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Short Story Society

~Welcome Home.~

Evangelina Ellison

Approximately 742 words

I nervously walked around the perimeter, awkwardly scanning for any threats that might be near. Strange sounds came from the building, which made my whole body tremble with fear. The eeriness of the hotel sent chills down my spine. It easily towered over me. Incredibly spacious as well, which would make my job even harder than it is right now.

I hesitantly laid my finger on the trigger of my rifle, ready to incapacitate the threat lingering inside. As expected, my legs felt like jelly whenever I took a step. Goosebumps dotted my arms as I slowly approached the building.

When I entered, I could only assume that the completely destroyed room was the lobby. There was what could only be a cobblestone fireplace that had massive chunks of it torn out, with rubble surrounding it. Chairs and couches were ripped to shreds. Silent as a giraffe, I scanned the area. After deciding there was nothing there to be investigated further, I gulped and carried on.

The elevator never came, which is why I had a brilliant idea to take the stairs. I was disappointed in myself, seeing as I could only walk up two floors before getting tired and had to take a break. I collapsed to the ground, but that’s when something fell from another level. The stairs’ layout was a spiral, which left a huge gaping hole in the middle, basically inviting people to fall down into. A single penny fell from who knows how many floors above. Hearing the soft clink of the copper coin hitting the stairs’ rail made me jump to my feet in fear, my finger already on the trigger.

“Hello?” I said, my voice bouncing off the walls. I already regretting speaking. Now whoever or whatever was in the building knew I was there. I stood there, not moving an inch. I waited and waited and waited. The only other thing I heard was the pounding of my heart. Thump, thump, thump, it went rhythmically.

Time ticked away, and I so badly wanted to move. It felt as though my legs had turned to stone. I wanted to move and keep going, but fear held me in place. It took some time before I ever built up the courage to start walking again.

I was anxiously searching around the top floor of the apartment. I peered into each room I came across. All the rooms’ doors were shut, which meant that anything could jump out at you at moment’s notice. I shakily opened the door to Room 937. When the door opened, smoke flooded out of the room, as if it were trying to escape itself. None of the other rooms I’d explored before had thick, dark grey smoke. It had to be a hideaway, of some sorts. Cocking my rifle, I stepped in. The living room was destroyed just as badly as the lobby was.

Smoke and dust mixed was a bad combination to breathe in. Coughing, I untucked my shirt and pulled it over my nose. The air was warm and sickening, but it was better than the air I was inhaling before. Carefully, I sneaked into the bedroom. I saw two torn-up queen beds ahead of me. I moved past. Then, approaching the bathroom, I heard an unexpected noise. A quiet voice asked, “Is somebody there?”

Shocked, I stood for a minute. A hostage. Giving it a good hard whack, the door fell, revealing the bathroom. No one was in here, from what I could’ve seen. The curtain was shut. When I pulled it and pointed my rifle, ready to fire, I shrieked. The sight almost made me want to puke. A young woman laid in the bathtub. All her limbs were detached from her body, and scattered around the tub. She was practically bathing in her own blood.

I forced myself to glance at the limbs, then what I saw made all my organs do a somersault. Wires hung from where the limbs should have attached to the torso of the woman. I could also see some appallingly grotesque veins. A robot. A human. A robot. A human. My mind was split in two when thinking about what she was. Just as I was thinking, a loose hand grabbed my left ankle. I screeched and pointed my gun at it.

The woman’s head turned towards me with a nauseating grin. “Hello honey,” she said robotically, “welcome home.”