Hotel Selten

Foreseen Disaster

It was a great day, the sky was clear. It was the day of their departure, away from the chaos in the city Ophelia has lived through her childhood. Her mom woke up around 4 in the dawn. The teenage girl immediately woke up. Her eyes were barely open and she was still sleepy. She took a bath where the warm water wakes her sleepy mind. After that, she dressed herself up in a red shirt, jeans jacket, and black leggings. She tied up her lace-up white sneakers. "I'm all done!" Ophelia exclaimed to herself, just in time his father went to her room. "Good morning Lia. I am glad you woke up easily in this early morning. A rare sight but I am glad that you didn't give your mother a headache." He smiled and giggled. "Where's your luggage?" She pointed to two duffel bags on the corner. "Join your mother downstairs." He approached her packed belongings and carried them out of the room. She grabbed her black hair tie and tied her brunette hair into a ponytail, leaving her funny bangs behind. She turns to the small mirror she has in her room and gives her reflection a cheerful smile. 

She followed her dad and they went downstairs. Her mom was preparing some foods for the travel like biscuits to munch in the airplane. "Go eat your breakfast while we prepare." Her mom smiles as Ophelia took a seat and her breakfast. Her dad continued to the door which leads to their garage. He approached their vehicle and piles up Lia's belongings in the baggage cart of his pick-up truck, along with his and her wife's baggage. His dad peeked a bit at his wife and daughter who were talking. "Anything that we forgot?" He asked, "None. I will just carry this small bag of snacks." Helda assured him that nothing is left behind. "And also, Ms. Jones said we should lock every room. She has spare keys anyways." Dred passed the keys to the house to his wife. She set aside the small bag that holds their snacks on the table. 

She went to every door inside the house, even the entrance. She locked every door that's within the house. After she was done, she entered through the garage door where both her daughter and husband is waiting. Ophelia and Dred hopped on the pick-up truck as Helda locked the last open door in the house. "All nice and locked. I hope you haven't forgotten anything, Ophelia." She looks at her daughter which she received a slow head shake as a know. She then joined them in the vehicle. She tossed the keys to her husband as she closes the door, "Can you lock the garage's sheet door when you moved the pick-up truck later?" He nodded as an answer. "I remember the time I tried it, my back aches for days." Her wife told while laughing to herself. "Well, the hinges are rusty making it hard to put down. Besides, it will be the last time that we will suffer from that old thing. In general, this will be the last time we will be seeing this house."

Dred twisted the car key which was there already before they even fully board the vehicle. The engine roars and makes continuous noises as a sign that the car can move now. He pushed and pulled the accelerator a bit as he steps on the gas, the car motioned smoothly out of the garage. He turned right, placing the car on the roadside of the stroll area of the neighborhood. He stopped the truck as he pushes the door on his left, he hopped out of his truck and went to the garage to lock it up. The metallic screech of the sheet door as he pulls it down echoed through the neighborhood. Dred locked it up and went back to the car, panting a bit. He smiled at his family as he motioned the accelerator forward again and they drive out of the neighborhood into the airport.

They arrived quickly at the airport for just minutes, there is just light traffic that they encountered along North Pebble Beach Drive. They just encountered some man that is on fire, Ophelia interestingly watches as the man panics and rolls on the sidewalk. The people tried to extinguish him by they just can't. Helda holds her daughter close and prevents her to watch the horrible scene when suddenly a water tank from above just explodes and rains down upon the panicking people. 

All of the water fell to the poor guy and extinguishes him. It was devastating as a distance noise that is like a siren can be heard, the ambulance and even the fire truck arrived. The firemen rushingly went to the circling crowd of people, as the circle broke in half, they just knew the man is okay and alive as the medics rushed in and tried to bring the poor burnt guy on the stretcher and put him inside the ambulance. There the road clears and her dad moves their car away from the scene. 

Dred parks the car in the parking lot, a personnel assists them with their bags as they walk into the airport's lounge. Ophelia curiously looked around as they walk, the airport is a bit wide, and airplanes are landing and taking off the airstrips. As they enter, they are welcomed by a bit colder air in the lounge as they went to the baggage counter, checking in their things.

The teenage girl felt that she will pee anytime soon, she decides to find an outlet to let it out. "Mom, where's the washroom here?" She asked, her mom looked at her and asked personnel, who seems to be a janitor. "Hey, mister. Where's the washroom here?" The old man looked at them, "It's kinda hidden and kind of far, let me lead you, miss." He offered. Helda giggled a bit, "No, it's my daughter who wants to pee." She looks at Ophelia with a wrinkled face. "I see, little miss, this way!" He smiled and puts the mop on the janitor's cart as he leads Ophelia's way to the washroom. "Here it is," the janitor said, "Do you remember the way back?" He asked Ophelia, who nodded. "A'ight, I'm gonna head out." He smiled and walks away as Ophelia enters the female's restroom. She did her business and went out of the room. 

She suddenly screamed, there was a man in a familiar hoodie leaning on the wall in front of her, well, in front of the female restroom door. "Hey kid, don't be afraid." The voice is so familiar. "It's me, the weird guy in the taco store, Don't you remember me?" Ophelia remembered him. With his iconic and familiar wear, she remembered his identity. "What do you want?" She said to him, "I mean, nothing happened. Mom was right, you're crazy. Are you going to say something about me being in danger again?" She looked judgingly at him, he really doesn't take off the hoodie on his head, he must be hiding something. 

"Well, doesn't mean a prediction told in that certain day will happen that day, exactly." He explains, pulling off his hands on his jogging pants. He looked around and looked back at her, she was confused. "Look, kid, you need to cancel your flight—" Ophelia cuts him, "Why?" She looked more confused. He bends his knees a bit as he holds her shoulders and looked her in her eyes. He took a deep breath and sighs, "I hate to be the bearer of this bad omen but believe me. It's for your own sake, your family's sake—"

"Hey, you! What are you doing to my daughter!?" A masculine voice can be heard making the two turn their heads, it was Ophelia's father. He went near them and pulls her daughter to his side. "Were you assaulting her!? Hypnotizing her!?" The guy in the hoodie slowly motions himself up as he blocks his face a bit with his hand, preparing for any attacks. "No, I wasn't sir." He calmly said as Dred stopped his clenched fist to move to his a bit hidden face. He points at him, "Gladly it's my last day here, I won't be able to sue you or so." 

The guy nodded rapidly as Ophelia and his dad turns around, leaving him behind. "How could I even possibly save them?" He sighs and leaves the halls of the comfort room. 

"Thanks," Dred said to the flight attendant as she hands him some cold 500ml bottled water. He loosens the cap and drinks almost half of it, brings back the cap, and wipes the little droplets of water around his lips. Ophelia, however, was looking from the windows. She can see clouds and the city landscape from her position. She was amazed in her view right now. But then, her happiness was cut out by the thought. 

"Look, kid, you need to cancel your flight."

She was being bothered by the man's words. Well, who would be following her in the airport and tell her something that he meant a day ago? That she's indeed in danger and the man is trying to save her from whatever drastic events might happen minutes later. It must be so important that he desperately tries to stop them on the cause of the future accident. Why he was trying to save her? Is she important? He said that he was like her in the taco shop. He was saying something's trying to prevent it? Something...

She throws her back on the back of the plane chair she was sitting in, she sighed and looked at the ceiling of the airplane. Her mom looked at her, her smile turns into a frown as she saw her daughter, pale and kind of tired, even she's just sitting and relaxing as the air vehicle transports them into their destinations. "Lia..." She called out softly, her daughter turned her call as she turns her head onto her. "Yeah?" She said lazily. "You seem... Well... How can I say this..." She flicks her tongue to her mouth's roof. "Pale." She said, as she worryingly looked at her daughter. She was like a withered plant sitting on a chair. "Well, just relaxing... I guess." 

"Something's wrong. Tell me. Is it about the guy earlier?" She asked, well, she just hit the bullseye. "Hmm..." She replied at her, she doesn't know if she'll say this or not. She sighed and surrendered, she fixed her sitting position, she looked at the floor of the plane. "Well, yeah, he and his words—well, his predictions, if I may say." Her mom listened, she didn't even hesitate to open her mouth. "I am worrying, mom. What if it's true?" She looked at her worrying, her mom hugged her, assuring her with her embrace, she then kissed her forehead and lifts her head with her index finger by the chin. "Hey, don't worry about that, okay? He's a crazy guy, right?" She smiled, assuring her again that everything will be alright. Ophelia just nodded and leans on her mom. In return, Helda embraced her more, she rubs her back to comfort her, her daughter calms down. It's effective. 

"You girls want some fish chips?" The ladies turned to the guy where the manly voice at, Dred gets 3 bags of fish chips and tosses them to them. Ophelia caught them all, "You know we have snacks in the tote bag." Helda protested a bit, of course, her efforts would be a waste if those snacks wouldn't be consumed in the next 24 hours. He giggled and puts his arms around her. "I'll eat them all later, chef." Her dad laughed while the little pout on her mother fades away and turned to her smile. Ophelia starts to munch the bag of chips, "You little muncher, give us some!" Dred exclaimed jokingly, as she handed them the rest of the bags while laughing. 

"A pleasant day everyone," a voice can be heard on the speaker of the plane. "This is your pilot, we are... ahm..." The pilot sounds worried, which made some passengers alert, some already buzzing to their seatmates that they are screwed, some are starting to panic. The pilot continues after his heavy sigh. "Having some difficulties in the plane's engine, but! Don't be frightened. We assure you we will land safely somewhere, my co-pilot here is trying to contact any towers nearby. The staff will teach you some safety precautions..." A loud voice can be heard, "WE CAN'T—" The voice cuts off, few passengers started to scream and hyperventilate. The flight attendants start to move around the cabin, calming everyone down, teaching them safety precautions, and giving some things like a life jacket, since they are above water. 

Ophelia got frightened and hugs her mother. She started to cry. If she only believed the guy, if she only listened. If she only took his advice. "M-mom..." Her mother shushed and comforts her. She tries not to cry, she keeps saying it's okay, it's fine. 

"EVERYONE GET ON THEIR SAFETY POSITIONS!!!" A different voice can be heard and echoed through the airplane. It was rather the co-pilot. The flight attendant makes everyone go on their safety positions. Screams, cries, all of them can be heard as the plane tilts and drop towards the waters to its doom.

"Mom!"

And everything turned black.