The room became completely silent after Lily finished reading the final pages of Elena Voss’s diary. Nobody knew what to say because the words written inside that old book had changed everything they believed about Blackthorn Hotel. Before entering Room 13, they had expected to find a tragic story about a girl who disappeared, maybe a hidden secret about what happened decades ago, or some forgotten evidence that would finally explain the rumours surrounding the hotel. They had imagined that discovering the room would be the end of their investigation, the moment when everything finally made sense. Instead, they discovered something far more terrifying — Room 13 was not the ending of the mystery. It was the beginning. The diary remained open on the table, the final sentence written by Elena staring back at them. She had not described a ghost haunting the hotel. She had not written about a spirit searching for revenge or a person trapped between life and death. She had described something else entirely. Something that could imitate. Something that could trick people. Something that did not need to force anyone to come closer because it understood that curiosity, hope, and the desire to help someone were enough to bring people directly toward it. Mia slowly looked around the room, taking in every detail she had ignored before. The untouched furniture. The old books. The perfectly arranged objects. Earlier, the room had seemed peaceful compared to the rest of the abandoned hotel, almost like a place that had been protected from time. But now she saw it differently. The room was not preserved because it was special. It was preserved because something had been happening there for years, and someone had been trying desperately to keep it contained. “What exactly was Elena trying to stop?” Emma asked quietly. Nobody answered. Because the truth was that they did not know. And that scared them more than anything. Alex closed the diary carefully and looked toward the door. The excitement that had brought them to Blackthorn Hotel was gone. They had wanted to uncover a mystery, but now they had uncovered something that felt like it should have stayed buried. He knew they needed to leave Room 13 immediately, but a part of him also knew that walking away would not make the problem disappear. They had already opened the door. They had already stepped inside. Whatever had been waiting in the room already knew they were there. “We need to go back,” Alex said. Everyone agreed without arguing. Even Noah. That was what frightened everyone the most. Noah was usually the person who searched for explanations. He was the one who reminded everyone not to believe every strange story they heard. He was the person who would always say there was a logical reason behind everything. But now he stood quietly, looking at Elena’s diary, unable to explain what they had experienced. For the first time, there was something he could not solve. The group slowly began leaving the room. Daniel stayed behind for a few extra seconds, holding his camera tightly in his hands. He looked around Room 13 one last time, feeling a strange connection to the place that he could not explain. As a person who loved recording mysteries, he had always believed that cameras captured the truth. He believed that if something strange happened, there would always be proof. But now he wondered. What if the camera was not showing the truth? What if it was showing something that wanted to be seen? As Daniel stepped toward the doorway, his camera suddenly turned on by itself. He stopped. The others were already walking down the hallway and did not notice. The screen flickered. At first, the recording showed nothing unusual. It showed the empty room, the old table, and the open diary. Daniel thought maybe the camera had malfunctioned because of the age of the building. Then the screen changed. A figure appeared standing near the corner of the room. Daniel froze. The figure was facing away from the camera, wearing old-fashioned clothing that looked similar to what people wore when Blackthorn Hotel was still open. The person stood completely still, almost like they were waiting. Daniel slowly turned around. The corner of the room was empty. His breathing became heavier as he looked back at the camera screen. The figure was still there. But now it was closer. Daniel quickly lowered the camera and rushed out of the room, closing the door behind him. He did not tell the others what he saw. Not yet. Because he was afraid that saying it out loud would somehow make it real. When they returned to the living room, the seven friends sat together, trying to decide what they should do next. They had planned to explore the hotel until morning, collect evidence, and leave with a story nobody else had ever uncovered. Now their only plan was to find a way out. But every exit they checked earlier was blocked, and the forest outside was too dark to travel through safely. They decided to rest for a short time and search again when they had more energy. Nobody slept. They stayed close together, afraid that separating even for a moment would be a mistake. The old living room became their temporary safe place. The fireplace was empty, the furniture was covered in dust, and the walls were decorated with paintings of people who had probably once enjoyed staying at the hotel. Looking at those paintings now felt uncomfortable. The smiling faces seemed almost fake, like they belonged to people who had no idea what waited inside the building. Hours passed. The only sound was the quiet ticking of an old clock that somehow still worked despite the hotel being abandoned for decades. Then Daniel stood up. “I’m going to find the washroom,” he said. Everyone looked at him. “Do you want someone to come with you?” Mia asked. Daniel shook his head. “I’ll be back.” Nobody thought anything was wrong. That was the mistake. Because Daniel was not going to the washroom. He was going back to Room 13. Ever since leaving the room, he had been unable to forget what he saw on his camera. The figure. The strange message. The feeling that something inside the room recognized him. He told himself he only wanted to check the recording again. He told himself he needed proof before telling the others. But deep down, he knew the truth. Something inside Room 13 was calling him. And this time… Daniel answered.

Chapter 6: The First Disappearance