"Is this possible? Could I have been daydreaming while I was awake?" Frederick's voice trembled, his eyes fixed on the screen as if willing the footage to change. His face was pale, with a sheen of sweat on his forehead.
James and Henry exchanged a skeptical glance, their faces lit only by the faint glow of the monitors. "Fred, we need to consider the possibility that—"
But Frederick cut in, his voice rising in desperation. "No, no, no! I know what I saw! That guy, the tattooed man, he was there! And Carina... she was with me! You guys saw the note, and the mark on my neck; I couldn't have done that to myself." He was fully in panic mode now.
The men on duty, as well as Taris looked at Fredrick, confusion written all over their faces. Fredrick could tell what they were thinking. If this was happening to someone else while he just stood by and watched, he would never have believed the person! He would have one of two theories – the person was either one persistent, brazen liar, or he was losing a couple of nuts!
Just then, Louisa's voice pierced the tension. "Where's Stacey?" She looked around the room, her eyes scanning the faces. "I thought she was right behind me..."
The group turned to her, their faces etched with concern. "I thought she was with us too," James said, his brow furrowed.
Taris spoke up, his eyes flicking towards the door. "Actually, she went to use the restroom... about…" he looked at the watch on his wrist to confirm the time "fifteen minutes ago."
Susan's eyes widened. "Fifteen minutes? Isn't that too long?"
The group exchanged worried glances, their faces illuminated only by the flickering screens.
"Maybe she just needed some air. I know I do." Louisa interjected, sounding calmer.
Susan stood up, her voice firm. "Maybe, but we shouldn't take chances. I'll go with Taris to find her. We need to make sure she's okay."
Taris nodded, his eyes locked on Susan. "I'll lead the way."
As they turned to leave, Frederick's voice stopped them. "What if something has happened to her?" Frederick's voice was laced with worry, his eyes fixed on the door.
Taris's expression was reassuring. "I am not sure what you guys are dealing with at the moment, but I can assure you that Stacey is fine. The hotel has tight security. Everyone is safe."
But his words did little to alleviate Frederick's concern. Susan and Taris exchanged a glance, and without a word, they headed towards the restroom.
As they approached the door, they didn't hear anything. Susan's heart raced as she pushed open the door. She started opening all of the toilet doors until she found Stacey on the floor – head between her knees, hands over ears, whimpering.
"Stacey!" Susan crouched next to her, Taris close behind.
Stacey did not lift her head until Susan touched her, then she let out a scream, trying to fight Susan until she realized it was her mother. Her face was pale and her eyes wide with fear as she sobbed.
Susan held her in a tight embrace, whispering "It's okay, you're safe now" until Stacey's body was no longer trembling.
After what seemed like forever, Stacey lifted her head, eyes locked onto Susan, and she let out a sob. "I was trapped... I couldn't get out..."
"It's fine now. I got you, baby. Can you stand?"
Taris helped Susan support her, and together they guided her out of the restroom.
As they walked back to the control room, Stacey's fear was palpable. She clung to Susan's arm, her eyes darting around the corridor as if expecting something to jump out at her.
The group quickly found a lounge area in the hotel, and they sat Stacey down on a couch. Louisa, who had been watching with concern, quickly assessed her.
"Stacey, sweetie, I need to check you over. Are you hurt anywhere?" Louisa's voice was gentle, her hands probing for any signs of injury.
Stacey shook her head, her eyes still wide with fear. "N-no... I just... I was trapped..."
Louisa nodded, her expression reassuring. "You're not hurt, just shocked. We'll get you calmed down, okay?" She turned to Taris who was still observing everything quietly. "Could we please get a bottle of water?"
He nodded and excused himself. In less than three minutes, he was back with the water and the glass.
After Stacey took some sips, Louisa sat back down. "You're going to be okay, sweetie. Just take some deep breaths."
Stacey nodded, her body still shaking with fear. But as she looked around at the concerned faces, she slowly began to relax, her breathing slowing down.
Once everything looked under control, Taris excused himself, his eyes lingering on Stacey's pale face. "I need to get back to work. Please feel free to send for me if you need anything else."
"Thank you" came a dull response from James who was still taking in everything.
Once Taris was out of earshot, the group turned to Stacey, their faces etched with concern. "Hey, Stacey, can you tell us what happened?" Susan asked gently.
Stacey took a deep breath, her eyes closing as she relived the terrifying experience. "The lights... they started flickering. And then... the door… it locked. I was trapped."
"What do you mean the door locked?" Frederick asked, his brow furrowed.
Stacey's eyes opened, her gaze darting around the room. "I mean, it was like someone locked it from the outside. I was stuck. And then... the lights went out completely."
"Oh my dear," Louisa breathed. "That must have been terrifying."
Stacey continued, her voice barely above a whisper. "I heard footsteps. I thought... I thought I was going to die. I tried to call dad, but I didn't have any network bars."
Susan's expression was skeptical. "Hmm… But when we got to the toilet, the lights were on..."
Stacey's eyes widened. "That's because... I… I don't know. Maybe whoever it was left, but I was not alone. There was someone in that restroom with me. I could feel him…"
"How do you know it was a 'he' and not a woman maybe?" Henry asked.
"I don't know… I just… know." Stacey knew that she wasn't making any sense, but there was nothing more she could say. Nothing made sense to her either.
The group exchanged worried glances, their minds racing with possibilities. "We should send that note to the NIS for analysis," James suggested. "At this point, we cannot keep trying to play detectives. We obviously do not know what we are doing."
Henry debunked the idea. "We can't just walk into their hands. It's a trap."
"But what if it's not?" Frederick countered. "What if it's a genuine clue?"
"You mentioned once about hiring private detectives when this whole madness began with both your late wives. Why can't we do that again?" Susan suggested.
"If you listened closely, you'd remember we said that one of the detectives died mysteriously, and the other suddenly dropped off the surface of the earth."
"So, do we keep going on circles? Or just sit back and wait for whatever is after our kids to get them?"
The debate continued, with no one willing to budge. Finally, Louisa held up her hands. "Enough. We're not going to solve this now, and we can't be fighting amongst ourselves. Let's just go home and regroup. We can tackle this again tomorrow."
"What about my dreams? Azrael?"
Everyone shifted their attention back to Stacey.
"Stacey, darling, we all need to sleep on it. Neither of us is any good to you right now." Louisa explained calmly.
Stacey let out a sigh; Fredrick's mother was right. They were all mentally exhausted at the moment.
"So, we'll meet again tomorrow?" Louisa asked to ensure they were all on the same page.
The group reluctantly agreed.
As they stood up to leave, Stacey's eyes locked onto Susan's. "Thank you... for coming to find me, mum."
Susan's expression was warm. "Anytime, sweetie. We're in this together."
As they walked out of the hotel, Frederick's phone buzzed in his pocket. He pulled it out, his heart skipping a beat as he saw an encrypted phone number flash on the screen.
"The hour of revelation draws near. The road you will find when the moment is ripe. Alone you must walk in three days' time, and the veil will be lifted from thine eyes. Come seeking the truth, but beware of the darkness that follows.
…your friend from the shadows."
Frederick's eyes scanned the message, his mind racing with fear and uncertainty. It was Carina again. This was his proof that he hadn't made anything up. He turned to show them the text, but he hesitated. Something held him back. Maybe it was the warning in the message to come alone, or maybe it was the fact that he was beginning to have second thoughts on who he could trust.
Whatever the reason, Frederick decided to keep the message to himself. He pocketed his phone, his eyes fixed on the ground as they continued walking.