Pandora’s Box - Part 1

"Damn it, I'm telling you that you need to come here now!" Screaming into the phone, I had grown tired of trying to convince Ophelia to come and check on the mess at the hotel. "Misses Marloon was taken by one of the monsters and killed and you're telling me to wait?!"

I heard her sighing at the other end of the phone as if this was just another nuisance for her. After waiting a few seconds for her to respond, she finally did.

"I'll send someone to check things with the next supply truck, in the meantime make sure the news doesn't break out to the other guest–"

"All guests are leaving already!" I retorted before she could finish that sentence. "Mister Marloon ran off with his daughter as well. It wasn't safe for him or his daughter he said, not to mention he was damned broken and pissed!"

It was truly a miracle he didn't turn violent, although that could possibly be because he knew he was surrounded by monster girls working in the hotel.

"Fine, I'll be there as soon as I can, but I'm in the middle of training a new recruit, not to mention I'll have to report this mess to my higher-ups so they can bury the news before it makes it to the people!" Growing agitated as well, her tone turned dire. But I didn't have to bear it for long as she quickly hung up with a visceral grunt.

 "Bitch…" Putting down the phone, all I could do was exhale the stress building up in my lungs.

It all happened so fast. The night we spent together, and the very next morning she was found dead in a cave filled with monsters. Had it not been for Senya and Rin we might never have found her body either.

'Not like her husband wants her body now anyway.' Having left his wife's mangled body behind, he didn't want anything to do with what the monsters had done to her. He was afraid of being cursed by some magic, but more than that, and although he didn't voice it, I could see in his eyes that he didn't want his daughter to see her mother in that condition.

"We shouldn't stay here, it's not safe," muttered Cinder, her whole body burning a cold blue flame.

Visibly the most upset by the ordeal, she was shaking where she stood. As for the others, it wasn't Rin's first time seeing a human body I assumed, and the same could be said for Senya. Maiko, however, I still couldn't get a read on how she felt about the situation.

"Lock every entrance, every window, and make sure nothing comes in or goes out until the next supply truck arrives," standing upright once more, I decided to take charge of the situation instead of just waiting around for help. "I'll have Ophelia make sure that this place is one hundred percent safe before we accept any new guests, and before that happens, we're gonna leave for the city as well."

"So, we just have to hold on until Ophelia gets here?" Rin asked.

"First the truck, it'll bring us the supplies to stay here until Ophelia can come over for her damn report," the moment I was done clearing that up, a noisy herd of footsteps began rushing down the stairs.

Bags clutched in their hands, the remaining guests were eager to run back to their families, even those who were here cheating on their significant other with some side fling. Having already failed to convince them to stay, I motioned the girls to get away from the reception area so these morons could rush back to their houses.

"Cinder and Maiko, you two keep an eye on everyone until their ride arrives," still bothered by everything that had happened, I desperately needed some time to myself.

Walking away from the chaos at the reception, my mind was filled with the memories from last night. Only her husband's name being written in full on our reservation list, I didn't even know what Miss Marloon's actual name was. My mind was still struggling to accept that she was dead, especially since she must've died just a few hours later after having her fill of lust in the bathhouse.

'Maybe I shouldn't have done what I did last night?' Feeling regretful, I tried to give some purpose to her death. But in the end, deep down I knew her death was in no way directly my fault. 'Even if we didn't do what we did, those monsters who kidnapped her wouldn't have cared.'

"You seem troubled again," not realizing where I was going, I almost ran into Erica who was just coming out of her room. "Did the woman mean that much to you? Or are you simply stressed?"

Taking just a moment to think it over, I realized that I myself wasn't sure which was the case. I only knew her for a while and in that time, she'd already spread her legs for me. Surely it wasn't out of love or admiration, but the simple desires of the flesh. And so, why did I care so much?

"Not sure then?" Erica muttered; her eyes nearly squinted shut.

"How did you know?" I asked, lifting my head to look at her.

"Intuition, besides you are carrying around a grim look," her answer suddenly made me subconscious about the look on my face.

Washing away the expression, I forced a light smile on my lips as I looked at Erica.

"Nothing to worry about really. Still, I think we should all get some rest once the other guests have left," with that said, I started walking once more. But before I left for the upper floors, Erica said one last thing to me.

"I'll be leaving tomorrow evening by the way. And if you're still up for the offer I made, then talk to me before then." Saying that she headed back into her room.

With so much to think about and so much to mull over, it would've been ideal to take her up on her offer right then and there. However, in the broken state of mind that I was in, I needed at least a few hours before I could think clearly about anything.

'Don't rush into things.' Remembering back to when I invited Ophelia into the hotel thinking she was a pair of lost mother and child, I made my way to my room to take a nap before thinking things through. 'Besides, I haven't slept since last night at all.'