I wave our group forward, and quickly, we dart back into the room with the broken window. We duck next to the exit. Tech lifts his head to peer outside toward the water.
“They dropped their anchor a little ways from your boat,” he says. “But I don’t see anyone out there. I think they’re trying to get inside. How many guys were there?” he asks me.
“Two,” I say. “When they get in the lobby, we should run for it. Do we have a clear path to my boat?”
“Yeah, I think so,” Tech says. But he looks as worried as I feel.
There might not be enough time to get there. We would all have to climb down the trellis; it wouldn’t be fast. If those guys step back outside, or hear us, we’d have to run for it. And it’s a long way to the water.
“We need to distract them,” I say, earning an annoyed look from Shawn.
“Sure, right,” she says. “How do we do that?”
“No idea,” I reply.
In the distance, there’s a loud bang and we all jump, crouching lower on the floor.
“Was that a gunshot?” Shawn whispers, wide-eyed.
“I think so,” Tech replies. He looks at me as if he’s considering my thought.
I definitely don’t want to die in an abandoned hotel. And just as I think that, there is low howling noise, like wind trapped in a tunnel. Cold prickles, like fingernails along the back of my neck, make me jump to my feet again. Shivers run over my entire body.
“I’m just going to say it,” I tell the group, rubbing my neck to erase the feeling. “I’m pretty sure this place is haunted as fuck, and I’m not spending eternity with the girl who died here. Now, with that being said,” I continue, “if those guys out there have a gun, I also don’t want to get shot in the back trying to run away. I’m not happy about it, butone of us will have to distract them. Obviously, it should be me.”
From downstairs, there is the sound of glass smashing. They’re now inside the hotel.
“Why you?” Noa asks, alarmed.
“Because I’m fast,” I reply instantly, and Noa stares at me in disbelief. “Seriously, though,” I add. “I am. Now, you all need to go. Don’t wait for me. The boat keys are under the seat. Drive it down toward the opening of the marsh, and I’ll catch up with you there.”
“Are you insane?” Noa asks in an urgent whisper.
“There are gators,” Tech tells me. He looks at Shawn, and now all of them are worried.
“I’ll be fine,” I say, sounding braver than I feel. “You have to go now.”
Tech is the first one at the window, checking the outside before swinging his legs over the sill. He pauses there a moment, as if waiting for me to change my mind. I wave him forward and he shakes his head and mutters that I’m stubborn.
“Clear,” he whispers to the girls, and starts down the trellis. Shawn quickly follows, but Noa doesn’t move.
“What are you going to do?” she asks me.
I smile to calm her fears. “Not sure yet,” I say honestly. “But don’t worry—I’ll meet you on the boat. You know I’d never abandon mySweet Caroline.”
“Too late for your bullshit; I’m already worried,” she says. “You don’t know your way around the marsh. I should stay to make sure you don’t do something you’ll regret.”
I snort a laugh. “I’ll be honest… I’m already regretting this.” When she doesn’t smile back, I take a step closer to her. “I promise, I have no intention of getting killed today. Now, go. You’ll need at least a five-minute head start on me.”
“Tech wasn’t kidding,” she adds. “There are alligators in that water.”
“I believe you,” I tell her. “I don’t plan on getting eaten by an alligator, either.”
“They would drown you first,” she murmurs. She waits a moment longer before she curses under her breath and walks to the window. “Don’t you dare die on me,” she adds. “Or I really will hate you.”
When she looks at me, though, I can see that would never happen. I nod her on, wishing I could go with her. Just to make sure she stays safe.
Once Noa makes her way out, I hear voices echo from the lobby. I quietly make my way into the hallway, and tip my head over the railing to peer down. There’s a guy already on the staircase. His hair and clothes are wet, and I assume they shot the lock on the door but couldn’t get it open because of the water pressure. So they broke a window and swam inside. They must not know about the iron trellis, which is a good sign.
