The Echoes of What Remains: A Novel of Unseen Horrors

Chapter 2: The First Choice

The hours after checking into the Grandview Hotel passed quickly, much like any school trip. Students settled into rooms, some grumbled about slow internet, others explored the old furniture.

The brief excitement over "The Midnight Game" app mostly faded.

Their main concerns shifted to finding the best snacks, comparing room sizes, and making evening plans.

As the sun dipped below the horizon, painting the hotel windows in shades of purple and orange, a large group of students gathered in a wide hallway on the third floor.

It felt like a forgotten ballroom, with old flowery wallpaper and dusty portraits of serious-looking people. About fifteen students, including Kaito, Sakura, Akari, Ren, and Yui, sprawled on the thick, worn carpet.

Some played cards, others scrolled through phones, sharing memes and complaining about homework. Their quiet chatter and laughter filled the air.

"Man, this place is ancient," Ren grumbled, tossing a snack wrapper towards a trash can. He missed. "I swear I can smell dust from a hundred years ago. And the internet's a joke."

"It's 'historic,' Ren," Akari replied, not looking up from her phone. "Embrace the old-timey charm."

"More like haunted house vibes," Yui mumbled, a slight shiver running through her. "I keep feeling those creepy portraits watching me." She gestured to a severe-looking woman whose painted eyes seemed to follow their every move.

Kaito, ever the observer, chuckled softly. His phone quietly recorded their conversation. "It definitely has personality. Good for the video, at least."

He panned his camera across the relaxed group. "Did anyone else get that weird game app earlier? 'The Midnight Game'?"

"Oh, yeah!" Sakura exclaimed, snapping her fingers. "I totally forgot about that! What a lame prank. I thought something cool would happen right away, like a secret message or something."

"Nah, probably just Kenji messing around," Ren said, waving a dismissive hand. "He's always trying to code. Bet it just steals your data or something boring."

Most students nodded. The app had been a fleeting amusement, quickly forgotten as they settled into their new surroundings.

They chatted, content to be away from home. The hotel's subtle creepiness was merely background noise to their normal conversations. No one really thought about the game, or noticed how close it was to midnight.

Their casual talking continued, a comfortable hum filling the hallway. Jokes, scrolling, plans for tomorrow.

The old grandfather clock at the hallway's end – a huge, dark wooden sentinel with a fancy, swinging pendulum – slowly, meticulously, ticked towards the hour. No one paid it much attention. It was just another part of the old hotel's background.

Tick. Tock.

The general chatter in the hallway continued.

Tick. Tock.

The big hand on the grandfather clock slowly moved towards the twelve.

Tick.

Then, a deep, resonant BONG echoed through the hotel. It was the sound of the grandfather clock striking midnight.

BONG. BONG. BONG. BONG. BONG. BONG. BONG. BONG. BONG. BONG. BONG. BONG.

Twelve sounds. Midnight.

As the last chime faded, a new message popped up on every single phone simultaneously.

It wasn't from the game app itself, but a system-level notification, appearing over whatever they were doing. Plain white words on a black screen, impossible to ignore:

THE GAME HAS CHOSEN. HIROSHI.

A collective gasp, followed by a ripple of excited giggles and nervous laughter, spread through the group. "No way!" "Is this for real?" "Who got picked?" "Oh, poor Hiroshi!"

Ren burst out laughing, pointing at his phone. "Someone actually put Hiroshi? That's hilarious! I bet it was Kenji, trying to be funny."

Sakura nudged Kaito, a playful grin on her face. "Bet it was Ren! He's always picking on Hiroshi."

"Hey, no fair!" Ren protested, still chuckling. "I put down Mr. Sato! He gives too much homework!"

Another student, Haruna, piped up. "I put down Akari! She's too smart, makes us all look bad!" Akari just rolled her eyes, a small smile playing on her lips.

The relaxed atmosphere instantly dissolved, replaced by a buzzing, prank-fueled energy as everyone looked around, waiting for the next reaction, the next joke.

Hiroshi, who had been sitting quietly on the carpet near the window, fiddling with a loose thread on his backpack, slowly, carefully, began to stand.

He was a small, quiet boy, his head still bent. Everyone watched, expecting a funny remark, or perhaps a feigned scare, or even a complaint about being picked. They thought he would play along.

"Look at him! He's actually doing it!" Ren snickered, nudging Yui. "What's he gonna do? A dramatic monologue about being the 'chosen one'?"

"Yeah, Hiroshi, give us a show!" Daiki, another student, called out, laughing. "Are you gonna pretend to be a ghost now? Do the spooky walk!"

"Don't forget the creepy voice!" Kenji added, making a low, groaning sound.

But Hiroshi didn't speak. He didn't even look at them.

His movements were stiff, unnatural, almost robotic. He didn't walk; he shuffled, his feet dragging slightly on the carpet, making a faint, unsettling scrape.

His head remained down, dark hair obscuring his face, hiding his thoughts. He moved with a scary, steady purpose towards the large, ornate window at the end of the hallway, which overlooked the hotel's dark gardens.

The hallway lights, already dim, flickered noticeably, casting dancing shadows that made the portraits on the walls seem to subtly shift.

The sweet, decaying floral scent, faint since their arrival, now intensified dramatically. The air felt thick, heavy, and strangely still.

A cold breeze swept through the hallway, despite all windows being tightly shut, raising goosebumps on their skin.

"Whoa, is he actually going to jump?" Ren joked, his voice a little too loud, trying to elicit a bigger laugh. "Like, for real? Hiroshi, don't be so extra! You'll break the window, dude!"

"Yeah, Hiroshi, don't be a drama queen!" Yui giggled, though a tiny hint of unease crept into her voice as Hiroshi continued his silent, relentless movement. "It's not that serious! Mr. Sato will kill you if you break hotel property!"

Kaito, still filming, zoomed in on Hiroshi, convinced he was about to capture a hilarious prank. "Get ready for the Oscar-winning performance, guys!"

Hiroshi reached the window. It was a huge pane of old, wavy glass, framed by heavy, dark wood. He stopped directly in front of it, his back to them.

Moonlight, filtering through the ancient trees outside, cast long, strange shadows around him, making him appear unnaturally tall and thin.

The sweet, decaying floral scent in the hallway grew even stronger, turning their stomachs. A low, deep hum, almost a soft growl, vibrated through the air, pressing into their ears.

The whispers returned, faint and hissing, seeming to swirl around Hiroshi, growing louder, more demanding.

Before anyone could fully process what was happening, before the jokes could completely die on their lips, Hiroshi suddenly lunged forward.

With a horrifying, sickening CRACK, his head slammed against the thick glass. The glass spiderwebbed, then shattered inward with an explosion of sharp shards.

And then, without a sound, Hiroshi launched himself through the broken window. His small body vanished into the darkness outside.

They heard it. A sickening, wet THUD from three floors below, echoing through the silent night. The sound was horribly final.

The students in the hallway were frozen. Their faces were pale with shock and disbelief, their eyes wide with unspeakable terror.

The sweet floral scent was overpowering, and the whispers were a loud roar in their minds, screaming accusations they couldn't understand.

The broken window, like a jagged, open mouth, let in a rush of cold, night air, bringing with it the faint, metallic tang of blood.

Hiroshi was gone. And the game had only just begun.