The Haunted Lake: The Disappearance [Fiction]

Sitting at the reception desk was a young man in his late twenties. Paul frowned a little when he noticed the look on the man's face. He was always quick to notice young men who had difficulty taking their eyes off his beautiful wife of mixed Asian race.

Cherry's skin was the smoothest he'd ever seen and her petite, slender body made her all the more alluring. Three years of marriage had made him wary and alert to the lingering and covetous gaze of other men directed at her.

He scowled at the young man who glanced at him and quickly tried to mask his interest with a nervous smile.

"You are welcome to Irish Rose Lake Resort. I am Hank, at your service," he greeted, glancing at the flat-screen desktop in front of him and typing at the keyboard. Paul glowered some more at Hank while Cherry gazed around the spacious lobby.

Hank shifted his weight from one foot to the other, tapped a key with finality and looked up. "Uh, we have you in the Mayflower suite, please," he said, stretching out their room keycard. Paul snatched it from him before Cherry could take it. He did not want any contact between Hank and his wife.

"Your complimentary champagne and bowl of fruits will be delivered to your room right away. If you need anything, don't hesitate to let me know," Hank said with a glance at Cherry before refocusing on his desktop.

"Thank you," Cherry replied. Paul placed his hand on her lower back and steered her towards the staircase leading to their suite.

"That young man is so nice and polite," Cherry said in their suite, taking off her coat. Paul's face remained impassive as he drew his wife to himself. "He ogled you with his eyes. How does that make him a nice and polite person?"

Cherry chuckled. "Don't say that, honey. You know I only have eyes for you." She rubbed her nose against his, their foreheads touching.

1.20 am.

The night was eerily silent and the Resort guests were asleep when Cherry sat up straight from bed, her eyes glazed. She furrowed her brows, trying to understand why she woke up.

She got up from the bed, slipped on her flip-flops, quietly opened the door so as not to wake Paul and stepped out of their room.

Paul was suddenly startled awake moments later by a sharp piercing cry that ripped through the quiet night. An alarm went off some distance behind the Resort. He sat up and noticed that Cherry's side of the bed was empty.

"Cherry?" He called, thinking she might be in the bathroom but she was nowhere in sight. He heard the doors of other guest suites opening and closing.

He picked up the phone to call the reception desk and realized there was no dial tone. It was dead. He quickly pulled on his coat over his pyjamas and made his way out to the reception desk.

Getting downstairs, he met two flustered men who were guests as well and noticed the reception desk was empty. There was no Hank or any staff behind it.

"Hi! What's going on, please? Where's Hank?" He asked, his eyes darting between the two men.

One of them, a middle-aged, plump man replied, "We have no idea and we can't seem to find our wives." The other man, younger, began to pace the lobby.

"Me neither!" Paul responded sharply. "I woke up and she wasn't beside me. What's that alarm for?"

"Let's find out," the second man suggested, pointing towards the sliding glass entrance door. The men stepped outside the building on the premises.

The alarm rang out again and the men hurriedly made their way towards the lake side behind the Resort.

Beside the tranquil lake, the men discovered Hank standing with the manager of the resort and two security guards in uniform, all gazing out at the water. Confusion was etched on their faces as the guests approached them.

"I'm sorry, gentlemen. One of our guests reported his wife missing. You do not need to worry, our security team is on it. Can you please return to your rooms?" Hank explained.

The men stared at Hank, bewildered. Paul scowled and gritted his teeth. He had a good excuse to break Hank's nose. He inched closer to him and snarled. "Return to our rooms? Are you insane? We can't find our wives either!"

Hank had turned a sufficient shade of pale at the unexpected news. He drew back a little from the angry stares of the men.

To be continued...

Next chapter....

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