If Taline had noticed the person running toward the lobby earlier than the last possible second, she would've shot them. As it was, she'd planned to drag Luke to her car and leave him there temporarily, and though she checked to make sure no one was outside, it was easy to miss through the rain and warped lighting. She'd noticed too late and tried to salvage her innocence by leaving Luke on the ground and walking into the lobby like she was any other guest, but it was obvious from the faces of the two women at the desk that she'd been made.

After knocking Luke unconscious, Taline had searched his pockets and found a notepad with all the guests' names and details, and it was obvious to her he was looking for someone. So she checked the pool, and Elijah's body was gone, which meant he was looking for a killer, specifically. And for the body to be gone and for Luke to have room numbers, the receptionist must also be aware of the murder. Tasi was the reason Taline tried to put Luke in her car rather than tie him up and leave him in his room; the receptionist would have a master key, and if she went looking for him, that would be another wrench in Taline's yet-to-be-figured-out-plans.

Taline had also found a key on him, so she searched his suitcase and found a box. Now she had his handgun, which she pointed at the woman who'd ratted her out.

The woman's eyes widened a bit, but she didn't dare make any noise. Taline glanced between the four blank faces staring back at her. In the time period between her check-in and the pool incident, she'd mostly been sitting in her car, watching the other guests bring their stuff from their cars to their rooms, walking to and from the lobby, or idling by the awnings. Taline had memorized their features and their rooms -- that was how she determined that the man in W1 was the only one she'd have a problem with if it came down to a fistfight -- but, she couldn't match faces to the names she saw in the guestbook. Unfortunately, after cutting the security, cutting the phone lines, and siphoning gas, she didn't get a chance to peek at the private hotel record.

"You must be Tate," Taline said to the boy sitting across from the woman who'd come out of the lobby in a wedding dress. "And are you Margaret or Elsie?"

"Elsie," she said tightly.

Taline returned her gaze to who she was pointing the gun at. "That makes you Margaret."

Margaret swallowed and nodded.

Their fear gave Taline a rush of satisfaction. The situation was actually quite pathetic: she had no idea what she was doing. Things always went her way because she planned for things to go her way, except for today. At least, no matter her floundering, they were terrified.

"I'm Tally," she said finally. "Nice to meet you all."

Luke was still outside. Taline should do something about that before the rain woke him up and he hobbled himself to death down the hill. She heard there were mudslides in this area.

Taline quickly surveyed her subjects. Everyone was in decent health except for Elsie, whose knees looked skinned. She would be very slow.

"You two." Taline gestured to Tate and Margaret. "Come with me. We're getting rope from my car. And you two." She looked at Tasi and Elsie. "You stay here. If I come back and you've moved an inch, I'll kill Tate and Margaret both."

Everyone's eyes widened in alarm. Tate stood from the lounge, slowly, like he was trying not to startle Taline and set her off. It seemed he had practice with that sort of tip-toeing around the beast. Was that why he was here alone? Interesting.

Taline kept her gun on Margaret's back and ordered them both out of the door. Margaret muttered a curse under her breath when she saw Luke on the sidewalk, but Taline told them to keep going. She unlocked her trunk and had them grab the ropes, leaving the shovel inside. For now. She kept the handgun aimed in their area while she grabbed her shotgun and swung it over her shoulder.

When she entered the lobby, Margaret and Tate dragging Luke in behind her, Elsie was still in the lounge, and Tasi was still at the desk. It didn't look like they even spoke, let alone moved. Taline made Margaret and Tate tie Luke to a chair, then had Tate tie Margaret, then had Elsie tie Tate, and Tasi tie Elsie. Taline left only Tasi free and made her sit on the step in front of the Christmas tree in the corner.

Taline dragged a lounge table several feet in front of the four chairs, out of their reach, and sat on it. facing them. She rested the handgun on the table but kept her shotgun on her shoulder. Tasi was wringing her hands together on the step, her shoulders hunched like she wanted to cave in. Luke was still unconscious, slumped forward a little. Margaret, Tate, and Elsie were all staring at Taline, each with varying degrees of fear and alarm.

"Don't look at me like that!" Taline exclaimed. "I was just gonna kill one of you and disappear into the night. If it weren't for the creepy old fuck out back, or his nosy ass--" she jerked her head toward Luke "--none of this would be happening! Now I've gotta kill all of you."

They glanced at each other, confused. Taline looked at Tasi; she must know what was going on. Taline figured that whoever found Elijah out back would report to Tasi, and then Tasi would attempt to call the cops and fail, and then she'd tell the other guests to be wary, or she'd keep it to herself in hopes of figuring things out in the morning. And while all that happened, Taline would plan her true victim and her getaway. Bashing Luke in the head was just an assurance policy -- he might've been her victim, might've not. She hadn't counted on there being a fed, or them getting involved. Had he been the one to find the body? Or had Tasi known all along that he was a fed, and she asked him for help after finding it herself?

"You don't have to kill anyone," Margaret said suddenly. She was awfully calm for someone who had a gun pointed at her moments ago. 

Taline scrunched her face in thought. "I think I do, doll. How am I supposed to live my free life with all you running around, aware of my features and what I've done?"

"We won't tell." Margaret looked to Elsie and Tate for confirmation, and they both vehemently nodded. "We swear. Let us go, disappear into the night, and we'll act like nothing happened here."

"Hm." Taline gave it some thought. It certainly would make things easier, but where was the fun in running away with her tail between her legs after a failure such as Elijah? "I'll think on it." But she stood and approached Luke with her shotgun, using the tip to push his head back and then lower his jaw, and she wiggled the barrel into his mouth, but not deep enough to trigger a gag reflex and wake him up. "I am definitely gonna have to kill him, though."

"No!" Margaret said quickly. "No, no, let him wake up, and he'll promise to keep quiet, too."

Taline raised an eyebrow. "I don't think he'll agree to that."

"He will. We'll convince him." Margaret looked to Elsie and Tate again, and they all nodded together. "We'll convince him."

Taline stared at them, a smile creeping onto her face. "Y'all don't know what he is, do you?" They blinked, and she retracted her shotgun. "Fine. I'd like to see how this goes. Tasi?"

Tasi straightened at the mention.

"You come with me. I need your help with something."

Taline placed the handgun on the table, out of their reach, and shouldered her shotgun again. Tasi stood, her movements jerky, and Taline gestured her to go first through the door behind the desk.