"Hello, I'm the manager of this hotel, Ashish Sharma. Please come this way."

As we followed him inside the hotel, we were amazed by its beauty. It had been built so delicately, as if everything here was carved from ice and could fall and shatter anytime. Everything inside was white - white marble floors and stairs, white wooden doors, and transparent chandeliers.

The manager was also super sweet to us. He showed us around the main amenities provided to us around the hotel, which consisted of a huge balcony, which was filled with small tables and chairs and could be used by everyone at the same time, a public swimming pool and a hot tub too, the seemingly wild, but cared for by the hotel staff, garden at the backside of the hotel, which was a scene straight out of a jungle. We were free to use all these during our stay in Black Clouds and these were more entertaining for Huma than Shimla itself.

As we entered our room on the first floor, we were floored once again. Here too, all the furniture was pure white and looked so beautiful and elegant. All of this felt straight out of a fairytale, even to me. But what both of us forgot was, even fairytales are not sunshine and rainbows. When the evil witch arrives, the prince and the princess are always in peril.

The first night, we didn't go out of our room. Just stayed inside, played games, watched T.V. and went to sleep. The second day, however, was more productive. Today, we were going to visit a few temples and the Tani-Jubber Lake for boating. It wasn't that bad of a plan to start the day with.

We first decided to have breakfast, so we went to the restaurant downstairs. The menu looked really scrumptious and we couldn't wait to get our order.

"So, how are your classes going now?"
I asked Huma, with a hint of teasing in my voice.

Huma was a professor of literature in the same college as mine, but she was a little quiet to be one. Her students loved her, as a teacher because she was well-informed all the time, but something unexpected happened to her in the last month.

A boy in her class suddenly confessed to liking her in text and since that day, she has become uncomfortable during her own lectures. Turns out, that guy is really popular and rich, and not very much younger than her, but she doesn't listen to me and is all about the transparency between a teacher and student.

"They are much better, thanks to my sturdy resolve and return in confidence."
She bit back, which amused me even more.

"Oh come on, how can you give yourself all the credit? It was me who told you to keep your chin up and be confident in front of your students! You can't disregard me like that, okay?"

"Yeah, actually you gave me the best advice. 'So what's the harm in that? Say yes to him, because he is crazy for you!' I have never recieved such high class advice from anyone before, especially not from a teacher."

"I was right though, and I am still right. He has not really given up on you, I'm sure of it. It's just that he has been busy due to his exams, but next semester, he is definitely going to be back on his agenda."

"Nooo. Shreya, can't you say something pleasant for once? I don't want to suffer like the last time okay? And he will not come back to me, that's for sure."
She whined, trying to block him out but failing miserably. I also knew that deep down, she also has feelings for the guy but is just too egotistical to admit it.

"Whatever you say. You will know that I am right in a few months. Also-"

At that time, I got interrupted by the manager and his assistant who came to stand by our table. The manager whose name was, Ashish Sharma, smiled at us before asking,

"Good morning ladies. Did you enjoy your stay at our hotel so far?"

"Good morning. And yeah, we did. Your management and the ambience of this hotel is unparalleled! And of course, the food too."
I said, pointing at my aloo paratha, while Huma just smiled.

"I'm so glad that you liked our food. I hope you will enjoy the rest of your stay."
And with that, he left us to enjoy our meal.

***

It was evening now, and we were both ecstatic and exhausted from roaming around the whole day. It had been an eventful day, and now I just wanted to relax. I wasn't in the mood to sleep just yet, so I suggested something to Huma, not sure if she would be up for it.

"Hey, what if, after dinner, we go to that common balcony the manager showed us on the third floor and have a few drinks?"

She looked bemused for a few moments, but then asked me,
"Why? Do you still have the energy to sit for long?"

"Yeah. I mean, I'm tired, but not to the extent that I can fall asleep. Also, you know I have been obsessed with checking that place out ever since we came here, so I thought that this would be the best chance. So, are you down?"

"Okayyy. Let's go after dinner!"
She said, making me happy and excited.

"Yess! Finally!!"
I shouted, making her laugh.

It was now 11:55 pm, close to midnight. It was a night in early May, but it was still freezing. Maybe I was the only one who felt this way because I was only in pajamas and a thin shirt. Tonight, there was no moon in the sky to lead us if we list our way. I could hear the winds blowing and the rustling of the trees was only getting louder by the second, as if they were anxious and were warning us of the danger that lied ahead. It was a cold, windy and dark night.

I could hear the continuous croaking of the frogs somewhere in the wild, followed by the occasional hoot of an owl. But strangely, the hoot didn't sound like it always used to - it sounded distinct, more high-pitched, like a shriek. As if the owl itself was wary of whatever or whomever he had seen and taken up the task of warning the others on his shoulders.

I was petrified. The cold wind, the utter darkness and the distinctive sounds of the wind and the animals sent shudders down my spine. Thick beads of sweat coated my face and neck and my hands went all clammy even when it was so chilly outside. My hair that was tied in a messy bun, now came loose decorating my back with a long, black curtain. I didn't remember nor comprehend the reason why we came here anymore.

"S-shreya, I- I don't think we should stay here anymore. This is really suspicious. Let's go."
My best friend, Huma told me, who was trying her best to cover herself up behind me.

"Don't be... scared. Don't worry okay? Nothing is wrong. It's just a power cut,"

I assured my friend but deep down, couldn't assure myself.

"No girl, I'm scared. And I know that it's not just a power cut. I have no idea about what sorcery this is, but I had a very similar dream two nights ago, and trust me when I say this, we need to leave. Now!"
Huma was shaking, and I was confused as hell.

Was this what she saw in her dream that night on the train? That's not even possible, she has never seen this place, then how can she...? Oh nevermind. If I don't listen to her right now, it kind of will be a problem, so we'll just leave.

But little did we know that we wouldn't be able to leave this place even if we tried. Little did we know that it wouldn't be such a cakewalk. Once you are trapped in the callous depths of evil, there is very little way to come out; once you enter that dark, abysmal chasm, it will be nearly impossible to save yourself.

As soon as I turned to walk towards the elevator, my hand that was gripping the wall tightly for support, felt a little off. I felt something wet on my hand, and I could not feel any more disgusted. What now!!

"Huma, there is something on my hand. Seriously, what are these people doing? Did someone stick a gum on the wall, because it's dark so nobody will be able to see it? God, people are so obnoxious nowadays."

"Shreya, no. Don't look at it. Just don't turn and run away."
Huna started reciting these words like a broken record.

"What's wrong with you today, girl? It's just gum, why are you overreacting?"
I couldn't understand her. She was being really weird today.

"Give me your phone,"
I told her, which she gave very reluctantly.

As soon as I directed the light on my hand on the wall, a loud gasps escaped from both of our mouths. The wetness was fiery red in colour, thick and seemed to be freshly smeared to decorate the wall in a gore fashion - it was someone's blood.

"Shreya, I'm scared,"
Huma cried out as I breathed heavily through my mouth.

"I can't believe this is happening. But, what about this blood? Whose could it be?"
I asked this question mostly to myself since there was nobody who could answer that question for me.

"Why do you care about that? Just let it be and get out of here. Is it so hard to do?"
Huma started bawling like a crazy child and kept shouting at me to run away from there.

"For God's sake, girl. Please calm down. It can be something which is not dangerous or spooky. Don't jump to conclusions. We will have to check it out, now we are too far to go back."
I told her while holding her hand and dragging her in the opposite direction.

Bad, bad, very bad thing to do. My mind kept flashing gigantic red lights at me, to stop, even at this point and run back to where we came from. But my curiosity was getting the best of me. I loved the thrill of everything. I liked the thrill that came from exploring sketchy places and being in such situations, and that habit was dragging me towards the cataclysm.

"What if someone hurt himself and is lying somewhere but has nobody around to help him?"
I told Huma whose whimpering only increased after hearing my words.

"That nightmare was a warning that we shouldn't come here. Why didn't I pay heed to it before?"
She kept mumbling something under her breath but I was too focused on something else to listen to her.

After convincing myself like that, we started our journey back to where we were going before. But like idiots, we only kept the flashlight on the wall, and saw all the handprints, but didn't see what was on the ground. After following the handprints blindly, we reached a small door. It seemed to be a storage room situated at the end of the corridor.

"I think we should go inside and check,"
I told Huma who opposed vehemently, again.

"No, no, don't go. Someone is watching us right now and they will trap us here. This is all a trap."

"What are you talking about? I think after coming out of here, we need to see a doctor for your mental health. You're taking this way too far."
I didn't believe any of her words, but I wish I had. Really.

"But, why would someone who got injured and clearly left judging by the fingerprints, will still be inside? Unless, there is not just one person?"

She was being practical again but I just wanted to see what lied beyond that door.

"That's exactly what we came here to see. Let's not backtrack at the last moment and just keep going, okay?"

"Mmm..."
She replied, clearly distracted by the chaos around her.

The night seemed to have grown more cold and the wind was making much louder noises than before and didn't stop even for a minute. I had never thought I would get to see such a windy weather in this month.  But strangely, I wasn't as cold as before - maybe the thrill and anticipation had warmed me up.

As we opened the door, we were met with darkness, again. It was going to be hard to find whatever we were trying to find because it was a really small and suffocating room. As we stepped inside, we could make out silhouettes of the furniture that crammed the small room. It also smelled strange in here - something like rust, like it hadn't been cleaned in days.

But the moment we took another step inside the room, the open door behind us closed by itself. It got closed so hard that the sound of it slamming shattered all my confidence away.

"O-oh my! Shreya, I told you."
Huma started crying again.

"Come on Huma. It must have been slammed because of the wind."
I said and tried to open the door.

We tried to open the door but it wouldn't budge. No matter how much we shook it and shouted at the one who closed it to open it again, it was of no avail. We were trapped. And there was no way out.

As I started to look for a decent place to sit down, a thought came to mind. If there was really someone outside this door, then there must be something in here that they must want to hide. I need to find that thing.

And so, I started to look for something, anything suspicious in here without the help of Huma's flashlight. Then, I saw an old sofa pushed against the small window on the other side of the room. I thought that I should at least sit for a while, since I found nothing after searching in here.

As I was only three steps closer to the sofa, I tripped on something and fell to the ground. I felt like I was going to die the moment my face and body touched the ground, but that didn't happen. Instead, I fell on a soft mattress. It felt really soft, until I felt that familiar wetness again. But this time, I felt it in my abdomen. It was much more than before and I couldn't speak. You have got to be kidding me.

I was so terrified to look down but I had to find out what was underneath me. So I looked down. And I saw a man, a very familiar man underneath me, blood flowing out of his stomach. He was Ashish Sharma, the manager of this hotel.

Just then, I heard Huma scream as she saw him, and the sound of police sirens. I am in trouble, I thought.

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