The words on the wall continued glowing.

CHECK-IN COMPLETE.
CHECK-OUT IMPOSSIBLE.

Nobody moved.

Nobody spoke.

Even the ghosts in the lobby became silent.

Which was unusual.

Because ghosts usually loved drama.

Especially haunted hotel ghosts.

Oscar Flynn stared at the message.

“I have a very important question.”

Leo Carter looked at him.

“What?”

“Can we politely cancel our reservation?”

Bella the Ghost Manager looked sorry.

“No.”

Oscar’s face changed.

“No?”

She shook her head.

“Once the hotel accepts a guest…”

She pointed at the glowing words.

“…the hotel decides when they leave.”

Oscar looked at Leo.

“Your mystery solving has officially gone too far.”

Leo crossed his arms.

“Relax.”

“Relax?”

“Yes.”

“We are trapped inside a haunted hotel.”

“Correct.”

“With ghosts.”

“Correct.”

“And a mysterious room called 666.”

“Correct.”

Oscar stared.

“And you are telling me to relax?”

Leo nodded.

“Yes.”

“Why?”

“Because panicking never helps.”

Oscar took a deep breath.

“Okay.”

He looked around.

“Now I will panic quietly.”

---

Maya Rose walked toward Bella.

“You knew this would happen.”

Bella looked away.

“What makes you say that?”

“Because you were afraid when room 666 was mentioned.”

The ghost manager became silent.

Leo noticed.

“Tell us the truth.”

Bella sighed.

“The Moonlight Grand Hotel was not always haunted.”

Maya opened her notebook.

“Then what happened?”

Bella looked at the dark hallway.

“Thirty years ago, this hotel was the most famous hotel in the world.”

“People came from everywhere.”

“The rooms were beautiful.”

“The service was perfect.”

“Until one night…”

She stopped.

Leo leaned closer.

“What happened?”

Bella whispered:

“A guest arrived.”

Oscar immediately said:

“Of course.”

Everyone looked at him.

“What?”

“Every horror story starts with a guest arriving.”

Bella continued.

“His name was Mr. Vincent Black.”

“He booked room 666.”

Maya frowned.

“But the hotel was not haunted then?”

“No.”

“Then?”

Bella looked at the elevator.

“He never checked out.”

---

Suddenly…

DING!

The elevator opened.

Everyone jumped.

A small ghost wearing a bellboy uniform came out.

“Excuse me.”

Everyone stared.

The bellboy smiled.

“Room service.”

Oscar looked confused.

“For who?”

The ghost checked his list.

“Room 666.”

Everyone became silent.

Leo looked at Bella.

“You still deliver room service there?”

Bella nodded.

“Every night.”

“Why?”

The ghost bellboy answered:

“Because the guest keeps ordering.”

Maya looked shocked.

“But nobody has seen him.”

The bellboy shrugged.

“He tips very well.”

Oscar looked angry.

“We are trapped in a haunted hotel, and the ghost staff is still worried about tips?”

The bellboy looked offended.

“Good service is important.”

---

Leo walked toward the elevator.

“We are going to room 666.”

Oscar immediately grabbed him.

“No.”

Leo looked back.

“No?”

“No.”

“Why?”

“Because every smart person knows you never enter the scary room.”

Leo nodded.

“Good point.”

Oscar smiled.

“Really?”

“Yes.”

“Then we are leaving?”

“No.”

Oscar’s smile disappeared.

“Why?”

“Because I am not a smart person.”

Maya laughed.

“At least you are honest.”

---

The elevator opened.

The three entered.

Bella stayed outside.

Leo looked at her.

“You are not coming?”

The ghost shook her head.

“I cannot enter.”

“Why?”

“Because room 666 belongs to him.”

The elevator doors closed.

DING!

The elevator started moving.

Floor 1.

Floor 2.

Floor 3.

The numbers changed.

Then…

The elevator stopped.

Floor 6.

Everyone waited.

But the doors did not open.

Oscar looked at the display.

“Why does it say floor 6?”

Leo frowned.

“There is no sixth floor.”

The lights flickered.

Then the elevator moved again.

Floor 7.

Floor 8.

Floor 9.

Maya looked worried.

“How many floors does this hotel have?”

Leo answered:

“According to records…”

He paused.

“Five.”

Oscar whispered:

“We are going somewhere that does not exist.”

Suddenly…

The elevator stopped.

The display changed.

666

The doors opened.

---

The hallway was dark.

The walls looked old.

The carpet moved slightly.

Like something was walking underneath it.

Oscar whispered:

“I officially hate this place.”

Leo stepped out.

“You say that every five minutes.”

“Because every five minutes something terrible happens.”

Maya pointed ahead.

“There.”

At the end of the hallway was a door.

Room 666.

The door slowly opened.

CREAAAAAK.

Inside was a normal hotel room.

Almost.

A bed.

A table.

A chair.

A window.

And a guest sitting on the chair.

His back was toward them.

Leo spoke.

“Mr. Vincent Black?”

The man slowly turned.

His face was pale.

His eyes were dark.

But he smiled politely.

“Welcome.”

Oscar whispered:

“He is too calm.”

Leo nodded.

“Very suspicious.”

The man stood.

“I have been waiting for you.”

Maya stepped forward.

“Who are you?”

The man smiled.

“I am the last guest.”

---

Leo looked around the room.

“Why did you trap us here?”

The man looked confused.

“Trap?”

He laughed softly.

“No.”

“I invited you.”

“Why?”

The guest looked at them.

“Because I need your help.”

Oscar blinked.

“A ghost needs help from humans?”

The man nodded.

“Yes.”

Leo frowned.

“With what?”

The room suddenly became colder.

Mr. Black looked toward the wall.

“With the thing living inside this hotel.”

Everyone became silent.

Maya whispered:

“What thing?”

The guest answered:

“The thing that created the haunting.”

A loud noise came from behind the wall.

BANG!

BANG!

BANG!

Something hit it.

Oscar stepped back.

“There is something behind the wall?”

Mr. Black nodded.

“Yes.”

Leo looked serious.

“What is it?”

The guest whispered:

“The original owner of the hotel.”

The wall cracked.

A long shadow appeared.

Then a voice echoed:

“You should not have brought them here.”

Mr. Black became afraid.

For the first time.

Leo noticed.

“Wait.”

He looked at the ghost.

“You’re scared of it?”

Mr. Black nodded.

“Everyone is.”

The wall broke.

A dark figure stepped through.

It wore an old hotel manager uniform.

But its face was hidden.

It looked at them.

Then smiled.

“New guests.”

The creature laughed.

HAHAHAHA!

The entire hotel shook.

The lights exploded.

The floor disappeared beneath them.

Oscar screamed:

“I KNEW THIS ROOM WAS A BAD IDEA!”

They fell into darkness.

---

When Leo opened his eyes…

He was somewhere else.

A strange underground room.

Old hotel signs covered the walls.

Maya and Oscar were beside him.

But Mr. Black was gone.

Leo stood up.

“Where are we?”

Maya looked around.

“I don’t know.”

Oscar pointed at the wall.

There was a message written there:

THE HOTEL HAS A HEART.

FIND IT BEFORE IT WAKES.

Leo frowned.

“The hotel has a heart?”

A deep sound echoed.

THUMP.

THUMP.

THUMP.

Like a heartbeat.

Oscar looked terrified.

“Please tell me…”

He swallowed.

“…the hotel is not alive.”

The walls moved.

The floor shook.

And a voice whispered:

“I have always been alive.”