InsaniKey

“Ayyyy.” Ashley said, about to step into room 557. Jake was right. “I found a vending machine and got a bunch of granola bars.” He tossed one at me.

“Does he have food?” Andy yelled from his room. I opened his door, tossed a granola bar at him and went back to Ashley’s room.

I leaned against Ashley’s closed door as he sat on the bed watching TV. “Have you slept?” He asked with concern.

“No.” I sat on his couch and told him everything I’d seen happen before I woke up on the first floor for the second time tonight.

“Maybe you should sleep in here.” He said with concern. “I’ll stay awake if you want.”

I sighed.

“I’ll wake you up if you have a nightmare.” He shrugged it off.

“It wasn’t a dream.” I rose to my feet.

“So you’re saying I disappeared into a black hole in Jake’s hotel room.” He shrugged. “I don’t think you should use that key anymore.”

I sat on Ashley’s couch. “I have this key for a reason.”

“Look what happened last time.” He teased. “Just stay here tonight. Don’t leave the room.”

Andy stepped into the room. “CC why’s your shoe in the door?” He threw the shoe at me.

“He had a fucked up dream and thinks we’re going to be locked in our rooms.” Ashley said.

“Oh, so you told Ashley about it but not me.” He grinned and tore into another granola bar. “Where’d you get these?”

“There’s a vending machine on the fourth floor.” Ashley said.

I hadn’t eaten a granola bar, neither had Ashley. I watched in horror as Andy chewed.

“I think he’s having night terrors.” Andy said to Ashley.

Ashley smirked at me and pointed to the table in the corner. “Have you read tomorrow’s newspaper?”

I grabbed the newspaper from the table and looked at the cover story. “4 FOUND DEAD” The headline stared at me along with a picture of Jinxx’s hotel room showing a sheet draped over the outline of 2 bodies in their beds. I looked up at Ashley.

The article was in Russian but our names stood out in bold letters.

I dropped the paper on the floor. Andy picked it up, “I died again?” He laughed. “Fuck, I’m dying more and more these days.” He bit into another granola bar.

“I know right.” Ashley sighed. “Why isn’t my name on there?”

Andy had been watching me from the corner of his eye. He started choking and beat a fist on his chest. He kept coughing and shot me a look of helplessness.

I rose to my feet and was about to do something when he started laughing.

“I’m not choking.” He laughed, spraying bits of granola onto the floor. “What the fuck did you dream about?”

I shook my head and laughed with him. “You’re a dick.” I said, looking at the newspaper again. I stared at my name on the page and decided I had to get out of the hotel.

Notes

♦ Chapter 16's title is from Knives And Pens by Black Veil Brides
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thanks for reading :3