Jacob’s muddled mind slowly struggled awake a muddy sense of urgency gripped his half-conscious mind. Tasting iron in his mouth a splitting headache tore at him he found his body sluggish and unresponsive. Trying to sit up he notices that he had managed to wrap himself up in the bed sheets. Groggily he disentangles himself and sits on the side of the bed with his head in his hands.

“What happened last night…?” His confusion lasts a bit longer before he was able to recall what happened to him yesterday.

Noticing the metallic taste in his mouth again he ran a finger along the inside of his lips he found blood, but upon further inspection couldn’t find a cut or anything. Casting a glance at his pillow he spots a few streaks of dried blood, checking his face he finds dried blood coming from his nose.

I should probably stop by the medical room first. Deciding not to postpone his visit to the rather frightening Dr Florence, he stands up and heads for the door.

Without much thought he stops at the closet and reaches in to grab his jacket, as soon as his fingers graze the wet material he jerks back as if scalded by it.

“What the hell?” Pulling his jacket out of the closet he finds it to completely soaked, a large wet spot in the center as if someone tried to use it like a rag. Checking the inside of the closet he found that his jacket was the only casualty of the mysterious incident. “When did this happen?”

The dark color of the material made it nearly impossible to tell what it was soaked with, and he was about bring a mystery liquid near his face just find out.

With a sigh Jacob decided to pick up a towel and wrap his jacket up in it. Heading out and down the elevator to the lobby, Jacob notices Havard at the front desk once again. The question of how many people he has working for him rising in the back of his mind, as he heads towards the front desk.

“Good morning,” Havard cheerfully greeted Jacob with a bright smile, “Did you sleep well?”

“Yeah, I …well no I didn’t…” Casting a glance to the left he notices dinning halls doors to be open. The faint din of a lively meal echoed from the room, a telltale sign of other patrons besides himself. Other patrons he did encounter nor see yesterday.

“I’m sorry to hear that.” The hotel manager gives him an apologetic smile, noticing Jacob to be distracted he adds, “Is there something matter?”

“No not at all…,” Jacob immediately responds but looks back towards the open doors. “I don’t remember seeing so many guests here yesterday, did more people arrive last night?”

After a brief moment Jacob realizes the implication of his question. “Uh, I didn’t mean anything negative by that…”

“I take no offence to that,” Havard gives him a reassuring smile, “Unfortunately, or fortunately depending on your point of view, this is a rather slow part of the year for us.”

“So, what’s your opinion on it?” Jacob glances over to the dining room. Harsh, raucous laughter echoes out causing the hotel owner to frown. “Is it fortunate or unfortunate?”

“Personally, I have never been a fan of… rowdy guests.” Shaking his head with a sigh Havard turns his attention back to Jacob, eyeing the bundle in Jacob’s hands. “But that’s enough gossip for today, is there anything I can help you with?”

“Yeah, do you know if Florence has opened her clinic yet?”

“Of course, It’s open all hours of the day.” Havard assures him before adding with a wry smile. “Unless she’s sleeping.”

“Also, do you guys have a dry-cleaning service? Something happened to my jacket last night, and now I need to get it cleaned.” Jacob hands the bundled jacket to Havard who sets it down on the desk and starts to unravel it.

“No problem, we have an onsite cleaning service so we should be able to get it back to by tonight.” The owner holds up the surprisingly unsoiled piece of clothing. “So, what was wrong with it? Other than a few wrinkles I can’t see anything too concerning.”

“But it was soaked with… something…” Jacob stared at his jacket completely taken aback, a small headache started to build causing him to press a hand to his temple. “I think…, I think I’m going to go see Florence now…”

“Okay, would you like your jacket back?” Havard held out the piece of clothing in question.

“No, I might as well get it cleaned while I’m busy.” Jacob shook his head, immediately regretting it when movement sent spikes of pain through his head.

“Of course, I hope you get well soon.” Havard gave him a polite wave as Jacob made his way to the clinic.

Surprisingly he was able to navigate the series of hallways without making a wrong turn and make his way to the entrance of the clinic.

Knocking on the door he waited… but received no answer. Knocking again he leaned in closer to the door listening for a response… nothing, not event the aberrant snoring from before.

Deciding to test the door since there was no other indication that the clinic was closed, he found it unlocked.

“Hello?” Calling out as he opened the door, he found Florence reclined back in her chair reading through a stack of papers with a highlighter in her free hand. Her concentration was so deep it didn’t seem like she even hear him or the door. On the flipped over page he could read the title of the article but stopped after getting past the halfway mark. From the title alone he knew whatever the article was about he wasn’t likely to understand it.

Trying to get her attention he stepped up to her side and tapped her on the shoulder, “Excuse me Dr. Florence?”

In annoyance Florence flapped her hand with the highlighter towards him, marking his forehead with a bright yellow streak.

“Ack!” Rubbing his forehead to remove mark Jacpb only succeeded in spreading the dark yellow mark further, not that he could tell.

“What happened to your head?” Finally looking up from her paper Florence noticed Jacob.

“he highlighter or the brain damage?” Jacob smiled a little at his own grim joke.

For a moment the doctor broke eye contact to glance at her highlighter. “Well we don’t know if there is any damage until we do some scans.”

“That is why I’m here so early, I was wondering if you could do those scans as soon as possible?” Jacob sat down on the stool next her desk, feeling a little bit more accustom to her stare than last time. “So, what hospital do you guys usually send your guests to. I need to make sure my insurance covers it.”

“We don’t send anyone anywhere. We have everything we need here.” Florence pushed herself up out of the chair and crossed to the back of the room with strange sway to her walk, almost as if she was about to fall over. Stopping before a door marked with NFPA diamond she calls out over her shoulder, “Are you coming?”

“Wait you have the required equipment onsite?” Jacob had a hard time keeping the incredulity out of his voice as he follows the doctor down the dark stairway behind the door. Florence quickly descended the stairs nearly stumbling once as she stifled a yawn. “Why do you have medical equipment in the basement of a hotel? Aren’t there regulations against this sort of thing?”

“Probably.”

“That doesn’t concern you at all?”

“Not really, it’s Havard’s problem if anything.” Florence shrugs while giving her flippant response, she didn’t event bother to look back at him.

Reaching the bottom of the stairs Jacob finds himself in a long corridor not entirely unlike something from a hospital. With exam rooms, an x-ray room, and an MRI room. It was surprisingly open and bright.

“So, why does he even have this facility down here?” Jacob asked looking around at the surprisingly well-kept medical equipment.

“Because we need it.” Florence simply shrugs her shoulders.

“Did the hotel always have, …all this?” Jacob gestures to entirety of the basement.

“No, all this was added a few years ago,” Florence leads him to the MRI preparation room. “Go ahead and disrobe and remove any metal, there is a gown in the locker.”

“Hold on a second, you mean they added all of this later. Why?”

“Havard said we needed it so, he added it to the basement.” She gave him an impatient look waving her hand as if to tell him to hurry up, she adds, “Now will you put on the gown or do I have to undress you myself?”

“Okay, okay. Just one moment,” Jacob holds up his hands as if to ward off her impatient tone. Only once he had removed his dress shirt and started to unbuckle his pants did he notice she was still standing there. “Uh… Was there something else you needed?”

“No, just waiting on you.” She shakes her head, showing no signs of leaving.

“Erm, are you just going to stand there while I change?” Unsure of how to proceed his gaze switches between her and the paper gown in the open locker nearby.

“Yes, this is a good opportunity to observe your body for possible damage you didn’t notice. If you want, I can perform a thorough physical examination right now.” She states flatly, keeping her expression as professional as possible. At least the most professional he’s seen her, which admittedly isn’t very much.

With a sigh he stores his clothes in the locker and pulls out the paper gown when he feels a hand on his shoulder.

“What is that?” Looking over at Florence he notices a strange gleam in her eye as she stares at the back of his neck.

“Huh? What do you- Hey stop?! I’m ticklish there!” Jacob tries to squirm out of her iron grip as pokes and prods the back of his neck.

“Is this a bruise, possibly internal bleeding?” She mostly mutters to herself continuing to poke along searching for more spots.

“Whoa?! Stop already, It’s just a birthmark!”

The rest of the check-up progressed relatively the same way. With Jacob finally finding some respite from her thorough examination when Florence announces she needs to leave and examine the scans in detail.

Heading back into the lobby Jacob is stopped by a wave and a call from Havard, who is still at the front desk. Jacob heads over to the hotel owner placing his jacket on the desk as he finishes readjusting his cuffs.

“Welcome back.” Havard greeted him with the usual polite smile, “How did it go? Was Florence of any help?”

“Well, she said she is going to go look at the results now.” Jacob sighed from just having to remember his previous ordeal.

“Very good.” Havard nodded, “She is very dedicated to her work, so she should have something for you soon.”

“Yeah, she certainly is dedicated.”

“I take it she gave you a hard time.” The hotel owner gave him an apologetic smile. “Try not to take it to heart too much, she’s like that with all of her patients.”

“I don’t doubt that…”

“Yes, well onto other topics. How about I finally give you a full tour of the facilities.” Changing the subject Havard walks around the desk placing a hand Jacobs shoulder, leading Jacob back to where he came from. “It might be a little late, but I should introduce you to the rest of the staff here.”

“That’s not really necessary,” Jacob lightly shook his head trying to decline Havard’s offer. “I would like to leave as soon as possible, so I don’t think I’ll get a chance to check anything out.”

“Nonsense, you need to stay for your treatment anyways, so you should know what we have to offer.” Havard continued to usher him along not taking no for an answer.

“I’m only staying because, I can’t get back home on my own.” Jacob breaks steps out of the owner’s grasp facing him. “Speaking of which, I don’t think you ever told me what happened to my car.”

“Your car?” The man looks genuinely confused for moment before realizing what Jacob is talking about. “Right, your car. I was told by Mr. Landon tat it should be in the shop getting repaired.”

“Which shop?”

“A local one in the nearby town. I’m told they needed to order some parts, so it still will be sometime before it’s remotely drivable.” Placing both hands on Jacob’s shoulders Havard leads him into the first door on the left past the double doors. “Now we should start our tour. Out of consideration I’ll try to keep it brief.”

Entering the room Jacob immediately takes note of the relaxed atmosphere created by the décor. On the opposite wall to the entrance were a row of cushioned seats wrapped around some small tables. In the center were sparsely placed two seat tables, with minimal settings. Tucked into the righthand corner was a small stage with a single mic stand. And finally, opposite to the stage was a large well stocked bar dominating the left wall. Like the hallway outside there wasn’t anybody else in the room except for a single bartender.

“Welcome to our lounge. While the bar isn’t open in the morning, you can still order a variety of refreshments from our wonderful bartender. Alcohol is served after five. And after six our evening entertainment begins, an absolutely beautiful woman by the name of Genevieve will entertain the room with her wonderful voice.”

“Hey, boss. Is he the new guest you were talking about?” The bartender heads over to the two, stuffing a small book into a pocket. Holding out a hand he introduces himself, “Jacob, right? I’m Owen nice to meet you.”

Owen gave off a laid back and friendly aura. His blond hair was simply brushed to the side and his face clean shaven. While he did wear the same uniform as Havard his was nearly as “neat.” Where Havard had his shirt perfectly starched and ironed with jeweled cuff links, Owen decided to roll the sleeves up to his elbows.

“Yes, unfortunately we didn’t get a chance for introductions yesterday, we had to see Florence immediately.” Havard spoke on Jacob’s behalf, “And as he said this is Owen, he is just about the best bartender I’ve seen in long time. He knows just about every possible drink you can think of, both alcoholic and non-alcoholic.”

“Don’t sell me short there, I’ve been working here for years. I’m the best you’ve had or ever will have.” Owen gives Jacob an affable smile before setting a hand down the bar. “If you ever need a break from it all I’ll have seat open and a cold one ready for you.”

“Unfortunately, we don’t have time to sample the selection. We still need to finish the rest of the tour.” Havard patted Jacob on the shoulder, “lets head over to our next destination.”

Heading down the hallway towards the same doors glass doors from yesterday caused Jacob to pause. Noticing Jacob had lagged behind Havard turned to him.

“Is something wrong?”

“Uh,” Jacob hesitated a second, debating with himself on whether to tell the other man what experienced yesterday. Ultimately, he shook his head, “No, it’s nothing just a bit lightheaded.”

“If you’re not feeling well and wish to take a break. Then…” Havard places a hand on the glass door and opens it as if presenting a prize, revealing everything he could already see. “I would recommend resting here. Along side our plethora of outdoor activities, we have many places where you can rest and enjoy sometime in the sun.”

With a sigh Jacob follows the owner outside. Leaving the building he now gets a clear view of the somewhat crescent shaped pool. A few of the surrounding poolside chairs were occupied by the rarely seen patrons, proving that there really were other guests besides him.

“Here we have our luxury pool (no running) for you to use to your heart’s content. Take a load off and enjoy a relaxing nap in the sun, but don’t forget your sun block.” With wide sweeping gestures Havard presented the first of the three main outdoor facilities. Pointing towards a detached building Havard continued. “From here you can see our sauna (no children without adult supervision). Enjoy as the hot steam washes away your fatigue, and cleanse the toxins from your body, or whatever that new health fad is nowadays.”

Shrugging with dismissively Havard turns to face Jacob. “Of course, you should consult Florence before entering the sauna, or trying to swim in the pool.”

“Right,” At this point Jacob was only half listening, his attention focused on the forest beyond.

Noticing that Jacob was distracted Havard follows his line of sight. Stepping in to break his line of sight and with a polite smile he added, “I should also mention that while you are free to explore the hotel grounds to your hearts delight. The forest is… prohibited, regardless of time of day, but double so at night.”

“Why is that?”

“Wild animals.” Havard placed a hand on Jacob’s shoulder guiding him down a cement footpath. “There are some nasty critters roaming about. For your safety please do not leave the Hotel.”

“…” Jacob’s eyes linger on the forest a second longer. Following along Jacob is lead past the Pool and sauna. Turning the corner Jacob finds himself gazing out at series of courts and fields separated by a chain link fence with colorful flowers woven into the holes. A large shed sat nearby, since it was currently open Jacob noticed various gardening tools within.

While the fields were devoid of people, there was one person in the area tending to the flowers along the paths.

“And here is the area we set aside for the guest who prefer a more active for of entertainment.” Havard presents the well-maintained area with a flourish and a bright smile. A look of realization comes over him briefly before he gives Jacob a sheepish smile. “Although, like the pool and sauna you should speak with Florence and have a staff member present.”

“Speaking of which,” Seriousness of Jacob’s tone caused the other man to pause, giving Jacob a curious look. “How long to expect my treatment to take?”

“Well, I’m not a doctor so I wouldn’t know the specifics.” Havard shook his head giving him a patient smile, “Florence herself told you to take it easy. Just relax and focus on getting better. There’s no need to rush you will be home soon.”

“But what about my family? They still don’t know where I am.” A small ache throbbed across his head.

“Were you able to write your letter to them?”

“I can’t.” Jacob frowned, less from the conversation and more because of the pain slowly building within his skull. “My laptop is in my briefcase, and the lock on that is broken.”

“Well, that is unfortunate.” Havard’s tone was mildly sympathetic as his expression grew thoughtful. “What about writing it by hand? I could have Mr. Landon mail it the next time he stops by.”

“When will that be?”

“He just left this morning and today is Friday…” Havard placed a hand on his chin while looking out into the middle distance. “He should stop by at about eight or nine Monday morning. Depending on how his trip goes.”

“That’s…” Jacob sighed, dropping the rest of the sentence he looks back over to Havard, “Can’t I just use one of the hotel computers, you have some guest computers, right?”

“Uhh, no, I can’t allow that…” For once Havard seemed unsure and flustered. “There’s, …what did Owen call it? …Sensitive personal information on there.”

“How about I just use a guest profile then.”

“I’m sorry but we don’t have profiles for guests.” Havard gave him an apologetic smile. “Our guests never needed any, so we didn’t have any set up.”

“That’s not want I-” Jacob was interrupted by a sharp pang lancing its way from his temple to the center of his forehead.

“Are you okay?” Jacob may have imagined it but, Havard almost looked relieved for a brief second, before concern takes over his expression.

“Yeah, but I think I’m going to go sit down…” Jacob’s vision tilted as he staggered.

“Of course, I’ll help you to your room.” Havard reaches out to steady him, and with a supporting hand he leads Jacob to the elevators. Havard helps Jacob all the way to his bed, and as soon as he is settled in Havard heads out. With a final look into the room Havard pulls out his phone and dials a number shutting the door as he begins the conversation.