THE INN: Chapter 1
This was basically the reason I signed up here, I just ended up posting a lot of artwork instead. Im LOOKING for criticism and help with the language. I don't sue. I'm a beginner.
This is a horror story. Just so yall are aware.
Side note, Kishu are a breed of dogs found in Japan, they are medium sized that pointy ears and are commonly solid white. Think tiny white German Shepard.
Kaz didn't want to believe that his world was crumbling. He didn't want to accept what was happening to his home and what was left of his broken family. He fashioned himself a fantasy realm in which everything would be alright. In this world, his father hadn't left his mother and him suddenly in the middle of the night. In this world, his mother hadn't hit that telephone pole and landed Kaz in the hospital. In this world, they hadn't lost their home due to unpaid medical bills. In this world, Kaz was safe.
But reality cannot be escaped so easily.
The fifteen-year-old Kishu held his mother's suitcase as they stood at the front desk in an inn down the road from their former home. The owner, an elderly fox named Hiroshi, was a sympathetic old man, and had known Kaz's mother since she had been very young.
"My heart goes out to you, Kasumi," said the old fox to Kaz's mother, "I'm happy to put a roof over the head of an old friend. It's the least I can do for you."
"I thank you from the bottom of my heart," said Kasumi with her tired voice, "I am honored to work for you."
Kaz feigned a smile, his curled white tail wagging slightly. He knew that he should be happy that Hiroshi had given his ,other a place to live and a job, but he was still filled with anger and sadness at the situation his father had left him in. He loved his mother dearly, and would never forgive his father for the injustice he brought on their family. As he dragged a mix of his and his mother's luggage down the old wooden hallway, he caught a glimpse of a feline maid standing behind a corner. Her gaze lingered on the patch over what was once Kaz's left eye. The black bandage was the only evidence of the crash Kasumi still blamed herself for. Kaz flinched from the maid's gaze, head turning in the opposite direction, ears tight against his skull. Kaz used the rusty old key Hiroshi had given him to unlock the door of his new home. The old door creaked open and Kaz's heart sank. Again, he felt guilty for his displeasure, for he knew that this two-bedroom, one-kitchen dwelling had to be one of the inn's best suites, but the dark, dust covered space was enough to depress anyone.
Kaz left his mother suitcase next to the faded maroon sofa. His ears drooped as he looked around. The whole interior of the room was a mix of browns and red-browns. The walls were the same as the rest of the inn, ancient wooden planks. The furniture was faded, and the wooden floor was worn. Kaz shivered, realizing just why Hiroshi had given them such a large room. This one had obviously been unused for many years. There was a old refrigerator in the main room. It was rusted and ancient looking. There were no appliances on the counter except for an old, scratched up toaster. The cabinets above the counter were the same worn wood as the walls, and one of the doors was missing.
There were two doors at the back of the room. Between them sat an end table, and on it sat a candle. Above the candle, there was a painting that was just as faded as the rest of the room. Kaz neared the piece, his eyes squinting in the dark. It appeared to be a family of felines, and from the looks of it, a very wealthy one. In the center sat the masculine looking, white-furred father and his wife, a small, thin, brown tabby. On either side of the parents sat a twin, each of which looked to be about Kaz's age. They had mischievous grins on their tan-furred faces. Next to each of the twins sat a girl. The one on the left looked to be about seventeen, and her short cut bangs covered her eyebrows, giving her a bored look. Her fur was the same color as her mothers. On the far right was the other sister, about a year or so older than the twins. She had long black hair that framed her white face. In front of the family sat two smaller children. There was a tabby boy of about eight with a neat, black bowl cut. He had his arm around his smaller sister, who appeared to be around six. She had curly black hair that fell around her cream colored face and large, doll-like eyes.
Each member of the family wore a kimono, and not one was smiling. There was a look of achievement on the fathers face. He sat, broad shouldered with his chest puffed out.
"Must be the old owners of the place," Kaz muttered, turning away from the painting and dragging his suitcase into the room on the right. The room was simple. There was a bed pushed up against the wall, a nightstand with a plain lamp, and a closet with a sliding door. He put his suitcase in front of the closet door and sat on the bed. It made a loud creaking sound and dust puffed up from the sheets. He stood up, pulling the moth-eaten blanket off of the bed and shaking it out. The dust cloud that emerged sent him into a coughing fit and he ended up tossing the blanket on the bed and escaping into the dark hallway.
Deciding that he didn't want to be alone in his room, Kaz began making his way towards the front desk. On his way, he heard two of the maids conversing in a hushed tone behind a corner. Kaz stopped and turned an ear in their direction.
"That girl we found unconscious upstairs is going to be staying for another night," said one of the voices.
"What?" asked the other, "But I thought she had reservations at a hotel!"
"Apparently it will take longer to clear her room than anticipated. The businessman staying there will be staying for another three days. It's strange. The girl seemed almost willing to stay behind. Yesterday she hated this place."
"She hasn't said much since this morning," said the second maid, "She's just been sitting on her bed all day like she's waiting for something."
Kaz quickly became bored with the maids' conversation, though as he continued on to the lobby, he felt himself interested in the fact that there was someone his age staying at the inn as well. He wondered if he would see her before she left.
~*~
Kaz lay awake, staring at the ceiling. The young, bumbling maid had finally gone home for the night, much to Kaz's relief. He could only hope that he would become accustomed to the constant ruckus going on around him.
His room was dark, much darker than he had anticipated. It was as if no light at all was filtering through the cracks of the wooden ceiling. He wondered if his eyes would eventually be able to make out shapes in the gloom, but the relentless darkness proved him wrong. As it often is in a new place, he was having considerable trouble falling asleep. He had been living in the same apartment for most of his life, and he found himself missing the small space. He decided not to let himself feel wronged. I didn't want to be the kind of man who felt sorry for himself, but he found it difficult to face his current situation with a light heart.
Kaz lay there, lost in his thoughts for about an hour before he heard a light thumping over his head. One of his ears twitched and he stopped breathing. He listened.
Thump thump thump thump!
The light tapping, like a child running across the floor, reached his ears once more. Kaz sat up, looking at the ceiling. He glanced at his bedside clock. It was past eleven. Kaz was wondering what a child was doing up at such an hour when a loud crash nearly scared him out of his fur. The sound came from directly above his head, and was followed by a high pitched giggle.
Kaz hopped out of bed, irritated by the fact that someone was upstairs letting their child run wild when his hardworking mother was trying to sleep. He grabbed the small LED flashlight from his bedside table and left his small room.
The hallway was lighted at intervals by wall lamps, but the dim, yellowish light created an old, lonely atmosphere. Kaz constantly look to his right and to his left, and back again. He hunched his shoulders and leaned slightly forward as he walked towards where the staircase was. The ancient wooden steps were rough on his paws, and there was no light waiting for him at the top. He shined his little flashlight into the blackness, but it didn't do much good. When he reached the landing and looked around, he found himself in a small room with several doors. There were no windows and no lights, only a small table with a plant on it and a few paintings on the walls. Kaz shivered, trying to imagine a little girl playing innocently in such a dark and closed off looking space.
He wasn't there long before he heard footsteps coming from the door to his right. They were slow this time, and they were coming towards him.
Trying to sneak up on me, eh? thought the Kishu, I don't think so.
Before whoever was on the other side could reach the door, Kaz jumped forward and pulled the door wide open.