Serial Killer Android by David Scott

Author:David Scott
Language: eng
Format: azw3, epub
ISBN: 9781791826697
Published: 2019-02-16T05:00:00+00:00

NINE

The golden, glittering letters spelling out the Northern Hotel’s name, and marking its entrance, stood out starkly against the onyx backdrop.

Looking at the sign, you would be forgiven for thinking it was a jewellery shop and, even after the addition of the word “Hotel” to the sign, the receptionists still sometimes found lovers lost in their lobby looking for that perfect ring.

The hotel had grown over the years. The demand for rooms was such that they had taken over the adjacent department store, and converted it into more rooms. Now, the towering conjoined building was one of the biggest hotels in the up-and-coming business district.

The manager made false promises of five-star luxury for three-star prices. The economic downturn, coupled with the ever-present need for social media updates, assured the hotel’s success, as vainglorious adults described yet another amazing stay in a top establishment. The illusion of superiority more important than the reality of the experience.

Pulcinella had chosen it for this very reason. A crowded lobby of self-interested individuals was guaranteed. It could come and go at will without being noticed or questioned. The management had cut costs wherever it could; staff numbers and security systems were efficiently minimal.

Transforming its appearance to that of a middle-aged male, matching its plastic skin tone to one of the commonly seen pink hues, and wearing an ubiquitous navy suit, meant that Pulcinella looked like nearly half of those passing through the corridors on any given day.

The one security guard, disguised as a lobby assistant, could not possibly recognise all of the guests or differentiate between the indistinguishable masses. Pulcinella could come and go as it pleased.

The small steel lifts had no surveillance devices installed or extra security measures.

Each floor looked almost identical, with long, narrow corridors, flanked on either side by plain wooden doors facing each other.

Two cameras were installed at either end of each of the long corridors, one of which was a dummy camera; Pulcinella found that the one working device could be disabled remotely, and that no one responded when this happened, which suggested they were not actively monitored.

The room doors had no “spy holes”, and a card merely needed to be flashed at the door to open it, which Pulcinella could easily replicate or override.

The crowded warren of rooms provided an accessible source of prey. There would be no escape from these comfortable burrows.

On the last night of the month, Pulcinella stood outside in the rain, watching and waiting for nightfall. It did not feel the delicate splashes of cool water bouncing off its plastic frame, or the cold kisses of the late Autumn air. Dusk fell, and the hotel sign glowed welcomingly.

Pulcinella entered through the revolving door, and proceeded to the lift. It looked at the panel of illuminated numbers. A deathly lottery for the sleeping masses above. A push of a button which would decide their fate; live or die.

Pulcinella did not choose at random, it had calculated that the top floor was preferable to minimise the risk of any escape.

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