Chance Hotel (The Chance Hotel Series Book 1) by Christopher Gorham Calvin

Author:Christopher Gorham Calvin [Calvin, Christopher Gorham]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Mysteries & Thrillers
Published: 2022-09-17T07:00:00+00:00

Chapter Thirty

Temperature Anomaly Detected

Jason reminded himself that the informal definition of insanity was doing the same thing over and over again while expecting different results. It was a fitting reminder, for just after Jason pressed the unlabeled thirteenth floor placeholder button, the elevator car did exactly what it had done the previous times he pressed it: absolutely nothing. To rule out the elevator’s unresponsiveness being due to a mistake on his part- and to secure his permanent residence in the local looney bin- Jason tapped the button several more times before giving up on it. Well, Jason thought, if Marcus Jr. found a way to get onto the thirteenth floor, this didn’t appear to be it.

It was possible the kid had accessed the thirteenth floor the same way Jason had: by stealing a staff member’s master keycard. But that would have also entailed Marcus Jr. locating the secret keycard reader on the thirteenth floor stairwell landing, which was unlikely, and a member of the staff being careless with their keycard, which was even more unlikely given the recency of Jason’s thievery. Maybe Marcus Jr. really had gotten hungry and gone in search of food. If so, the vending machine on his own floor should have been sufficient to meet his needs. Then again, most vending machines these days accepted credit cards and even NFC payments… not those of the Chance Hotel, though. Maybe Marcus Jr. didn’t carry cash and coins on him. Or maybe he was one of those weird new-age kids that prefers flavorless health food over delicious junk. Either way, there was a decent probability he had gone to the hotel restaurant after all.

Jason punched the button for the ground floor, resuming the path he had originally started down, only several wasted minutes later. The elevator doors closed, and the car began its descent. Just past the fourteenth floor, the usual electric light show began. Jason had grown accustomed to ignoring the phenomenon, but right now he was on edge, his nerves a misfiring mess from the lack of good sleep, the pounding wake-up call to start his day, the guilt of potentially playing a part in Marcus Jr.’s disappearance, and the very real possibility that the dangers of the Chance Hotel were more than a figment of his paranoid imagination. The flickering elevator lights seemed brighter than usual, to the point where they made Jason squint. And the popping sounds-

Thwomp!

The noise came from beyond the sealed elevator doors, but it was strong enough to rattle both the elevator car and Jason’s nerves. What the hell was that? Jason thought wildly as the elevator descended past the twelfth floor, effectively pulling the plug on his unwanted entertainment. Jason braced himself for another impact from the unfamiliar noise, but just like the flickering light show, its reach didn’t seem to extend beyond the thirteenth floor corridor. The rest of his trip was uneventful as always, and soon the elevator doors opened to release Jason to the presumed safety of the first floor.

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