Mason had already had his fill when he noticed his brother was nowhere to be seen. He frowned, wondering what he was up to. He was the only one missing from the room where the others were.
He hoped he had no connection to the man who was hiding in the forest. Furthermore, he may have been wronged by all of them in the past, but preparing such revenge for them was too cruel.
Noah wasn't the type to take revenge. He was an angel who couldn't even hurt a fly—the opposite of Mason.
It was impossible for him to come up with such an idea.
The brunette boy shook his head, realizing that he had been thinking too much and creating unrealistic scenarios.
Resting his chin on his hand, he looked at Nancy, who sat down next to him, the only one who looked sober.
- Why aren't you drinking? Why do you have to act like an angel like my brother? - he asked. He gestured to the others. - Look, the others are having such a good time, it's like they forgot where they are. They're dead drunk, literally like Daniel - he added, looking amused by the statement.
- Mason, this isn't funny. Daniel's dead. He's the first victim.
"I'm too drunk to take this seriously. I don't care at this point," he said, pouting his lips charmingly.
Nancy watched his face, realizing once again how much she adored him. There wasn't a moment when she didn't think about what it would be like to be kissed, and most of all, loved, by Mason—the man practically every girl in college had wanted.
Unfortunately, he was someone big and came from an influential family, so she could only dream about him.
She kept her feelings deep in her heart, promising herself that she would never let anyone know how much she was in love with him.
Even though she was scared as hell, he was her only happiness in this place. It might sound absurd, but didn't lovers have that? Everyone probably felt that strange excitement in the presence of a crush, regardless of where they were.
Even if it was hell.
"Nancy? Why are you looking at me like that?" he asked suddenly, and then the blonde girl shook herself. Her eyes were full of panic for a moment. "Do you admire how handsome I am?" he added, combing his hair.
The blonde girl swallowed nervously, then laughed.
- Your self-confidence is disarming.
His drunken, charming smile made her heart beat faster again.
"Mason, I hope you're not trying to take advantage of Noah's absence and hit on the girl of his dreams?" Will asked, hanging onto the brunette's arm. "That would be below the belt."
The brunette boy lifted his face and looked at him out of the corner of his eye.
- Now you're worried about my brother's feelings? Too bad it's so late, because maybe you wouldn't have written that crappy article that ruined his life?
The young man stepped away from his friend, smiling nervously.
"No one will ever forgive me for this," he muttered under his breath as he walked away from them.
Nancy searched Mason's face with concern as she noticed he had had enough alcohol.
- Maybe you want to go outside the hotel to get some air? You don't look good.
- Do you know where my brother is? - he asked in a slurred voice.
- What? - Nancy frowned.
- I'm asking, do you know where Noah is?
- I don't know, Mason, but let's go get some fresh air. I'll help you.
The brunette boy didn't even protest when the girl helped him up from the chair. Together, they left the restaurant, heading for the exit of the building.
***
Jake, who had been living in a constant state of stress for several hours, drank more than his body would allow. The boy had had enough when he barely got up from the floor, where he had been sitting, his back against the wall.
He staggered out of the restaurant, ignoring the others, who had clearly forgotten where they were and were laughing at each other. They even joked that when they were drunk, they would be able to see all the ghosts of the place.
Betty cried at one point, claiming she would rather not see them.
The brunette boy sat down at the reception desk, resting his head on the counter. He felt as if everything around him was spinning.
- Are you okay, Jake? - He felt someone touch his hair. He lifted his head and looked at the woman from his dreams with terrified eyes. She was looking at him with those beautiful eyes, looking like an angel.
- Why me? Why are you picking on me? - he asked in a tearful voice.
She crouched down next to him and took his hands in hers, looking at him with obvious concern in her eyes.
"You do realize how much I like you, don't you?" She stroked the skin of his hand, never taking her eyes off his face. "No matter what happens here, I will protect you, Jake ."
- Why do I see you in my dreams? Who are you really?
- You know who I am. A girl who is madly in love with you.
- What? - The brunette boy felt as if he were in some strange frenzy. Had he fallen asleep? Was it something like a daydream? That's why he saw her again?
- I can even turn a blind eye to how much you hurt me... - She touched his face with her hand, looking at him with adoration in her eyes. - I know it wasn't your idea, Jake. - She brought her face dangerously closer, as if she wanted to kiss him, but the boy got scared and moved away energetically, making him fall off the chair. - Why are you afraid of me?
- Leave me alone! Get away from me! - he shouted, breathing heavily. - You're not real! You're a nightmare, a cursed demon! - he added tearfully.
- Jake, what are you talking about? Are you okay?
The brunette boy clumsily got up from the floor, because the alcohol was still making him unbalanced. He staggered forward, wanting to be as far away from the curse that was after him as possible.
Jennifer, who was left at the reception, looked at him with shock.
- What's happening to him? - she asked herself.
***
Mason was sitting on the steps with Nancy. They were in front of the building. It was pitch dark around them. The only sounds coming from the forest were the night birds and the sound of the ocean from the beach.
The brunette boy had his head buried between his knees, because he felt sick. He had drunk too much alcohol and could only blame himself for it.
After all, it was his idea.
- Are you feeling terrible? - the blonde girl asked at one point. He raised his head and looked at her with a painful gaze.
"Terrible," he replied. He rested his head on her shoulder, causing her cheeks to flush.
Drunk Mason was adorable. He looked nothing like himself.
He closed his eyes, and she let him fall asleep in that position. Even though she was scared as hell to be outside with a drunk Mason, she felt a strange joy that he was able to get so close to her.
Too bad it only happens when drunk.
She watched the darkness ahead, a shiver running through her body. She was scared. Furthermore, she had said from the beginning that drinking alcohol here was a bad idea, but no one had listened to her. Now, it was almost like she was on her own, since everyone except her was drunk.
" Noah, you can't take revenge on them," Mason muttered under his breath. Nancy frowned, concerned at his words. "They hurt you, but they were our friends. It wasn't you, was it?"
A strange feeling of unease filled Nancy's heart. She looked to the side with a terrified gaze as someone emerged from the woods.
Fear paralyzed her body. With Mason resting on her shoulder, she couldn't move.
"Nancy? You won't stay with him, not a moment longer," she heard, and then she was pulled by the arm, and before she could scream, the young man covered her mouth with his hand.
Mason collapsed onto the concrete steps, but he was so drunk that even that couldn't wake him up.
The blonde girl tried to break free from the man's embrace, but she had no chance. Pulled towards the forest, she predicted a worst-case scenario for herself.
***
- Mason, wake up! What's wrong with you? - The brunette boy opened his eyes, feeling how much his head hurt. He was on the stairs in front of the hotel, he had no idea what time it was, but it looked like it was still the middle of the night.
He massaged his forehead and looked at his brother with a surprised look.
- Why did I sleep in front of the hotel?
- Are you asking me? I looked for you everywhere, I didn't expect to find you here, in such bad condition.
The brunette boy looked at the blond boy suspiciously.
- Where were you? I remember you disappeared from my sight in the restaurant?
- I just went back to my room. I didn't feel like drinking with all of them. You know perfectly well that I don't see them as friends anymore, not after what they did to me.
Mason was still staring at him.
- Are you sure? You're not lying to me, Noah?
- You're my brother, you're the only one I trust, I would never lie to you, you know that.
The man rubbed his eyes and then realized something.
- If I recall correctly, I think Nancy took me here. Why did she leave me here alone?
Noah looked at him with amusement.
- I doubt she wanted to carry you. She probably wouldn't have been able to.
- I would expect that from Betty, but not from Nancy. I'm sure she would have gone for one of the boys to help her.
- Are you sure? Will and Jake got pretty wasted.
The brunette boy frowned.
- Something's wrong, I think you feel it too, Noah. Nancy wouldn't leave me here alone.
The blonde's boy expression became gloomy.
"So you think she cares about you so much that she wouldn't leave you alone? Maybe she was cold and tired of sitting here with you," he replied in a slightly less pleasant voice.
Mason then realized that his brother might have been jealous. Now everyone knew that he was in love with Nancy.
"You're right. I think I'm being too narcissistic," he said in an amused voice, trying to get rid of the thick air that had formed between them. "Will you help me up? I feel awful."
Noah helped his brother into the hotel. As they headed to their room, Mason suddenly stopped in the middle of the hallway and turned a worried gaze on the blond boy.
- Do you see him too?
- Who? - Noah frowned, looking straight ahead.
- A man in a black cloak, with a hood on his head. He's standing outside my room, waiting for me.
- Mason, you must still be drunk. There's no one in the hallway. It's just you and me.
They took a few steps forward, but the brunette boy stopped again.
- Noah, he's waiting for me. He's scary.
- You're hallucinating, calm down - he replied in an amused voice. - There's no one here.
Mason's heart began to pound with fear as the hooded man began walking towards him.
He didn't say a word, but he felt his brother's gaze on him.
"This is your place, Mason. You were a monster, but now I'll be the monster, and I'll make you suffer as much as I suffered." He heard a terrifying whisper in his ear. "You'll never leave this place again, you'll be trapped here, forever."
The brunette boy swallowed hard with fear.
- Mason, what's wrong with you? - His brother's voice snapped him out of his frenzy. He took a deep breath and looked at him.
- This man threatened me.
"I think you need to lie down and sober up, excellent, bro." The blond man forced his brother into the room and closed the door behind them. Mason sat down on the bed, still looking scared. "Don't ever drink alcohol again. You always had stupid ideas, but getting yourself into this state in this place?"
- How come only me and Jake see these apparitions? What's going on, Noah?
- It seems to me that you simply have the most in your head and are consumed by remorse, which is why you are hallucinating. Lie down and don't annoy me.
The look Noah gave his brother was terrifying, although the brunette boy didn't notice. He didn't realize that he was the one in the greatest danger.