
Nate grimaced at the very thought of this wench sharing his name, “One more thing she can take from me.” he thought.
Jason continued. “Can you tell me what happened?” “I only got a few things from my officers, all we have to go on is a possible break in.” Jason sat down at a chair adjacent to Ashley, “How did you fall from your window?, Were you attacked?”
Ashley stared into the distance, the warmth of this room shielded her from the constant chill of the lobby, she absorbed the warmth, her body occasionally shaking from the infrequent shivers that pulsed through her. She drifted in a foggy haze of cautious security.
Jason, as even tempered as he was, was beginning to lose his patience.
“Mrs. Clawson. I need you to tell me what happened. I need to know if the other guests at this hotel are safe, now, were you attacked by someone?”
Finally, she spoke, “Not someone, some…..thing.” her tepid voice squeaked, almost in a monotone. her eyes staring blankly off in the distance. “An animal, some creature, it smashed through the window and it attacked me and Ro-“ She stopped dead in her tracks, her eyes shot up to Nate, his eyes already filling with rage.
“Roy?!” Nate yelled, “Fucking Roy?!”
Jason turned, shocked by the sudden uproar. “Nate!, Get yourself under control!”
Nate continued screaming, his fists clenched tightly, his finger pointing towards Ashley in a stiff utterance of condemnation, “Here’s the end of your fucking “case” Ash!, I’ve got two witnesses right here! The hotel registry too no doubt! Maids! The staff! You’re fucked!”
Jason stood up, staring menacingly at Nate, “Macklin! Get him out of here!”
Nate fought forward, screaming at Ashley, he clawed at the air as Cal pulled him out of the room. “I beat you, you bitch!” “I finally beat you!” his voice soaked in a raw anger.
The door swung shut once again, leaving Jason and Ashley alone. He sat down once again and turned to her, “Now, who the hell is Roy? What was that about?”
Ashley looked at Jason, defeated. “My attorney,” she said looking away, ashamed. “He was, staying in my room.”
Jason, sat back, he understood. Nate’s outburst wasn’t as unwarranted as he had thought.
“Well,” Jason continued, “That is irrelevant to my investigation here.” he tried to change the subject. “Now you said an animal attacked you? What do you think it was?”
“Not an animal. Or maybe it was.” her weak voice quivered, “God, I..I don’t know,” “Something I have never seen before, it wasn’t like anything I have ever seen.”
The door swung open once again, stealing their attention, Jason looked up, his face stretched back with aggression.
Deputy Macklin had entered once again, locking the door behind him.
Jason sighed to himself, turning his attention back to Ashley.
“Alright Ma’am, er..Ashley was it?” Jason asked, pulling a notebook from his pocket. He hastily jotted down a few notes and looked back up.
Ashley gave a faint nod of recognition, her stare once again on the floor.
Jason’s tone changed, growing annoyed, “Ashley, No animal in these woods can break through 2 inch insulated glass. Each of the windows on this place is acrylic coated to keep out the cold,” “Hell my sidearm probably couldn’t break it at first go. Your husband isn’t here now. So, I need you to stop lying to me, and tell me what you know about happened here tonight.”
“I’m not lying! Alright asshole?!” Ashley shot back, she had reached her breaking point, she sobbed loudly into her hands, her voice whimpering she continued, “Something broke into my room and attacked me and Roy, it smashed straight through the walls and tore up the room!” “Are you happy now?!” her voice shrieked into hysterics.
“Where is Roy!? Let me see him! I’ve told you everything that happened!” She continued screaming.
Jason, scribbled down his notes hastily through the chaos, his face bored, annoyed almost.
Ashley continued, “It chased me, I tried to climb out the window and my le-“ she stopped, she had forgotten about her leg.
She pulled her torn up nightgown above her knee scanning her leg where she had felt the creature’s monstrous claw dig into her.
“It, It scratched me, but there’s no mark, I felt it!” her voice cracked, panic and confusion engulfed her. “I felt it! It was right here!” It still stings, I can feel it! She ran her hands through her thick knotted hair, trying to make sense of it all. Her voice cracked, weakening to a quiet whimper.
Jason set his notes down on the scratched polish of the old oak table, he slowly outstretched his arms to calm this woman that now sat in front of him, whe
n he felt a tap on his shoulder. He turned to see Cal stooping to whisper into his ear.
“Sheriff, this is going to sound crazy, but I’ve seen that room, this woman is hysterical no doubt, but, I have no fucking idea what in all of creation could have done that to that room, she may be telling some truth. As for the attorney, we found him in the room all sorts of banged up, he’s already being driven to the hospital in one of the ski patrol’s vans. I’ll let you know when he’s ready for questioning, but Sheriff,” his voice slowed, thinking to himself, “I think you’ll need to see the room for yourself.”
Jason sat back a moment, pondering this new information. His mind worked quietly. Something was wrong. There was something else to this and his mind itched at him for more.
Macklin, though new and young, was not one for nonsense. He was always composed and had a serious, by the book demeanor about him and it was for this reason that Jason had promoted him over Dane. Cal was wise beyond his years, and Jason needed someone like that in this town on his side.
He leaned forward, gently holding Ashley’s shoulders, soothing her, she violently shook, her panicked breaths sucking in air anxiously.
“Listen, Ashley, I’m done with my questions, alright?” his voice calmed, his words slowly left his mouth, almost whispering.
“This is Deputy Macklin, he’s just informed me that this Roy man you were staying with has been taken down the hospital. He’s going to be just fine alright? He’s going to drive you down there right now and they’re going to take care of you ok? I’ll talk to you in the morning when you’ve had a chance to calm down.”
Jason stood from his chair to help Ashley up, Cal covered her shaking shoulders in his confident hands guiding her outside through the door.
Jason sighed and swept his notes from the table, folding them up, he stood in silence, his eyes examining the cracked finish of the table, his fingers tracing it as he thought, taking a moment to determine his next move. Dirt stuck underneath his fingernails as he scratched at the fine polish of the table.
Normally, with Sanders Corp, he had no reason to pursue a case, to persist and want more. He’d just wait for them to take over, wait for them to tell him what to do, and to sign his check. Allow he and his family to get by for a few more weeks. But something was amiss here, something that couldn’t be covered up, something he needed to know.
He heard a commotion outside as he walked towards the door. Confused, he reached for the handle. He jumped as the door burst open just as he reached it. Two Sanders Corp agents entered, he could see out in the lobby as the door swung shut, that Sanders Agents now swarmed the lobby, interrogating his officers. Some carried cones and tape, sectioning off the halls and bar.
Quickly he tried to stuff his notebook into his coat, he jumped back as one of the agents snatched it from his hand and stuffed it into an evidence bag that one of them held tightly in their hand.
“You are Sheriff Jason Arndt of Whiteridge correct?” one of them asked, a tall intimidating man he didn’t recognize. His beady eyes stared at him with an overpowering attitude of superiority, his thinning black hair gelled over into a greasy combover.
Jason stared up at him, one of the few men that he ever had to look up at. “I am.” Jason said coldly, his voice firm.
“We are affiliates of The Al Sanders Corporation, we understand that there was a break in on company property today, we are immediately taking over the investigation and seizing all evidence from local law enforcement as we head up this case, Please turn over any and all police documents or evidence pertaining to this matter.” His voice arrogant and condescending, almost as if he read his words from an unseen script. As if he possessed no means of original thought on his own. His hand outstretched, he looked into Jason’s eyes arrogantly, a narcissistic grin born on his face.
Jason looked back, his tone unbroken, “Fuck. You.”
The man stooped lower to Jason’s level looking right in his eyes, “Winter is tough here Arndt, can your little family really go without a paycheck?”
Jason backed off, his pride wasn’t worth more than his family, he couldn’t do that to Sandy.
“You already took my notebook, that’s all I had, I just arrived on the scene.” Jason said back, his voice noticeably cracking.
The greasy haired man smirked and stood back up. He turned to the other agent who stood silently, “Pat him down.”
The man threw Jason against the wall, spreading his arms and legs as he searched, “He’s clean,” the stockier man said to grease hair.
“Alright, Arndt” said Grease hair, producing a stained handkerchief from his jacket he wiped his hands. “You are to vacate the premises immediately, your other officers will follow shortly, on the conclusion of our questioning.”
Jason walked silently out of the room, he walked up to Macklin, who now stood in the lobby, an annoyed look worn on his face.
“Macklin, listen closely,” Jason whispered between his teeth, “Do we have photos of the crime scene?”
Cal whispered back, his eyes darting around the room, “We had Ray go up their to take some but I don’t know his status, your not thinking about-“ Asked Cal.
“Don’t fucking start with me Macklin, something doesn’t add up here. They’ve never been this aggressive, something serious is up.” Jason’s voice hissed through his clenched teeth.
Jason gestured to Cal’s chest, “Give me your radio, Now!” he said quietly, eyeing the Sanders Agents carefully.
Chapter 21
Ray Alberts stood hunched over the shattered glass of room 304, he shivered as he brushed the snow from his lens. Focusing the shattered window into frame, snow swirled into the room piling up on the now ruined carpet, freezing to it. The heat radiating from his eyes fogged his thick lenses.
Annoyed, he hurriedly photographed the rest of the room, or what was left of it, the window, the torn up bed, the bathroom, the marks on the walls. He didn’t know what had done this, nor did he want to know, just more questions for him to have to answer.
He wanted to get out of this room as soon as he could and quit freezing his ass off.
“What was the point of him working if Sanders Corp was going to take it all anyway?” he thought to himself as he snapped another photo, the flash illuminating the decimated room.
His radio buzzed with the sheriff’s voice, “Ray, listen to me, do not respond. If you are still in that room, get out of there with what you can. I want those photos on my desk, I do not want them in the hands of Sanders Corp, get the hell out of there, they’re on their way up, this is an order!” Jason’s voice hissed through the radio.
Ray stopped, nearly dropping his camera, he stared off into this distance, confused. Jason had always been the one to shut down any gripes from anyone about Sanders Corp, the first to remind everyone that they were the ones who signed the checks.
Something was wrong. Ray stood up, hastily, he gathered his gear, he could already hear voices faintly down the hallway.
He stopped at the door, clutching his gear, tightly, his chest pounding, “I can’t do this,” He dropped to one knee, starting to put the gear down, the footsteps were growing louder, Ray looked back at his radio, he didn’t know what would be worse, pissing off the Sanders people or getting chewed out by Jason and probably losing his job with the station.”
The footsteps were close now.
“Sanders, definitely Sanders.” Ray said to himself. Panic washing over him, he stood turning around waiting for the door to open, but the footsteps simply passed by. Ray looked back at his gear and the room, thinking to himself.
“Dammit.”