3: Midnight Rules

Winona watched the man disappear into the crowd before finally turning back to Ava.

“Why do you look like you just saw a Greek God in a designer suit?” Ava whispered immediately.

“I don’t.”

“You absolutely do.”

Winona grabbed the champagne glass and took a large sip. “He was just weird.”

“Weird attractive or Greek God attractive?”

“Both.”

Ava looked delighted by that answer.

Before Winona could say anything else, movement near the grand staircase suddenly drew everyone’s attention. The lobby lights dimmed softly while elegant music echoed through the enormous hall.

A woman in a silver gown stepped onto the staircase smiling brightly.

“Good evening, guests,” she announced smoothly. “Welcome to the Midnight Project.”

Applause spread across the lobby while cameras turned toward her.

“We selected each of you because of your talent, influence, creativity, and potential. Over the next seven days, you will participate in immersive experiences throughout the hotel designed to test intelligence, teamwork, adaptability, and emotional instinct.”

“Emotional instinct?” Winona muttered quietly.

“That sounds illegal already,” Ava whispered back.

The host continued smiling flawlessly. “Each participant has been assigned a luxury suite and a personalized schedule. Hidden throughout the experience are challenges, rewards, and elimination rounds. The final winner will receive a one-million-dollar publishing and media contract.”

The crowd instantly became louder.

Excitement spread across the room as cameras captured reactions everywhere.

Then the host added casually, “One final thing. For safety reasons, guests are not permitted to leave the hotel after midnight.”

A strange silence followed. The sentence itself sounded normal, but something about the way she said it made the back of Winona’s neck prickle.

Thankfully, the moment passed quickly as music resumed and the crowd relaxed again.

“Definitely illegal,” Ava decided.

Staff members began guiding guests toward elevators while handing out elegant black room cards with silver numbers engraved across them. Winona accepted hers automatically.

Room 1313.

“That feels... targeted,” she said.

“You write horror novels,” Ava replied. “You're always paranoid.”

Fair point.

As they stepped toward the elevators, Winona caught sight of the dark-haired man again standing near one of the marble pillars. Unlike everyone else laughing and socializing around him, he looked strangely detached from the entire event.

And somehow, despite the crowded lobby, his eyes found hers instantly.

Again.

Winona frowned slightly.

“Okay, now that one’s intentional,” Ava whispered beside her.

“He’s probably looking at someone behind me.”

“There is literally a wall behind you.”

The elevator doors opened.

Several guests stepped inside together, including Winona, Ava, a famous gaming streamer loudly flirting with two models, and unfortunately, the dark-haired stranger himself.

Wonderful.

The moment the elevator doors closed, silence settled awkwardly inside.

Winona focused very hard on the glowing floor numbers instead of the man standing beside her.

“You’re staring,” he said quietly.

Winona nearly choked on air. “Excuse me?”

“The elevator numbers,” he corrected calmly. “You’ve looked at them twelve times already.”

A laugh escaped Ava immediately.

Winona narrowed her eyes. “And you counted?”

“Yes.”

“Creepy.”

His lips curved slightly. “Probably.”

The elevator suddenly flickered just once. But every light inside dimmed sharply for a split second before returning to normal.

Several guests glanced upward uneasily. Then the elevator stopped moving.

The gaming streamer frowned. “Uh… are we stuck?” Before anyone could answer, the overhead speaker crackled softly.

[Midnight check-in begins in ten minutes.]

The voice sounded distorted, wrong somehow.

A second later, every phone inside the elevator buzzed simultaneously. Winona pulled hers out slowly. A new notification covered the screen.

WELCOME TO MIDNIGHT HOTEL.

FIRST RULE:

DO NOT OPEN YOUR DOOR AFTER 12 A.M. NO MATTER WHO IS KNOCKING.

Below the message was one final line.

SURVIVE UNTIL MORNING.