As soon as the tour ended just before midnight, Justin and Tristan set out to investigate. They had no time to lose as Tristan could feel death coming closer and closer. Quietly, the two walked out of their room and traced Leila’s steps the night she disappeared.

They started searching for any clues that Leila might’ve left behind on the side of the hotel.

“It’s either she took or left behind something.” Justin said as they looked through the walls and the plant box. “It’s the only explanation why she took that long to reach the backyard.”

“Wait…” Tristan said as he saw a glint of something on the concrete wall hiding behind the bush. “Justin, look.”

Justin rushed to his side and saw what Tristan found. He shone his torch on the wall and it became clearer. Something was etched on it. “Well.” Justin read. “The pain around looked new, this was made recently.”

“Do you think she took a detour to leave this behind?” Tristan asked.

“Probably. She must’ve wanted to leave a clue in case she disappeared like Melissa did.” Justin said. “Let’s go.” He said and then walked towards the well.

His hunch was right, Leila didn’t disappear in the mountains. “She wasn’t crazy enough to climb the dangerous mountain while it was dark.” Justin said as they reached the well. 

“But it seems she was brave enough to jump down this well.” Tristan said.

“Look.” Justin said as sh shone his torch down the dried-up well. “There’s nothing down there.” He said.

“Have the investigators climbed down there while searching for her?” Tristan asked.

“No. I guess didn’t find any reason to.” Justin said and then sighed. “I guess I have to do it myself.” He said.

“It’s locked, though.” Tristan said.

“Just keep a lookout, I’ll handle it.” Justin said and in no time he was able to pick the lock.

“Can every police officers do that?” Tristan asked him.

“Probably not.” Justin replied as he examined the walls of the well. “She couldn’t have jumped down there, it’s too narrow and high. What would she even do down there?” Justin noticed something on the wall. “X marks the spot.” He said as he saw a carving on the wall. He then lied on the ground and reached for it. “Here goes nothing.” He said and then pushed the brick with the carving.

It took some effort to push the brick, but as it moved back into the wall, several bricks around the well, from the top to the bottom, started protruding outwards making a makeshift spiral staircase. And at the bottom of the well, a small opening appeared.

“Damn, that’s clever.” Tristan said.

“I’ll go down, you stay here.” Justin said.

“What? No, I’m coming with you. Better yet, I’ll go down and you wait here.” Tristan insisted.

“We don’t know what’s down there, it’s too dangerous. Someone might be waiting in ambush.”

“Exactly why I should be the one to go. It’s not like I can die.” Tristan said confidently with a raised eyebrow.

“We don’t know that, you coming back from the dead might be a one-time thing.” Justin insisted stubbornly. “I can’t let anyone die on my watch. Besides, I’m the police here, it’s my job. No matter what supernatural abilities you have, I can’t put you in danger, you’re still a civilian.”

Knowing that it was Justin’s strong sense of justice and responsibility that was making him stubborn, Tristan relented. “Fine, I’ll give you fifteen minutes…”

“Make it thirty…”

Tristan sighed. “Fifteen minutes. If I don’t hear anything from you by then, I’m following you.”

“Fine, fifteen, but start the time after I enter that opening.” Justin said and then made his way down.

With his back on the wall, Justin made his way down very slowly. The well was musty and the walls were wet because of the rain, making it a difficult and dangerous journey down. 

As he made his way down the well, Justin started thinking about how Leila managed to find out the secret of the well. How did she know where to look? How did she get the key? How did she know the hidden staircase and passageway?

“You got fifteen minutes!” Justin heard Tristan shout from above as he finally reached the bottom of the well.

A long and narrow hallway awaited Justin on the other side of the passageway, and judging by the direction it was heading, it would lead him directly below the hotel. The passageway looked old but well maintained, just like the hotel above it. At the end of the passageway was another opening.

Justin’s stomach turned as he saw the sight at the end of that hidden passageway. Underneath the hotel was something he could only describe as a torture dungeon. There was a lot of old torture equipment all around, whips and chains hanging on the wall, but what disgusted Justin the most the sight of Leila Queens, dressed in white, strapped on a stone bed, unconscious.

 Parts of the room were still hidden in the darkness and Justin had a feeling that someone was hiding in the shadows. Carefully, Justin walked towards Leila. He tried unlocking the steel chains and cuffs on her limbs, but he suddenly heard a voice echoed in the dungeon.

“Don’t waste your time. Neither of you is gonna get out of here alive.” Justin heard Isiah Crowley’s voice. Carefully he looked around, but even before he could take out his gun, a steel canister rolled to his feet and started emitting gas.

In seconds, Justin lost consciousness. When he came to, all the lights in the dungeon was turned on and Justin’s wrists and ankles were strapped on a heavy set of wooden chair. He saw Isiah Crowley sitting on a black and silver throne chair while holding a dagger with a golden hilt.

“What kind of a sick game are you playing?” Justin asked angrily as he struggled to free himself. “What are you going to do with her?” 

“You don’t have to know, you’re going to die soon anyway.” Isiah said in a grim tone.

Looking around the newly lit room, Justin saw a stone altar near Isiah’s throne chair. Above it was a golden chalice and it. Both the stone bed and stone altar was stained with blood and that’s how Justin realized the purpose of that dungeon. The realization of what he had just discovered almost made him want to hurl. It was vile and sickening.

“So all those people went missing just so you can do a sick ritual and drink their blood?” Justin asked. “You’re got getting away with this.”

“My family did, and I still continue to. Luck is on our side, nothing and no one can touch us.” Isiah said as he stood up. “Now, who should I begin with? Should I get rid of you first or make you watch her die?” Isiah asked.

“JUSTIN!” Tristan’s voice echoed. Fifteen minutes had passed and Tristan had followed him.

“How stupid.” Isiah said and then took out a remote and pressed the button. The stone doors on both ends of the passageway fell close, trapping Tristan in the dark and narrow space. He then pressed another button to reveal a screen. “Do you really think I had no idea what you two are up to?”

Isiah had hidden cameras installed, one inside his room, one right outside the utility room, one on the shed facing the well, one along the passageway, and one was inside the dungeon itself.

“You’re not alone, someone is working with you.” Justin said, trying to stall for time as he thinks of a way to get out of that situation. 

“Well done. I guess you have another secret to take with you on your grave.” Isiah said.

“Why did you keep her alive this long? Why didn’t you kill her the moment you lured her here?” Justin continued to stall for time.

“Simple. Fear.” Isiah replied as he brushed the blade of the dagger on Justin’s face. “The longer we inflict pain to them, the more fearful they become. Do you know how satisfying it is to see how frightened they are each time they would see us? The more frightened they are, the more potent their blood is, the more luck I gain.” Isiah said maniacally. “Too bad, we don’t have a taste for male blood. It would’ve been fun to see you break down. I wonder what’s more painful. To have your throat slit or to watch your dear friend die before your eyes?” He said and then pushed another button that released toxic gas on the passageway.

“Tristan!” Justin shouted as he struggled against his constraints. “You won’t get away with this bastard. I’ll give back all the pain you caused ten-folds!” Justin shouted angrily as he saw Tristan suffocate and cough up blood. It only took a few seconds before Tristan vomited blood and the fell lifeless on the cold ground.

The first time he met Tristan, he was a dead body, and he didn’t feel anything at that time, but seeing Tristan die right in front of him was different. It filled Justin with regret, anger, and heartache.

“It’s your turn now. Show me your fear.” Isiah said with a maniac smile as he brushed the blade on Justin’s cheek.

A familiar sensation of cold air rising from the ground suddenly surrounded the dungeon. It was bone-chilling and skin crawling.

“How arrogant of you to talk about fear.” They heard a disembodied male voice echo in the dungeon. “Have you ever experienced it yourself?” It asked and the lights started flickering.

“Who is that? Where are you?” Isiah asked as he stood upright and looked around. His reaction told Justin that he was as confused as him. “If you think you can scare me, then think again. I don’t fear anything, not even the ghosts of the place!”

“Not even death?” The voice asked again and then darkness enveloped the whole space. “Do you know true fear?” The voice asked again in a grim tone, it’s eerie voice echoed right through Justin’s bones. The lights suddenly opened and a figure sat at Isiah’s throne chair while shadow-like smoke flowed right out of its body. “Do you want me to show you?” It asked. 

That phrase, that eerie and grim voice, and that figure; it was all too familiar to Justin. He had countless nightmares about it, and to see it in person made his body numb and his heart race.

“What are you…?” Isiah stumbled as he stepped back.

“You don’t have to know, you’re going to die soon anyway.” The figure mocked as it left out a grim laugh. With a whisk of a hand, the dagger that Isiah was holding was enveloped by the same shadowy smoke coming out from the grim creature. The dagger rose in the air and pointed down at Isiah. He tried to run away, but his limbs were pinned down by the shadowy smoke. “Luck has abandoned you. Goodbye.” The entity said mockingly and let the dagger fall.

The dagger stopped just at its point touched Isiah’s skull. Then the sadistic torturer’s scream of pain and agony echoed in the dungeon.

“What’s happening to him?” Justin asked.

The figure moved, like a cloud of smoke flowing through an open-air, it circled around Justin before stopping behind him. “I’m having him experience all the pain and fear he had inflicted, and even worse. He’s experiencing his greatest fear. He’s dying the most painful death over and over again.” The entity whispered in Justin’s ear.

“What are you?” Justin asked carefully and calmly.

Shadowy smoke enveloped the straps constraining him and unlocked them. “You’ll learn soon enough.” The entity said before disappearing altogether.

As soon as the entity disappeared, the shadowy smoke that was binding Isiah disappeared and the dagger fell backward on the floor on top of his head, leaving Isiah unconscious.

There were so many things going on, but the first thing in Justin’s head was to get Tristan out of that passageway. He took the remote from Isiah’s pocket and pushed the button to open the stone doors.

Tristan lied on the ground, lifeless and covered in blood, just like how Justin first saw him. “Tristan.” Justin called as he rushed to him.

“Oh, shit…” Tristan cursed after his eyes suddenly opened. “That was a different kind of pain.” He said as he stood up like nothing happened. “I mean, being stabbed in the heart, was painful, but that… fuck. It was like the pain was all over inside my body. It’s fucking weird.” He added as he dusted his clothes.

Justin was left speechless as he watched Tristan act like he just slipped on the floor. 

“What?” Tristan asked him. “Don’t look at me like that, it’s not like it’s the first time you saw me come back to life.” He added.

“Yeah, but it doesn’t make it any less…” Justin trailed off.

“Creepy?”

“No offense.” Justin replied. Sure it was confusing and weird to see, but he was glad that Tristan came back to life. He felt relieved like thorns were finally plucked out of his chest.

“None taken.” Tristan replied. “Now, don’t you have someone to rescue?” Tristan asked rhetorically as he pointed at the stone table. “God, this man is truly sick in the head.” Tristan said as he stepped into the dungeon for the very first time. He stopped just in front of Isaiah and then smirked. “I guess someone just got abandoned by luck.”