Chapter 2: Jakob’s Log

We entered the building through the wooden double door. We were greeted by a long narrow hallway. The floor was carpeted with a scarlet colour. The walls wore pictures and paintings of landscape and past staff or customers.

The walls were made of some dark wood I couldn't recognize. The roof had beams that were nailed into both sides of the wall.

As we neared the ending of the hallway, we were greeted by a wave of cool air. It was great to feel the cold breeze on my skin after spending the whole day inside of a minivan packed full of people.

The first thing I noticed as we reached the main room was the odd music playing on the radio. It sounded fairly similar to the Exorcist theme. It wasn't loud, but it was loud enough not to be drowned out by the AC unit.

There were two desks in the room. One had a green lamp which was turned on. A man who looked as though he was in his thirties sat behind the smooth desk operating on an old computer. Boredom was plastered on his face.

A shelf sat on the wall behind him. Each key had a little red tag that displayed a number. Those were probably the room keys.

On the other side of the room was another desk. It had no computer or shelf where the keys could be stored. Behind the desk, sat a woman who seemed to be in her early twenties. She probably took this as a summer job to pay for living expenses.

The guy at the desk peaked up from his computer. His expression quickly changed from his previous bored one. He was smiling from ear to ear, it almost looked unnatural.

''Hello there. You can call me David. I welcome you to the Starlight Resort. Please make your way to my desk if you wish to book a room.'' David spoke with a passionate tone of voice.

Richard and Michael walked to David's desk with their luggage. Richard rummaged around in his pocket, looking for his online receipt which he printed out.

''Hello, my name is Richard. I booked three rooms online for me and my friends. We will be staying for five days in total.''

Michael and David engaged with Richard and started drifting from talking about the bookings and ended up talking about football.

The two girls walked to the other desk which laid barren before the young woman. Jessica started the conversation with her unusually high pitched voice. The woman was startled by Jessica and Samantha.

I heard her say Daph so I will assume that is her name. Daph quickly adjusted to Jessica's voice and joined in on the conversation. They blabbered on and on about things that don't interest me.

My eyes wandered around the room. From the floor to the ceiling and then to the plants in the corner of the room. A small indoor plant was situated on both corners of the room. They stood from the bottom, all the way to the top. Its colour was a vibrant lively green which you wouldn't see around this time of year.

A door was just beyond the desk of the lady. The door was labelled WC.

Drip drop. Drip drop. The sound of the falling water echoed. It came from behind me. The front door. Was someone using the well? No, why would the sound echo from there to here? It was loud, not just loud but getting louder.

What is this sound? Why am I hearing it? Where is it coming from?

''Hey, Jakob. Come on, let's go to our rooms.''

A strong hand landed on my shoulder which instinctively made me pull back. It was just Richard. He looked at me with bewilderment.

''A-alright, let's go.''