Doors: The Hotel

Room 4 felt like a breath of fresh air after the dark and claustrophobic crawl through the vent. Kikidori stood in the center of the room, taking in his surroundings. The light from the chandelier above bathed everything in a golden hue, casting long shadows against the polished floor. There were elegant chairs by a fireplace, their fabric worn but still luxurious in appearance. The walls were adorned with old portraits, their eyes seeming to follow his every movement, though that may have just been his nerves playing tricks on him.

He slowly walked across the room, examining the paintings. The faces in the portraits were all slightly eerie, frozen mid-expression in dark, outdated frames. Kikidori turned his attention back to the center of the room, wondering where the exit would be. His eyes scanned the far wall, where another door stood, the number "4" on its brass plate.

"Alright, there it is," he said, rubbing his hands together. "Just gotta get through that, and then… I don't know, maybe I'll get some answers."

As he approached the door, a sudden flicker of the lights caught his attention. His heart skipped a beat as the room's warmth turned cold, the soft glow of the chandelier dimming and brightening erratically. Kikidori froze, his eyes darting to the light overhead. The flickers increased in frequency, making the room feel unstable, like the walls themselves were shifting.

Then, it came.

A terrifying, unnatural sound—like the rush of wind, but louder, more menacing. The sound intensified, growing closer and closer with every passing second, as though something enormous and relentless was charging toward him. Kikidori's breath caught in his throat, and instinctively, he whipped his head around the room.

His heart pounded in his chest. Every muscle in his body screamed for him to move, to do something. His eyes widened in panic as the noise intensified, the very air around him vibrating with the force of it.

*What is that?*

His body didn't wait for his mind to catch up. He sprinted across the room, his shoes sliding on the slick floor, and threw himself behind a nearby closet door. His hands fumbled for the handle, nearly slipping in his desperation. He tugged it open just as the deafening sound grew to a piercing crescendo. With a final, frantic push, he shoved himself inside, slamming the door shut behind him.

Inside the cramped closet, the air was thick with tension. Kikidori's breath was rapid, and the faint tremor in his hands betrayed just how scared he was. His chest rose and fell with each panicked breath. The sound was louder now, a terrifying force of nature, as if something was crashing through the walls, pushing everything aside in its wake. It seemed to be right outside, just beyond the closet door, but he couldn't make himself move.

He pressed his back against the back wall of the closet, clutching the edges of his flashlight. It felt like hours before the sound began to fade. The lights above flickered once more before finally stabilizing, the warmth returning to the room. Kikidori's breath slowed, though his body remained tense, ready for whatever was next.

*What the heck just happened?* he thought, still shivering inside the closet.

As the room grew quiet again, Kikidori finally dared to peek his head out from the closet. He couldn't help but feel a sense of dread settle over him. He didn't know what that sound was, or what had caused it, but he was certain that something dangerous had just passed him by.

Slowly, cautiously, he stepped out of the closet and made his way back toward the door. It was still there, just as it had been before, but now it seemed so much more foreboding. His hand hovered over the doorknob, hesitation weighing heavily in the air.

The end of Chapter 4.