The Mountain Resort

by Bruce Allsman

  Her gaze shifted, opposite the bed, toward a wardrobe. Its door was wide open. She gasped when she saw them. Their bags were still in there. She stepped closer to look at them. All were still unpacked. This was insane. Then she went into the bathroom but found no clues there.

  They must have left in a hurry. That she couldn't understand. Glancing at her watch, she knew she couldn't spend too much time here. Even though she needed to find out more, there wasn't enough time. Hurrying back to the door, she opened it slowly, and peered out. The coast was clear, so she slipped out and closed the door behind her, leaving it unlocked.

  Hearing Henry's muffled voice several rooms away, she smiled and walked calmly back to the reception desk. Relieved that neither Wilma nor Daisy was there, she put the key back and went back to her seat in the lounge. Sitting down on the sofa, she was exhilarated although she was breathing hard, and her heart was still pounding.

  Soon she heard Henry's voice and the two men returned. Glad that it was over, she was satisfied that she had achieved her purpose, but now she was even more curious over the fate of the Davidsons.

  When Henry took a seat beside her, he smiled at her broadly and told her the room's TV had been fixed.

  "Let's go watch TV in our room," she said purposely, loud enough for Gregory to hear her.

  They went out of the lounge and said goodbye to Gregory.

  When they were out on the porch walking toward their room, Henry asked her, "How did it go?"

  "I got in, but what I found …," she said and shook her head. "It looks like the Davidsons had fled. Left behind everything."

  "Fled? What do you mean everything?" he asked. "Why?"

  "Something is wrong," she said. "I don't know what it is or why yet, but I intend to find out. We have to check the buildings here for any sign of them."

  "Whoa, we can't go poking around everywhere," he said.

  "Oh, yes we can," she said. "When everybody is asleep."

  ***

  After her puzzling discovery, she had suggested to Henry that they wait until dark before checking out the rest of the motel's compound. So they had rested the rest of the morning, giving her time to think of how to look for definite proof of where the Davidsons had gone. Their things were still in the room. That she couldn't understand.

  They had another bland lunch at the coffeehouse and afterward she had spent the whole afternoon in their room, sleeping and then meditating. Her meditation session was tense, causing her restlessness. Used to having a goal, she was a driven woman, her spirit guides had said to her. During her meditation, she had received from her spirit guides, intense feelings to go check out the motel grounds.

  Meanwhile Henry had gone to check on their RV. It wasn't repaired yet, he had told her when he returned to the room. Sean wasn't back yet, and Gregory had said it could be due to unforeseen matters. Gregory had also said Sean couldn't be contacted because he doesn't use a cell phone. He could be out on the road heading back, Gregory had explained.

  ***

  When the alarm on her wristwatch went off, Jasmine heard its high-pitched beeps but struggled in vain to open her heavy eyelids. Slowly, with eyes still closed, she pushed herself up from the bed; she felt heavy as if some invisible load was weighing her down. With great determination, she swung her legs off the bed and stood, holding onto the nightstand to keep steady. After awhile, feeling comfortable with her sense of balance, she forced her eyes open to look at the time. It was just past 3:00 A.M.

  Getting up this early was terribly hard. Henry was right. It was the best time to act, when your enemies were asleep, in deep sleep. Standing a few moments longer, feeling the blood circulating throughout her legs and entire body, she began to feel more alert. Henry hadn't stirred, so she tugged at his pajamas. He groaned and rolled over to face her.

  "It's time," she said. "Remember, don't turn on the lights."

  Henry sat up and nodded sleepily. She went to the bathroom and when she came back, he was good to go. From their bag, she pulled out a pair of black jeans and a dark gray sweater. After putting them on, she gestured Henry and they slipped out of their room onto the porch. Darkness enveloped them like a thick invisible cloak. The weak moonlight could only reveal vague unfamiliar surroundings.

  She led Henry alongside the wall, passing each room slowly, and when they reached the Davidson family's room, she stopped and turned toward him.

  "I want to show you something," she said, pushing down the door handle, but the door wouldn't budge. "Locked, that's strange. I'm sure I had left it unlocked."

  Obviously, someone had locked it. Does Gregory know what she had done, she thought nervously.

  "Let's move on," Henry said.

  Turning their attention away from the motel rooms, they continued along the porch, breathing in the cold air, feeling more aware of their surroundings. It was unusually quiet, as if there was nothing alive out there beyond the parking lot, in the grove around the motel grounds.

  "Let's check out the back," she told Henry. They went round to the back of the motel where alongside its back wall was a narrow footpath. Somewhere near the middle, it branched off and at its end, nearly a hundred yards away, was a low structure.

  "What's that?" she asked, pointing at it. "Some kind of animal enclosure?"

  "Looks like a barn," Henry answered.

  When they reached the barn-like structure, there were strange sounds coming from within and she gasped.

  "Something alive in there," she whispered to Henry.

  "Don't worry," Henry said. "I think I know what it is."

  Stepping forward, he unlatched the padlock from its hasp, and pulled the wooden door ajar. He stepped inside and came out seconds later.

  "Just as I suspected, a horse," he said. "An old horse though." The horse whickered softly, as if in agreement. "And an old cart, probably not been used for years. Nothing else here."

  Gently, he closed the door and latched the padlock. They returned along the footpath. It led them toward other footpaths and they followed one, leading them to the workshop and continuing alongside it.

  She peered through the windows along the side of the workshop's wall. All she could see was their RV, parked near the windows. It looked as if no one had worked on it. Beyond the RV was darkness.

  "The SUV could be in there," she told Henry. "See if you can open a window. Look farther inside."

  Henry checked the row of windows and found one, its latch loose and he pried it open, pushing it up. He poked his head through the narrow opening.

  "It's definitely not here," he said and withdrew his head.

  Leaning forward through the narrow opening, she scanned the interior of the workshop and retreated. Henry was right. There was no way it could be in there because the RV had taken up most of the available space.

  Somewhere, a series of animal-like cries shattered the silence. In the rear section of the main building, lights were switched on. Henry closed the window quickly and they crouched below it. Someone was up and about. Had they found out about us snooping around, aware of what we were doing, Jasmine thought.

  Henry gestured her to be silent. "Probably nothing," he whispered. He pointed toward a row of low bushes near the workshop's wall and they crawled behind it.

  A man came out onto the back porch. It was Sean but Gregory had said he was still away and hadn't returned. Gregory had lied, but why, she thought. Sean stood at the porch for some time, staring out into the darkness. Then he went back inside and the lights were off.

  "Sean is back," Henry said. "Repaired our RV?"

  "It's him for sure," she said. "I hope so."

  "I hope so too," he said. "We better go back."

  "No, we continue," she said.

  She gestured Henry to follow her. Behind the main building, connected to it by an open walkway, was a large building. To her, its tall and square structure suggested that it could be an interesting place.

  They scurried over to its door and she pushed down the door handl
e, pulling it slowly. It opened with a loud metallic screech, startling her and she stopped. It wasn't even locked, she thought and she pulled the door wide open. They slipped inside quickly and closed the door.

  When she saw the shimmering waters, she thought she was seeing things. The smell of the water, its pungent odor permeated the surrounding air. Moonlight streaming in through large, open, ceiling skylights revealed a natural pool, wisps of steam coiling and hovering on its surface, its source probably geothermal groundwater or aquifer. It had to be. There was definitely no piped water supply in this remote area; the source was harnessed rain kept in the reservoir tower.

  "The brochure in our room said they have a heated pool," Henry said. "Awesome. Not something I'd expected to find here."

  "Can't stand the rotten eggs smell," she said, pinched her nose and retreated quickly to the door.

  Outside, Henry closed the door gently. Along the side of the pool's building was a small trail, and they followed it, leading them up the gentle slope of a mound. There appeared to be another building of some sort at the top of the mound, she thought. Young pine trees lined the footpath as it led them upward a hundred yards or so.

  They climbed to the top, reaching a long low building, standing alone at the top of the mound among several old pine trees. An abandoned well, its mouth carelessly left open, stood next to it. The wooden building, however, was still intact, at least its structure was. It looked old and disused. This time there were no noises from the darkness within, but there were many open windows. They went closer. It was a long shed of some kind. There could be livestock here, perhaps cattle, she thought.

  She stared inside. Not a single living thing lived here, not even a rat. There would be no food for the rat. Long empty troughs and low fences partitioned the area within.

  "What's this?" she asked.

  "It's a pig sty," Henry answered. "Funny thing is, there's no odor."

  "A pig sty …," she said. "Are you sure?"

  "Seen one before," he said. "At one of my distant cousin's farm years ago, before your time."

  "I sensed this place hadn't been used for a long time," she said.

  "That explains the no odor," he said.

  "Help me find the door," she said. "How do I get in?"

  "I wouldn't if I were you," he said. "It's probably still filthy, not properly cleaned up. I think we had seen enough."

  She stopped and turned around. "We ought to go back," she said.

  Henry agreed and they headed down the mound, treading carefully on the rough footpath.

  "Where did they get pork for the barbecue?" she said.

  "Must be from the nearest town," he said.

  "That's possible," she said. "Deliveries possibly a couple of times a month, perhaps weekly?"

  "This resort is dead," he said. "Perhaps in summer or the hunting season, business might pick up."

  "This late in Fall, when most people are getting ready for Thanksgiving, there won't be any visitors," she said.

  "Well, they'll need some place to store their meat," he said.

  "They would have to keep stock, but where do they keep their frozen meat?" she asked.

  "Probably in a huge freezer in the kitchen," he said.

  "That's what I was thinking too," she said. "And we shall go see now."

  ***

  "Let's go find the freezer," Jasmine said, feeling a surge of emotions. Her spirit guides were guiding her, urging her on as if they wanted her to uncover the truth.

  "Where's the kitchen?" she asked Henry and followed him down a footpath toward the back of the main building. He hadn't answered her question, she noted. That meant he wasn't happy and would protest eventually, but she had no choice because she needed the truth. They could get into the kitchen through a side door or a back door, she thought.

  "I'm not so sure about this," Henry said. "We've done enough snooping around. I'm getting sleepy."

  "Come on, Henry," she pleaded. "It's just one more building. We won't be caught if we are careful. Just keep an eye out."

  "I don't think it's a good idea breaking into the main building," he said.

  "I need to be sure," she said. "I must. It's the only way."

  "We should just leave this place, right now," he said.

  "I have to find the truth," she said. "With … or without you."

  He shook his head and gestured her to lead the way.

  Taking the left branch of the footpath, she led him to the back of the building. Through the tall and wide back window, she could only see darkness and hear silence. She stepped up to the wooden door, placed her hand on the door handle, and pushed it down. Funny, the door wasn't locked at all, she thought. Behind her, Henry muttered something softly and tapped on her shoulder.

  "Go on," he whispered in her ear.

  They stepped inside and closed the door. Gesturing Henry to be still, she listened for any sounds. There were none. They went farther inside, stepping slowly and carefully on the rough concrete floor and found themselves in an alcove where four jackets hung on a row of clothes pegs. They went past the alcove, into the kitchen. Moonlight streaming in through the large back window revealed the kitchen's interior.

  She glanced across the spacious kitchen to get an idea of its layout. It was a large kitchen with a walk-in pantry, many cooking utensils, and several ovens. However, most parts of the kitchen were in darkness, as moonlight from the back window near the kitchen sink couldn't reach them. Slowly, she moved deeper into the kitchen and Henry followed her.

  "I don't see any freezer," she whispered.

  "It's too dark," he said. "Maybe over the other side."

  "Look for a walk-in freezer," she said. "Let's split up. You go left, I take the right."

  However, before they could start moving, she heard faint footfalls and froze.

  "Someone's coming," she whispered and glanced around, trying to find a place to hide. Recalling the location of the walk-in pantry, she pointed at its door. They scurried over, opened it, went in, and closed the door quickly. Her heart was thumping loudly, and she took in deep breaths, praying that whoever coming into the kitchen wouldn't open the pantry door.

  Curious to know who it was, she bent down to look for a keyhole but couldn't find one. She wondered who could be up at this hour and whether that person aware of their presence out in the compound earlier. The kitchen light was switched on, revealing a strip of light underneath the pantry door. Listening intently, she was aware of someone opening a fridge, taking something out and closing the fridge. Then more footsteps, the light was switched off, and the footfalls faded.

  Her heart was still pounding loudly, and she held Henry in a tight embrace. They waited until there was total silence, not daring to venture out of the pantry.

  Finally, when her desire for truth outweighed her fear, she said, "Let's continue."

  Henry opened the pantry door, and they slipped out into the kitchen. They continued their search for a walk-in freezer. There was a tall refrigerator but when Henry opened it, he gestured to her that he didn't find anything unusual. She scanned around and found something.

  It was a chest freezer, a General Electric, huge and white, its length like a coffin but twice its height and width. Behind a low partition, it stood alongside a wall, alone in a corner, opposite the other refrigerator. It was as if its owner had wanted it hidden from plain sight.

  Henry came over to her side and they went toward the chest freezer, their steps careful on the concrete floor. When she reached it, she hesitated a moment and then reached down to touch the cold metallic surface of its lid. Her fingers went numb and she rubbed them, trembling at the thought of what she would find in there. Bad feelings stirred within her as that was how the spirit guides communicated with her. Now her bad feelings were getting stronger. Plugged in, the freezer was humming gently in contrast with her rapid heartbeats, and despite the cold, still atmosphere in the kitchen, she was sweating.

  The lid could be locked. Hesitantly, she lif
ted it a little. To her surprise, it seemed to be unlocked and Henry helped her. Her heart was pounding faster. Her hands trembled, although not due to the strain of trying to open the lid. With one big heave, they lifted it, opening it completely and letting it rest against the wall. A layer of packed snow covered the entire top of the freezer.

  "We have to dig," she said without any hesitation.

  "They would know someone had messed with it," he said.

  "So what if they find out," she said. "What matters is what we could find. I must see what lies beneath."

  Her ears were open to all sounds, and her body ready to hide at any instant while her mind was striving to overcome this obstacle. Walking around the chest, she tried to find a way to avoid digging, but it was futile.

  "We really have to dig," she said. "There's no reason to worry how they would react. They might not open this freezer anytime soon. Seeing how they packed the snow, it could be a long term storage."

  "We would be out of here soon. No need to worry," he said.

  "Let's try digging a small section first," she said.

  Henry went about the kitchen and came back with an ice pick. She took it from him and decided to start at the rightmost corner. The top had softened a little because the lid had been left open for some time. Digging straight down, it took her a few minutes and then she hit something. Clearing the small chunks of ice away, she reached in and felt it with her fingers. It was soft, like meat. Grabbing it, she pulled out.

  "Oh my God!" Henry said. "It's part of an arm."

  She dropped it back into the ice and stopped, her hands shaking uncontrollably, her heart beating loudly. Using both hands to steady the ice pick, she started digging feverishly into other spots, uncovering more frozen body parts: eyeballs, tongue, thighs, and a heart. Then she realized the body parts of the Davidsons family were there in the freezer and she dug furiously until she found three heads, all frozen without any eyeballs or hair. Definitely the Davidsons, she thought. With Henry's help, she hurriedly buried everything back into the ice.