Navigating in full darkness while simultaneously fighting monsters and carefully following the sound of a bell was no walk in the park. Even with one useful pair of “eyes” at their disposal, proceeding with their plan was more than ambitious. Nami was too badly injured to keep fighting or walk on her own. Her master took it upon himself to find a safe place for her. The thought of using his healing magic crossed his mind for a brief second before realizing if he were to do so, he would become enervated and potentially a dead weight. He hid her under the reception desk, using a duct tape he found in the drawer to prevent further blood loss. There wasn’t much else he could do. He had used most of his mana, exploiting the deflection glyph tattooed on his elbow. Now he only had his weapons and wits to depend on, as well as the diminishing faith he held in the rest of the party members.

The huntress flew through the second-floor corridor like a wildcat, slicing at all of the creatures’ vitals under the jinn’s guidance. They were like two parts of a killing machine, working seamlessly as if they’d been doing over a lifetime. Michael was reminded of Maria and the connection they had during combat. It was for a brief moment that he could pretend she was still there with him. The jinn had her voice after all. Now that he didn’t have to witness its empty, smoke-filled sockets and expression that exuded nothing but contempt towards everything beneath it, the delusion of his wife still being in the same vicinity as him was all too tempting to ignore. A persistent sharp pain in his lower abdomen was quick to pull him out of his reverie. He was cut earlier, but had no other choice than to ignore it.

The bell rang closer this time, making all three turn their heads in the direction of the sound.

“Do you see her?” Dani asked the jinn.

“No, but I sense that she’s coming close.”

“Yeah, no shit, Sherlock. I can hear the bloody bitch’s ringtone. Tell me if you catch a glimpse, so I can shove that bell right between her half-rotten cheeks.”

The jinn didn’t take too kindly to those words, yet it wasn’t bothered enough to express its discontent.

“There on your left,” it said. “I feel her presence in room 204.”

“Well, I obviously can’t see where that is, can I?”

“Here!” The jinn yelled after kicking the door down. The crash was enough for the huntress to pick up the direction. She jumped, using all of her body weight for the coup de graće. The grotesque woman let out a deafening shriek, producing a sound barrier that threw Dani off balance, making her drop her weapon. She kicked up to get back on her feet. Her second attack hit the painting on the wall in front of her.

“Did I get her?” She asked, already having an idea of what the answer would be. “What a pain! How am I supposed to kill the kučka if I can’t even see her? This place better be stocked with some booze after I’m done painting the walls with her ghostly gust. You guys owe me big time for going through this half-sober.”

“You never close that putrid mouth of yours, do you?” the jinn hissed, displeased.

“Whatever, Morpheus. You’re lucky I don’t remember much of your appearance to come up with a funnier nickname. Hey, where’s that handsome guy with the glasses?”

“Michael?” There was dread in its voice. It was too busy following the huntress to notice his presence had slowly faded. “Michael!” It shouted once more.

There he stood, leaning against the wall in the hallway, a hand covering his blood-soaked belly, which he desperately tried to stitch back using a stapler. His breathing was heavy, as if he didn’t know how much he had left before collapsing. His partner noticed the concern in his eyes. He was burdened with something.

“Have you seen the kid that was at the reception desk earlier?” He said through a painful cough that tightened his torn muscles. “I haven’t heard his voice at all since we parted ways.”

“The boy’s probably dead or, unlike us, reasonable enough to flee, “said the jinn.

“Daniela, did you see a third car parked in front of the hotel before you entered? This building is a bit far from the town itself. If he didn’t drive back, then he must still be here somewhere.”

“Now that you mentioned it, there was another car. An old minivan, “Dani recalled. “I figured it couldn’t be yours or Andrzej’s; he drives an Audi. Besides, a little girl was sitting on the passenger seat, so I doubt she had anything to do with you guys. She was weird, though. Didn’t say a word when I emptied half the tank, even though I’m sure she saw me in the rear mirror before I bolted.”

“What?!” Michael flinched.

“Hey, hey, I know you are going to judge me, but have you seen gas prices lately?”

“The kid mentioned having a sister. She’s probably waiting for him. Why didn’t you take her somewhere safe, knowing there is a lethal curse spreading around?”

“I was in a rush to save you guys,” Dani crossed her arms defensively.

“Yet you still had enough time to steal fuel from a teenager?” Michael grilled her. He couldn’t believe the audacity. What baffled him more was the fact that the necromancer could be right about her being worse than him. “Go outside and make sure the kid is safe. We’ll stay here and take care of the Maiden.”

“No way! I’m the hunter here. You can’t handle this without me!”

“Go, now,” He repeated, sternly.

The jinn wasn’t pleased with that plan either.

“You’re badly injured, Michael. It is unwise to keep fighting in your condition,” it argued.

“That’s why I’ll need your help,” he attempted to force a smile before turning to the huntress. “Daniela, one more thing before you leave. Would you please lend me your sword?”

The huntress showed reluctance at first, huffing like a child in a tantrum. There were few things she hated more than being ordered around. It reminded here if those awful years she spent working for the Serbian mafia.

“I hope you know what you’re doing,” she said at last before handing over the machete. “A real hunter needs no fancy weapon to hunt its prey. Don’t lose it. I promised an old friend of mine to return it to its rightful owner one day.”

With those words, she took off. They heard her footsteps fading down the hallway, along with the grunting of monsters she shoved away to make her escape. Michael was relieved it didn’t take much convincing to make her listen. Unbeknownst to him, she was less susceptible to arguing on her rare occasions of sobriety. Now, with her out of the way, it was time for his real plan to commence.

“She was a useful ally,” the jinn turned to him. “Why didn’t you tell her the truth?”

“Because if I had, she would have killed that girl. If she knew Oliver was the one behind all of this, she would certainly figure out his little sister was acting as his accomplice. I saw her too, earlier through the window as she stood there. She wasn’t waiting for her brother; she was observing. I’ve seen children who’ve had the same look in their eyes. The look of someone who’s been through hell and back.”

“When did you know it was him?”

“Shortly after, he greeted us. I can tell when people are hiding something, especially teenagers.  We’re nothing but his test subjects. If he had read one of those fragments Andrzej was talking about, he now wants to see the true limits of his power.”

“Perhaps you should have shared this information with the necromancer.”

“I had no confirmation of that theory, but now I do. If the little sister was still sitting there calmly watching through the windows as the creatures attacked us, that means she knew this would happen. Even more, she must have had some protection against the curse. Any normal girl her age would have run screaming at the sight of this nightmare.”

“This was all very insightful, you see. But let’s get on with the big question: what do we do now?”

“Find the boy. Fortunately, I already have an idea of where he is. Somewhere, he’s enjoying the spectacle on full display.”

***

Dani’s frantic attempts to get to the exit quicker resulted in her smashing her face against the floorboards as she tumbled down the stairs. It was out of sheer luck that she didn’t break her neck, although ‘luck’ was far from an appropriate word to describe her situation. She had the resilience of a cockroach – one of the many things that made people around her doubt she was human. Now with her precious sword missing, she had to act with extra caution. Somewhere around her jumbled mess of thoughts, the question of why she gave up the machete so easily arose, and then it was just as swiftly beaten away by one of the ghostly creatures. The increasing volume of the melody made it impossible to navigate using sound alone. She used the knives in her booths to stab her attacker before dashing away. Someone grabbed her by the leg unexpectedly and dragged her, making her curse in rage. Another hand stifled her profanities. She was about to sink her teeth into it before she recognized that familiar scent.

“It’s us,” a soft female voice uttered.

“Zombie girl?” Dani asked, dazed.” I should have known it was you. You two reek of lavender.”

“And you smell like you’ve been rolling in dregs,” said the necromancer, straining his vocal cords. His breathing was slow and labored, coughing as if he had smoked a whole pack of cigarettes all at once. “I found some salt in the kitchen earlier and used my last bit of magic to create a protection circle against the ghosts. There is not much time left before I lose my senses. Where is Michael? Is he alive?”

“I sure hope so. That smart ass took my machete and pretty much told me to get lost. He said I had to take care of some little girl outside, but I think he just wanted me out of the way for some reason.”

“What little girl? “Andrzej asked before the piercing pain in his temple made him forget his question. ”There is a tumor in my head that produces mana. Once it runs out, the circle will break, and we’re all screwed. I’m on the brink of collapsing, and Nami lost too much blood to be able to fight. I’d hate to say it, but you are our only hope. If you get us all out of here alive, I’ll pay you as much as you want for the effort.”

“You think I came here because I wanted your money? If that were the case, I would have simply hijacked your car and fucked off. You lot should have listened to me when I told you not to go into that stupid haunted hotel!”

“You didn’t say a word about the hotel being haunted. What you kept blabbering about was those made-up fake sorcerers.”

“They are not made up! Matter of fact, I am sure one of them is behind this kuršlus (clusterfuck).”

“And you know this because?”

“Have you seen a curse as powerful as this before? Witches only use this type of curse to cast out real danger, not a bunch of losers like us.”

“You know this isn’t sufficient evidence?” Andrzej muttered in a hollow tone.

“Can’t you trust me for once? I know you don’t like me, I don’t like you either, but now, instead of getting into another pointless bicker, you can let go of your arrogance for once and believe the instincts of a hunter,” Dani paused as it became suspiciously quiet. “What? You’re not going to point out I’m not a ‘real hunter’? Call me a drunk idiot?” She continued with concern. “Andrzej? You there?”

“He’s out,” said Nami with her usual, inapt calmness.

“Fuck.”

***

Further down the hallway on the first floor was a secret room behind a bookshelf. Inside there was a monitor for each area inside the hotel, where one could enjoy the carnage from a safe distance, wearing a protection charm that countered the tragedy of seeing the Maiden waving her red handkerchief of death. One screen showed the panic that ensued after the necromancer lay motionless on the floor. A sight that brought much delight to the young spectator, especially after he saw what the man did to his poor servant. On another screen, he saw the jinn turn his minions to a pile of ash, only for more to arise from the shadows. He was thrilled to see how such an ancient being would hold against his newfound power.Oliver spun in his chair, pleased with himself. It felt as if he was watching a movie he directed and carefully curated the cast for. His little experiment turned out better than he could hope for. Who knew that the perfect characters would roll into his domain on their own accord? He had hoped that the mangled creations he had sent into the city would draw the attention of the Order enough so they would send a group of exorcists to take part in his play. But this? This was better than seeing his favorite team play in the finals.

His glee was cut short as he noticed one of the monitors losing signal. He tilted his head, confused as two more followed. It was strange. He opened his laptop to check his internet connection, though as soon as he saw there were no issues and shifted his attention back to the view from the cameras, he was met by nothing but a wall of static.

The door burst open, kicked down by the jinn. Smoke exuded furiously from its empty sockets, underlining its exasperation. Oliver noticed there were now two rings missing on the hand clutching the runic sword. Michael walked in shortly with a pair of diagonal cutters. His eyes were wide open.

“Hello there, dear guests,” the teenager greeted them mockingly. “Was the service to your liking? Don’t forget to leave a review on Yelp. We don’t get many visitors around here.” He was met by a stone-cold silence. The expression on the jinn alone sent a chill down his spine. “I see you’re not afraid of my little curse anymore, Mr. Foster. It would be a shame to witness your heart implode inside your chest once the Maiden comes to-“

It was then that Oliver realized what the jinn was holding behind its back when he saw the Murrian Maiden’s head roll down the carpet. He twisted his lips, lifting his eyebrows, showing that he was more surprised than scared. From his mouth, he exuded a simple, puzzled “Oh”.

“Sorry to put an end to your performance,” said Michael. “I would kindly ask you for our money back, but we both know that’s not what we’re here for.”

“I presume you came here to find out who was behind all the living dead that spawned in this town, “said Oliver. “It’s unbelievable what deciphering a few letters from an old god’s true name can do to an apprentice like me. I can revive people in the matter of minutes, something that would take your sorcerer friend a whole day. It’s a true wonder.”

“I believe the right word for it is ‘an atrocity’.”

“One has to push themselves beyond their abilities to achieve greatness.”

“Why did you do it?” Michael tried not to show his pain as he spoke.

“It is a part of a larger experiment,” the boy confessed. “I shall spare you the details. Earlier, I happened to overhear your conversation with your partner. As a sign of gratitude for acting as my subject, I’ll give you an offer: I can resurrect your beloved wife right here and now, and in return, I’d like to have your last wish from the jinn. As a bonus, I would have added getting rid of that disgusting necromancer, but I don’t want his cute assistant to perish as well. What do you say? Do we have a deal?”

“And what do you intend to do with that wish?” The jinn asked, patiently waiting for Michael’s command to add another decapitated head to the floor.

“Oh, nothing much,” Oliver shrugged, putting his hands in his pockets. “Just find the rest of the fragments and essentially ascend to godhood. A jinn’s power isn’t nearly enough for my plan to work without the extra steps.”

“Sorry to disappoint, but I would prefer to live in a world where God is at least part puberty,” said Michael, attempting to smile as much as suppressing the pain from his torn muscles allowed him.

“And do you like the world as it is now? For most of us, there is nothing but misery. No matter how much we try, there is no escaping the fate bestowed upon us at birth by whatever malevolent deity rules the cosmos. In fact, it’s worse than that. The gods are indifferent. We live our short, pathetic, meaningless lives only to die in a few years without leaving a trace of our existence…“

“Who was it?” The exorcist put an end to his monologue.

The boy was taken aback by the question, unsure of how to react, but still kept his composure.

“What do you mean?”

“Who fed you this bleak worldview? Kids your age are too impressionable not to have gobbled up the lies of the first person who extended them a hand.” Michael saw a spark of rage in the teenager’s eye. “If your uncle was the one taking care of you, that means something happened to your parents. I believe he wasn’t a pleasant guy to be around, given he forced you and your sister to slave away at his hotel. So, I’m asking you again. Who was it that promised you a better future once you pledged your servitude to them? Was it the witch – Baba Yaga?”

“She is no witch!” Oliver snapped. “Grandmother is this world’s only hope for salvation. How dare a mere human like you insult her? I won’t waste my breath on talking with you any longer, Mr. Foster. I take it that you reject my offer, is that it?”

“I’d rather trade my sanity.”

“Then I have no further need for you.”

With the raise of his hand, the boy caused every sharp object in the room to levitate as if they were pulled by strings. A snap of his fingers sent them flying directly at the jinn and the exorcist. Michael was quick enough to roll on the ground before any of the scissors, pens, and needles got lodged into his body at once. This sudden movement induced a horrific sting, causing his open wound to stretch wider. He could no longer mask his agony. The jinn took it as a signal to charge at Oliver, who seemed to disappear into thin air when the blade came swishing an inch away from his neck. He appeared from behind with a playful smirk and used his magic to produce a gravitational wave and blast his opponent to the wall, causing the plaster to crumble under the impact. As the jinn slumped to the ground, one could see a large dent being left behind as well as traces of blood and fabric.

“I’m not an evil person, you see,” said Oliver. “My offer still stands. Give me your wish, and you shall have your wife back. I can heal you. You and your friends can walk out of here in one piece.”

Michael didn’t hesitate. His vision had begun to blur long before his injury got worse. There was only one thing he had on his mind at that moment. With a single, precise swing, he flung his knife at the dark, hazy figure that was the boy. The curtains had fallen before he could see the result of his last, desperate attempt.

“That’s too bad,” he heard Oliver’s distorted voice. “I thought you, of all people, would listen to reason.”

The knife was caught mid-air and flung back at the exorcist, who could no longer feel the blade piercing his flesh. He stood there cold and silent, listening as the footsteps began to fade.