The minute Sarah opened the door, the only thing she could do was scream at what she saw. It wasn’t the sight she was expecting when she went to clean her next room. Perhaps, this was what she got for watching too many horror movies during her breaks!
With a racing heart, she tiptoed inside the room. Sarah moved toward the bed…
Worthy of a heart attack
As the hotel housekeeper, all Sarah does every 2:00 in the afternoon is to start the final cleaning of the rooms she checked two hours ago, the guests’ check-out time.
She was so engrossed in the horror movie she was watching that she forgot the time. As she caught her breath from rushing, she nearly had a heart attack at what she saw inside Room 241. There was a sleeping boy in the middle of the bed!
Signs of life
There wasn’t supposed to be anyone in the room. When she did the initial cleaning, there was no one inside – the guests didn’t even forget anything inside the room!
What scares her the most was how pale the boy looked. He didn’t even look like he was breathing! So, Sarah made the brave decision to go closer to the bed to check the boy for any signs of life.
Too cold
The minute she touched the boy’s neck, she almost gasped at how cold he was. But, thankfully, there was a pulse, and the boy was just having slow breaths.
Sarah cursed herself at how paranoid she had gotten. It completely missed her that there was probably miscommunication with the other staff, and a family already checked in the room. So, she talked to her walkie talkie and what she found out almost made her run for the hills!
Mysterious letter
There was no one checked in! The last guests of the room already left before Sarah did the initial checking two hours ago. So, she hurriedly informed them that there was a sleeping boy in the room’s bed.
As she waited for the others, she tried to look around if there were any more changes in the room. The only thing she found was the piece of paper peeking out of the boy’s pillow.
Time for 911
Sarah had an internal debate about whether to check the paper or not. She was sure it had the answers, though. Mustering all the courage she could, she went around the bed and picked up the paper. When she opened it, she was sure they should be calling 911!
Looking for the parents
Sarah heard through the hotel speakers that her colleagues were already trying to find the boy’s parents. She stayed close to the boy until his parents came. They waited for a long time, and then Sarah noticed that there was seemingly no movement from the sleeping boy!
“Has anyone called the police?” She asked through her walkie-talkie hurriedly. She almost went hysterical when she got a negative response!
The police are here
The police entered the scene in a rush. It really helped that they sensed Sarah’s urgency through the call, so they came as soon as they can. One went to interview the front desk for records, one interrogated Sarah as she was the main witness, and the last one checked the boy.
“Are you sure you did not see the boy’s guardian?” Sarah shook her head in response. She bit her lip nervously, as she thought about the consequences of her actions!
Scene of the crime
The staff at the front desk was almost shaking in fear. Not that they were guilty, it’s just that the thought of police interrogation scared them. The police asked them question after question, so they gave him all the information they could provide.
When the officer got hold of this morning’s records, his eyes went big, and immediately ran towards the scene of the crime!
Suspicious officers
In Room 241, the police’s interrogations of Sarah stopped. They resorted to surveying the room, looking for suspicious items that could hint them answers. Then, Sarah couldn’t believe she almost forgot an important thing.
“The paper!” She suddenly exclaimed, making them look at her. Sarah immediately gave them the note under the pillow, and she saw how the officers’ mood suspiciously changed…
Closer to answers
The other officer barged in, shocking all of them. He told everyone that the couple who checked in a while ago could be the boy’s parents! He showed everyone the pictures of the guests and Sarah immediately saw the resemblance.
Before Sarah could say what she wanted to say, the two officers showed their colleague the note. Sarah felt her anger surface at what they did next.
Dropping the case
In an instant, the police told them they were dropping the case and they had to leave! Sarah could not believe what they just said. She looked at the abandoned sleeping boy, who could possibly never be reunited with his parents.
So as the officers were leaving, Sarah made the most hasty decision of her life…
Standing up to the police
Sarah could not believe what she just did. She didn’t bulge at the police staring down at her. She was blocking their only way out of the room! But, Sarah thought she had to do this, as the boy’s safety was in the line.
“Ma’am, please step aside.” When Sarah refused, they threatened to arrest her, making her step aside in defeat. But, she knew what she should do…
Solo investigation
Right when Sarah realized that the police were not going to help the boy, she thought to take the matter into her own hands. After all, she knew for sure that the couple who checked in earlier were the boy’s parents!
After she made sure the boy was still asleep, she went out of the room with a determined look on her face.
Getting the footages
This is one of those times when Sarah thanks all heavens that she’s a really friendly co-worker. Doing a solo investigation was hard work!
Thankfully, she already befriended the security team in charge of the cameras. After some friendly chit-chat, they allowed her to check the footage. What she saw made her blood run cold!
Unlocking the mystery
Sarah first checked the footage earlier this morning, to confirm whether the couple in the records were true – they were! After skipping a few times, she got to the point of the clip when she did the first sweep of the room.
Losing hope, Sarah was about to stop when what she saw made her almost drop from her seat!
The masked couple
Sarah had been watching the footage for hours now. She thought there was no hope, until she saw the scariest and most suspicious frame: a couple with masks covering their faces entered the room.
What’s worse, they went inside after she initially checked the room!
More than a nightmare
Sarah immediately talked to the other staff to check the couple’s identity. When she showed them the footage, she was shocked to find out that none of them even saw the two people enter the hotel.
It was slowly becoming more and more like a nightmare for Sarah!
Call emergency again!
When neither of the security guards saw the masked couple, Sarah knew they had to call the officers back already. The discovery in the footage was a surprising turn of events and the officers might care more now that the hotel had proof that this was a serious case!
The footages
The moment the same officers entered the hotel, Sarah knew there was something different about the way they were acting. But, she still held on to hope that they might solve the sleeping boy’s case.
Right when they saw that they were heading towards the CCTV room, they were suddenly in a hurry!
More to come
Sarah made the officers sit down. It took quite a while to convince them, but the officers immediately complied. When Sarah thought that the officers would be shocked by what they saw in the captured footage, they just had an unreadable faces on!
Right then, Sarah knew that there was something more going on with the officers in charge of their case.
Feeling angry
The officers were whispering quietly to each other, obviously talking about the footage Sarah was showing them. They were keeping Sarah out from their findings and while it is reasonable because she is not a police officer, she can’t help but feel angry.
She was the one who kept on searching after all!
Complaints
Meanwhile, the rest of the staff were feeling overwhelmed. Of course, it raises worries when police officers consecutively visit the place! So, they were receiving a lot of complaints from the current guests who checked in.
After receiving complaint after complaint, it seemed as if the guests just kept getting angrier and angrier…
More attention
It reached the point where they had to stop receiving new check-ins. This immediately got the attention of the management of the hotel. Everyone on the staff knew that with some of the executives on the way, it was only about to get messier than the current situation…
Starting to get weird
Back in the CCTV room, Sarah felt like she was going crazy. The police were asking her questions about how she investigated the case… it felt so weird for them to ask those and not one question about the state of the abandoned boy!
A progress?
“What about this couple, have you identified them?” One of the officers asked Sarah. She shook her head in disagreement, thinking how they finally showed actual interest in helping the case move forward.
But, apparently, things were just about to get crazier…
Chaos
The police asked to take a look at their check-in records again. Sarah agreed and went to the front desk to retrieve the requested records… only to find chaos in the lobby.
While not all guests are talking to her co-workers, the people talking loudly were more than usual. It doesn’t take a genius to figure out they are angry!
Possible crime scene
Sarah could not believe what was happening before her but, she knows she shouldn’t be surprised at all. The whole hotel is a possible crime scene, after all!
But, she knows she should not get ahead of herself. So, Sarah went to talk to one of her co-staff, Georgia, who did not appear as busy as the others, to find out what specifically the complaints were…
Running out of time
They were demanding to know what was happening. Some are even asking for refunds! Sarah knows it’s only a matter of time before the executives of the hotel arrive, and she knows she could probably be in deep trouble as she was the one the police officers have gotten to know really well.
Their time is running out.
All for the boy
With the help of Georgia, Sarah managed to copy all the information the police needed from their database. She knows she immediately had to hand over the files to the police, as there’s bound to be bigger problems once the executives come.
Sarah keeps thinking this is all worth it, for the abandoned boy in the room.
Not quite right…
The police officers looked happy when Sarah handed them the files they asked for. While yes, they think they were getting closer to solving the case – hopefully, Sarah knew it’s unusual for police officers to show any giveaway on how they are feeling about the case.
That’s when she knew there was something not quite right about everything that was happening.
Close to breakthrough
They sifted through the files, once again talking so quietly that Sarah had to strain hearing their words. It was to no avail, as she could not even make sense of what they were talking about. But, they look as if they’re close to having a breakthrough in the couple’s identity. Until…
Going to the boy
The officers asked Sarah to take them to the boy’s room. Sarah felt hesitant, but until the executives came, she knew these officers have more authority in the case than her. So, she leads them to the room.
What they did made her feel horrified – more than watching her horror movies.
Red flags
The minute the officers entered the room, Sarah knew they were already up to no good. The skip on their step, as if they were children in a playground, were red flags for Sarah. So, she made a point to keep an eye on her every move.
But she did not move fast enough with what they did next.
By the neck
Sarah let out a gasp of horror when one of the police officers went near the sleeping boy… and started grabbing him by the neck. Sarah rushed to stop and snatch the boy from the deadly hold, but the other police held her back by her arms.
Miscommunication
When the officer holding the boy saw her reaction, the officer looked at her with a confused expression. Sarah was seriously starting to worry whether they were really police officers if they don’t even have the common sense that they were hurting the boy!
Going crazy
“Look at the way you’re holding the boy,” the police officer holding Sarah said to his colleague. It was then that the officer holding the boy realized what was wrong and… laughed! Sarah thought she was going crazy with what she was witnessing.
What they said next… well, it made Sarah filled with rage.
Not real
“I’m sorry, Ma’am. But, this boy isn’t real,” The officer explained. Yes, Sarah decided she was certainly in one of her dreams. The words didn’t make sense to her, until the officer holding the “boy” placed it back on the bed in a different position, for Sarah to see what he was talking about.
In disbelief
Then, they went on to explain how the boy was an enhanced dummy, a prop used for police training… like this.
Sarah does not believe a word they were saying. So, she went closer to the realistic boy… because how could he have a pulse?
A week-long
Sarah did not realize she voiced her question out loud. The officers explained how their new dummies were designed to be realistic.
“We have actually been searching for this boy for a week now,” One of the officers explained. Sarah was slowly starting to wrap her head around what was happening… until anger finally got the best of her.
Just the start
Sarah ranted about messing with her time and emotions. She dedicated so much of her attention to something that was not meant to be real!
As she was shouting, the new presence in the room made Sarah pause immediately. The minute she saw the faces of the people, she knew their stressful journey wasn’t ending anytime soon.
