The white ceiling above Edward spun, threatening to make him lose whatever he had left in his stomach onto the white bed underneath him. He closed his eyes and felt the pounding in his head match the rhythm of his heartbeat. How did he get here? He remembered splintered pieces of a memory—being on a highway when a bright light filled his vision—then suddenly finding himself here, in whatever this place was. Wherever it was, it had a white ceiling and a fluffy white bed.
After a few moments, his nausea and headache thankfully retreated, leaving him mostly functional. He slowly got up and looked around to find himself in a strange room that resembled a hotel room. The carpet was as red as blood. A TV sitting next to the only door looked like something from the '80s. He noticed the smell of what he could best describe as fresh sheets and some sort of cleaning agent. A tacky green lamp lit the room along with two other lights mounted on the walls, both on opposite sides of the door.
Edward stood and tried to open the door, but it was locked from the outside. Panic filled his body as he beat on the door, screaming for help. A muffled voice from the other side said something he couldn't understand.
"What!?" Edward screamed, pressing his ear against the door.
"I said look in your pockets; you should have a phone in one of them. Turn your phone on." The voice sounded like that of an older gentleman.
Edward noticed then, as he felt inside his pockets, that his clothes weren't the same. He was wearing a black jumpsuit with a white QR code on the chest. How in the hell had he missed that detail? Edward fished around and found a smartphone in his right pocket. It looked nothing like his own; this one appeared brand new and was entirely black and sleek. He turned the phone on, and the screen displayed the word WELCOME. The
Edward pushed the door open slowly and found a man in his mid-to-late 40s. He appeared to be twenty plus years older than Edward, balding and heavy-set. He greeted Edward with a forced smile.
"The others are down in—" He seemed to stop to search for a word, then settled on: "The lobby, I guess. I mean, I assume this is like a hotel or something. Do you know how you got here?" the older man asked, leaning in with curiosity.
"N-no, I don't know how I got here. I was hoping someone could tell me where I am and how I can leave. Also, who else is here? Surely there's got to be a manager or something if this is a hotel."
The older man sighed, his expression suggesting he had expected that response. He gestured toward a wooden railing behind him. Edward stepped out of the room and saw a large circular hall with a white marbled floor. There were dozens of people down there, and Edward realized he must be at least one or two stories up. He looked to his left and right, seeing two spiraling staircases leading up and down from his level. He leaned against the wooden railing and met the gazes of a few others who were also taking in the scene; they were all wearing the same outfit.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
Edward whirled around to find the source of the startling sound. Down on the first floor, a man was kicking two large wooden doors that had to be at least ten feet tall. The doors looked like they belonged in a movie as palace gates. The only thing out of place for the medieval setting was a large QR code on one of the doors, bringing the illusion to a screeching halt.
"Where the fuck are we?" Edward whispered to no one in particular as he watched more people join the man kicking the door.
"Don't know. I am just as confused as you are," the older gentleman said, resting his arms on the railing.
Edward, trying to be polite even in this situation, put out his hand to shake the man's. "My name is Edward. Edward Shadow. I am 18 years old and quite terrified at the moment."
The man looked down at Edward's hand and shook it.
"My name is Jack Sterling. I'm not telling you my age out of fear of being called an old man," he said with a hint of humor. Their hands broke apart, and Edward gestured for Jack to follow him downstairs. Jack shook his head.
"No, I'm going to continue walking up and down these stairs to check each of these unopened doors and see if people need help figuring out how to open them. Besides, it looks like we can't go through those giant doors until all of us wake up."
Edward looked at Jack in confusion. "What do you mean by that?"
"Go downstairs and scan that—whatever you call those things—with your phone. It will tell you what I mean. Also, feel free to explore; maybe you can find something that I couldn't."
Edward had more questions but decided to take Jack's advice and go down to check it out for himself.
Being down on the white marbled floor truly showed just how massive the circular room was. It had to be around the size of a small park; it was by far the largest room he had ever seen. He walked toward the center where the crowd had gathered and looked up, counting five floors, each with around thirty doors if he had to guess. He scanned the area for Jack and saw him on the second floor, talking to someone through a door just as he had done for Edward. Moments later, the door opened and a young girl, perhaps in her early twenties, stepped out looking shy and hesitant. Edward wondered what his own face had looked like when his door first opened.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
"Open the fucking door, asshole!" a blonde man shouted. He looked like a college football quarterback, screaming as he repeatedly struck the door in futile rage.
Edward, wanting to stay away from the pissed-off jock but still needing answers, spotted a scrawny man in the crowd. He wore glasses and appeared to be of Asian descent—though Edward couldn't be certain of his nationality. Edward felt that if he had to get into a fight, he would have a better chance against someone with his own build, though this man had slightly larger arms than his. Edward tapped him gently on the shoulder, causing the man to turn.
"Hi, excuse me. Sorry to bother you, but can you tell me what happens if someone scans the QR code on the door? I heard from someone else that we all need to be awake before it will open. While I could go over there and see for myself, I am deeply afraid my head would be caved in by—" Edward gestured wildly at the man still hell-bent on destroying the door. "Uh, the gentleman who seems to be currently filled with rage."
"He has every right to be filled with rage. Why aren't you? Are you part of this setup?" The scrawny man spoke with accusation in his voice, and Edward immediately tried to de-escalate.
"No, no! I'm sorry, I just don't like confrontation. I was heading down a highway to see my brother's wedding and suddenly a light hit me and I—well, I wound up here," Edward said, the words tumbling out like a nervous vomit as he tried to explain himself without making an enemy.
"Nervous and a babbler, aren't you?" the man said irritably. "Look, I'm not your friend. Go fucking find out for yourself."
Edward quickly hurried away, wanting no more hostility. If he hadn't been raised primarily by a single mother and her string of abusive boyfriends, maybe he would have had a spine. That's what the kids at school had said—or at least the closest thing he had to friends.
He cautiously made his way toward the door as another man—this one with a thick, overgrown black beard who looked like a club bouncer—slammed his shoulder into the wood. The blonde jock knelt by the door and breathed heavily as sweat poured off his forehead.
Edward took out his phone and saw it still displayed the "Welcome" screen with no apps. He pressed the side button until the camera app launched and scanned the QR code. A message appeared on the screen:
Greetings! Welcome to our hotel. We hope you are enjoying your stay. Please wait until all guests have awakened. Feel free to visit the vending machine near the checkout station for one free meal on the house!
"Hey, you," the blonde jock called out to Edward, still catching his breath. "Want to help us out?"
Edward, not expecting a civil reaction, shifted nervously from foot to foot. "I'm not really the sort of guy that would be considered an athlete," he said with a forced, wide grin. "I can get you a refreshment from the vending area if you want, though."
"What? No, are you crazy? We don't know how long we'll be here. We need to ration the food, and by the looks of you—" he scanned Edward up and down. "You could probably use an extra meal or two."
The man with the black beard paused his assault on the door and breathed heavily, looking over at Edward. "If you're not good at physical stuff, maybe you're good at figuring shit out—puzzles and things. We all need to work together as a team if we want to get out of here. Go look around this mess and report back if you find anything of interest."
The bearded man sounded like a veteran, a natural leader. Edward felt relieved that he had misjudged them, then immediately chastised himself. What gives you the right to judge anyone, you loser? he thought as he began to ascend the stairs. He made a mental note to ask for their names once he could bring them some sort of value.
"Wait. What's your name, kid?" the blonde man asked, now standing straight and walking up to Edward, towering over him by nearly a foot. "It's impolite not to introduce yourself to strangers," he said, stating it as a fact rather than a threat.
"Right, I'm sorry. My name is Edward Shadow. I am 18 years old. I'm currently feeling overwhelmed by everything and I sincerely apologize for being rude. I just didn't think someone like me would be worth anything to men like you."
"Don't talk bad about yourself, kid. If you do that, how can you expect others to respect you?" He placed a gentle hand on Edward's shoulder. "We're going to get everyone out of here, okay? Then we can celebrate at a restaurant and get something good to eat—after we press charges on whatever asshole put us in here."
"That's right!" a third man added. He was closer to Edward's age, with hair dyed blue and an explosive amount of energy. "We're going to fuck 'em up!"
Edward stared up at the blonde man, seeing a real-life hero—the kind of person he wished he could be.
"My name is Arthor. This big, beautiful beast here is my new brother, Michael." The black-bearded man gave a salute and continued to pound on the door. "And over there, the blue-haired guy acting like an energy-drink junkie is also my new brother. His name is Zane. And you—" Arthor pointed at Edward with a smile, "—are my newest brother. Now go see if you can find us something to work with."
Edward, beaming with confidence and wanting so badly to be part of the team, rushed up the stairs. "I won't let you guys down!" he shouted back. It was a promise that he prayed he could keep.