Doors: The Hotel

The moment Kikidori pushed open the door to Room 7, an overwhelming sense of dread washed over him. The room was pitch black, the kind of darkness that felt heavy, like it was pressing against his very soul. He couldn't even see his own hands in front of his face. His flashlight was useless in this kind of void.

"Great," Kikidori muttered under his breath, feeling his way forward with his hands stretched out. He could hear his breath echoing in the silence, and the stillness was unsettling. He couldn't shake the feeling that something was wrong here, but he had no choice. He had to keep moving.

As his footstep echoed in the quiet, a sudden sound broke through the stillness. It was barely audible at first, like a faint hiss. But it grew louder, and then…

"PSST…"

Kikidori froze, his heart racing. His mind screamed at him to run, but his body was paralyzed with fear. Slowly, he turned his head, scanning the pitch-black room.

Then he saw it.

A pair of glowing eyes—piercing and hollow—stared back at him from the darkness. It was there, just beyond his sight. Something was watching him, lurking. It was the shape of a figure, almost human, yet utterly unnatural in its presence.

Without thinking, Kikidori's mouth went dry. He couldn't breathe as his eyes locked onto the thing. The glowing eyes intensified, and then…

"SSCCCRREEEEEEECH!"

The screech echoed through the room, so deafening that Kikidori's own scream was drowned out in the noise. His body reacted before his mind could catch up, and in a frantic blur, he turned toward the nearest closet, yanking open the door and throwing himself inside.

*Hide. Hide. Hide.*

He slammed the door shut behind him, but the terrifying screech still rang in his ears. His chest heaved as he tried to steady his breathing. *Why is it so dark? What is that thing?* he thought, barely able to keep his mind focused on anything other than the terror that gripped him.

He crouched down in the cramped space, clutching the edges of the closet door. His thoughts raced, and he tried to force himself to calm down, but then...

"PHSAAAAAH!"

A shrill, sudden sound erupted just outside the closet. Kikidori's heart nearly stopped. He jerked back in terror, his pulse hammering as the air around him became thick with tension. He opened the closet door to find... nothing.

But as he stepped back, trying to steady himself, he suddenly felt something collide with him.

"AH!" Kikidori screamed, falling backward in shock. He landed *right on top of* the thing that had been hunting him. It was the creature—*Screech*—and Kikidori found himself tumbling onto it, his limbs flailing as the creature screeched in response. Its mouth opened wide, revealing dark, hollow teeth, and its piercing wail filled the air. But then, in a burst of unnatural motion, the entity—*Screech*—vanished into the shadows with one final scream.

Kikidori lay there for a moment, gasping for air, completely horrified by the ordeal. His chest ached from the fear, and his legs trembled. He had no idea what had just happened, but the rush of adrenaline was overwhelming.

"Frick…!" he gasped, standing up and pushing himself away from the spot where the creature had disappeared. His heart was still pounding as he stumbled out of the closet, his hands shaking uncontrollably.

The horrifying thought crossed his mind: *I never want to see another closet again.*

But before he could think too much about it, something strange began to happen. The darkness around him seemed to intensify, as though the very air itself was starting to close in on him. As he stood there in the dim light, his flashlight began flickering wildly.

He heard a faint whisper in his mind—voices, distorted and low:

"Get out."

"Leave."

"*Leave now*."

Kikidori froze, his heart skipping a beat. The voices were so real, so desperate, that he could almost feel them clawing at his mind. But he didn't know what was happening or what was causing it. Was it the room? Or something worse?

But despite the warnings, Kikidori couldn't bring himself to leave the closet. He clutched the door tightly, not daring to step out. He didn't know what was waiting for him out there.

The flickering lights grew worse. The whispers became more insistent, as if something was trying to pull him from the closet. And just when he thought he could take no more...

He was pushed.

The force was sudden and strong. Kikidori gasped as the closet door flew open, the force knocking him forward. He tried to grab the door to close it again, but it wouldn't budge. It was as if something on the other side was keeping him from returning.

"Dang it!" Kikidori cursed under his breath, the cold sweat on his skin suddenly turning into a chill.

He sighed, feeling defeated. There was no turning back now. With a final glance at the closet, he turned toward the door on the other side of the room—the one marked "8."

With no other choice, he stepped forward, the weight of what had just happened heavy in his chest. The door to Room 8 stood before him, waiting.

The end of Chapter 7.