7: The Morning Announcement

Winona stared at Adrian for three full seconds before crossing her arms.

“Yeah,” she said finally. “You definitely had too much whiskey tonight.”

A tired smile appeared on his face. “I knew you wouldn’t believe me.”

“I can believe weird things,” Winona replied honestly. “But you need actual proof before I start accepting time loop theories from attractive strangers hiding in storage rooms.”

Adrian leaned back slightly against the shelves behind him. “I don’t remember everything. Just fragments.”

“What kind of fragments?”

His gaze lowered briefly toward the silver lighter still sitting in her hand.

“I remembered finding your lighter in the lobby,” he said quietly. “I remembered talking to you outside your room. I remembered hearing the scream. Then I remembered you leaving your room anyway even though you were told not to.”

Winona looked offended. “Okay first of all, that sounds exactly like something I’d do.”

“It is.”

“And then?”

Adrian hesitated unexpectedly.

“And then what?” she pressed.

To her surprise, faint color appeared across his face.

Winona’s eyes widened immediately. “Oh my God.”

Adrian looked away.

“Oh my God,” she repeated louder. “Did we do it?”

“What? No.”

“Then why are you blushing?”

“We hugged.”

Winona blinked slowly. “That’s it?”

“You make it sound disappointing.”

“I mean…” She looked him up and down dramatically. “A little.”

Adrian actually laughed quietly at that. The sound caught her off guard because... he looked softer and hotter when he laughed.

Less mysterious movie character and more dangerously charming man who probably ruined lives without trying.

“Well,” Winona said casually, “do you want a hug now to complete your little prophecy?”

Adrian stared at her for half a second. “Yes?”

The honesty in that answer nearly made her laugh again.

“Wow,” she muttered while stepping closer. “You really are bad at pretending to be normal.”

“You noticed?”

Winona wrapped her arms around him briefly, mostly as a joke.

Mostly.

But the second Adrian relaxed against her, the teasing smile faded slightly from her face. He felt warm despite the cold air in the storage room, and for one strange moment, the chaos outside stopped mattering entirely.

Then Adrian spoke softly near her ear.

“See? I told you I remembered parts of the night.”

Winona pulled back immediately. “Okay, now that’s mildly terrifying.”

“And yet you’re still here.”

“Unfortunately, curiosity is one of my worst personality traits.”

Thunder rumbled outside again.

The moment stretched for a second too long before Winona finally cleared her throat and stepped away.

“We’ll continue your suspicious little reincarnation theory tomorrow,” she decided. “Right now we should probably check if someone actually got murdered.”

Adrian looked like he wanted to argue, but eventually nodded.

They carefully opened the storage room door and stepped back into the hallway.

The emergency lights still glowed dim red across the corridor while rain battered the windows outside. Winona looked around slowly, expecting blood, broken furniture, literally anything.

Nothing. No body, no screaming and no signs of anyone being attacked.

Every guest room door remained tightly shut.

Winona frowned deeply. “What the hell?”

Adrian walked farther down the hallway before stopping near the elevator.

“There’s nothing here.”

“But we both heard it.”

“I know.”

A cold feeling settled slowly in Winona’s stomach.

Then Adrian spoke quietly. “Maybe the screaming was never about killing someone.”

Winona looked at him. “Maybe it was meant to scare people into opening their doors.”

Neither of them liked that explanation.

Finally Adrian exhaled softly. “You should get some sleep.”

“After the night I've had, I don't think I can actually sleep.”

“You’re alive. That’s a good start.”

Winona rolled her eyes but returned to her room anyway.

For a long time after locking the door, she lay awake staring at the ceiling while thunder echoed through the mountains outside.

Eventually exhaustion pulled her under.

Then morning came.

The loudspeaker crackled sharply overhead.

[Good morning, guests.]

Winona jolted awake instantly.

[Last night, one participant violated hotel rules.]

A brief pause followed.

Then the voice smiled. She cannot see the face, but she can feel their expression.

[One guest is now dead.]