; blood on my hands [leo]

[ROSEMARY LENNON]

"H ow are you?" Rose, who had both feet resting atop the pristine white check-in desk next to her computer, didn’t even glance up from her phone. She perked up her eyebrows as a sign that she had heard the guest, and slowly set her feet back down on the marble floor while she completed her text message. Hitting send, she shut off the screen of her phone with a soft ‘click’ and tossed it aside. Straightening her posture, she pulled herself closer to the computer and finally turned her full attention on the guest. Once she locked her gaze upon the man standing before her, she immediately rolled her eyes and fell back in her chair, her feet returning the the desk. She took up her phone again and opened it, her expression quickly changing from professional to angry. "Fuck off, Jeremy," she snapped. A group of guests crossing the lobby looked up at her, and the elderly woman muttered something. Rose ignored them. "Aw come on, Rosie," the man pleaded, leaning over her desk. She glanced up at him, her eyes meeting with his, and felt a pang of deep seeded frustration. He was very attractive, which didn’t make up for the fact that he was an asshole, but still made it hard not to look at him. "You can’t be mad at me forever." "Actually, I think I can," she told him, cocking her head to the side. "You stood me up and slept with 'Housekeeping Carlie'. Carlie. I think that commissions a grudge." "You never told me not to sleep with other people," he snapped back, visibly irritated. "Haven't you slept with like, more than half the people who work here?" Rose felt the blood in her veins ignite. Anger bubbled up from inside her, starting at a slow burn in the pit of her stomach and quickly engulfing every inch of her body like an inferno. Doing her very best to control herself, she once again placed her feet back on the glass tiles and stood up out of her chair, carefully leaning in to the man's face. "Get the hell out of my life." The man raised his hands in mock surrender, a frustratingly slick grin playing at his lips. He backed away from her, his eyes locked on her, and winked before he turned and strutted across the busy room. Rose watched him leave, still leaning over her desk with a look of sheer fury in her eyes. Her hair blew over her shoulder as a maintenance worker slid the grand glass door that led to the pools closed, which meant that sunset was approaching. Normally, this would mean Rose was finished her shift and could head to the bars, but tonight she had taken over the night shift for a friend. She was in for a long evening, especially now that she was so worked up. Flopping back down into her rolling chair with a huff, she returned to her cell phone and texted her friend, Lex, about what had just happened. It probably wasn't the coolest thing for her to do considering the two guys were mates, but there really wasn't anyone else for her to tell. Mostly because the insults that had been hurled at her weren't exactly untrue. A flashing light on the inter-resort phone lines drew her attention away from her cell, and she lifted the receiver, jabbing the light with her finger without even glancing at it. "Hello, this is R -" "Rosie, Rosie - don't hang up -" "Fuck you, Jeremy." She slammed the phone down, then winced and checked that she hadn't broken it. Almost immediately, the same phone line lit up again, and she glared at the flashing light until it stopped. Barely a minute passed until it was lighting up again, and she quickly held it up to her ear without saying a word. She waited, expecting Jeremy to shoot off a list of excuses, or at the very least more insults, but nothing happened. Sighing as she waited, she wedged the phone between her head and her shoulder and held a finger up to the guest who had just arrived at her desk. A low, rattled breathing reached her ears through the phone line, and Rose made a face. She pulled the phone from her ear and looked at it before placing it back, unimpressed, but still listening. "Rose -" "Eat me." The woman slammed the phone back onto the base in a fit of rage and sat back in her chair once again. Running a hand through her hair, she closed her eyes and drew in a slow breath before she remembered that a guest was still waiting for her. Turning her attention to the man, she was slightly taken aback by what she saw. Fixing her posture, she pulled herself closer to her desk and offered him a smile, dangerously close to a smirk. "Hello sir," she greeted. "What can I do for you?"

[LEONARDO "LEO" ACEVEDO]

Leonardo Acevedo awoke and immediately found himself in the best mood he had been in in months. Day after day it had seemed as if the world was growing darker and closing in around him. Where once there had been rays of hope and happiness there now lay scars and bruises; wounds which went far deeper than what the good people at the hospital had been able to cure. Today was the best he had felt in months, had he not known better he would have thought he had been reborn into another person completely. The sun seemed brighter, the ocean air fresher, the sand more golden, and the water even more crystal blue than it had in the days prior. His good mood and rather drastic change in demeanor wasn’t the side effect of the pills the psychiatrists and doctor’s back in Los Angeles had prescribed him. Leo had adamantly thrown those down the toilet nearly the moment he had brought them home. No; his new found happiness was entirely based around one simple fact.

Today he had decided, was the day that he was going to die. That decision, that choice had been the first time in months that Leo had felt as if he was in control of his own destiny.

Leo had been very aware that the trip out to Mōrearea was a fool’s errand from the moment the Chief suggested it. The very notion that they thought a few weeks on an island would seemingly wash away the events of the last few months was ridiculous; generous of course, but ridiculous just the same. As ridiculous as it was Leo had agreed, his agreement had had more to do with the threat of being dismissed from the Police Force than actually having a desire to spend 4 weeks on the island. After everything he had endured the only thing he felt he could connect with was the fact that he still remained a Detective; he had been certain that to lose that on top of everything else would have been the final nail in the coffin.

Against his better judgement and with the accompaniment of a great deal of bitching Leo packed his bag and off to the South Pacific island he went. The wounds from the gunshot wounds had healed completely yet the 11 and a half hour flight was still no pleasant experience and Leo had arrived upon the island feeling as if every nerve in his back and bones were on fire. He was meant to stay on the island for 4 weeks, 4 weeks of “rest” and “relaxation.” In truth it was 4 weeks of hell, 4 weeks with entirely too much time to think and over analyze and remember.

Leo had never come across anything in his life that he had given up on and even once he made the decision to end his life he didn’t see it as giving up, he saw it as finally being able to get some peace. His Fiona was nearly an adult now, she was driving and applying to colleges; she was on her way to becoming the amazing woman Leo had always hoped she would be. She didn’t need him anymore and he was okay with that, he had begun to wonder if the dark cloud he was carrying around with him would start to eat at her brightness and he couldn’t stomach the thought. She would be fine without him, she had her mother and her future; she would do amazing. No; for the first time in possibly forever Leo was not worried about Fiona, he knew she was strong and he knew she would persevere.

Leo had spent his day doing the things he had wanted to do on the island, he figured that this was what the Psychiatrist back home had intended for him to do; without the end part. It had become late afternoon by the time Leo made his way back to his room, he had cleaned everything up. Left an envelope with a good deal of money for the crew of elderly ladies who diligently cleaned the rooms and he headed out his Glock 22 safely tucked in its holster under his shirt (he wasn’t about to create a mess someone else would have to clean up) and headed down to the lobby. The only thing left on his “To Do” list was to find an extraordinary place to grab dinner and then he would be set, a day well done and a life relatively well lived.

Upon entering the lobby he made his way over to the front desk, he hadn’t talked to many of the people on the island, he had been more focused on finding a direction so he didn’t believe he had seen the young woman before. Whoever it was who had been on the phone though she was obviously not a big fan. He nodded in silent acknowledgement as she motioned for him to wait a moment, with a temper like that he wouldn’t have dared to interrupt even if she had not asked him to do so.

”Eat me.”

She was definitely not a fan of whoever was on the other end of the call, a point she drove home as she once again slammed the phone down into the cradle.

Leo ran a hand through his hair attempting not to irritate the lady at the desk any further than whoever had been on the other end of the phone line had managed to do. He found himself fidgeting with the collar of his shirt and absently staring around the lobby as his hands grazed against the raised skin of the scar which sat on his collarbone. A lasting reminder from one of the many bullets he had earned himself. The scars had become a part of him, they were there whether he had wanted them or not and eventually he had grown accustomed to them even if he was still bothered by their presence.

"Hello sir, what can I do for you?"

Leo’s eyes blinked back to the front desk, the woman’s voice pulling him out of his thoughts; a blessing in disguise as he would have quickly spiraled down a dark hole. His hand pulled away from his shirt and he met the woman’s gaze.

“Hello, I um I don’t wish to be a bother, I just needed one quick favor. I promise it’ll be quick,” Leo said his thick Mexican accent accentuating his words, he cast a friendly smile back at the woman hoping that perhaps the rest of her night would not continue in such an unfavorable fashion.

“I wanted to know if maybe here at the front desk, or from an island local if perhaps you had any recommendations on where I could find some good food. Some place for a good last meal here on your island.”

Not just “good” food but really good, something different, you know?” Leo’s brown eyes shown with the slightest hint of hope. He had never come across someone from a town or neighborhood who didn’t have that one place that they would always recommend for food; the one place that they felt defined where they came from down to the letter.

“If not it’s okay, I just thought maybe you would know of someplace to go. But I don’t want to bother,” he was rambling, he did that rather often as he had never much been a “people person.” Some considered it odd especially considering what he did for a living. But that was different, that was talking to drug dealers, murderers, and generally terrible individuals. It wasn’t talking to people it was talking to criminals. That he could handle, pleasant company though, that made him uncomfortable.

[ROSEMARY LENNON]

R ose’s eyes danced as they searched the vacationer over, following every fidget and twitch he made with a great deal of consideration. She was an artist; it had been like this ever since she could remember. Now (even if she never saw this man again after tonight) she wouldn’t be able to forget the colour of his eyes, or the raised scars that baited her under his shirt collar when he moved. She would remember the way his hair fell after he ran his fingers through it, and the smell of the cologne that brought her back to a sweet memory. It was just what Rose did. She remembered stuff. She saw things as they were, and she saw artistry in it all. “Hello, I um I don’t wish to be a bother, I just needed one quick favor. I promise it’ll be quick,” Rose smiled instantly back at the man, enchanted completely by both the accent as well as the awkward disposition. In her opinion, anyone who looked like that had no need to be timid whatsoever. “It’s really no bother, sir,” she explained with a small laugh, her gaze ever still intently following him. “I’d love to do you a favour.” “I wanted to know if maybe here at the front desk, or from an island local if perhaps you had any recommendations on where I could find some good food. Some place for a good last meal here on your island. Not just ‘good’ food but really good, something different, you know?” She nodded along as he spoke, listening keenly up until the phone lines started flashing again. One flashing light in particular irked her the most, so she jabbed it, picked up the receiver and then slammed it back down without even lifting it to her ear. Her award-winning customer service smile hardened for just a split second before she regained control, looking back to the man just as he finished speaking. She hadn’t heard everything, but she got the gist of it. Rosie was about the reply when he interrupted her with more anxious words. “If not it’s okay, I just thought maybe you would know of someplace to go. But I don’t want to bother,” She let out a breath of air as she chuckled, shaking her head so that a wave of hair fell over her shoulder. “You’re not a bother, I promise you. It’s my job,” she assured him. “And I grew up on the island, so you’re asking the right person. Hold on, now.” Rose stood up from her chair and moved around the wide, pristinely while marble reception desk, her high-heels tapping on the glass tiles and echoing throughout the enormous room as she strolled. She circled around the man, heading directly toward the tall display of maps and brochures just a few feet away, and stood there for a moment. Her hands on her hips, she scanned the papers intently before gathering a few menus into a small pile and returning to the desk. She didn’t bother to return to her seat; she stopped next to the handsome guest and opened the first menu, placing in front of him on the table. “This place is amazing. Bit expensive, but the lobster is incredible,” she explained, and then flipped open the next menu. “This one has the best macaroni and cheese you’ll ever experience in your life. Better than sex,” Rose flipped to the next. “This place is right here on the Resort, and I’m technically supposed to recommend it first - but it’s rubbish and the owner’s kind of an asshole, so don’t go there.” The phone rang aloud, but Rose ignored it. “The best food on the island doesn’t actually have a menu I can show you. It’s on the boardwalk after the bars, just outside of Kia Ora. Run by some friends of mine. They also - if you’re in to that kind of thing - have the cheapest drinks in all of Mōrearea, so that’s a plus.” The phone rang again, but it was on another line, so now the rings overlapped each other at slightly different times. “I hope I've helped you, Mr - ? Unless... are you perhaps looking for someplace more romantic to take your wife?”

[LEONARDO "LEO" ACEVEDO]

“It’s really no bother, sir, I’d love to do you a favour.”

Leo returned the woman’s smile as their eyes locked. The woman was trouble he could tell just by the fire that burned just behind her eyes. He knew that fire, had seen it many times before but even though she may have been trouble there was also a good deal of kindness in her eyes as well and that was something no amount of mischievous fire could burn out.

Leo watched with a hint of amusement as she picked up and then slammed down the telephone receiver, she was going to break that telephone before the day was done, possibly the hour at the rate she was going. Whoever he was he had surely made an enemy out of the young woman, that had become abundantly clear.

“Wrong number,” Leo muttered under his breath knowing full well that that was not the case whatsoever.

The woman was very good at listening to rambling patrons, it was no doubt she had quickly acquired in her line of work. Just the same, job or not Leo always felt a bit off asking favors of people even if they were the experts; generally he would have rathered shambled about the island to see what he found but he was on a rather precise schedule, all things considered.

“You’re not a bother, I promise you. It’s my job. And I grew up on the island, so you’re asking the right person. Hold on, now.”

Leo’s focus stayed on the woman as she walked around him and began inspecting a rather impressive collection of brochures and menus. He peered over her shoulder to attempt to make heads or tails out of the mass amount of options before them; but he wasn’t nearly focused enough to make any useful deductions about what was there. Truthfully he had just wanted somewhere good to eat. Somewhere enticing to spend his last few hours. Though he was pretty certain he would need to keep that last bit to himself as he was almost certain the woman wouldn’t have been so eager to help him if she knew the complete story.

“This place is amazing. Bit expensive, but the lobster is incredible. This one has the best macaroni and cheese you’ll ever experience in your life. Better than sex. This place is right here on the Resort, and I’m technically supposed to recommend it first - but it’s rubbish and the owner’s kind of an asshole, so don’t go there.”

Leo attempted to follow along with the woman as she breezed through one menu after another adding tips and thoughts here and there about each one, it was almost impossible to follow along but he thought he had the general gist of it all.

Okay. Let me see if I follow, yes? The choices are amazing lobster,” Leo slid the first menu up from the pile.

“Better than sex macaroni,” the second menu joined the first in the line.

“And a restaurant run by an asshole,” Leo brushed the last menu to the side so that it slid off the edge of the table.

“I think I’ve got the idea now.”

Leo’s gaze shifted from the menus in front of them back over to the once again ringing phone.

“The best food on the island doesn’t actually have a menu I can show you. It’s on the boardwalk after the bars, just outside of Kia Ora. Run by some friends of mine. They also - if you’re in to that kind of thing - have the cheapest drinks in all of Mōrearea, so that’s a plus.”

That sounded exactly like what he had been looking for.

“That actually sounds the most promising. I had hoped to get a true taste of the island--” Leo allowed his words to cut off as another phone line began to ring in unison with the other ringing line. It was a chorus of telephone rings in the lobby.

The woman’s voice grabbed his attention once more and he turned his focus away from the telephones.

“I hope I've helped you, Mr - ? Unless... are you perhaps looking for someplace more romantic to take your wife?”

“My apologies. Acevedo. Though, por favor call me Leo. And you?”

He couldn’t help the small huff of laughter that sounded from him as the woman brought up a wife and need for a romantic getaway.

If she only knew.

“No. Just me I’m afraid.But thank you, you’ve been most helpful,” Leo grimaced slightly as the phones persistently continued their wailing.

“Do you need to get those?” Leo asked a questioning and slightly concerned, he didn’t want her to get into any trouble even though it was abundantly clear that she could handle herself.

[ROSEMARY LENNON]

"T hat actually sounds the most promising. I had hoped to get a true taste of the island--" Rosemary followed the man’s gaze to the ringing phone across the desk, but then quickly turned her attention back to him. Those damn phones were always ringing; guests were always asking her the most ridiculous of questions, and it was never anything important. Sure, it was weird that there were multiple lines calling at once, but Rose was a bit preoccupied at the moment, thank you very much. "My apologies. Acevedo. Though, por favor call me Leo. And you?" She straightened her posture, grinning, and motioned to the name tag on her breast that had just seconds ago been hidden by her hair. “Rosemary,” she declared. “Rosemary Lennon, your Guest Services Manager. You can call me whatever you like.” "No. Just me I’m afraid.But thank you, you’ve been most helpful," Hmm. That didn’t exactly answer her question. "I aim to please." Her eyes flickered down to the man’s hand, trying to catch a glimpse of whether to not he as wearing a wedding ring. Although, to be fair, that wasn’t a great indication of whether or not a man was married - she’d made that mistake once before, and had quite an angry wife leap over this very marble desk to try and strangle her to death. "Do you need to get those?" “Hmm? Oh,” she slammed back to the present, having been lost deep in thought. The shrill ringing of the phone resounded back through her ears, and Rose sighed; somehow the sound was more irritating than usual. She touched her hand to Leo’s arm and she stepped away, her hand lingering for just a moment. “Right. Please excuse me, Mr Acevedo.” Rose sauntered back around the desk and reached for the phone. She, once again, jabbed the blinking phone line with her finger and held the phone up to her ear. “Hello Room 402, Rosie here,” she sang in a tired, albeit pleasant voice. She smiled at Leo, one arm resting upon the desk in front of her as she leaned over the office chair, listening to the guest on the telephone. “Yes. Oh, of course. Of course you wouldn’t order such a salacious film on pay-per-view, that’s ludicrous. I’ll straighten it out right away, Reverend Miller. Ta.” She took the phone from her ear and gave the man before her an amused look and a small wink before hitting the button to switch to the next line. Turning her body slightly away from the guest, her sweet smile fell into a frustrated, unamused frown. “What do you want?!” she hissed at a whisper. She listened for a moment, hearing nothing but shallow breathing on the other end of the line, and rolled her eyes. “Jeremy, if you call back here one more time I swear I will come up there and shove this phone directly up your - ” A scream of pain met her ear in response, interrupting her. It started out loud, as though it were being screamed directly into the phone itself, and then quickly grew quieter, as if moving - or dragged - farther away. She felt the blood drain from her face, and a cold panic caused her to stand up straight. The phone slipped from her hands and crashed to the floor, but Rosie took no notice of that. Snatching up her personal cell phone, she fiddled with it for a moment before she noticed that the man was still standing there. “Are you getting any cell service?” she asked him in a slight panic, squinting back down at her screen in confusion.

      

[LEONARDO "LEO" ACEVEDO]

“Hmm? Oh.”

Leo nodded ever so slightly in the direction of the ringing phones.

“I don’t think they are going away.”

”Right. Please excuse me, Mr Acevedo.”

Leo glanced down at the woman’s hand as it sat on his arm for a moment; she was definitely trouble.

“Leo,” he quickly corrected her with a smile that accompanied a slightly raised eyebrow as she sauntered away to the desk.

“Leonardo if you must.”

He halfheartedly flipped through the pamphlets in front of him. Each restaurant menu claiming to be the best at something on the island. He was intrigued to see what the local haunt Rosemary had recommended would be like. Besides he could very much use a drink or 5 to calm his nerve and keep his nerve as well. There was no sense dragging this on; besides he hadn’t felt this good or focused in months and deep down he knew it wasn’t a feeling that could last; not anymore.

“Hello Room 402, Rosie here.”

Leo looked up and caught Rosemary’s gaze, returning the smile she had offered him.

“Yes. Oh, of course. Of course you wouldn’t order such a salacious film on pay-per-view, that’s ludicrous. I’ll straighten it out right away, Reverend Miller. Ta.”

Leo coughed out a laugh as the woman hung up the phone, she was good at her job; very good. He could only imagine the stories she could tell about all the different people who came and went from the resort.

“What do you want?! Jeremy, if you call back here one more time I swear I will come up there and shove this phone directly up your - ”

It was rather easy for him to deduce based on the venomous whispering that the Rosemary’s gentleman caller was once again calling and she was having none of it. You had to give it to the other man, he was nothing if not persistent. Leo occupied himself by once again shifting through the pamphlets so as to not appear to be listening in to the woman’s conversation.

Leo’s head shot up as the sound of the phone clattering to the ground sounded through the resort lobby, the sound jarring and and echoing off the ornate walls. His face creased in worry as he took in the completely transformed disposition of the woman in front of him. She was not the same person who had been there just moments before. Something had scared her, or worried her and without even thinking Leo made move to her side. His eyes locked with hers as she set panicked eyes on him. Something had definitely changed.

“What is-”

“Are you getting any cell service?”

He paused for a moment, barely half a second as he attempted to follow along with whatever had gotten under the woman’s skin. He pulled his phone from his pocket and stared down at the screen slightly surprised by the words which shown back up at him.

No Service

That was odd, he had had service the entire time he had been on the island. Fiona had even commented that it seemed he got better reception in the middle of the South Pacific than in downtown LA.

“No, I’ve got nothing,” he clicked the screen on and off in some vain attempt of stirring the phone back into action.

“What’s wrong? What happened just then?”

His own cell phone forgotten Leo took the last few steps till he was standing next to Rosemary, he reached down and picked up the phone setting it carefully back on her desk yet his eyes never leaving the woman as he waited to her what had happened to cause her such sudden panic.

“Can I help?”

Old habits died hard, no matter what was occurring in his own world at the end of the day Leo was a cop and just like his father he had always put the well-being of others before himself, and he could not stand to see anyone in turmoil.

[ROSEMARY LENNON]

R ose watched the man pull a cell phone out of his pocket, flicking the screen open and closed with a series of clicks and thumb movements. Her hand itched to reach out and snatch it from his grasp to double-check it herself, but she was trying very hard to remain somewhat professional even though she was scared shitless.  “What’s wrong? What happened just then?” A guest had never been behind her desk before, and typically if any of her coworkers invaded her space in this way she would have already careened into a rage spiral. Rose’s reception desk was sacred; sketches of guests, employees and various scenes from around the island decorated the wall just out of general sight. Her nail polish bottles and perfumes rested just below the countertop, both of which she would strategically apply throughout the day. Her weed sat in baggies in the top drawer. There was no way anyone besides her (or just a select few) were allowed anywhere near her belongings. Considering current happenings, however, it was the very least of her worries. She allowed the man to approach her, finally turning her attention when he was close enough for it to feel intimate. Perhaps not intimate in a sexual way (although she wouldn’t mind that in the least, really) but intimate enough to make her feel entirely emotionally exposed. The man bent down and picked up her discarded phone, his eyes locked with hers as he placed it back on the desk. He was searching her face for answers and Rose knew that she was failing at pretending to be calm. ”Nothing,” she answered after just a moment of hesitation. She was trying harder now to hide her worry, forcing a smile. ”Just a prank call. If you'll excuse me …“ Rose side-stepped around the man, having to awkwardly push her rolling office chair out of the way in order to do so.  “Can I help?” “Oh, help? No, no, no,” Rose answered quickly, waving a hand dismissively as she backed away from him and her desk. ”But that's very kind. Listen, I need to take care of something, so I’m afraid this is where I leave you.” She moved to the elevator, hitting the call button only about several hundred thousand times in her impatience. Glancing up at the light indicator, it told her that the elevator was now making it's way down to her from the very top level, so she had a moment or two to overthink. Why wasn't her cell phone working? In all the years she's lived on the island, the only time she'd lost reception was during a few major storms, and they had been huge. As far as she could tell the weather was fairly calm outside, so that explained nothing. It was also a super inconvenient time for the cell towers to stop working; right after she'd received a call like… like that.  She had no idea what she was going to do when she got to Jeremy's room. There wasn't enough time to track any security down, so whatever she encountered was up to her to handle. It could have been nothing; in fact she actually hoped it was the man just messing with her head again, but her gut told her that something was exceptionally wrong. Rose placed her hands behind her back and waited in stone cold silence for the elevator to finally arrive. The door let out a shrill ‘ding’ before opening, and the woman stepped in, turning to face the lobby as she pressed the floor number. She met the man’s eyes, her own still burdened with confusion. “I hope you enjoy your meal, Mr Acevedo,” she said in finality, her gaze never leaving his as the doors began to close between them.

[LEONARDO "LEO" ACEVEDO]

Leo didn’t need to be a detective to know that something was wrong with the woman, it was written all over her face. He didn’t want to push, hell he had no right or no claim in the situation that warranted pushing but he also couldn’t simply ignore someone in turmoil.

”Nothing.”

”Bullshit,” He immediately thought to himself, though he kept the thought very much to himself. There were certain situations where people needed to think that their lies were believed, or at least believe that they were believed even if they knew they weren’t. Fear was generally a big motivator for those types of situations. It was fear that was currently written across Rosemary’s face.

”Just a prank call. If you'll excuse me …“

He quirked an eyebrow up at her in response, she didn’t truly think he believed that right? Or perhaps she thought he was an imbecile. He watched her as she struggled her way past him, he struggled with the very necessary desire he had to push the situation, but he once again had to remind himself that he had no place to push anything and he had his own things to worry about.

“Oh, help? No, no, no. But that's very kind. Listen, I need to take care of something, so I’m afraid this is where I leave you.”

Leo walked away from the reception desk and moved towards where Rosemary stood in front of the elevator which she seemed in a hurry to get to arrive, another rather clear sign showing that something was indeed wrong and she wanted to deal with it sooner rather than later. Leo’s eyes shifted back and forth between Rosemary and the numbers of the elevator which announced its descent to the lobby. He wanted to argue with her but something told him it would be an argument he would surely lose; Leo had a fair amount of experience dealing with bullheaded females.

His eyes turned up as the elevator announced its arrival. Leo watched as Rosemary quickly made her way into the awaiting cart and pushed the floor number she required. He felt a nagging feeling to follow after her but he forced his feet to remain firmly planted upon the marble floor of the lobby.

“I hope you enjoy your meal, Mr Acevedo.”

“Thank you for your assistance Ms. Lennon.”

Leo offered a polite smile and nod of thanks, his eyes remaining locked on hers silently imploring her to speak up if she needed help. The doors closed between them, a sense of finality wafting through the encounter and immediately severing the encounter. His eyes remained locked upon the now closed elevator doors, his hands clenched and then unclenched for several moments as he waged a war on himself. He knew he had no place to push the woman or insist she allow him to help her, hell he was rather certain that Rosemary Lennon did not need any man to come to her rescue no matter the situation; she seemed exceptionally capable of handling things herself. Just the same Leo’s gut instinct was pulling at him.

Taking a resigned breath he forced himself to turn away from the elevator door and make his way past the reception desk and towards the front doors of the lobby. His eyes caught sight of the telephone, now haphazardly placed upon the desk. Had he been a betting man he would have bet god money on the fact that the ever persistent Jeremy had been the one on the other end of the phone call which had unnerved and frightened Rosemary so abruptly. She had insisted she fine, and did not require his assistance, she had made it abundantly clear.

He made his way towards the front doors, grabbing the brochures he had offered him as he went. He stopped just short of pulling the large glass door open but its ornate handle, the image of Rosemary creeping into his mind. She had looked terrified by what she had heard on the end of the telephone, he had watched as the blood drained from her complexion and left her shaken. He felt a nagging pull in the pit of his stomach and he knew that his gut was not going to simply allow him to walk away from this. He had always relied on his instinct, and it had served him well each time...except for once but he was nearly certain that Rosemary was not part of a secret drug cartel. Nearly certain.

The sound of someone clearing their throat loudly and perturbed sounded from behind him breaking his concentration and pulling Leo back into the moment. He released the door handle and turned to find two elderly and sun burnt tourists behind him. He smiled in apology yet only received two unimpressed scowls in return.

“Perdon,” he muttered as he stepped out of the way, pushing the door open for the elderly couple as they shuffled past in a huff.

“Sorry,” he corrected himself with another apologetic smile. The older woman turned back to glare at him before turning back to the man.

“I didn’t think them people could afford to travel” Leo heard the old woman mutter to her husband in a thick Southern drawl. There was the self entitlement with a side of racism Leo had come to know so well; one of his favorite pastimes was to screw with people exactly like that.

“The cartels pay very well Senora,” he shot back to the woman with a wink and a smile before turning and making his way across the lobby and back towards the elevators.

By the time he reached the elevators it seemed as if the entire population of the resort was waiting impatiently for the elevator to arrive. Leo glanced around impatiently before moving towards the stairwell in the back corner of the lobby. He reached out and yanked open the door to the stairwell; his thoughts harkening back to the moment at the elevator. He focused on details, the reflection of the mirror on the back wall of the elevator had given him what he needed to know. Rosemary had gone up to the 5th floor. Without waiting another moment he advanced up the stairs taking them two at a time for the first few flights of stairs and then pushing his way through until he reached the 5th floor. His body very quickly reminded him that he had nearly been shot to death 6 months prior and would not be rushing up anymore steps anytime soon.

His breath stuttered in his chest and he clenched his eyes shut for a handful of seconds, forcing painfully deep breaths into and out of his lungs. Each breath he took burned through him like fire, his hand clenching around the railing as a means to anchor himself.

The bullet had slammed into him, shattering his collarbone and sending shards of bone into his left lung before it had made its rather nasty exit through his back. The shards of bone had punctured the lung and led to it collapsing. The surgery to repair the lung alone had lasted 6 hours alone. He couldn’t remember much after the explosion of bullets had sounded through the warehouse just flashes of memories and phantom wisps of pain. He had remembered the sensation that he was drowning, that someone had placed a rather large fucking rock on his chest and he was drowning under it. That had apparently been his lung collapsing causing him to begin the process of drowning in his own lung fluid.

Recovery after having your lungs opened up and repaired is a son of a bitch, and it hurt like nothing he had ever imagined. The pain in his chest liked to sneak back from time to time to remind him that it was still there and that it would always be there. You couldn’t help but feel slightly betrayed by your own body when the very act of breathing brought you excruciating pain; but its not like you had a choice, stop breathing and you die. Them were the breaks.

Leo forced his eyes open, his complexion far paler than it had been just moments ago, a sheen of sweat covered his brow as his breath wheezed in his chest. He wasn’t completely convinced that his legs would hold him but just the same he pushed himself away from the railing and pulled open the door to the 5th floor hallway and entered, letting the door slam shut behind him.

[ROSEMARY LENNON]

"T hank you for your assistance Ms. Lennon.” The way the man was surveying her gave her the distinct inclination that he wasn’t convinced by her acting skills, but he was still letting her leave, for which she was grateful. She mustered a professional smile as the elevator door finally slid closed between them; it immediately fell from her face as soon as she knew she wasn’t being watched. The screams she’d heard on the phone were definitely out of pain. Her instinct told her that they were Jeremy’s, although to be fair she’d never had to listen to him scream much like that unless it was in the heat of an argument. Even then, she’d never heard anything quite like that in all her life. She was sure she would never forget it, no matter what this ended up being. The elevator slowed to a stop and opened to the next level above the lobby, and Rose sighed impatiently as a gorgeous woman in her 30s joined her inside the carriage. For a younger lady she was moving epically slow, and it was all Rosie could do not to take her by the arm and yank her inside just to speed up the process. Luckily, the woman was headed to the next floor up, so she wouldn’t feel obligated to take her back down before continuing her mission. “Headed to 306?” Rosie asked after a moment, a sly smirk spreading across her features despite the gravity of her situation. Startled, the woman looked over at her, her giant gold earrings tinkling like wind chimes from the movement. “Hope all your vaccinations are up to date.” As the door opened on the next level, the woman stepped out of the elevator into the hallway, looking utterly scandalized. She tossed Rose an offended glance, to which Rose responded by holding up a hand with only her pinky outstretched. “Not worth your time anyway, sweetheart, trust me.” She was really doing this girl a favour; Mr Ramsey in 306 was a complete an utter sleaze ball who preyed on pretty young hen-parties while his wife was stuck back in Philadelphia with their four brats. Just before the door closed again, she caught a glimpse of the woman pushing the door open to the stairwell. Rosie tapped her heel-clad foot against the tiles in agitation, her darkened eyes watching the indicator numbers slowly illuminating one-by-one as the elevator finally arrived on the 5th floor. Just before the doors were about to open, however, there was a sudden and terrifying ‘zwommmp’ sound that typically accompanied heavy machinery shutting down, and she was plunged into pitch darkness. She waited, rooted to her spot with only the sound of her own quickened breathing to keep her company, for the lights to return. Within a few seconds (but what felt like hours) they did, and the elevator doors finally opened as they had been expected to. Rose ran a hand through her perfectly coiffed hair and made to stroll into the 5th floor hallway, but was greeted by a cold cement wall, with only about a two foot opening at the very top of the door where she could make out the roof of the hallway from her angle below. She stopped in her tracks, stumbling backwards in surprise, her cellphone crashing from her grasp and bouncing into the small gap between the elevator and the wall. She heard it crunch and bounce it’s way down 5 flights, wincing with every sound. Okay, no problem-0. She could get a new phone. Gina would pay for it. Also, the power had just surged, so that explained the elevator stopping between floors. No big deal. Nothing to stress about here. Everything was totally and utterly coincidental; none of it was related to that phone call at all. Rosie leaned forward and pushed the ‘door closed’ button a few times, but nothing happened. She then moved on to hitting the number 5 over and over, in feeble hopes that the elevator would simply start working again, but to no avail. She tried the emergency call button, but unsurprisingly there was no answer. “Really?!” she groaned, her palms open to the heavens. “Is this where we’re at?” At that very second, as if in response to her outcry, the elevator suddenly shuddered and fell about half a foot. She let out an involuntary scream, her stomach now in her throat and her hands clasped so tightly over her mouth that her knuckles were white. Listening to the mechanical creaking from the elevator around her, her eyes darting from side to side in fear, she allowed herself a moment to consider her next move. Quickly, she pulled her heels off her feet and launched them hammer throw-style into the hallway through the small opening above. Like hell she’d be losing them - they had cost her a serious fortune. Rosie hiked up her skirt and stepped back, ready to make her leap.

[LEONARDO "LEO" ACEVEDO]

Leo’s eyes scanned up and down the vacant hall of the 5th floor. He wasn’t exactly certain what he had expected when he pushed open the door but it hadn’t been the quiet ghosttown he had walked into. He walked past a few closed doors attempting not to look out of place or like a weirdo. He hadn’t much thought of how he would find Rosemary once he got up to the floor, he assumed he had expected that she would have been in the hallway for whatever reason. As the moments ticked on he was beginning to realize he didn’t really have much reasoning at all when it came right down to it.

He had made an error in judgement and before he made himself look anymore like a fool he would head back down to the lobby and be on his way; as he should have damn well done to start off with. The wisps of pain which burned through his lungs which each breath reminded him that perhaps it was best if he took the stairs. He had only taken a few steps towards the elevator when the flickered suddenly and without cause. Leo cast a suspect glance down the hallway as the lights flickered off once again his time bathing the hall in darkness for a moment longer. His eyes darted to the far end of the hallway where he could have sworn he heard a low moan. The lights flashed back on and Le dismissed the idea with a shake of his head, those his eyes still remained trained at the far end of the hall, something filling him with caution and the slightest hint of dread.

Leo’s focus darted back towards the elevator doors where he could have sworn he had heard a voice. He found the hallway empty yet as he took a few steps towards the doors he noticed they were partially open yet not entirely which was a bit odd, the sharp scream which sounded from the elevator was all the ignition he needed to spur him into action. He quickly darted down the hallway and to the elevators door. He reached the doors just as a set of heels came flying out of the elevator shaft.

“-the hell?” Leo muttered questioning as he looked from the shoes to the elevator, where there should have been an elevator cart there seemed to be stone wall and towards the floor was the top of what he assumed was the actual elevator cart; that was definitely not how the elevator was meant to work. He crouched down onto his knees to peer down into the elevator car and he would have been lying if he claimed that he was not entirely surprised to see Rosemary within the cart looking very much prepared to jump. He would have made a sarcastic quip about the shoes she had thrown into the hallway but before he could the lights flickered again and the elevator groaned loudly, ominously announcing its intent to give up at any moment.

Leo flattened himself out against the ground, his arm outstretched to her.

“Now would be a good time to come up, yes?”

He shot Rosemary an imploring look as the elevator groaned again and the cart shuddered. Leo had to fight the impulse to pull his arm back and tried exceptionally hard to push the image of the cart pummeling back down 5 floors taking Rosemary and his arm right along with it. He pushed himself further forward reaching his arm as near to her as he possibly could.

“Come on,” he all but begged her through gritted teeth.

Somewhere in the hallway behind him he thought he heard a scream and a thunderous bang against one of the walls but he could only focus on one travesty at a time.

“Now!” He ordered this time the elevator shuddering violently.

[ROSEMARY LENNON]

R osie drew in a breath, preparing herself mentally make a run and a magnificent leap at the opening. The air hitched in her lungs, however, and came out as more of a nervous shudder - she knew it was all in vain, there was virtually no way she was going to manage to climb her way out, but she had to at least try it. She was no expert, but this elevator didn’t sound like it was going to hold forever, so just waiting to die was not an option. A figure appeared in the opening and made her stop dead in her tracks. Bewildered, it took her just a moment longer than it should have for her to recognize the man peering down at her. Hadn’t she just left him downstairs? Did he have a twin? …because twins could be really fun. “Now would be a good time to come up, yes?” Her eyes shifted from his outstretched hand to his worried face and back again. Even from where she stood she could see the hundreds of little lines and swirls on his palm - the markings of an old soul; a hundred lifetimes worth of stories to tell that he probably never even knew that he had. She stored the visual in her mind’s eye for later; she had lots back there just waiting in sequence to be painted, drawn or sketched. She opened her mouth to answer, a small smirk tugging at her lips as she looked up at him despite her best efforts to hide it, but the elevator creaked and shook, sending her stumbling into the back wall. Her smile completely wiped off her face, the panic was beginning to freeze her up. “Come on,” His command drew her back slightly from her fear, reminding her that just standing there wasn’t going to fix anything. She tried very hard to focus her attention on him and to not think about the metal coffin she was standing in, but the horrible groaning was keeping her bare feet rooted to the floor. “I can’t,” she said nervously. “I -“ “Now!” Rosie reacted immediately and without any further thought. She abruptly closed the distance between them, grasping the man’s hand with hers, and used a foot on the wall below to help as he pulled her through the opening and into the hallway above. Just as her foot left the elevator, it let out a sickening creak and fell further down into the shaft below, catching again at the next floor down. She tossed a glance over her shoulder at the empty elevator opening, reeling at how narrowly she had missed a pretty gruesome death. Her chest heaving up and down with and adrenaline, she turned her attention back to her saviour, with whom she was now unceremoniously tangled up on the floor. “I totally had that under control, you know,” she told him. Her eyes travelled down, realizing that she was still clutching his hand with her own rather desperately. A bit reluctantly she released her grip, her hand immediately feeling about ten degrees colder than it had in his. Detangling herself from his body completely, she sat up on her knees and fixed her tousled blouse. “Thank you, Mr Acevedo,” Rosie said professionally, looking up at him. As she did so, she noticed that the little pocket square of his suit jacket was ruffled and sticking out too far, so she leaned forward and adjusted it, her eyes not leaving his until she was done. Finally forcing her eyes away, she grabbed her discarded shoes and used the wall to pull herself upright, balancing rather terribly as she placed them back on her feet. The power surged once again, and Rosie glanced around for answers, her face screwed up in a sort of angry confusion. What the hell was going on with her resort? “Why’d you chase me?” she asked him.

[LEONARDO "LEO" ACEVEDO]

Leo kept his eyes trained on Rosemary, imploring her to take the leap. He could see the fear in her eyes, it was something he had witnessed many times before. The fear would lead to hesitation and that would ultimately lead to death. There wasn’t time, there generally was never any time in situations such as these.

“I can’t, I -“

Leo shook his head adamantly, he would not allow her to give up, not on his watch. He felt relief pump through his veins as he finally felt her hand close around his. He immediately fell into step, he swung his body so that he could use himself as leverage against the wall to help heave Rosemary up and out of the elevator opening before the car fell which it did nearly the moment her feet were free from the doors.

They both haphazardly were strewn upon the floor the inertia of their chaotic escape from the elevator shaft propelling them forward.

“I totally had that under control, you know.”

Leo smiled slightly as she pulled her hand from his and sat up adjusting her appearance as she went.

“Yes, of course you did,” Leo responded to her as he pulled himself into a sitting position, his back against the wall, his heart hammering none to gently within the confines of his ribcage. The old familiar ache was burning through his lungs and he attempted to hide the wheezing in his breathing under a few coughs before he sat up straighter finally able to take a proper breathful of air. His body was none too happy with him.

“Thank you, Mr Acevedo.”

“Leo,” he corrected her.

“And it was my pleasure,” he added, his eyes meeting with hers as she began to fuss with the pocket square he had tucked into his jacket pocket. He couldn’t help but smile, the woman had very strange priorities considering she had just nearly been killed in a plummeting elevator. Once she was satisfied with the condition of his pocket square he pulled himself back up to his feet. His eyes shot upwards as the lights flickered off once again, they returned a moment later. As they sat he allowed his eyes to return to scanning the hallway, the opportunity to take in what had been occurring around him as he had been distracted. The hallway was silent once more but he would have sworn there had been a scream from one of the rooms in the hallway.

Leo pulled himself to his feet and offered an arm for support as Rosemary struggled to put her shoes back upon her feet. His focus continued to be drawn away from the woman and back towards the hallway and the flickering lights that seemed to accompany it.

“Why’d you chase me?”

He didn’t turn towards her as she questioned him, merely kept his eyes trained on the hallway before him, the gun in his holster weighing heavy upon him but he figured it would be improper to brandish a weapon in front of the woman, especially since there was no just cause; and he technically had absolutely no jurisdiction in this part of the world.

“There was not much chasing involved Rosa. Were you not pleased to see me?”

He allowed the question to hang in the air a moment as he took a few steps away from the elevator doors and towards the nearest hotel room door. He was listening for something but he was not certain what that something was.

He found himself standing directly in front of a closed door; Room 502. The door stood closed and yet seemed to heave under some unseen force. The very next moment the shuddered off, bathing the hallway in darkness. At the opposite end of the hallway a door burst open and a bloodcurdling scream sounded through the hallway.

Jurisdiction be damned, the gun was out of the holster and in Leo’s hand before another second passed by. He kept his eyes trained down the hallway but did not advance towards the sound.

“This is not normal for the 5th floor correct Rosa?”

He allowed his eyes to glance behind him for a moment before returning to stare down the long hallway. The hallway suddenly was bathed in a light red as the emergency lights sprang to life.

[ROSEMARY LENNON]

  

"T here was not much chasing involved Rosa. Were you not pleased to see me?" Rosa. Rose’s attention quickly turned back to the man, studying him as he stepped past her and pushed further into the hallway. A hint of playfulness dancing behind her eyes, she quirked an amused eyebrow at his back - but it all fell away immediately once she, too, noticed the banging. She knew the name of just about every guest in the resort; it was her job to remember the details, and she was very good at it. The door that Leo had approached - 502 - belonged to Mr and Mrs Robertson - a very sweet middle-aged couple who upon their arrival had caught her sketching at her desk and insisted on paying for one of her drawings. If something awful was happening to them in there, she absolutely had to help. The door creaked and heaved on it’s hinges, and Rosie took a step toward it, a deep worry growing in her stomach as the lights surged once more and then failed completely. The two strangers were plunged into darkness. Rose quickly fumbled for her master key as her eyes worked to adjust to the minimal lighting, but when the loud bang of a door crashing open and a terrified scream resounded from the far end of the hallway she jumped, half gasping, half shrieking. The key card fell to the floor. She reeled, staring down the hallway with wide, panic-stricken eyes and a hand once again clasped over her mouth to stop herself from making any more noise. Casting a glance sideways for Leo, she was even more surprised to find that he had suddenly generated a firearm and had it trained in the direction of the commotion. His eyes, once warm and kind, were now cold with concentration. "How - " she started, her hand falling weakly to her side. Then, shaking her head in bewilderment, she changed her tune. "Who are you?" Just as the words left her lips, another scream filled her ears and drew her attention away again. Jeremy. That was Jeremy’s room. That was Jeremy’s scream. He was why she had come up here in the first place, and then she’d managed to go and get herself stuck in the stupid elevator Tower of Terror-style and then lustfully distracted by a handsome older man. What kind of person was she being right now? "This is not normal for the 5th floor correct Rosa?"  Rosie let out a hushed, dark laugh, giving her head the smallest shake. "Definitely not," she answered uncomfortably, blinking as the emergency lighting flickered to life around them. "Maybe the 3rd floor, but definitely not the 5th…" Another scream. Glass shattering. Rosie suddenly reacted much like she had in the elevator - instinctually and without any thought whatsoever. Knowing full well that Leo had a gun pointed in that direction, she still elected not to care and took off at a run. She had nearly reached the open door at the end of the hallway when a body fell through the open frame as if purposely thrown there, blocking her path like a downed Redwood. She skidded to a stop, nearly tripping over the seemingly lifeless lump, and then dropped to her knees, heaving the body from it’s side to it’s back. "Jer?" she said, slapping his bloodied cheek with her hand. "Je - re - my." She was sure that the surges of light had been playing tricks on her eyes, but with every second that passed Rosie could confirm that the sticky warmth all over the man was in fact all blood. Jeremy’s clothes were soaked with it; his skin covered in it; it appeared almost black in the red hue of the emergency lights, like a whole lot of spilled ink. Rose glanced at Leo, her expression reflecting what she was connecting in her head. Below her Jeremy gurgled, clearly attempting to speak to her. Rosie placed a hand on his chest in an attempt to calm him down, but as the man drew closer and closer back to consciousness it appeared that his terror was increasing. Slowly, and seemingly with much difficulty, he managed to lift a shaking, blood-stained arm into the air to point a finger behind her. She followed his terrified stare to the dark hotel room, leaning forward slightly in order to get a proper view. What she saw made her want to bark out a laugh as well as scream in horror. The unmistakeable form of freaking Housekeeping Carlie stood on the far side of the hotel room, ominously draped in shadows. She was nearly naked; in just her bra and underwear, and her chest was heaving up and down as she laboured to breathe. Blood - so much blood - was pouring from the woman’s mouth and down her front, dripping to the carpeted floor. Her bleach blonde hair was a dishevelled, tangled mess of dirt and even more blood. It didn’t take a genius to figure out that the woman was the attacker. Rose knew that, but still couldn’t make sense of it. There was literally no way she knew how to even begin to comprehend what was happening, so her mind settled on the one thing she could understand. "Really!?" Rose growled incredulously, climbing to her feet. "Housekeeping Carlie, Jeremy? Again? Are you fucking kidding me right now?" Carlie’s body shuddered as she drew in a rattled breath, and a loud, feral roar of animalistic rage emerged from within her. She then started slowly inching and laboriously heaving what appeared to be a severely broken leg toward the open door (and essentially toward Rose) which quickly transformed into a terrifying sprint, the broken bone in her leg sticking out further with every step. Rose stood - frozen - and with a rather displeased expression of her own on her face - as the blonde woman barrelled toward her.

[LEONARDO "LEO" ACEVEDO]

Leo did not second guess himself as he clicked off the safety from the gun and kept his eyes trained directly ahead of them.

”How...Who are you?”

He didn’t shift his gaze to look at Rosemary as her question reached his ears, instead he kept his eyes trained forward and took a step forward.

“Perhaps later.”

There had been no further movement at the end of the hallway since the door had shattered opened, he stood and he waited and yet nothing seemed to follow except for silence, which was proving to be just as unnerving as the initial incident had been.

"Definitely not, maybe the 3rd floor, but definitely not the 5th…"

Leo glanced back at Rosemary for the briefest moment yet his attention was immediately pulled back to the end of the hallway as another scream ripped itself from the opened door.

“Stay back,” his words had come out more like an order than he had intended to address the woman with but until they knew what the situation that was unravelling around them was he was going to classify it as dangerous and proceed from there. Before he was able to apologize Rosemary took of running towards the end of the hallway. He made an attempt to grab her as she passed but she was out of his reach before he was able to stop her.

“Chingada madre,” he muttered to himself as he tucked the gun back into its holster, and against his better judgement took off after her, unwillingly to watch her die.

By the time Leo had reached Rosemary's side she was kneeling over the body of a bloodied man. The body of the man had been discarded in the hallway in the brief moments it had taken them to get from the elevators to the end of the hallway.

"Jer? Je - re - my."

He glanced down at the man beside of Rosemary, he didn’t need to check the man’s vitals to know that he would soon be very dead. He was unable to hold Rosemary’s gaze as she turned to look at him. He knelt on the other side of the man attempting to see if he was able to find a source for all of the blood, a cause, but there was not one source instead there were several wounds and lacerations that had been torn into the man’s body.

Leo allowed his eyes to follow the panicked gaze of the man as he stared back into the room.

Pulling himself to his feet Leo took a few steps away from the man and Rosemary and towards the opened hotel room. He quickly pulled the gun from its holster once more as he crossed the threshold of the room and towards the shadowed woman who was at the far end of the room.

“....Miss?” Leo took a hesitant step towards the woman, his gun held out of sight by his side.

“Miss are you hurt?” The woman was draped in shadows and he could not get a good look at her but if the man who lay dying in the hallway was any indication she was also very injured or very much the cause.

“Miss…can you...” Leo felt his eyes widen as the woman turned to face him, she was covered in blood and there was an abnormal amount of blood dripping from her mouth. Her chest labored to pull in air and her once blonde hair was caked in blood and filth. There was something off with her face...her eyes, they weren’t right. The more he looked at the woman’s appearance the more and more he began to come to the conclusion that she was dead. But she couldn’t be because there she was standing there...on what appeared to be a horrifically shattered leg. She shambled forward a step but her movement quickly stopped, her head turning to the side at a sickeningly odd angel.

“Miss...don’t---”

”Really!?”

Leo cast a quick glance back at Rosemary as she angrily rose to her feet. He had obviously missed something.

"Housekeeping Carlie, Jeremy? Again? Are you fucking kidding me right now?"

Oh.

Apparently the scantily clad, blood covered woman in the room was named Carlie. That explained why Rosemary had been in no mood to talk with Jeremy on the telephone, at least there were some things that were starting to make sense. Though the scale was still very much tipped in the direction of the items which did not make sense.

“Rosa…”

Leo warned as the woman within the hotel room seemed to fix her gaze upon Rosemary.

“Perhaps now is not the time,” he muttered through gritted teeth his arm held back towards Rosemary to try and calm her down.

Leo took a step backwards as the woman, Carlie, let out what could only be described as an inhuman scream of fury. What happened next seemed to have done so in slow motion. Carlie had in one moment been struggling forward upon her horribly mangles leg and in the very next moment she was barreling across the length of the hotel room directly towards Rosemary. Leo immediately raised the gun at the crazed but was harshly shoved out of the way, his back slamming into the nearby
wooden dresser.

Leo pulled himself quickly to his feet and scrambled after the crazed woman in an attempt to get to her before she got to Rosemary but before he had even been able to take more than a few steps he found himself yanked back and slammed to the ground, his gun tumbling from his grasp. The world around him exploding for a moment as the breath was forced from his lungs by the force of the attack. He stared up perplexed as the figure of another man stood above him. Rather the thing which had at one time been a man but was no longer. The man’s entire left side of his head had been caved in, causing his right eye to hang from its socket. Every bit of flesh which showed past the man’s tattered clothing had been smeared in blood and dirt and God only knew what else. His clothes were torn to tatters and flesh literally hung off of his bones. The stench which wafted up from the him could only be likened to that of a severely decomposed body.

The figure which stood above Leo looked like the very embodiment of death.

Leo propelled himself up from the ground and slammed into the man sending them both crashing backwards onto the coffee table which gave beneath their weight. The force behind the other man was far greater than any walking corpse should have been able to possesse. Leo attempted to reach for one of the legs from the shattered table, as his hand closed around it he was dragged back and tossed onto his back as if he weighed nothing. The man above him staring down at him through deadened eyes. Leo felt his own eyes widen as he the man clamped his hands around his throat successfully cutting off his air without making very much effort. His hands desperately clawed at the other man’s hands in an attempt to pull himself free. Leo felt the edges of his vision beginning to grey and his lungs burning as they fought for oxygen that he was currently being starved of.

In his struggles he was able to see the gun which had tumbled from his grasp, it sat upon the floor just out of reach. Leo used what strength he had left to desperately reach for the gun, the man above him felt as if he weighed a ton and he would not be moved no matter how desperately Leo fought to pull himself out of his grasp. Leo heaved himself with whatever strength he had left and felt an immense amount of relief as he felt the man’s hold on him give just enough so that he was able to pull the gun back into his hand.

Without waiting another moment he pulled the gun forward, aimed as best as he could, and fired.

[ROSEMARY LENNON]

R osemary utterly panicked as Housekeeping Carlie barrelled toward her, the woman’s face contorted in what could only be described as a purely demonic rage. Fear keeping her from reacting sensibly, Rosie danced slightly on the spot and winced, bracing herself for impact. She matched the other woman’s scream with her own slightly more terrified one as Carlie slammed in to her like a wrecking ball, lurching her into the wall behind her. Her head cracked against the drywall, smashing a hole in it and sending flashes of light through her line of vision along with an intense throbbing pain. Blinking furiously to calibrate herself again, Rosie didn’t have much of a chance to do so before she found herself instinctively fighting back - the two women sank to the floor, writhing and thrashing at each other viciously. Rosie simply fought to survive; Carlie was apparently desperate to rip the flesh from her bones and to eat it. Pinned to the floor underneath the shockingly strong Carlie, Rosie struggled to free her arms from her vice-like grip. Hot blood dripped from the woman’s mouth like thick drool, pooling on her neck and sliding over her skin to the floor underneath her. Rosie screeched, the horrible sensation sending her right over the edge; she kicked out at the woman, a newfound strength inside of her. Her knee connected with Carlie’s broken, rotting leg. The woman hissed, seizing, and Rosemary used that split second to roll out from under her. She stumbled to her feet, falling clumsily into the opposite wall before she pulled herself to a steady standing position, straightening her skirt and flicking her mass of hair over her shoulder as she watched Carlie slowly clamber back up to her feet. “Back up off me, girl,” she warned, her head cocking to the side as if loosening up for another fight. She was surprised by how confident her words sounded, because inside, Rosie was positively freaking the fuck out. She shrugged off her red blazer, tossing it to the floor before motioning for Carlie to come closer. Her fist clenched and prepared to swing at her, the sound of an ultimate crash and more shattering of glass behind her drew her attention away. Looking over her shoulder into the hotel room, she saw Leo very much involved in fighting a rather large, decomposing man. Her eyes widened and she growled, kicking at Jeremy’s now lifeless body. “Security Steven, too?!” she hollered, scandalized. “Asshole!” Carlie swatted at her, her arm reaching out like a stiff tree-trunk to grab her. Surprised, once again, but her own abilities, Rosie managed to duck just in the nick of time to avoid a connection. She stumbled sideways to avoid another attempt at capture, her eyebrows raised. Whatever was happening was not fully registering with her; she still had zero idea what could have possibly lead to Carlie and Steven turning this murderous on a dime. Well, Jeremy did have that way about him, but Rosie certainly didn’t think he needed to die for being a giant douchebag. Another shriek resounded from behind her, back down the hallway toward the elevator from which she had arrived. She tossed a glance in that general direction, doing a quick double-take as her eye landed upon her discarded master keycard sitting upon the plush, red carpet runner in the hallway. An idea striking her, she took off at a run for it. Just as she was about to reach it, Carlie tossed herself into Rose, grabbing at her legs and slamming her to the floor. She struggled under the other woman’s weight, reaching her arm out desperately for the key, but it was just too far out of reach. Somehow, by some form of a miracle and whole lot of pain, she managed to stretch her arm just enough to wrap a finger around the lanyard attached to the key pass. She dragged it toward herself and then gripped it in her hand as she twisted round underneath the woman’s weight. The monster swatted at her, slicing her stomach with it’s sharp nails and forcing her to cry out in pain as the blood began to soak her now shredded, once immaculately pressed blouse. Using the pain as a springboard, Rosie mustered one last attempt at escape. Her body was already protesting from exhaustion, but she fought through the seizing muscles and forced her body to keep moving. There was no way she was going to die like this - not because of Jeremy, of all people, and definitely not without hearing Rosa at least one more time. Kicking out from under her attacker, Rose once again managed to climb to her feet. She stumbled toward Room 503 - the only room on this floor that was unoccupied this evening, and slid the keycard into the slot with trembling hands. Her fingers were soaked with blood - whose, she didn’t quite know at this point - and it was only when she tried swiping the card for a second time did she remember that the power was fucking out ! There was no way she was getting in this room, not without power to run the digital locks. Her bright idea was fucked. Angry, she turned toward the slowly approaching Carlie and whipped the keycard at her out of frustration with a childish grunt of effort before her eyes fixated on the elevator shaft behind her. Reaching out with both hands, Rosie placed her palms on both of the woman’s shoulders. She pushed her only slightly, but it was certainly enough to topple the crippled woman backwards, and she stumbled into the empty elevator shaft, disappearing from view with a thud. After a split second, a sickening crunch met her ears and Rosie winced, peeking over the edge and peering down into the darkness. Carlie now had two broken legs. She was essentially still alive - just a few feet down sitting on the very top of a creaking elevator, hissing up at her in a fury. At least she couldn’t kill her now. Wasting little to no time, Rosie reeled and turned on her heels, sprinting back toward the room at the end of the hallway. The scene that greeted her as she arrived back in the doorway was one of the worst of her life; Steven, a bulky, brooding presence on his best day, was now ballooned and decaying, perched atop of Leo with his bloody hands clasped around the man’s neck. He was killing him. Before she could react, Leo managed to find his gun within the rubble around him, which was a rather impressive feat in her opinion, considering the state of the area surrounding them. She watched him take aim at the monstrosity above him as if in slow motion- her eyes trained solely upon Leo’s face as she observed an entire series of emotions flash within his eyes. The gun went off. She shrieked involuntarily, never having heard a gunshot this up close before, and her hands flew up to cover her ears instinctively. Squeezing her eyes shut, she sank against the doorframe and to the ground. She couldn’t look. She wasn’t going to look; she didn’t know what she would see. Shaking and with her ears ringing so intensely she thought she’d gone deaf, Rosie wished more than anything to be absolutely anywhere else in the world.