The sun was shining as Felix and his friends travelled in the van. The windows were open and the salt air wafted in. All the boys, other than Felix, were talking at once. They were excited to be out of school. Felix had his licence and his father had insisted that they take this trip. They kept talking and joking, not wanting Felix to sink into his own, dark thoughts. Felix stared ahead, looking for the entry to the hotel in which his father had recently invested. Felix thought about Chase and shivered, but his dark thoughts were interrupted by a bump in the road. There were cries and yells as drinks went flying. “Sorry guys. Missed that,” said Felix over the sounds of iPads and food hitting the floor. Felix wanted to feel excited. It had been a very hard year and thoughts of Chase followed him everywhere.
Although it was summer, the canopy of trees grew thick and covered the sun like a shroud. Then they all saw it. The hotel was ahead of them, glistening in the sun. Where is everyone? Felix wondered for a moment. There were cars scattered throughout the carpark, but not a person in sight. Vintage cars were parked between modern ones. Felix’s friend dashed inside. He followed and was greeted by the sound of jazz and the sight of buffet tables spilling with food and drink on either side of the hall. The boys stopped talking when a soft but firm female voice addressed them from the top of the staircase. “Hello, my special guests. Welcome to The Last Resort.” A tall figure glided down the stairs, “I am Hellen Gravely, the manager of this fine hotel.” Hellen glanced over the boys, smiling in a firm, sharp line. She stopped at Felix and met his eyes. “You must be Felix Hades,” she said. “You can leave your keys with me. You won’t need them now.” As Felix handed Hellen the keys, he felt tired. He needed a few minutes to gather his thoughts. He said to his friends, “Look I’ll get us checked in.” They had run outside towards the pool before Felix finished his sentence.
Felix then heard a strange, shrivelled voice say, “Excuse me, Sir”. Felix looked down and saw a small man in a bellhop uniform, dressed like in the old movies his father played in his study. “My name is Hunding, and you are Master Felix, yes?” Felix nodded, confused by the strange mask Hunding wore. He pushed aside his confused thoughts and also ignored Hunding. I’m getting better at not thinking about things, Felix thought to himself, as a wave of sadness washed over him. It was soon to be a year since Chase had gone missing, not that his father spoke about it much. Felix thanked Hellen for the room key and followed her instructions to the suite. As he walked, he noticed the paintings along the walls. There must be hundreds of paintings, he thought. Felix found the suite and noticed that their bags had been delivered. He thought of Chase. Chase would be nineteen this year. No-one had heard of him for a year now. But rather than cry, Felix quickly grabbed his bathers from his bag and ran to meet his friends. I can push these feelings away, he thought to himself as he quickly ran out the room. I’ll unpack later, he thought.
The boys had the pool all to themselves for the afternoon. They swam and splashed each other and told funny stories that made no sense at all. Felix felt hollow, but joined in. These crazy mates will make me feel better, he thought. As the afternoon went on, clouds rolled in, and the boys grew cold. “Let’s go in,” Felix suggested. They all walked back loudly through the hotel, Felix taking the lead. “Here it is guys,” Felix announced as they entered the suite. The boys spilled in, talking noisily. Felix turned to grab his dry clothes when he noticed that the boys were silent. They were all facing the wall, staring. Ben then said quietly, “Oh, mate. I’m sorry. Are you ok?” Felix looked up with a start. Chase’s eyes looked down at him from the painting on the wall. I can’t believe I didn’t see that, Felix thought to himself. It was a large portrait of Chase. A tear slid down Felix’s face. “Yeah,” was all that Felix could say. The boys were silent and awkward as they got dressed. It was a relief to leave the room.
As Felix opened the door, he almost fell over Hunding. “The room is to your liking, Sir?” asked Hunding.
“Err. Yes. I suppose so.” Felix replied. “The portrait. Where did it come from?” Felix asked. “Ms Hellen and your father,” replied Hunding. “They know,” he said.
Felix felt uneasy. The boys walked down to dinner. Hellen stood at the base of the stairs as they descended. “Are you ready, gentlemen? Hellen asked, “As we are ready for you.” Hellen’s voice was cold and firm. Felix wondered if they had made too much noise this afternoon and the other guests had complained. “If you are hungry, you may dine now,” said Hellen. “We will serve your last supper at eleven.”
The boys made their way to the dining hall. They pushed and laughed as they tried to lighten the mood. “Hey Felix, catch,” one yelled as he hurled a bread roll towards Felix’s head. Dinner was loud, as usual, and Felix tried to hide the shock he felt from seeing a life-size portrait of his missing brother. His father must have had the painting made, Felix thought to himself. But why not hang it at home? Felix felt bewildered and sad. As the boys laughed and joked, Felix’s eyes lingered on the portraits that surrounded him. There were so may paintings and artefacts, he thought to himself. Creepy, he thought. Felix’s father often described himself as a collector. “A collector of people and things,” he would say. He certainly had enough money and people obeying his orders, thought Felix. Felix and his father had never been close. He and Chase had often commented that they felt like chess pieces, being moved around a board by their father.
Night descended and the hotel grew dark. “Dudes. Where is everyone?” Felix asked his friends. Quiet descended on their table as they realised that they were alone in the dining room. The boys exchanged puzzled looks. They had all been speaking so loudly that they hadn’t realised how strangely quiet the space was. “I’m sorry about Chase,” said one of Felix’s friends quietly. “It must be nearly a year now. Have you heard anything further from the police?”
“No,” said Felix, just above a whisper. “Nothing since I said goodbye to him after he packed the car and headed off after school graduation.”
The boys all sat quietly, feeling for Felix, and wondering how someone could just vanish.
A strange howl ripped through their quiet musings like a jagged knife. They all jumped with a start. It had sounded so close. Like a cry of a wounded animal. “I think it’s time to call it a night,” said Felix quickly. “This place is giving me the creeps”.
“Yeah – thanks for bringing me here,” a friend responded sarcastically.
“Where’s Ben?” Felix asked the group. One of the seats at the table was empty. Ben had left but Felix had not seen him get up.
“Must have gone to the bathroom?” one of the boys replied, uncertainly. They all looked uneasy as another howl cried out into the night.
“Blood oranges anyone?” Hunding interrupted them with a start. The boys jumped. Was it possible? Had Hunding shrivelled even more since they arrive? The creepy mask still covered Hunding’s face. Noticing the boys staring at him, Hunding said, “We like to play a game or two here. Keeps it interesting.”
“Have you seen Ben?” asked Felix of Hunding.
Hunding shrugged. “Why no, Sir. But I thought I heard him moments ago. I mean, whilst you were all speaking of course.”
“What was that sound? Was it a wild animal?” asked Felix.
Hunding shrugged again. “Sometimes hunters come here. They kill for sport.”
With that, the boys had had enough. They all felt tired and anxious. Felix was not sure why, but he had broken into a sweat and his heart was racing. “Let’s call it a night. Can you tell Ben that we’ve gone up?” Felix asked Hunding.
“Why, of course, Sir,” Hunding replied. The remaining boys started making their way to their suite.
No-one responded to Hellen as she called out behind them, “Can I get you your last supper or a drink before the kitchen closes? Something to put you to sleep?”
Another cry was heard as the boys proceeded to ascend the stairs at pace. “Ben? Are you up here?” Felix called out into the dark corridor, now lit only with the flame of a few candles.
No answer. The cry had become a whimper, somewhere in the distance. The light from the suite could be seen under their door. Felix grabbed the handle. The boys tumbled in.
As their eyes adjusted to the light, they saw Hellen, dressed in white. Hair wild but eyes calm. She stood with six empty picture frames behind her. Felix turned to run when he saw a portrait of Ben, now hanging on the wall next to the portrait of Chase.
Hunding closed the door behind them.
