CHAPTER ONE: Walter and Emily's Journey: Entrapment

[Kadael]

Jeremiah 8:9 - The wise will be put to shame; they will be dismayed and trapped. Since they have rejected the word of the Lord, what kind of wisdom do they have?

Emily jumps up, throwing the Bible to the floor, and rushes to Walter's side, also pounding at the door. "We're trapped in here! Can you let us out?"

[Laraqua]

There's no response to their frantic shouts or the sound of their fists hammering against the wooden door.

They can't even hear anyone on the outside of the door and there's no peep hole in a hotel room door for them to see through.

[Seon]

"Shh!" Walter said to Emily. "Quiet!"

He pressed his head against the door, desperately trying to hear the cart once more.

[Kadael]

Emily promptly shuts up and does the same. Did they really hear someone out there? Or was it just their imaginations?

[Laraqua]

They can bothhearthe squeak of the cart outside of the door and the sound of someone rattling the lock.

"That's funny," muttered a woman's voice on the other side of the door. "It's locked." A pause. "Huh? What's this?" There's the sound of bones creaking as though someone were moving or bending over. "Do not disturb? Hmph." There's the rattle of the knob again. "Hmph."

[Seon]

"Fuck," Walter cried out. "We're in here! Why can't you hear us!"

[Laraqua]

There is no response that they can hear. Nothing but silence. No one re-tries the door knob. No key magically appears in the lock.

Not that it would help with all those chains.

[Seon]

"Okay," Walter said. "This officially can't possibly be real."

He walked over to the phone and began to dial Andy's phone number. Didn't the phone work before? Maybe, in case that this was, somehow, real, he could be reached.

[Laraqua]

The telephone rings six times before finally being picked up. "Andy's book store?" slurred Andy's voice. Well, he was obviously still a bit drunk and hung over.

[Seon]

"Andy?!" Walter shouted. "HELP! Emily and I am trapped inside a room in the hotel... Travis apparently chose to leave for some reason, and the people who work here can't seem to hear us. We are trapped! Somebody chained the door. Could you come by and help?"

[Kadael]

Emily jumps a bit when he shouts, but that means it worked! She wouldn't have expected the phone to be able to call outside the hotel - apparently, whoever trapped them here wasn't very thorough.

[Laraqua]

"Walter, is that you? Hang on, I can barely make out what you're saying. Are you speaking on a mobile 'cause you're getting some real shitty reception." There's a moment's hesitation. "Nope, that looks like a landline. Look, Walter, don't know if you can hear me but Vincent's been around lookin' for you. I don't think it's real healthy for you to be here. Vincent agrees. He says you should get out if you're able, that I'm to tell you that, but he wouldn't say why."

[Seon]

"I am trying to get out of here!" Walter hissed through the phone. "Don't you dare hang up! Who's Vincent?"

[Laraqua]

"I know you never trusted him but ... I don't know. He's a real pillar of the community now, whatever that means. I mean, he was never a fan of Claudia. You remember Claudia, don't you? That creepy little albino kid that used to follow her around? Well ... look, I can't hear you properly but just take care of yourself and try to get out of here. Oh wait, is Emily still with you? Vincent was asking after her, as well."

[Seon]

"Oh fuck you."

[Laraqua]

"I heard that!" snapped Andy. "Look, what do you want me to do about it? I said you shouldn't have come here, didn't I? I told you to stay in New Zealand but you had to come and face your fears, didn't you? Look, I didn't tell him where you were. I tried to call but you weren't picking up.... I figured you and Emily.... Look, just get out of town, okay? Oh shit, I've got a visitor. I think it's...." He pauses. "Oh, Mayor! How g-" He hangs up the phone.

[Seon]

"Wait, you heard that?! Shit!" Walter threw the phone down.

"I think the phone's broken," he said to Emily. "But you are free to try and call anyone to try and get some damn help in here..."

[Kadael]

Emily stares at Walter, then at the phone. "What? What did he say?"

It's too bad her cellphone's dead... she could have called Travis. He'd listen, right?

[Seon]

"He couldn't hear me," Walter snapped. "He told me to get out of town ASAP. I can't even get out of this damn room! Said that Vincent was looking for us."

[Kadael]

Well, he obviously heard your 'fuck you.'

"What? How is anyone going to find us?" Emily walks back to the bed and sulks. "Housekeeping couldn't hear us, even though we're right here!"

Vincent. Do I know a Vincent?