Edmund was pacing up and down in the game room. Breakfast had been boring; Bella had told them all to search for Mary since she had gone missing. Edmund reckoned she would pop up when she felt hungry, but Bella was certain that something bad had happened to her.
His face was hurting, and he had trouble seeing out of one of his eyes. He was battered and bruised, he felt like a piece of meat that had been beaten tender.
Edmund let his hand glide over the pool table and then the leather sofa. He tried to muster up his courage and ask Greg to move back into his room. Edmund knew that if Greg ever were to move back in, he would have to say that the hotel was haunted but he could not say it because it could not be true. He could admit that strange things had happened but what if he was on some kind of drugs – drugs that made him see crazy things, like dead people.
He would have to come up with a plan to trick Greg and trick him to come back. What on earth could he say, it did not seem as Greg wanted a half-hearted apology.
The door to the game room opened, it was Greg. Greg stood in the doorframe avoiding Edmund’s eyes, in fact, he was avoiding looking at Edmund at all. “The twins found something, they said that I should find you,” mumbled Greg.
Edmund nodded but was not sure if Greg noticed so he followed it up by saying, “Just lead the way.”
Edmund followed Greg through the dark hallway. He wanted to say something but was not sure what he could say. ‘I am sorry’ would not sound too good and he could definitely not say ‘you were right, there are plenty of ghosts here’. He was not even tempted to say such a thing.
“So, how is your day going?” asked Edmund and immediately regretted it. How is your day gong? How could he say something so uncool? Something so pathetic?
“Can’t complain, the twins say they have found something big,” said Greg. He sounded slightly more cheered up.
Edmund had tried to make small talk with him during breakfast, but the most things Greg said was either a yes or no. This time he had a spoken a complete sentence which was a step in the right direction.
Edmund was not too interested in the twins’ discovery, he wanted to become friends again with Greg. His room felt empty without Greg and when the banging on the door started, it was horrible to be alone.
Edmund tried to think of something more to say but could not think of anything good. “So, what do you think of Mary’s disappearance?” The only words running through Edmund’s mind were: stupid, stupid, why are you so stupid?
Greg sighed. “Well, she will come out when she feels like it. I am not too worried; she is probably just upset with Bella and, or the twins.”
They walked into the dining room and down the narrow stairs into the kitchens. Ben and Barry were standing by the stove. “Welcome, ladies. Today we have something very special on the menu if you would care to follow me,” Barry said with a cocky grin on his face.
They followed the twins down one of the hallways which led to a steep hallway. They carefully walked down, Edmund was worried he would slip and damage his face more. At the end of the steep hallway was a door. Ben took a hold of the doorknob and said, “Feast your eyes upon paradise.”
Ben opened the door and Barry flashed his light in the room. The room was filled with bottles that were filled with red liquid. There were plenty of shelves. The room was cold, and it did not smell as bad as the rest of the hotel; it was as if it had a tunnel leading to the outside.
They walked inside; the floor was slippery. Edmund shone his light at the floor and saw that it was covered in mud. He could hear squeaking noises coming for the room. “Mind the rats, they don’t like the light,” said Barry with a laugh at the end.
Edmund could see Greg tensing up from the squeaking sound.
“Now boys, we shall have quite a bit of fun,” said Barry.
“Nothing like getting blasted on what…? Hundred-year-old wine,” said Ben. Edmund did not know what to think, he had never drunk wine before other than a taste when he was a child and from what he recalled, he hated it. He did not remember how it tasted but it was awful, he only hoped his tastebuds had matured. His father was a great wine drinker, every day he would have a glass by diner; maybe taste was hereditary, and Edmund would love it.
“Pick your poison gents,” said Barry. Edmund did not really know if the wine tasted different and it didn’t look like many of the wine bottles had labels on them. Edmund guessed that age and the raw air had wiped them off.
Edmund grabbed a bottle of the shelf and reviled a wet rat that hissed at him before it ran away. Edmund jerked his hand back, he did not like rats. How could they even grow so fat in the hotel? What was their food? He started walking around in the room, his shoes sunk deep into the mud as he walked deeper inside the mud swallowed both his ankles. The mud was freezing, and Edmund guessed that it was filled with rat urine. Edmund felt chills all over his body just by the thought of rats doing their business all around the wine and floor.
“Oi! Moaning Mary, Mum’s been looking for you.” Edmund heard one of the twins say. Was Mary with them? He had not seen her. Edmund walked over to the twins and looked up the steep hallway.
At the top was Mary, she looked scared and then she shouted, “LEAVE ME ALONE! LEAVE THE HOTEL ALONE!”
The door to the wine cellar slammed shut and knocked Barry to mud-covered ground. Ben tried to get the door open, but it was locked. He started banging on the door and shouted for Mary. He shouted that she should open the door, but she didn’t. Ben did not quit shouting and banging on the door while Edmund and Greg helped Barry up the floor. His nose was bleeding and his hair and back were soaked in mud. “What has gotten into her? We need to find her,” said Barry. He didn’t sound angry or scared but more concerned.
Ben started banging his shoulder onto the door to try and force it open, but it didn’t work.
“Guys you saw what happened – the door shut by itself, Mary did not do it,” said Greg. He then started to talk about the supernatural, he started talking about the vase and about the girl he had seen with the slit throat.
“Ghost, I can believe it but a girl in a bloody white dress I think is hogwash, but you know what goes well with hogwash…wine,” said Barry as he opened up a bottle and began drinking.
Ben ripped it out of Barry’s hands and said, “Don’t hog the bottle.” Barry opened another bottle as Ben began drinking.
Barry looked upon Edmund and Greg and said, “The only thing more boring than being stuck in a filthy wine cellar is being stuck in a filthy wine cellar with two people that don’t drink.”
“Barry’s right mates, besides after we had a go at the old bottle this place will look more like a paradise,” said Ben.
Edmund thought, why not, what bad could happen if he took a few sips of a bottle? It couldn’t get any worse, could it?
Edmund picked a bottle off the shelf, opened it and took a swig, and then he spat it out. It was the sourest thing he had ever had, it tasted like juice gone bad; it was like drinking warm grape juice someone had peed in.
“Eddy, it will taste better after you drink a little…Greg bottoms up,” said Barry as Greg grabbed himself a bottle.
He took a big sip then he spat it out as well and said, “I’d rather drink the mud.”
“Your choice, Greg, you can drink the wine and get festive with us. Or you can start licking the mud-filled with rat pee.”
Both Edmund and Greg started drinking and Ben and Barry started cheering for them. Edmund wanted to spew, how could it taste so bad, why did people even drink it, were they insane? He had to stop he had to spit it out, but it did not seem as if Greg was going to spit it out and he could not be a bigger chicken than Greg. If Greg could do it so could he.
Edmund stopped pouring the wine in his mouth and spat out the little that was left in his mouth. Maybe another wine would taste better, what harm could trying do? It was not like anyone else was going to drink the wine. The hotel was forgotten and abandoned; it was not a wine bar for the rich.
He looked over at the twins, they were pouring the wine down their throats as if it was water. Edmund opened another bottle, he had to catch up with the others. It did not seem like anyone of them was going to slow down, so he had gone faster than them.
Edmund started drinking, this wine did not taste any better if anything it tasted worse than the former one. There was no time to pick another bottle, he had to start drinking and he had to start drinking fast, faster than the others. He looked over at Greg who had taken a break and was gagging loudly, the sound made Edmund dislike the wine even more.
Greg started drinking again, he had to hurry to catch up with him. Edmund started filling his mouth with wine then forced himself to swallow it. He repeated it over and over again. It did not seem as if the bottle lost any liquid, was he really taking that small sips? They did not feel small they felt humongous in his mouth. He had to take bigger sips as that was the only way to catch up. The others had drunken over half their bottles while he barely had scratched the top.
Edmund cringed as Greg sat himself down on the muddy floor, Edmund could see him sinking down deeper in the mud.
“Greg, are you okay?” asked Edmund.
Greg replied with, “I am fine…just…needed to sit down…sit down a while.” He sounded like he was about to fall asleep at any moment. Greg started to snore and the twins began laughing.
“Don’t worry about him, Eddy, worry about ending up like him,” said Ben.
“I propose a toast, to being trapped and going out swinging.” Laughed Barry.
The three of them took each a swig of wine after they yelled out, “CHEERS!”
Edmund forced more wine into his mouth then he forced it down his throat. After twenty minutes had passed, Edmund had drunken over a quarter of the bottle. He felt nauseous, dizzy, sleepy and oddly warm. The twins were laughing like a pair of hyenas, which made Edmund laugh as well. He wanted to drink water to rinse down the wine, then he wanted to drink a couple of bottles filled with cola to get the taste away.
Edmund looked over at Greg who was snoring loudly, a fat rat had begun climbing up his T-shirt. Another couple of rats were laying on his knees and one had ventured up to his trouser leg. Edmund wanted to wake him, but the twins laughed and said, “Not yet.”
Edmund had to try another bottle, just one other, maybe it tasted better, maybe it even tasted good. Edmund staggered towards one of the shelves and grabbed a bottle that did not have a label. He opened it and took a large swig hoping it would be delicious. The taste was not of sour grape, or any fruit he could think of. It tasted like iron, it was thick and coated his entire mouth. It tasted like he had cut the insides of his cheeks or his tongue. It was blood, it had to be. The moment the thought burst into his mind, he spat it out spraying Greg in the process.
It did not seem like Greg had noticed because he continued to snore, and the twins continued to laugh. More rats had climbed up on Greg and they had begun to lick the blood off him. Edmund could hear Greg chuckling under his breath as if he was dreaming something funny.
“Edmund…Edmund…” a soft creepy voice said.
“Did you hear something?” asked Edmund but the twins were just laughing, telling jokes and ignoring him.
“Edmund…Edmund…” the voice called him out. Was he dreaming it, was he so drunk that he started hearing voices? Did people hear voices when they were drunk?
“Edmund…come here…Edmund…come here…”
Was someone there? “Hello?” he asked and stared staggering himself deeper into the wine cellar.
He could see rats running around trying to avoid the light, but it could not have been any of them who had called out to him. Edmund started sinking more and more deeply in the mud. His shoes vanished first then the ankles got swallowed by the mud as he walked even deeper into the wine cellar the mud went up to his knees. The mud felt ice cold and it was so thick that he could barely walk.
The creepy but refined voice continued to call out for him, “Edmund…come here…Edmund…we are waiting, Edmund…” He could not tell where it came from because the sound echoed throughout the whole wine cellar.
The mud crept further and further up until it reached his belt. It wasn’t long before he would have to swim in the icy mud. His toes had gone numb and numbness was crawling up both his legs. He used one of his arms as a paddle to help him get further into the cellar.
He could see something in the corner. As he moved to it, he went deeper and deeper into the cold mud. It reached his chest, then his neck. He had to strain himself to keep his head and chin above it. He felt his heart pump fast and painfully in his chest; his jaws and shoulders had tensed up and he felt stomach acid burning at his throat. He still tasted the blood in his mouth and the raw and muddy stench attached his nostrils.
He moved closer to the thing he saw. As he got closer, he saw that it was a skeleton and a bunch of fat rats were hiding in the deceased’s ribs. “Hello, Edmund,” said a cold voice. Edmund turned around and got a glimpse of a tall man with long black hair and a beard wearing a top hat.
Something ice-cold grabbed Edmund’s ankle, he felt himself being pulled under. He grabbed the man’s skeleton for support, but it got dragged down with him. Edmund felt the icy mud all over his face, which went up to his nostrils. He tried to scream but the moment he opened his mouth, mud poured into it. It tasted bitter and it felt both mushy and crunchy at the same time. Edmund felt the urge to throw up but was glad that he didn’t.
Edmund’s hand was holding on to the thigh bone for dear life, a part of him wanted to release it but his hand would not allow it, it was completely locked.
The thing that held him, dragged him back and forth. Edmund couldn’t breathe, he felt light-headed and it was as if he was going to faint at any given time.
The thing that held him, released him. Edmund started kicking with his feet and waving with his arms, he had to get air. He released the skeleton but still held a firm grip on his flashlight. Edmund planted his feet on the ground and jumped up. His head hit something hard on the way up. He burst up from the mud and spat out everything that was in his mouth. He looked up and saw that the skeleton was on his head, his eyes landed upon five mud-covered angry-looking rats who hissed at him.
Edmund screamed and threw the skeleton off himself. What had just happened? He had almost died. Edmund felt acid fly up to his throat, he felt it fill up his mouth, he spat it out and screamed as he gasped for air.
He started moving towards where he hoped the others were. He had one thought on his mind and that was that he had to get out of the hotel. Edmund wiped the mud from his face and started shouting for the twins’ help.
He saw to flashlights moving towards him, then he heard laughter. “What happened to you mate? Went for a bit of a swim?” said one of the twins.
Then the other said, “I usually prefer to swim in water but whatever floats your boat.” The two of them laughed as they came closer to Edmund.
The mud had reached their bellies as they met Edmund and helped him get back to Greg and the door. “Door is still shut, mate.”
“But there is still plenty of wine. Probably some blood if you’d rather have that.”
They came back to the door which started to creak open. “Spooky,” said Barry. Edmund looked down at Greg who was still covered in blood and rats. Edmund gently tapped Greg’s face to wake and Greg woke up and screamed as he saw all the rats that were resting on his body. Greg jumped up and slipped on the mud. When he fell, all of the rats scattered.
“Quit acting silly, Greg; the door is open,” said Barry as Edmund helped Greg back on his feet. Greg still looked like he was about to fall asleep and he needed Edmund to hold on to him so that he didn’t fall.
They walked out of the wine cellar and looked up at the steep hallway, how were they going to get up? They all got on all fours and began climbing up the hallway. Edmund slipped down multiple times and, when he slipped down, Greg did the same thing.
Eventually Barry and Ben managed to climb up. They struck out their hands for Edmund and Greg to catch. Edmund ran up and jumped for Barry’s hand, but he quickly pulled it away and the twins started to laugh again. Edmund tried a second time and this time as well Barry took his hand away. “Third time’s the charm, Eddy,” said Barry and laughed.
Edmund ran up and grabbed Barry’s hand, Barry began pulling him up before Barry himself fell down and Edmund along with him. “What was that?” said Edmund outraged.
“Ben pushed me,” said Barry but as Ben laughed he said that it wasn’t him who had done it. Ben helped Barry up first, then Edmund pushed Greg up and Ben caught him. As Edmund was getting ready to run up, the door to the wine cellar slammed shut then it creaked up, then it slammed shut, then it slammed open almost hitting Edmund in the process.
Edmund ran and jumped, Ben and Barry both caught his hand and pulled him up. They walked to the kitchen and from there, they walked up the narrow stairs and Edmund bumped his head in the ceiling. When they got through the dining room and to the game room, they were greeted by angry looks and a smile.
“WHAT ON EARTH HAPPENED TO THE FOUR OF YOU!” shouted Bella.
The doctor said, “How dare you bring your mud-soaked clothes and shoes into the hotel? You are ruining the floors and carpets. Are the four of you truly that ignorant?”
Bella rushed over to the twins and smelled Barry’s breath. “YOU HAVE BEEN DRINKING!” she shrieked.
“Oi mates, where did you get the liquor? Did you snatch some brandy and play around outside?” asked Logan while he was trying to hide a smile.
“We got it from the wine cellar. We were locked inside,” said Edmund.
Logan laughed in a baffled tone. “I didn’t know that the hotel had a wine cellar.”
“You’re an ignorant hillbilly. Of course, this hotel has a wine cellar. Though I would like to see it, why are you all covered in mud…and what is that red stuff?” said the doctor and pointed at Greg.
“I don’t know,” said Greg.
Barry quickly said, “Edmund drank some blood and spat it out on Greg. The rats loved it and it was very entertaining.” The twins laughed.
The doctor asked where Edmund found the blood to which he replied, “It was in one of the wine bottles.”
“Edmund and your…friend over here can show me and…Logan where the wine cellar is. Then you will take a long bath. Although I would prefer hosing you down outside, I suppose the four of you can each use a bath tub.”
The four of them started walking towards the kitchens. Greg held his arm around Edmund’s neck for support and Edmund held his arm over Greg. So that in case he fell, both would fall. The two of them staggered to the dining room; their path was lit up by Logan and the doctor who were walking behind them. Edmund could hear Logan chuckling softly under his breath.
They stared down the narrow staircase, it seemed darker than usual and they could not go down while holding each other. Edmund decided to go down first while Greg went behind him holding onto Edmund’s shoulders for support.
Finally, he was down the stairs. Now, he only needed to take one step further then one more. He took a large step and searched for the floor, there was no floor. Gravity pulled him down as he fell face-first towards the dark cold ground. As he hit the floor, he felt Greg’s dead weight land on top of him.
His bruised face was laying down the cold ground, but it did not hurt at all, he felt completely fine. Logan lit up the hallway and then he helped them back on their feet. Edmund led the way further into the dark kitchens. He took a wrong turn a couple of times and could see his father rolling his eyes. There was only one hallway to go down this time and it led them to the steep hallway. Edmund started walking down it fast as the sooner it was over, the sooner he could go up and do something more fun.
Edmund slipped because of his muddy shoes, he fell towards the ground, and he hit it with a bang, but he still felt fine. He opened his eyes and saw that everything was blurry and again it felt like he was floating or gliding as if he was on a cloud. He stood up and saw the doctor and Logan hurrying down leaving Greg up the small hill.
Edmund could see himself laying on the cold floor, was he dead? That was the first thing that popped into his mind. Had he fallen so hard that his neck had broken? Or was this another nightmare? He hoped that it was a dream but he also hoped that he did not have to get any more injuries.
The doctor gently slapped his face and said, “Edmund, wake up, wake up boy.”
“Doctor, I am here. Just look up, I am here,” said Edmund.
“I’ll carry him to his bed after we check out this wine cellar,” said the doctor and tried to open the door. “It’s locked.”
Logan shrugged with a confused smile. “How can it be locked? They got the wine from somewhere, right?”
“The twins have probably locked it so we could not stop them sneaking a bottle or two before bedtime,” said the doctor.
Logan laughed. “They get up to fun stuff, don’t they? I almost wish I was a kid here.”
The doctor rolled his eyes and he lifted up Edmund who had started snoring.
Edmund followed his sleeping self and his father back to the kitchen where he spotted someone who was staring at him; it was the small boy. Edmund stopped and started walking towards the boy, but the boy ran off. Edmund started chasing him saying, “I mean you no harm.”
Eventually, he cornered the boy who started crying. Edmund went down on his knees and said, “You have seen me before; you were the shadow, were you not?” The boy nodded but did not speak. Edmund tried to talk to the boy but he did not speak back. Finally, Edmund asked, “Can you speak?” and the boy shook his head.
“Is the man who locked you in the wardrobe, is he still here?” The boy nodded.
“Is he alive?” The boy shook his head.
“Does he want to harm you?” The boy nodded and then he pointed at Edmund. “Does he want to hurt me?” Edmund asked, and the boy nodded.
“Where is he?” The boy did nothing, so Edmund asked again, “I need to know where he is.” The boy looked like he was about to cry. “TELL ME?” screamed Edmund with a shaky voice.
The boy replied, “E – e – ev – v – ery – rywhe – ere.” The boy sounded terrified. The boy ran off leaving Edmund alone in the dark but, somehow, he could see. It was still dark, but he could see the chair that had been knocked over, he could see bed and a maid’s outfit laying on it. He had to get out of the kitchen.
Edmund started walking, he walked up the narrow stairs and then he could hear someone talking. He crept upwards and saw an elderly couple taking to a headless man. The couple both had caved in skulls which reviled their brains and the headless man was holding his head in his hands.
“Who do you think will kick the bucket first?” asked the headless man.
“The girl certainly seems to have fallen under Mr Black’s spell,” said the woman in a hoarse voice.
“I heard that the boy is a dream walker,” said the old man.
“A what?” asked what seemed to be his wife.
“A dream walker, at least, that is what I call it. He is a living person who can enter the world of the dead; at least, he can walk with the souls still trapped on this forsaken dirtball.”
“What about that boy…you know the boy searching for the necklace, the pudgy one,” said the headless man.
Edmund thought it was bizarre to see a man holding his own talking head. What kind of afterlife did not reattach your body parts? wondered Edmund.
“I think the twins should die first,” said the old woman.
“Not the twins, my love. They get up to all sorts of shenanigans, I rather enjoy watching them lurking about. Stealing food late at night, and drinking wine during the day. And from the window, I saw them shoot each other…with water. Can you believe it?” said the old man.
The headless man raised his head and shook it from side to side with his hands as he sighed. “I hope the dream walker gets out of the hotel alive. I heard he is a musician. I always grow fond of people who play instruments, as you know I used to play the piano.”
Edmund was not quite sure what was going on and he had no idea of what to do next. Should he talk to them? Maybe they would attack him for eavesdropping. He could probably take them on; two of them were very old and one had held his own head.
Edmund walked towards the three of them and said, “Excuse me.” He was not sure if he was going to talk to them or if he could just move on.
“Ah, it’s you the guitarist. Ever since you arrived here, and I overheard you talking about music I have wanted to play a verse with you. But I am afraid we cannot, we don’t wish to attract unwanted attention. As you know well a certain someone wants you dead and he just likes to eavesdrop,” said the headless man in a tone of respect.
“Thanks, I guess,” said Edmund.
“I am afraid my dear boy we cannot be seen talking to you but if you are looking for a juicy conversation, there is someone for you. Several people, including the fat one, want to talk to. We, however, are not that foolish. Cheerio now,” said the woman and waved Edmund off.
“I just want to kn—” said Edmund but he was stopped by the woman.
She once again said, “Cheerio, bye-bye,” and started waving at him to get lost.
Edmund started jogging through hallways, he had to get upstairs and he had to find an answer to these vivid dreams.
He did not run into anyone else on the way, he could hear voices but could not see the people talking. Edmund jogged up the stairs and was heading for his bedroom. On the way, he saw Mary prancing about and humming a sombre tune. He tried to speak to her but did not seem like she could hear or see him, so he continued jogging.
Edmund opened the door to his room and standing by the window was a man in a large top hat. The man was surrounded by complete darkness; had it not been for the light of the full moon, Edmund would not have seen him.
Edmund could see himself laying in his bed snoring, it sounded like he had trouble breathing. Edmund started walking slowly towards himself when he noticed that the darkness that surrounded the man started consuming the rest of the room slowly. Edmund ran out of the room and, on the way, he slammed the door shut and waited. His heart was beating so fast and hard that it caused him great pain in the chest.
The darkness started to come out through the doorframe, it was slowly swallowing the hallway. Edmund could see the contour of a tall man wearing a top hat walking towards him.
Edmund pressed his back against the wall, he tried to find the doorknob franticly and unsuccessfully. The darkness swallowed more and more of the hallway coming closer every second. Edmund kept telling himself that it was a dream and nothing could harm him in a dream but then remembered the broken vase and his head wound. What would happen if the blackness consumed him? Would he die? Would he end up as a permanent resident of the hotel? He got chills just thinking about it.
Edmund could see the man walking towards him; the man’s feet never left the blackness but then everything stopped. The man stretched out his arm and did a come here motion. Did he think Edmund was crazy enough to go with him?
He had to get the door open, he had to get out of there. There was no point telling himself that it was just a dream because it felt more real than anything he had encountered before.
The man took his hand back and continued walking towards Edmund.
The door behind Edmund opened and Edmund fell back. Something grabbed his arm and started pulling him away, but the darkness followed.
Was he being saved or butchered by someone else? Edmund felt frozen, he tried to fight himself loose but could not move a single muscle in his body. The only thing he could do was watch as the blackness came closer, he could watch as the man in the top hat took one step then another step, and another one.
Edmund could hear doors being opened and he could feel himself being dragged over doorframes, it felt like his back were dragged over stones and sandpaper.
The thing that held his arm, let go of him and he heard a voice say, “You have to work with me.” Edmund felt something grab his shoulders and lift them off the ground before he became dragged up a flight of stairs.
The darkness started to crawl up the stairs as well, the man in the blackness walked slowly as if he was taunting Edmund or as if he was playing with his food.
“You need to work with me; he cannot harm you now,” the person dragging Edmund said. Edmund heard the words: He cannot harm you now. It gave him hope but his body would still not allow him to move, he felt paralysed and useless. The cold hands let go of Edmund’s shoulders. The blackness came closer to Edmund, he had to get further up the stairs. Why wouldn’t his body move? Didn’t it understand that he was about to die?
The darkness consumed Edmund’s legs, he could not see his feet anymore. He started pulling himself upwards, he was slow – too slow, and the man was too fast. More and more Edmund disappeared in the darkness.
The darkness consumed Edmund’s chest and crawled all the way up to his neck. The darkness felt ice-cold, it was like his body was inside an arctic storm. It made his legs and hands numb. The blackness swallowed Edmund’s whole head, the only thing he could see was the man standing over him, and the rest was just black.
The icy wind attacked his bare skin. The tall man bent down, Edmund could see his long hair and beard; it was almost touching his lips. The man came down to all four, he was staring deeply into Edmund’s eyes and smiled. The man’s mouth open, it was like his whole jaw dislocated. Edmund could not see tongue; he could only see more darkness. A strong wind came from the man’s mouth, it was wind so strong that it felt like it could cut Edmund’s skin and made him bleed.
The blackness vanished and so did the man. Edmund was still lying on the stairs and everything was still blurry; he was still dreaming. Edmund saw the fat man walking down the stairs and then he said, “Follow me, quickly now.” He sounded nervous and scared but that was what Edmund felt, he felt truly terrified.
Edmund followed the up the stairs, Edmund followed him through the hallway and up a ladder. They were in a room that was very tiny and packed full of things. There were no windows, neither of them could stand up straight and they had to crawl over and under things to get to where the man wanted them to be.
The man turned around and faced Edmund then he said, “We can talk freely here, no one is listening. I want you to listen and listen well, there is a cottage somewhere on the mountain. Inside is a man you needed to talk to, to understand what is going on. Right now, the hotel is weak but it can grow stronger and so can the evil within…always stay in the light, never wander off in the darkness…”
Edmund and the man looked at each other for a short while then the man grabbed Edmund’s head and said, “Sorry,” before he bashed Edmund’s face into a wooden chair.