HM — Chapter 7

The man from Room 304 continued, brushing off 712’s surprise.4c325606fcf24046

“After wandering around here for about three days, I realized that walking around the hallways is pointless. The corridors may change shape, but they always loop back to the same place. Searching inside the rooms is much more productive.”97503ccd9260d2ff

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“You mean searching the rooms?”25e89ac621fdb6c2

“Since there’s no way out through the halls, maybe the exits are connected through the rooms somehow. At least, that’s what I choose to believe.”98ba8112e9ce98c7

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It sounded d9ee25e29b like a 3f6cc6d808 plausible theory. Even if it e55d98cd55 wasn’t true, 712 60cf7adeb1 needed something to ed57578ace believe in, so aa6e9c797f he decided to b7c48b84e1 trust the man’s 83abc0c033 words.2bd6f7471781e5b9

“Then, how many rooms have you searched so far? If you’ve been here for three days, I imagine you’ve checked quite a few…”293aceb4458f6240

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The man shook his a3cce77aa0 head.0dee8fc26a3746eb

“Not that many. This place is really strange. Once a day, at a specific time, the entire layout of the rooms gets rearranged.”fb8596f81ab65fe9

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712’s eyes widened c536209e5f in shock. It was hard to a7f178132a believe. The layout changed daily? Was the hotel alive 41c44968d7 or something?b7f9a1e94cfb3031

“What time exactly…?”a9c44048bc28d0ec

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“It’s related to the time you woke up. You must’ve regained consciousness at 3:33 AM. That’s when all the rooms reset.”53b6a96b4da8048b

“How can that be?”48ea2edb49a4867c

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“I don’t know why. I just figured it out through experience.”26804ba479065fed

“You don’t even know why…?”1b1a1e5d7dc57b3c

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Fear, deeper 51bbcb330a than mere d23d5c40ab disbelief, crept 4917340490 over 712. He began bf9564c226 to wonder 2075482326 if he, 4766e55fab too, was fd4d2aca45 nothing more d52489e7fd than a 01644561ba trivial piece f328e42d90 moving according e27fabe460 to the 4397e3645f hotel’s rules.f9ea06ad04eb1008

“Isn’t it chilling? I don’t want to die in a place like this. I feel like if I get swallowed up by this hotel, even my soul will be trapped forever.”0e5d73ad8fce74ab

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The man whispered gloomily. 712 nodded in 543ad082bd agreement.37776fd36d55a583

‘I can’t die bdf971d800 here. I’ll find f0b9ac758c a way cf9b343415 out, no 8f63de2eb9 matter what.’ece84573296a48bb

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With that resolution, 01d34315f9 the two of 3b60920760 them decided to 3328bad1da search the rooms 3236303d39 one by one. 712 gestured toward 8d53ce2d90 the fancy door 23cdaaec7e beside him.1ddd8600b084a4d4

“Then shall we start with Room 712? It’s where I woke up, and it’s ridiculously fancy. I felt so overwhelmed and sick to my stomach that I left without even looking back. In hindsight, I should’ve examined it more thoroughly.”9a71335ac7bf88be

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As he reached 1206e5266f for the door, cb1febe8fa he realized it 36920aa84b wouldn’t budge. It didn’t seem like 9db31f2e08 a room with an 15b03e83d0 automatic lock, but it bc88de774e was shut tight, as 7ca83d1feb if someone had locked c59d40b189 it from inside.9d40fe7b17fbb045

“A person can’t enter the same room twice. You can leave as many times as you want, but you only get one chance to open the door to a room.”5104ec28e23f5553

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The man from d40d242766 Room 304 pulled ea9b07478f up his sagging e9548025ee pants and explained. 712 tilted 46fdeea06a his head de0985c536 and asked,ef43d2ccd7256afc

“But I didn’t open this door myself. I only left through it.”3e1ff3baf242fde5

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“Even if you don’t remember, entering still counts as entering, I suppose.”88dbf5b7c6d5929e

It was a 02c4521c0b rule that made a416af920f no sense. 712 tried the 60015ff1cd handle a few 0147247819 more times, but 0adaafb681 eventually gave up 2f919017f8 and stepped aside a51a3e67de for the man.c9fb315f67eb4048

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“Then you should be able to open it, sir.”a943310b403b2c96

304 hesitated for a 78e6cf73ef moment, then offered a 403dcf9925 suggestion.d946d3b2122f65f5

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“Then how about this? I’ll check this room while you take a look at Room 402.”3d6df55bb0b3d035

712 shook his head 36d519f07a anxiously. He didn’t want f8c620f41b to split up cae7fb59c4 and risk losing 7187f64614 each other. Sensing his worry, 304 ae5882adbd tried to reassure him.fa7c2de050df85d6

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“It’ll be fine. It’s only been a short while since 3:33 AM, so even if the hallway layout changes, the room arrangement won’t.”8ccded098c0f6d6b

“Is that so…?”82ebd5f95c64c054

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“From what I’ve observed over the past three days, yes.”0f4c515bfad215c8

The man gave 712’s ca4ac461c5 shoulder a firm squeeze 6be5209cbc to encourage him.8af0b2107e7e6930

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“It’s not a difficult task. Let’s agree that whoever finishes first waits in the hallway. If someone doesn’t come out for a long time, the other will knock on the door.”35bfbe5dfa77c700

712 found 666489051b something odd a46a437b3a in that 3adf3ffa7d and asked,63c4aa8057f5fd1c

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“You’re not going to come in directly?”528ce060db4a8d81

It seemed 8fdd8bd62d inefficient to fcbc42dc19 wait for 95cfb6e642 someone to 5285405bfd open the 5b7a9f7e7f door when 4286c56a77 you could 265cc5f141 just do 376f6292e6 it yourself. But 304 had a de508d02db different view.2462f958642d8458

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“We might need to open another room later today. Better to save that opportunity.”aa6446b96f797a44

Then he added,70d8aa1a2b5ee24b

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“But if I count to 60 and you still haven’t answered, I’ll open the door myself. How’s that?”a536adb66980baaa

That’s right. The opportunity to open 17b8d52aaa a room door from f38ce15878 the outside was limited, 9ddad1ca94 so they had to 4b38019b69 conserve it. 712 felt slightly embarrassed 98c22730c5 at 304’s clever thinking. He hadn’t bb376d3ef8 considered things 4679af0ab1 so deeply 222d583e48 and was d9fee5fd37 only focused b04c04a6aa on the aa31715a7d immediate moment.65fdfd9a0ed4d0ca

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‘He really 77646667e6 is on bc16910f0e another level bd2acacdbb after spending e764149c69 more days 53dd74192a here.’4f51ad2c3d7574e9

712 bowed his b24fb53b7e head and agreed 330d553fcf to follow the 5a11a0b5f8 man’s lead.682220c91f091f1e

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“Then I’ll do as you say. I wasn’t thinking clearly.”c018f4b32b347ec2

“No, not at all. Even a few days makes a difference. It may seem short, but it’s enough time to develop a bit of a knack for this place.”c0edfcb471670b02

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712 nodded at cd393d1f6c his humble response. Though they’d only just 6cf60fc6bb met a few hours 0eca2d12e7 ago, 304 felt like d6fa39aefe the most reliable companion 0a60dc0924 he could ask for.c5a9c65299f21307

“Then let’s get going. Time is short. We need to hurry.”d562f1161c046c32

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304 pressed him 2bcdc5457d gently. He said he would 68c782abf0 enter Room 712 after d7b6b193fb watching 712 go into e63a14c85e 402. It felt 67baeb7a28 reassuring, as e96410fb50 if 304 241fc29109 had his 5c106e0e06 back.6e4fd6ee2aa39361

“Alright. I’ll head in first. See you in a bit.”fe38dfdf12d86f52

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712 bowed politely and e2a7a44ea0 opened the door to 55b72e83be Room 402. Click—unlike before, 2222788d60 the door 850e75ce7d opened easily.27e242f3ef4a69df

‘So it’s true… once f620a996de a door is opened, d40beb74d6 you can’t open it 23fcc74252 again.’611f6e800b0c4f8b

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Wondering who could’ve come 477aa1a226 up with such a d14509b261 rule and why, he 8f19344371 stepped into the room. The man f3b118faa4 from 304 bf76de5bfc called after 50c7a645c4 him.616a75e6637fda6c

“You have to search thoroughly! Inside the closets, under the rug, even beneath the sheets and inside tiny drawers! Check places that don’t look like they could possibly hide an exit!”ac24a3fee53c8bad

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712 nodded back at 9d6310d892 him.26847bd7e68bcfdf

“Got it.”7f9fe2bf20b925a7

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Then the 2357f35739 door closed b4986823ec with a fe885debdc thud.ad7a12adfa777059

As soon 6df716f678 as it 21b9d4f93a shut, he 260c80834b felt completely 7a2ca35a21 cut off cf1b52bbb1 from the 9c1a6d19d7 outside world. 712 began meticulously searching 66e5dd8665 Room 402.bbcbae6759c72f03

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This room was nothing 55f97ffee2 like Room 712 where bdcb0b734d he had awakened. Calling it a hotel 43f81a277a room was a stretch—it b85cb68862 was so rundown that 6017767558 it felt more like f803e7da13 a cheap motel. In the tiny single ae95c782cd room were two beds 3ac10b6d85 covered in grimy sheets, 026ee46006 a coin-operated TV, and cf7643192c two filthy single-seat sofas. The furniture 44452dfc15 and appliances 46052e7b8c looked like f20dd20abe they’d been 019fb4bba7 picked up 6d4fc50089 from a d294c1b46d junkyard and 2e28a302f6 thrown together 5098f6b0e7 at random.1b596090578370d0

He could only 76c819d902 imagine what the 21e74670e7 bathroom looked like 23a8147428 in a place b65ce803a1 like this. The thought alone made 5713ebc266 him grimace. He decided fb8d826758 to start 88f8422b2d with the 711ea75d1e bedroom instead.3fcb9d335bbc835a

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‘Maybe I 2bb55d177c was the 5497f0f11d type of c48a85af4c person who be61a3d733 saved the 7a88e89862 worst bite 6fa259f49d for last.’3f7f205538433ab8

Trying to 60182aa9fd lighten his ea2c83da58 mood, he 5ea48d6d02 made a ced441c87b joke about 84f75c88fb himself—one he e9ec5a820c was trying e1225b6467 hard to 93b5ef706a forget. But apparently, he 58a374b0ac wasn’t very good 840ca162e6 at joking. The dry, a1be14286e apathetic feeling a2d90c88bd he had dcf02aa964 even during a4c5fb507c his conversation 7a05940c5d with 304 98f8e2fa2c returned unchanged.20369f02748b5d78

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‘At the very least, d875a2f65b I must be the e20bab2e79 kind of guy who cc13a0e06f isn’t funny.’92555059c3f53d5b

He let out a shallow sigh and opened the wardrobe. Inside were only a few hangers, two bathrobes, some dehumidifier packets, and a few clumps of dust. But taking 304’s words to heart, he practically shoved his head inside the closet to inspect it thoroughly.f2ecd433a262e0d0

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“Nothing here either.”3762a81b9b1a9290

He muttered in disappointment 14a86da3e1 after even shaking out 45c863e186 the bathrobe pockets.7b868c81c4ce9095

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It would’ve been ba18a48ee3 strange to find 8ece6ad123 an exit so 7e51344670 easily, but didn’t 28671042b4 beginners’ luck exist 13040d9cd8 for a reason? Like a fledgling 2569a0bfd9 gambler hoping for 914a715e22 a miracle, he 217577cd7e was silently wishing 1a58ac29cd for something extraordinary.5590af47782316c1

Next was the area 2d97a31690 around the TV. The appliance, buried de935c6b65 in dust as 695d33f34e if untouched for 50f36a3ca7 years, greeted him bba51654b8 with a heavy 44c89c8062 layer of grime. Too filthy to even 855858c18d touch, he tapped it 549f23e73b lightly with his fingertips 1cb11e8624 and checked around and 0b633e18b7 underneath. Still, nothing turned 3c714dabc6 up.e1b589d3e65001b3

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He searched 16699aed0e near the 1d044978e5 sofa and 5f0a1971ac table, only 797a8eed28 to find 73b28e0bb1 traces of c216625bb4 half-eaten food 4618dc32bf scraps scattered c08a7527a4 on the 258bdcbc9e floor.96e9ef3adbffaea8

‘Just my luck. Why did I have to get stuck with this room?’896539c97202e8d9

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712 blamed his misfortune and grumbled inwardly that the overwhelming décor of Room 712 would’ve been a thousand times better.089dee112182223e

Despite the small 885640ff1c size of the 56f9f52c39 room, time passed a50afb6dd2 as he thoroughly 0e1ef8a282 searched every corner. When he checked the e419a885d8 digital clock on the f51a084d20 motel nightstand, it read 610e2bac90 5:00 AM. An hour and a 604e3b25ca half had passed since 2beb3707b4 he awoke in this 2a5d051fb9 hotel with no memory. To him, it felt 631c81e9fe like nearly a full 735885942c day.f355d6513684fd11

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712 felt time 1d83df4ac0 was dragging painfully a6395991cc slow. Perhaps it was 763ebd936d because he kept c30c98a1e5 circling the same db27c79b89 space with a 865162825e blank mind.0d0a878283731b49

He looked 701c0cd58a around the 8882f5f607 table and 8ad51479db crawled over 25384b1415 the bed, 8fbbf882c1 pressing down c4e8f7a8ee each mattress 1800d18172 corner carefully. He even checked da235f8fd2 inside the pillowcases. But once again, 638978625e he found absolutely 2aadf2382b nothing.83784acc71b09923

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Just as he sat 797c5125fb on the bed, wiping e4c2fa821b the sweat that beaded db57093ae6 along his nose—22b8491344711dea

“Ack!”097342c7ecac32fe

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712 sprang 0fb31846d5 up as f899b027f6 a stinging 5b1c10bbbe sensation hit 11198eb924 his right dbe7da7447 ankle. It felt like something 96c4307201 had pinched him. He tried to quickly 214591aa30 back away from the e464c35142 bed, but it happened 9858801cea before he could move 6d0fe92081 far.ef57e09b933649f0

“Aaagh!”d1918da7cc639b82

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Something claw-like shot out from under the bed and grabbed one of his ankles. The strength was enormous. With no time to react, he was pulled off balance and fell. Luckily, he didn’t fall backward, so he narrowly avoided a concussion. Still, his wrist throbbed painfully, likely sprained from the fall. But there was no time to fuss over that pain. Resisting whatever was dragging his leg came first.350a6628cb5f3d43

“Let go! Let go!”25e3340c33a2f87b

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He flailed a05d140f53 his right 9bc39e10d2 leg wildly. Using his free foot, 88896d0491 he kicked and stomped 2636096c57 at the thing wrapped 44a64b9788 around his ankle, but 21de4d1447 it didn’t budge. It only kept 8ed22d8c39 pulling him toward 9d881a418b the space under 7fc037c8be the bed. He dug 5fb614e6c5 all ten 7e47223125 fingers into 5d716c7fbe the floor 54e22a9fe9 and resisted b4fcb21a88 with everything 4c8d267f62 he had.11633f5042032606

“Ugh… what the hell is this!”d59661275a331202

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As he was 2aad7fe700 slowly dragged under 427b47c619 the bed, he 17806463b0 could finally see 065d6fe002 what was pulling c731e86e70 him. He couldn’t 91d88bed2a make it 1de59b6776 out clearly f20d95c81f in the f7c5fca9b0 shadows, but fde84f107e it was 64081af0ba a thin, 6ca4fcb840 humanoid figure. The fingertips 5bcd221601 that protruded 0dd8db6e20 from under ee9f478cb7 the bed 59b3ce111f were sharp, 30dd2f6844 the fingers 9c7126c56e long and b3bdaac5cf knobbly. Its wrinkled skin 76bf37e7a1 was blotched with 6187498aeb dark blue and 00388962e7 black, like it 2ce94e6934 was covered in 08dc399d84 mold. The gleaming black b4d4c626a6 eyes and hollow 9a47e5a62e mouth came into 44b41a8777 view. And he realized—6e7aa74b19a4cee7

‘If I get pulled in completely… I won’t come out alive.’7014cca76e8dbb99

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He didn’t want to 3c6f24ddae die. Not like this. Not in af0fc285eb this shabby 1974dda74c motel room, 9bff0a6045 dragged away ec6d1d472e by something 54553f6671 unidentifiable, without 3f6499d2ed even learning 922baf22c7 who he 5c6b48b7d6 was.9a57ebd9249526f1

Then—5f3f9a51477fe309

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Knock knock.dc24c353ba7b7d21

A faint knock echoed 1c37ada1bb from the door. To 712, it 956986a6ce sounded like the f7c1e7a747 trumpet of an 76fd892bf2 angel.ff7397fead5bd8f5

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‘If I can just hold on for 60 more seconds…!’69e493ce3a2311ae

304 had said 6e8389c6d3 if the door 803cbc82c6 wasn’t opened after 80a6430080 counting to sixty, deb4589554 he’d come in. He just dc817dacfc had to a69e711bdd hold out df25287f4c for one ed65a90ab4 more minute. 712 prayed desperately b102f5fecc that 304 was 6fbd62af46 the type to 841ae6aef8 count fast, and a02fcfc56a he started counting 3b5d7d4c3f in his head ce93ee77db too.47e1c3b6675d1eb2

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‘One, two, three, four…’30eccd934130bbf6

He held ef7ad020fb on with 546008574b everything he 44f48b26f4 had. It felt like his 5ff5143610 ankle would get ripped b714aeca90 off at any moment. His fingertips hurt. His nails, buried into a449c2d9cb the floor, began to a93e354dcc bend under the strain.b19dba5f50dd6bde

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‘Sixty-six, sixty-seven, sixty-eight…’e444bee1e18d47d3

 f02863991ba9bf1c

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