It was a standard hotel room. The carpets were a brown-orange color and the bed was a decent size. Whoever set it up even had the mind to hang up artwork on the walls. Everything inside made it all feel so regular, the only thing that stood out in the room was the black suitcase next to the bed. It was a rather large suitcase, it actually looked quite similar to my-
"AAAAAAAAAAAAA!!"
It came from the room next door. Celeste was next door.
I ran out of the room and straight into hers. She left her door open. I couldn't tell what was wrong. She was pushing herself into the wall while in complete hysterics. She noticed me and started frantically pointing in the direction of her bed. Her reaction was too big for something like a bug but nothing about the room seemed odd, though the pink suitcase by her bed was also kind of cute.
I could hear more noise coming from the hallway. I went over to where Celeste was crying in an attempt to calm her down. So much had already happened, I just wanted to forget about everything and go to sleep. She wouldn't stop crying, I couldn't tell if it was an appropriate reaction to something or just her dramatic nature. When she had calmed herself down enough to stop the tears she seemed to just take a glance past me before entering a full-blown panic attack. I looked around the room trying to figure out what had triggered such an intense reaction.
I started pointing to different objects in the room to try and understand what she was looking at, it wasn't until I pointed at the suitcase that her eyes went wide and she started shaking. I walked towards the suitcase and opened it. The contents looked fitting; there were various clothes, toiletries, and accessories. Everything seemed ordinary, of course, the things inside weren't plain in any way but they matched Celeste's taste.
/Her taste?/
I knew my voice was shaking, I really didn't want to ask her.
"Do you… Are thes- are these your clothes?"
She was nodding frantically, tears were pouring out of her eyes. I couldn't stay in her room for a second longer after figuring it out. I ran back into my room and tore open the black suitcase.
/Fuck!/
Everything was mine- the shoes were mine, the clothes were mine, the damn soap in the toiletry bag was mine. Of course it was, why didn't I think of that? I understood the fact that woman knew my name already, but she knew where I lived and what I used too? What else did she know, how much more information did she have about me? I kept digging through the case, looking at all of my belongings, all of the things no longer at my house. At the bottom of the suitcase was a framed photo of my husband and I.
/God, was he okay?/
In the whirlwind of the day I had already forgotten about my husband. My husband who was either looking for me or in just as much danger as I was. I started to panic, was it my fault? If something had happened to him it would've been because of me right? What kind of wife was I to get kidnapped by a clearly psychopathic woman and put the love of my life at this much risk? With everything they had, there was no way that she didn't know about his existence. What did I do to deserve this? Only God knows if I'll ever get to see him again, and that was only if I could get out of this horrible place.
I didn't even realize I was crying until I saw the droplets of water hit the glass that laid on top of the photo. I couldn't stand looking at it, the picture just reminded me of the days, months, and years that I was losing at this very moment. All at once I felt the memories that I cherished become painful, it hurt to think about them. A bitter shame and embarrassment rose up into my chest. It hurt to have the frame in my hands but I couldn't let it go. I just held it tighter and closer. The last things I did with him were the last things I would probably get to do with him; every touch, every word, every gesture, everything. I tried to wipe away the tears but they kept coming.
She had somehow managed to bring so many of my things here, it was as if she knew what I needed to live here comfortably. And as twisted as it was, she did a really good job. She had given me everything I could've wanted except a way out. It was smart, really smart. But not that smart, because if she really knew me as well as she seemed to, then she would've brought the only thing I truly needed. Him.
I needed to escape, there had to be a way out of this place. There was one. She told us the direct way out. I just needed to be the last one left.
/Was I seriously considering this??/
No, that wasn't an option. There had to be another, I was going to get out of here without doing that. I just had to find another way. I picked myself up and dusted off my clothes. I set the photo down on the nightstand by the bed, before leaving the room. The hallway was a mess. Someone had thrown clothes out of their room, and others had been in a similar condition to Celeste. Everything was going downhill. It was shock after shock, but I felt like it was starting to take less time to get over each thing because amidst the chaos the only thing that really struck me was that the woman was gone.
/Gone?/
"Where did she go?"
She had to have gone somewhere, but where? She probably left during the confusion but someone must've seen her leave. Someone had to, but if they did, they would've told the rest of the group. Right?
/Of course./
There weren't many places she could've gone anyway.
I could look for her. I could probably find her if I tried hard enough, but did I even have the energy to try? No. Any kind of willpower I had was gone. She would probably overpower me anyway. How could I fight back against this, I didn't even know what 'this' was. It's tiring. Everything was taking a toll on me. I couldn't keep up with the changes, every new piece of information hit harder than the last, and all I needed was for it all to stop. I wanted someone to wake me up and tell me it was a joke. But it wasn't. All I could do was laugh bitterly at the facts and accept them. Because the thought of what was waiting for me outside might've been scarier than the reality of these hallways and my situation.
Would I even have anything left after escaping, how could I be sure that she didn't do anything else to my life? If I even managed to get out I wouldn't be able to live with myself if anything had happened to the people I cared about while I was away.
/No, they're okay, He's okay. Just focus on yourself. Worry about the here and now./
I took a glance around the area, the situation at hand was too much to deal with. I went back into my assigned room. Since getting out anytime soon wasn't exactly an option I should at least take advantage of the facilities.
The shower was surprisingly nice but it didn't provide much for my own relaxation. After cautiously putting on my pajamas I threw myself backwards onto the bed and looked up at the ceiling light. Did it even turn on? Everything in this forsaken building was probably fake anyways. Various thoughts entered my mind, but only one seemed to stick. I looked over at the picture on the nightstand.
/What were we going to do?/