PORTAL: Checking In

The hotel man grabbed a sign-in book and laid it out in front of Jeremy. "Sign here, please." "How much is the room?" Jeremy asked him. "Sign here, please," the man repeated. Jeremy shrugged, then began to write down his name. As soon as he finished his first name, the hotel man slammed the book shut. "Hey, I didn't finish writing my name." "Good enough," the man said, still smiling. His hand reached under the counter and when it came back up, it was holding a key. Not one of those electronic key cards that almost all hotels used nowadays, but an old-fashioned key, one that looked worn with time. Jeremy grabbed it and looked at it. "It's for the penthouse," the man said. "This place only has three floors," Jeremy said. "How could there be ..." "It's for the penthouse," the man repeated, still continuing to smile, which really creeped Lizzy out. "Okay, gotcha," Jeremy said, looking oddly at him. The man just stared at him, still smiling. "Was there something else?" Jeremy asked. The man didn't move, but then suddenly said "The sun will be going down soon. You should get your rest." Then he turned and walked into a room that was behind the desk, closing the door behind him. "That guy's creepy," Lizzy said. "No kidding," Jeremy agreed.