I didn’t realize how dire the situation was. I stared blankly at the camera in front of me and slowly made out the hand that was outstretched from the painting like it was a part of it. And Harry said that it grabbed Liam, or at least he thought that it did. None of this made sense. Not in the smallest bit. 

“No way.” I was shocked, handing back the camera to Harry. I looked back to Zayn and I knew by the look on his face that he had seen the photo as well. I took a step back to be closer to him, and in return, Harry joined closely with us. After all, we were stuck in a dilapidated hotel that was haunted, and our friends were going missing. “W-we need to have a plan.”

“A plan for what? We obviously can’t get out of this place.” Zayn said pessimistically. He was still slick with sweat and I knew his sickness was taking over. I hovered my hand over his until he grabbed it. If anything, we had each other, even if it was just to get the hell out of this place. 

“We need to think of something.” Harry said, eyeing Zayn and I’s locked hands. I gave him a small shrug and he continued. “We can’t get separated.” He was right, but what was to keep us from doing that. I had already passed out once and that was what separated us in the first place. What if it happened again? 

“Let’s try and find the lobby.” I said, thinking that was our best option. At least there we could sit and wait until the police figure out that we’re missing. Liam, poor Liam, had said that his parents were expecting a call. It was way past that window or time and they had to be worried. “Someone will find the car and figure it out. It’s only a matter of time.” I tried to sound hopeful, but we were deeper into this than we thought. 

“Lobby it is.” Zayn agreed, leaning into me. I heard a soft groan from his lips and I gave him more of my support. We walked slowly down the hall and I grabbed Harry’s hand with my free one. It was a different kind of support, something that I knew he needed. 

We walked for a while and it was just like the time before where the hallway just never seemed to end. We would stop every once in a while, but I was afraid to look around in case I saw Louis again in another painting. Or even worse, Liam this time. Eventually we made it to another hallway, though this one was different. It wasn’t lined with rooms like the other hallways. It was blank with only a door at the very end that looked like it was a double entry  to another room. 

“Did you hear that?” Harry let go of my hand and rushed down the hall. Zayn perked up slightly and looked around the hallway. “I’m serious, guys. Did you hear that?” Harry was up at the double wide door with his each pressed to it’s rotting, wooden surface. “It’s coming from in here.” I wished Harry would have waited for us to come to him before he opened the door, but of course, he didn’t. Though, thank god nothing happened and it was just another large room. 

What was strange about the place was that it was in pristine condition, like the hotel used to be before everything started to go all crazy on us. I gawked at the room as I walked inside, following Harry. Zayn was close behind me. 

We walked into what looked like a ballroom. It had shining floors and was rounded like an oval shape. Harry was in the middle of the room where a grand piano was positioned. Zayn and I walked up to him and he was just staring at the piano’s glossy surface. “Did you hear a piano or something?” I asked, wondering what Harry was hearing back in the hallway. 

“No. I heard someone walking in here. You know, that noise that girls make when they have heels on.” He looked around. “But there is nobody in here, especially no girl around.” Harry sighed and plopped down on the seat by the piano.

That was when I heard it. That clacking sounds of women’s heels on a hard floor. I searched the room and we were the only ones in the large room. I blinked a few times thinking that maybe my eyes were playing tricks on me, but that was definitely not the case. We were utterly alone, which sounds around us that were unexplained. 

A ping of noise from the piano filled the room and Zayn and I jumped. I whipped my head around to see Harry hovering his fingers over the piano’s keys. He looked up and gave me this guilty look. “Really, Harry? At a time like this?” I complained. 

“Sorry. I bumped it.” He gave me a small grin. I rolled my eyes at him and then stood still. I was listening for more footsteps, but after a while, there was nothing. We decided to stay there for a little bit and rest. Zayn was in even worse shape than before. I would wipe his forehead with my shirt sleeve and make sure he was comfortable. 

“Why don’t you sleep for a little bit. I’ll stay awake for you.” I told Zayn as he was leaning against me heavily. He nodded weakly and closed his eyes. He fell asleep quickly and snored softly. I swiped his hair out of his face as he slept. “This sucks.” I grumbled. 

“I’m hoping it’s just a joke. Some big ruse to just scare us.” Harry sat next to me on the floor. He was holding onto his camera so tightly that his knuckles were white. “I mean maybe they’re all in on it. Even Zayn?” Harry pointed over to Zayn and I got really defensive. I hooked an arm around him and glowered at Harry. 

“I think we’re past a simple joke, Harry.” I grumbled. “There’s something more happening here. You even said so yourself yesterday.” I thought back to Harry mentioning something about haunted places the night before. 

“Yesterday?” Harry’s eyes widened. “I didn’t even see you yesterday. We were all separated remember?” 

“What?” This didn’t make sense. It was yet another example of time being all messed up in this place. “No, we were all together yesterday. I passed out in my room.” I was starting to panic, blood rushing up my neck and making my head hurt. 

Harry shook his head, handing me his camera. “Look at the time stamp.” He said, pointing at the screen. He had the time on his camera and it couldn’t be true. It was five in the morning, three days after we started our trip. Three whole days. 

“H-How is that possible?” I said in a shocked tone. “That was just- that was yesterday. I’m sure of it.” I stared at my hands because I knew they were real. Maybe I was just dreaming. I quickly huddled in on myself and placed my face between my knees. Harry remained silent and the only noise heard in the big room was those damn footsteps. I thought I was going crazy, until Zayn stirred at my side. 

“Niall, did you hear that?” He whispered into my ear. I looked around the room as if seeing would help me hear better. I thought Zayn was talking about the constant footsteps, but he was hearing something entirely different. 

He shot straight up when he heard it again, and this time I could hear it clear as day. It was a scream. A deep scream that I knew had a body attached to it. Zayn and Harry were on their feet instantly, running towards the double wide doors that led to the hall. I got up too, but I felt stuck in my spot. My chest felt tight and a tingling feeling washed down my arms and legs, making sure I didn’t move. I watched in horror as they opened the doors and stared down the hallway. There was another scream, along with a plead for help. 

“That’s Liam!” Zayn shouted, bursting down the hallway. Harry almost ran out with Zayn, but he turned to me instead. I was unable to speak in a full sentence. He knew that I was in trouble. We stood there, staying together as we listened to Zayn call out for Liam and the screams got louder and louder. Eventually Zayn came back into view, double over and out of breath. “I can’t- I can’t find him.” He managed to say through deep breathes. 

Thats when the doors shut, cutting us off from Zayn.

A/N: So this is basically pure horror and paranormal with slight Ziall. I'm gonna start filling some gaps in the story and get it going. More to come, but only a few more chpaters! 

Much Love 

Jachxx