Hostel

Chapter 1
Chapter 1

Chapter Description: Detective Constable Irving is sent to Colossus Youth Hostel to investigate the disappearance of seven teens.

Detective Constable Irving cursed as he tried to drive through the pouring rain. His wipers only did so much to rid the windshield of the water. He couldn’t go much longer without having to pull over.

“This is such a pointless effort,” Irving muttered under his breath. He had been sent to investigate disappearances over at a local youth hostel known as the Colossus. Irving did not understand why he of all people had been sent. He already knew why these kids were missing, they ran off. All of the missing persons were teens ranging from the sixteen to eighteen, which Irving believed to be the appropriate age that teenagers would act out.

The old, rain drenched sign caught Irving’s attention. The sign read Colossus? and a painting of a large stone golem donned the rest of it. He pulled into the small parking lot next to the large building. He groaned as he got out of his Bentley and flipped on his hood. Irving never liked being too formal, especially in a place as dangerous as this. The rain continued to pound down on Irving’s head, so he made his way quickly to the front office.

Once he was inside, he pulled back his hood and coughed. Irving scanned the room, making note of the couch pushed against the left wall, the large plant that took up all of the right wall, and the front desk that occupied the middle of the room. He approached the receptionist.

“Hello sir, are you looking to rent a room? There is only one room available, so you will have to deal,” the receptionist explained. Her brown hair flowed over her shoulders, and her pink lip gloss sharply contrasted her bright gray eyes.

Irving showed her his Haven Police Department badge. “I am Detective Constable Irving. I’ve been sent to investigate the recent disappearances of several teens in this vicinity. It’s been discovered that all of these teens had come here at some point, and Colossus remains the sole link between all of them. So, may I ask you some questions?”

The receptionist remained silent, her face like stone. She then answered, “I suppose I could, what would you like to know?”

“First, who are you?” Irving asked, producing a small notepad.

“My name is Tiffany Shire. I’ve worked for Mr. Aver for ten years now.”

“Mr. Aver? He is the owner of this place?”

Tiffany scoffed. “He is, but it seems as if he does nothing here.”

“Why do you say this?” Irving probed, suddenly interested.

“Brian Aver, his son, takes responsibility over the business part of the Colossus, while the rest of us workers make sure this place continues running. In my own opinion, it seems as if Mr. Aver’s job is to sit around and accept profit.”

Irving scribbled all of this on his pad. He flipped to the next page. “Now, do you know any of these people?”

Irving took out seven pictures of the missing persons and spread them out on the desk before Tiffany. She looked over them curiously, and then stood up straight. “Of course, they were all residents here at one point. You say they are missing?”

“Unfortunately, yes. Were you connected to any of them?”

Tiffany shook her head. “Hardly, they were all loners and mostly kept to themselves. I think the longest conversation I had with any of them was when I asked them which room they would like.”

“Do you know of anyone who would know any of them better?”

Tiffany squinted as she looked at something on her computer screen. She exited out of whatever she was looking at and replied, “You could ask Dave the janitor. I recall him having conversations with the brown boy.”

“Joaquin?”

“Yes, Dave would often talk to him when he got back from his workouts. Joaquin, not Dave, the day Dave exercises is the day the dead rises,” Tiffany joked, laughing. Irving smirked and put the pad away.

“By the way,” Tiffany added, “You may want to talk to Bob. He’s our security guard. He maintains peace and order among the residents. He may know more than I, he’s in the kitchen.”

Irving bowed his head a little bit. “Thank you for your cooperation Ms. Shire. Where can I find Mr. Aver?”

“He should be in his office, through the kitchen and down the hall; last door to your left.”