Thirty years ago, a hotel vanished without a trace. In a few hours, it will reappear—and someone will be murdered unless Royce stops it.

  Chapter 1

  The world was burning.

  No one knew yet, but the world was coming to an end.

  I gave it a few weeks before it all came crashing down.

  I hadn’t left my house for more than a week. If I had had any friends, this is the time when they would start to get worried and pay me a visit.

  Luckily for me, I had no friends.

  Scratch that. I did have some people who could be approximated as “people in general friendly to me”.

  They were either dead or missing.

  Lady Mirabelle, the only person I could conceivably call a friend, had been missing for a few days. Her shop door had been smashed open and there was fresh blood inside. Her assistant, Yuki, was also missing, as well as Isabella, a woman staying with them. I had no idea where they were. I had no idea if they were even alive.

  My contacts in the police had stopped answering my calls, and the army had declared a curfew in our city, threatening to shoot anyone who was seen outside after 4pm in the evening.

  And that wasn’t even the worst of it.

  “May you live in interesting times,” said an old Chinese curse.

  And that brought me to the second most interesting thing in my life.

  The red moon. Yup, a new one.

  We now had two moons, but no one noticed them. At least, I hadn’t met anyone who could see the second one; yet it was as clear as the sun to me, even in the brightest of daylight.

  It kept dripping blood, and I knew it signalled the end of times. The moon meant we could see into the other world, call it Hell or Valhalla or whatever. Which meant millions of the undead should have been storming our dimension by now. So, why hadn’t they?

  Were they late? Did they miss the train?

  I wish I had friends.

  I wish I could see Mirabelle again.

  I wanted to see her kind face and hold her hands, and for her to tell me it was all going to be okay. I wanted her to ruffle my hair just once more, even for half a second, so I could feel alive, so I could feel I wasn’t alone and I wasn’t going to die alone in a cold and cruel world.

  Where are you, Mirabelle? How did you just vanish off the grid? If I didn’t get answers soon, I was going to get really angry. Angry enough to pick a fight with the army vans parked on the street.

  I knew I could take them out, at the cost of my sanity. But seeing as how the red moon meant my sanity was already gone, I saw no reason to hold back.

  My revenge fantasies were interrupted when she walked in.

  Another unpaying client.

  I was starting to feel like those clichéd detectives in American noir stories. Wanted to toss a coin and say: “Sorry, dame. I ain’t taking no more cases from no more dames. Especially dead ones. They don’t pay so well.”

  Luckily, before I could say anything, I recognized this one. It was Isabella, the woman who was staying with Mirabelle.

  “Oh, no,” I groaned. “They got you too, did they?” That’s when my blood turned boiling hot with anger. If Mirabelle was dead, I had nothing left to live for. I was going to kill every one of those bastards in Unit 7 because I was sure they had something to do with it.

  Help me, said Isabella. Help me.

  “Is she dead? Did they get Mirabelle and Yuki?” I asked.

  And even as I said it, I felt stupid. Ghost couldn’t usually hear me or have reasonable conversations.

  She was the exception.

  No, she is alive. But she has been taken. I don’t know by whom. Yuki is also alive, but I feel she is stuck in some place—surrounded by hundreds of the undead who want to eat her flesh. They will both die if we don’t help them soon.

  “Oh Isabella,” I said, “I am so sorry. I don’t know who killed you, but I promise I will get you vengeance.”

  There is no need. Yuki has gotten me the vengeance by killing the monster responsible for my death. No, Royce, I came to you because they said you can help me. With Yuki trapped in that farmhouse, you are the only one who can help me. Please don’t say no. I only have a few seconds before they pull me away.

  I don’t know who they were, but I had a good suspicion. The lady did say she didn’t have much time.

  “Fine,” I said, “Tell me, how can I help you today?” My sister is still missing. She wasn’t at the farmhouse where Yuki rescued the other girls. And she hasn’t been sacrificed by the cultists who opened the portal to Hell. I don’t know why they’re keeping her alive, but they need her for some special reason. I want you to find and rescue her.

  “Okay.”

  It made no sense asking her for a photograph.

  “Can you tell me what she looks like? And anything else that might help me?” Her name is Maria, and she’s 11 years old. I don’t know how to describe her. She looks like a younger version of me.

  “Gotcha. Anything else you can help me with?” I actually know where she is, but I also don’t know. The one who sent me to you told me she’s being held at the Impossible Hotel, the hotel that shouldn’t exist. If you go there, you might be able to rescue her.

  I knew of the hotel, of course. A ghost hotel, an invisible hotel that suddenly turned up at a random place once a year.

  No one knew why. There were a lot of rumours. People who were stupid enough to check in died horribly or just vanished. The hotel had a history of bloody deaths associated with it; though, like many, I thought it was just an urban legend.

  The question was, how would I find an urban legend, a place that didn’t even officially exist and had no address?

  The ghost of Isabella floated to the window.

  Unfortunately, I cannot pay you because I will never be allowed to return. But I can tell you this, Royce: Run! They’re coming for you.

  And she vanished, leaving me a bit surprised. This was the most lucid and rational ghost I had ever seen.

  But I didn’t have time to wonder about my good fortune because just then I heard doors slamming. I went to the window where Isabella had been standing just a few seconds ago and had a peek.

  There were two army jeeps and the people in them were wearing army uniforms, but I knew they weren’t army. They looked too rough and violent, and they had murder in their eyes.

  Unit 7.

  They’d finally had enough of me, and I’d finally had enough of them as well. Normally, this is where I would have made my last stand, but not today.

  Today, I had promises to keep. And miles to go before I could sleep.

  ***

  I had been planning for this eventuality for a long time and so went up to the roof to slip into the next house. This house was empty, allowing me to slip away quietly.

  I looked at my watch: 5 p.m., well past curfew time. The army would shoot me if they saw me.

  Oh well, we did live in interesting times.

  Luckily, I knew a place I could hide where nobody would find me. A place that was guaranteed to make me invisible.

  An abandoned old factory where the homeless people lived. The homeless were usually invisible, and even the army wouldn’t bother them.

  Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

  I made my way there, hiding behind cars and around alleys whenever I heard an army jeep go by. The homeless shelter was less than 10 minutes’ walk, but today took me more than half an hour just because I had to keep hiding every few seconds.

  When I finally got to it, the place looked deserted. Had the army finally cleared the homeless away? Had the local council used this as an excuse to have them locked up, as they had always wanted to do?

  Checking both sides of the street, I saw the whole place was empty, no cars and no pedestrians. I ran to the abandoned factory and went around the back where I knew there were shattered windows and a broken door that I could use to slip in.

  It was starting to get dark, but there was still enough light for me to walk in without having to turn on the lights.

  I wanted to avoid that, as that was guaranteed to draw the Army’s attention. It was still late summer, so I knew I could sleep in some corner without heating. I would worry about trying to leave the city tomorrow.

  I walked into the main drawing room and found my second surprise of the day: another dame I didn’t want to see.

  Man, these women were getting harder and harder to avoid.

  At least this one was alive, and very attractive.

  “Hello, Eve, my favourite secretary,” I said. “Fancy seeing you here.” She was sitting in the middle of the room on a small wooden chair. I pulled up a chair and sat next to her. It was no use running.

  “I have been careless, haven’t I?” I said. “You know about this place. They sent you to kill me, didn’t they?”

  “You have been careless, boss. Luckily for you, I don’t work for Unit 7. Unit 7 did send thugs to kill you, and we weren’t even sure if you would survive. I was told to wait here for you, just in case you did.”

  “So, who do you work for, Eve, and why are you here? And who hit you?” She was wearing a fashionable white dress with matching white gloves.

  Around her throat, she had a blue scarf. When I looked carefully, it was being used to cover up an injury. Clearly, my dear secretary had been in a fight.

  I could see a lot of emotions running through her face. She was trying to suppress them but not succeeding.

  “My name is not Eve. Eve was my sister; she is dead. Killed by the incompetence, or malice, of Unit 7. My name is Rose.”

  “Hello Rose.”

  We shook hands like we had met for the first time.

  “Is it worth asking why you pretended to be your sister, and why you pretended to be my secretary?”

  “Oh, but I was your secretary, boss. I cleared up all your mess, arranged your files, and even brought you lunch, remember?”

  That was funny; and we both burst out laughing.

  “Fine,” she said. “My uncle, Henderson, asked me to infiltrate your office because we found your name in a Unit 7 file. A red list of people they had marked for death. Your friend Mirabelle was there too.”

  “Mirabelle. Where is she? And who is Henderson?” “Henderson was one of the people who founded Unit 7. Don’t look so angry, he is one of the good people. They fired him from his own agency, and he’s been sort of working privately now. He wasn’t sure if you were one of the good guys, and he asked me to keep an eye on you.” We heard an army jeep pass outside, blaring warnings on a loudspeaker. Anyone seen outside will be shot dead without warning. By order of the Prime Minister, stay inside.

  By instinct, we both went quiet, even holding our breath, as we waited for the Jeep to pass. The sun was completely gone now and I could barely see Rose even though she was sitting right in front of me. None of us dared turn on the light.

  “And what does Henderson think of me?” I whispered as quietly as I could.

  “Henderson was attacked by Unit 7. They tried to kill him but he survived. Barely. He is unconscious and has been for three days.”

  “I am sorry.”

  I could see she was trying to hold back her tears, and I wanted to reach forward and give her a hug. Like last time, I felt I would be seen as a creep, so I only gave her an awkward pat on the shoulders. It still seemed to soothe her.

  “Listen boss, I know you have a lot of questions, but you have no time. There’s a new woman on the scene whose name I’m not allowed to say. She asked me to deliver you a message. It was very hard getting here, and the army even captured me once.”

  I felt my anger rising. “Did they hit you? Is that why you have that swelling on your neck?” “Relax, they tried to grab me, but I am not an easy woman to take down. At least two of them will be breathing through a pipe for the next few days. So don’t worry about me, boss. My new employer has a job for you: she wants you to investigate the Impossible Hotel.” It was dark. I could barely see her face now, but it was clear she could see mine. Was it because she had psychic powers, or was it just women’s intuition? Because she noticed my surprise immediately.

  “I see that you have heard of it, boss. That is certainly very interesting. Because even my current boss, who has a lot of secret contacts, only found out about it two or three hours ago. I wonder how you know.”

  “I also have contacts. Rose.”

  I wasn’t going to tell her that many of those contacts were of the non-living kind.

  Instead, I said, “Someone asked me to find that hotel, but I have no idea how. How do you find a hotel that magically appears and reappears at different places randomly?”

  “The woman who hired me doesn’t think it’s random. She figured out the formula and found its location. She has a job for you.”

  “Go on.”

  “This is going to sound very Mission Impossible, but she made sure I would deliver the message in this way. So listen, Royce.

  Your mission, if you choose to accept it, is this: Infiltrate this Impossible Hotel.

  There’s going to be a murder there tonight. Some unfortunate guests have made the mistake of booking a room there, and one of them will be killed. We have no idea who. Your job is to stop that murder, if possible. If not, you are to apprehend and arrest the murderer.

  There’s a secondary mission which my boss feels you won’t be able to do, but she wants to give it to you anyway. A Unit 7 agent is also going to infiltrate that place, and we suspect this agent’s goals are not aligned with ours.

  So you have to find that agent and terminate them with extreme prejudice.

  These are my boss’s words, not mine, so I’m sorry: She says if you don’t have the balls to do it, you’re merely to discover his identity, and somebody else will kill him.

  Is this clear?”

  It was. Her boss was right. Stopping a murder was right up my alley. I would not let an innocent die if I could stop it. I wasn’t sure about killing the agent in cold blood, though.

  “Clear. Though why me? It seems your boss is very well connected. Why not you? Why not anyone else who works for her?”

  I could feel her breath stop. I could feel her trying to stop her tears.

  She finally spoke. “Because she doesn’t trust me yet. She doubts not only my competence, but also my loyalty. She made me do something, and I feel disgusted with myself.”

  I sat back, and looked at her in the complete darkness. Though I could not see her face any more, I felt I could read all her emotions.

  Oh Rose, why didn’t you come to me earlier? Why didn’t you trust me earlier? I could have helped you!

  That was what I wanted to say.

  Instead, I said, “I see, and I am very sorry. You could come as my assistant. We still have your training to complete.”

  “I wish I could, but I can’t. This is where we come to the second part: Your payment. Yes, my boss will pay you, and she will give you exactly what you want. Something that will have you wagging your tail like a dog. Her words, not mine.”

  I leaned back on the wooden chair and it creaked a little. I was forced to laugh. “I’m sorry, my dear Rose, but I highly doubt your boss knows what I want.”

  She leaned forward until I could smell the rose perfume she was wearing.

  “Listen to me carefully, boss. I like you, and I respect you. You are one of the most intelligent and sharp-thinking person I’ve met. But my boss is extremely dangerous. Underestimate her, and you will end up in a shallow unmarked grave.”

  “I see. Thanks for the warning. Who is your boss? Can you tell me something about her?” “I can’t. I can tell you this: She is single-handedly fighting Unit 7, the cultists, and hundreds of zombies that are storming the city at the moment. It is her invention that’s stopping the portal from opening fully, and she is the reason our country hasn’t been swamped with zombies yet.” She took a deep breath. “Normally, she would be seen as the Hero of the story. She has single-handedly saved millions of lives. That said, her methods are very extreme. She is willing to kill 10,000 people to save a million. Henderson and me disagreed with her on this, but like I said, we lost that battle. Henderson is in no position to help, and I am fully under her thumb.” “I understand. Do not be too harsh on yourself, Rose. Anyone who has survived more than a few months in this business has had to do something they are not proud of. Including me. So be kind to yourself. You said your boss had a payment for me that would have me wagging my tail. What is it?” “The location of Lady Mirabelle.”

  It felt like a punch to the gut. This woman, whoever she was, knew exactly what I wanted.

  ***

  I was silent for a few minutes. I could feel Rose fidgeting and finally she could take it no more. “So what is your reply? Will you accept the job?”

  I couldn’t tell her that I had already accepted the job from Isabella’s ghost. So I merely nodded, and then realized she couldn’t see me in the dark.

  “Yes, I accept. To make it clear: My only job is to try to stop the murder, and if I can’t, to apprehend the killer. That is correct, right? I’m not killing anyone, even if they work for Unit 7.”

  “That is acceptable. She warned me this would happen anyway. I am to tell you the address to this hotel before I go on my next mission.”

  “Which is?”

  She was quiet for a moment, and I could feel her reaching for something. I offered her my hand, and to my surprise, her hands were shaking. I put both my hands on hers, “Relax, Rose. I got you. What is your mission?”

  “A rogue part of Unit 7 launched an attack on Lady Mirabelle’s office.” The whole of Unit 7 is rogue, I thought to myself, but didn’t say it.

  Rose continued. “They killed a Spanish woman called Isabella and kidnapped Mirabelle. Yuki herself is stuck on a farm in the middle of nowhere surrounded by hundreds of zombies. I have to save her, but there is no one to help me.”

  I could feel her sobbing, and warm tears fell onto my hands. “Rose, I got you. Even though I’ve barely known you, I see you as my friend. Come with me; let’s rescue Yuki together.”

  “We can’t; we have no time. This hotel will only be there for tonight, and if you don’t help my boss, she will not tell you where Mirabelle is. No, I have to rescue Yuki by myself. I wish Henderson was here.”

  I finally reached forward and gave her a hug, and she held me back. We sat there quietly in the dark hotel while she cried on my shoulder, and I cried on hers.

  Mirabelle was the woman I loved. The only woman who had ever shown me kindness. If she died, I would have no one. She was one of the few people keeping me sane. And so, I let a few tears fall in her memory.

  While I wanted to help this young girl who was clearly feeling out of depth, I couldn’t let Mirabelle down. I was stuck between two bad choices.

  “Shit. I wish I could help you.”

  “That’s okay, I have contact details of someone who could help. You have to leave now, if you accept the mission.”

  “There is the problem of all these army checkpoints. Won’t they stop me?” “They won’t. I have a magic spell. This magic is the only reason that’s keeping me alive. And the reason my new horrible boss hasn’t killed me yet.” She put an envelope in my hands. When I opened it, I realized what magic she was talking about.

  Hundreds of notes.

  Money.

  Rose told me the way to the hotel which had appeared in the middle of an otherwise deserted farm. I would hit only one army checkpoint, and I was to use that money to bribe them and leave town.

  After that, she had no idea what I would expect at the hotel. Only that the murder would take place before midnight.

  And that I was in extreme danger because it was highly likely I would be the victim.