Daniel walked through the dark hallways of Blackthorn Hotel with his camera held tightly in his hand, trying to convince himself that he was only going back because he needed answers. He repeated the same thought over and over in his mind — he was not scared, he was not being followed, and there was nothing inside the hotel that could actually harm him. He was simply investigating. That was what he always did. He searched for things that other people ignored. He uncovered stories that had been forgotten. He found the truth hidden beneath rumours and fear. But this time felt different. Every step he took deeper into the hotel made the air feel heavier. The hallway lights, which had been flickering weakly before, now seemed almost completely dead. The only light came from the small flashlight attached to his camera, creating a narrow path in front of him while everything around him disappeared into darkness. The hotel seemed much larger when he was alone. The same hallways they had walked through earlier now felt unfamiliar, as if the building had rearranged itself after they left. Daniel tried to remember the way back to Room 13, but something bothered him. He did not remember turning so many corners. He did not remember passing so many doors. Yet somehow, he knew exactly where he was going. It felt like the hotel was guiding him. When Daniel finally reached the hallway where Room 13 was hidden, he stopped. The door was already open. He was certain they had closed it before leaving. He stood there for a moment, staring into the darkness beyond the doorway. Every part of him told him to turn around and return to his friends, but another part of him felt drawn toward the room. It was not curiosity anymore. It was something stronger. A feeling that he needed to enter. Slowly, he stepped inside. The room looked exactly the same as before, but somehow it felt different. The air was colder, and the silence felt unnatural. Daniel lifted his camera and began recording, hoping that capturing everything would make him feel less alone. “Elena Voss’s room,” he whispered into the camera. “Room 13. Returning for further investigation.” His own voice echoed back. But then another voice answered. “Daniel…” He froze. The voice had come from behind him. A voice he recognized. His own voice. Daniel slowly turned around. Nobody was there. He looked back at the camera screen. The recording showed something standing behind him. A figure. Closer than before. Daniel immediately turned off the camera and stepped backward. His heart was beating faster as he looked around the room, searching every corner. The figure was not visible anymore, but he could feel something was wrong. The room felt like it was waiting for him to notice something. Then he saw the diary. Elena’s diary, which they had left on the table, was now open to a different page. Daniel approached slowly. He knew nobody had touched it. He knew the others were still in the living room. Yet there it was. A page that had not been visible before. The handwriting was Elena’s, but the message seemed more like a warning left for whoever discovered it. “The first voice is always the easiest to trust.” Daniel stared at the sentence. Then he noticed something written underneath. “It will not appear as a monster. It will appear as someone you want to save.” A cold feeling spread through him. Because suddenly he understood. The voice asking for help. The voice calling people’s names. The voice pretending to be someone they cared about. That was how it trapped people. It did not scare them away. It made them come closer. Before Daniel could leave, the door behind him slowly closed. Not loudly. Not violently. Almost gently. As if someone had simply decided it was time. Daniel rushed toward it and grabbed the handle, pulling as hard as he could. Nothing happened. The door would not open. He tried again. Still nothing. Then the room changed. The furniture began shifting slightly, not moving like a person would move something, but changing position when he looked away. The books on the shelves fell to the floor. The walls seemed to breathe with a quiet creaking sound. The room that had appeared untouched moments ago suddenly felt alive. Daniel stepped back, terrified. Then the voice spoke again. This time, it was not his own. It was Elena’s. “Please…” The voice sounded frightened. Real. “Help me.” Daniel closed his eyes. He remembered the diary. The voice is not asking for help. It is trying to make someone open the door. He covered his ears, trying not to listen. But the voice changed. It became someone else. Someone familiar. Someone he missed. Someone whose voice would make anyone turn around. Back in the living room, the remaining friends began to worry when Daniel did not return. At first, they assumed he had simply taken longer than expected, but as the minutes passed, the feeling that something was wrong became impossible to ignore. Alex stood up. “He’s been gone too long.” Mia immediately agreed. They searched the nearby hallways first, calling Daniel’s name. Their voices echoed through the empty hotel, but there was no response. They checked every room they had already explored, hoping they would find him sitting somewhere, laughing at how worried they had become. But Daniel was nowhere. Eventually, they reached the hallway leading toward Room 13. And there they found something that made everyone stop. Daniel’s camera. It was lying on the floor outside the door. Still recording. The friends looked at each other, terrified. Because Daniel would never leave his camera behind. Not for anything. Alex slowly picked it up and pressed play. The screen showed Daniel entering Room 13. Then the static appeared. Then the voice. Then the camera fell. The final seconds of the recording showed the door closing by itself. And before the recording ended, they heard Daniel whisper one sentence. A sentence that made everyone understand what had happened. “He knows my name.”

Chapter 7: The Voice That Knew His Name