This symbol, * , will mark when a gruesome (or just generally an in depth description of said gruesome scene) scene occurs. If you do not wish to read that part I'll put another symbol down for you to know when it's over and continue reading.

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Alec stayed quiet in his little group. They were loud, no doubt and couldn't go a second without finding a new topic to talk about. If only they were quiet like they were before.

Before the three had introduced themselves.

Addie, who he already knew had started the conversation by doing introductions for the both of them. Although, since she knew nothing about him, not even his name, she just introduced him as 'moody roommate.'

The other two in their group were adopted siblings apparently. Moon and Phendo. Both of who were a little too kind in his opinion, if that was a thing then he seemed to have found it.

How he would've loved to just go home back to his awaiting partners instead of ending up at this weird-ass fiasco of a hotel. Hopefully he'd be able to call Xander and Flora once he gets out of this mangy place.

"—that too! What do you think roomie?" Alec was brought back to the present by Addie.

Alec simply shrugged, not knowing what the conversation was about. Curtesy to his zone out session.

He received a short pat on the shoulder from Addie before she turned back to her conversation.

While he didn't exactly like people, Addie was trying to include him and was the nicest person he's met so far.

But still.

He was hesitant to even give his name out. But honestly, it didn't seem to exactly matter since it's only a simple introduction. Maybe he'll speak up when there's an opening. Right now though is chatting time between those three. He can wait a little longer.

A sharp thump quieted them all down. Moon went as far as shining a light down the corridor everyone heard the source of the noise from.

"Shall we?" Addie seemed to ignore the signs and simply continued walking. As if she had no fear whatsoever. Alec followed her. Splitting up and being alone in god knows what's happening here was not something he was going to be proud of doing.

"Here? I think?" Addie pushes a door open.

The room was seemingly empty. As well as it was dark. Well, it would've been dark to anyone else without a source of light.

The only thing that was really off-putting was the smell. Metallic like blood and as if something was rotting.

"Do we know whose room this is?" Alec questioned as he looked around. It was a lot different from the regular shared ones the guests had.

"If I had to make a theory, it's not a room for a hotel guest. The owner of the hotel maybe?" The place looked like it belonged to someone specifically. Like it was theirs.

Clothing was everywhere, the bed was messy, trinkets and such were placed to make the place look a little fancier, etc. It looked like a room belonging to an owned house or apartment.

"Wanna bet this is a workers room?" The two turned to glance at Phendo who had now entered the room along with Moon.

"Probably." Addie simply said, crouching down silently to pick at a red stain practically becoming one with the white carpet that laid by the bedside. It seemed she didn't even have to ask to know what it was.

Most of it was dried and crusty, tiny specs of both crimson and black color fell as she pinched a small piece from the matted carpet in her fingers and rubbed them together. The substance became close to dust within seconds.

But when she dragged her fingers from that piece of carpet a bit closer to the carpet under the bed, her fingertips were seemingly wet. Shiny even. Alec could see the way her fingers now glistened. It was as if she just put her fingers under running water. But that's definitely not the case.

Alec stood silently behind her as Addie lifted the ending sheet of the bed sheet up just enough for a peak. She got down closer to the floor after carefully moving the carpet aside as to probably not get any substance on her suit.

With chest to hardwood flooring, she looked under.

She instantly recoiled back without flinching and stood up. Quietly entering the bathroom and washing her hands. The faucet was loud enough for him to know what she was doing.

"Addie?" Alec questioned as soon as she abandoned the scene.

He turned his gaze back to the bed and crouches down.

"You don't want to know." Addie said from in the doorway after the quick hand wash.

"You're probably right." Unfortunately for him, a trait of his is being curious. Alec grimaced and repeated Addie's strategy of taking a peak under the bed.

*

He lifted the low sheet up and was instantly hit with the now enhanced terrible smell. He was that close to the cause.

His eyes found the ones of the now deceased receptionist that was alive and talking a while ago. The dead iris's stared back at him and he continued his search for the cause of death. But he couldn't exactly tell what it was. There was way too much happening.

He could see the multiple stab wounds that littered everywhere on her body, the way the ladies head was hanging on by a mere string of flesh that could easily be broken by the touch of a fingertip, the slightly gelatin-like blood that had been pouring from her mouth and nose in a thick stream onto the floor, the way her ribs were no longer tucked correctly inside her chest but sticking out to anyone's view in the wrong directions—thick with blood and an unknown mangled organ—.

Speaking of which, most of her organs were now outside of her body so he could probably know what each organ was if he tried hard enough to guess.

He didn't want to.

But what was the cause? There was so much that Alec couldn't tell what the actual cause was. Blood loss from a few severed artery's? Organ failure because every organ was literally outside the body unnaturally and no longer in working condition?? Over 30 Stab wounds to the chest?

Someone must've been mad. Both mentally and emotionally. They needed to take it out on something. Or in this case, someone.

But no one in this place looked insane? Sure some had anger issues, but nobody looked straight up psychopathic enough to do.. this?!

He took a few more once-overs at the corpse. Taking in every detail to know what to look out for if he were to encounter the person who did this. Despite wanting to throw up, he needed to be prepared if his own life is on the line.

He supposed to be on the lookout for someone with a knife, maybe even another weapon. Like a blunt object perhaps.

He isn't even sure how the killer managed to do this. Wouldn't someone have heard her scream?

He did a double check and silenced his thoughts at the notice of the woman's mouth. She had puncture wounds above the top and below the bottom of her lips. As if they were sewed and then ripped out. He supposed that was why nobody could hear her. At least the torture was over for her.

He looked away from the body, finally.

He decided he didn't want to know anymore than he just learned.

*

He wasn't sure wether to thank the fact he didn't have a weak stomach, or to have hoped the events in his life never led to a moment such as this.

Sighing, he let the sheet flap fall back into place and cover the mess.

He then stood up and looked over at Moon and Phendo who had their noses covered with their hands and were breathing through their mouth instead. Moon had tears in her eyes, partly because of the stench, and the other reason because there was a rotting corpse of a woman under that bed. Alec assumed.

He'd rather not tell those two what's under that bed.

"We should leave a note." He dusts his hands off onto his pants and looks around the room for any source of paper and a writing utensil.

Seconds later, there was a slightly noticeable red fingerprint on a yellow sticky note that was stuck to the front of the now closed room door.

Receptionist found dead. Either find your missing people or get out now. We're on our way back to the lobby. See ya there.

-Alec, Addie, Moon, and Phendo

Alec didn't bother to go in depth on the note. It would waste too much time if he didn't just get to the point.

Who knows if the killer would come back to the scene and make a new one with the four of them?

"So your names Alec?" Addie asks, her lips formed into a toothy smile. How she was smiling right now was a wonder to him. But he ignored it. Some people cope different ways. Plus, she might've seen dead bodies before. Though, that thought is a bit concerning.

Also, a random thing that suddenly occurred to him; This was a terrible opening to give his name out.

"Mhm." He doesn't say anything else. Neither does the girl.

There's a faint worried questioning of the scene behind the two, curtesy of Moon and Phendo who didn't know what to do now—assumably they had read the note Addie and Alec placed on the door— but it stopped as quickly as it had started.

And for once, the rest of the walk was silent as they headed for the lobby.

Why did it bother him?

That the silence was so loud now?