"Let me get this straight, so this isn't the usual Amnesia, it's like something is hollowing out the victims from the inside," Daisuke said.
Zuri nodded. "Yes, that is correct."
"And..." He slid his glasses onto his face. "The victims claimed to have happy dreams, one said 'he's right,' but they didn't say who. The victims were faced with different challenges before losing their memories. They got therapy before they went missing, but their families had no idea who the therapist is."
Amare nodded. "Exactly."
Daisuke sighed, rubbing his temple. "This is a complicated case."
Jared adjusted his hat. "Well… we do have someone that can help us."
He perked up immediately. "Really? Who?"
"Her name is Leora," Veronica stated. "The DPO led us to her house. She's the only victim who still has some fragments of her memories. She mentioned the day she was about to end herself; she went to a rooftop only to find someone there. She can't remember how they looked, but she remembers they gave her a black card, and she also went for therapy sessions."
Daisuke rubbed his chin thoughtfully. "The therapist is possibly the one who gave her the black card. Do you have it?"
Amare shook his head. "No. She was about to get the black card, but she fainted. We took her to the hospital. On the other hand, the DPO dismissed us, saying it's getting late. He said he'll order his men to search her house for the card. He'll get back to us tomorrow morning."
Daisuke nodded approvingly. "That's good. Great job, everyone. You're dismissed."
They all exited his office. Veronica returned to the front desk where MJ was cleaning her pistol with absolute focus. Veronica's lips twitched upward in a sarcastic smile. "Planning on shooting someone? Fine, but at least let me leave first."
MJ replied flatly, "No."
Veronica grinned. "You sure do love your guns more than people."
MJ didn't look up from her gun. "They're more tolerable than people."
Veronica arched a brow. "Oh? What does that make me then?"
MJ gave her a side glance. "You're different, and you know that."
Veronica's eyes softened for a moment as she stared at her.
"By the way," MJ said without looking up, "your room is ready."
Veronica blinked. "My room?"
"Yes," MJ replied, finally lifting her eyes from the pistol to Veronica. "It's located in the staff quarters. Two people share a room, and you are sharing a room with me."
"You're serious?"
"Does it look like I'm joking?"
"Yeah… no."
They spent the rest of the evening at the front desk, checking in guests, MJ being unbothered as ever, while Veronica remained chill on the outside but combusting on the inside due to the kinds of guests checking in. (It's a paranormal hotel after all.) Somehow, she was adjusting just fine to the hotel's bizarre brand of madness.
At exactly 11:30 p.m., the grandfather clock chimed, and a voice came through the announcer's speaker.
"All guests and workers, please return to your respective rooms. The hour is drawing near."
Veronica looked up. "The hour?"
"Yeah," MJ said while arranging a stack of papers. "The hotel tends to get unstable once it's 12 midnight."
Veronica raised a brow. "Unstable?"
MJ waved a hand vaguely. "Yeah. The building is sentient and gets unstable by 12:00 midnight. I don't know much about it; it's something I encountered when I got here. It's not safe to wander about during that time, and everyone knows it." She got up from her seat. "Come, let's go to our room."
They entered the elevator. MJ pressed a button as the doors closed, and Veronica could feel the elevator sinking lower level by level. After a while, the doors opened, and they stepped out. The corridor was long and slightly narrow, painted in soft beige. The lights were warm, not harsh, giving everything a slightly golden tint. MJ and Veronica walked through the corridor, which was slightly chaotic with everyone trying to get to their rooms. She could see the ghost cleaning crew and other staff. Veronica could swear she saw a painting hide, but she didn't freak out she had seen worse.
MJ stopped in front of a brown door, and so did Veronica. She brought out her key and unlocked the door. They stepped in. The room was quite spacious. Veronica noticed the rift in the middle of the room. On the left side, there was a table and a desk near the window, a simple bed, and a wardrobe painted in soft beige. Her eyes drifted to the mini dolphins wallpaper. She smirked that was definitely MJ's side of the room. On the right, there was also a desk, chair, bed, and wardrobe, but the air shimmered slightly as if someone was still deciding on what kind of aesthetic this side of the room should have.
MJ pointed to the right side of the room. "That's your space." With that, she walked toward her bed and flopped onto it.
Veronica tilted her head. "Why does it look off?"
"That's because the building is yet to know you properly. Every room is like this, and each space of the room is designed according to your kind of aesthetic, which the hotel notices. Since you're new, yours looks like that. But don't worry, give it time; it will change."
Veronica let out a dry chuckle. "Figures." Her eyes drifted to the mini dolphin wallpaper once more. She walked toward her bed and flopped onto it. Her eyelids were getting heavy, ready to close. She checked the time on her phone one more time and saw it was 11:59. She heard noises from outside that didn't sound like the kind people make; they sounded too mechanical.
"Not my problem," she thought. At last, her eyelids closed.
The first hints of the next day seeped in through the darkness. It was 5:00 a.m., and a faint "ding dong" was heard throughout the staff quarters, cutting through the silence. MJ had to wake Veronica, who was still half asleep and groggy. By 5:30, all staff were out of their rooms, heading toward the cafeteria. Along the corridor, Veronica noticed something odd about a corner to her left; it looked wrapped as if space was distorted around it. MJ noticed as well and quickly nudged her.
"Just ignore it. It's the aftermath of what happened at midnight. It will return to normal."
Veronica listened, but once she glanced back, the corner had returned to normal. The cafeteria was quite noisy, ghosts hovering about, staff bantering within their circles. Raymond had to apologize to a sentient vending machine for kicking it last week so that he could get snacks. By 6:00 a.m., the hotel stirred as work resumed for the morning. Veronica and MJ were already at the front desk.
By 8:30 a.m., the four: Amare, Jared, Zuri, and Veronica headed for Daru District once more. The DPO had called them earlier, saying the situation required urgent attention.
Zuri was the first to break the silence. "I guess they've found the black card."
Amare gave her a side glance. "Possibly… maybe something else happened, because the DPO's voice carried a hint of worry."
They reached Daru District in no time. They headed for the hospital because the DPO told them to meet him there, the very same place where Leora was hospitalized. They passed through the entrance and saw the DPO pacing about while biting the tip of his thumb. There was also a nurse there who had a worried expression on her face.
Jared's brows furrowed. "Sir?"
His head snapped back up, his shoulders dropped, and his expression softened a bit.
"Oh, thank goodness you're here. You need to see this," he turned to the nurse. "Please lead the way."
The nurse nodded and walked away while the rest followed. She led them to the ward where Leora was kept. They saw her lying peacefully; nothing looked wrong.
"What seems to be the issue?" Veronica asked.
The DPO exhaled slowly, his brows furrowing. "Leora is dead."
The silence was deafening. Amare's eyes widened, Zuri's hands flew to her mouth, Jared froze, and Veronica felt a shiver down her spine.
Amare was the first to break the silence. "Wh… what?"
The nurse adjusted her glasses. "I believe she died due to natural causes."
Zuri gaped, blinking rapidly. "B… but she was fine yesterday."
The nurse nodded solemnly. "Yes, she was. I understand how you feel. I've seen several cases similar to hers where the patient faints, and the next day… they pass on."
The nurse said something about giving them some space and left. The five of them stared at Leora's lifeless body in silence. Jared glanced at the window, then back again. He noticed the window pane wavered unnaturally, like heat waves almost imperceptible to the normal eye.
Amare moved closer to the bed, followed by Zuri. They felt an empty sensation around her, like something vital was missing or cut off abruptly. They exchanged glances and nodded.
"I don't think her death is natural," Amare stated.
Veronica looked at him. "Meaning?"
Zuri rubbed her chin thoughtfully. "Meaning… she didn't die due to natural causes. There's something off. The air around her is wrong; it's like a part of her is missing."
Amare twirled a lock of his hair. "Exactly. Something… or someone is responsible for this. We need Eniola's attention for this."
"Ah, the witch, huh?" The DPO's brow furrowed in concentration. "Maybe she can help me out as well."
Veronica looked at him. "What do you mean?"
He sighed softly, running a hand through his hair, grimacing. "Leora isn't the only one who died. The two men I sent to her house to search for the black card were also found dead this morning."
After he spoke those words, no one moved. For a moment, nothing felt real; everything had happened too fast, too neatly, as if someone or something was covering its tracks, and doing it perfectly. A single thought sank into all their minds: this case had just become far more complicated.