[center][color=darkkhaki][h3] E L I J A H [/h3][/color][/center] [hr] [center][color=darkkhaki][h3][sub][sub]L o s A n g e l e s I n t e r n a t i o n a l A i r p o r t ; 2 2 H o u r s A g o[/sub][/sub][/h3][/color][/center] [color=darkkhaki]"Hello? Yeah, I just got to the gate. Uhhhh, should be there within a few hours or so. I got it; don't worry, Perce. Sorry, 'Percy'. No, I know how important this is. Listen, it's fine, no need to stress out. You said this show was at a beautiful island resort, so we'll have some time to kick back and soak up the sun. You good? Alright. Yeah. O-okay, Percy, I gotta... I gotta go; getting on the plane. Yeah. Yeah, okay. Alright, bye."[/color] Elijah flicked at his phone's screen, bringing the drop-down menu into view and tapping on airplane mode. With a sigh, he slipped the phone back into his pocket as he shuffled along within the slowly-moving line. Trying to calm his manager down was doing no good when he was stressed himself. He could feel the tension in his chest, the rising anxiety of performing. Despite the tour being fairly small, this last stop was a make-or-break opportunity. If he did well here, he'd have the chance to go international. If he failed... He broke away from the thought and found himself in the aisle of the airplane, taking the time to check his ticket. Seat A10. It was a window seat towards the front of the plane. His brow furrowed a little, but he pushed his concerns aside as he opened up the compartment above his row, sliding the faded-green duffel bag inside. Once the compartment door was shut, he slid into the row and settled into his seat, his arms upon the armrests. A couple minutes later, the rest of the seats in his row were filled, unknown faces buried into their own methods of passing time. First, it was the captain's message, and then the choreography of flight attendants as they mimicked safety measures, latching invisible oxygen masks onto themselves and each other. Every so often, the cry of a child who couldn't seem to get used to such a foreign concept as an airplane about to take off. [color=darkkhaki][i]Yeah, I feel you, kid,[/i][/color] Elijah thought. When the speeches were done and the passengers were left to their own devices, Elijah took a moment to draw the windowblind closed as he felt the plane begin to move. The person next to him, an older woman, noticed this and smiled warmly before looking back down at her e-book. [color=darkgray]"Not a fan of flying?"[/color] she asked. [color=darkkhaki]"Not a fan of taking off,"[/color] Elijah replied. The woman giggled, and Elijah could feel the heat of embarrassment rushing to his face. [center][color=darkkhaki][h3][sub][sub]B a n o i I s l a n d A i r p o r t ; 1 8 H o u r s A g o[/sub][/sub][/h3][/color][/center] Elijah exited the gate and into the waiting area, clutching his stomach. He was never a fan of flying, but something about the turbulence shook him up, not to mention the several people that had gotten sick on the flight. As he struggled to stabilize himself, he did a few stretches to get his body back into working order, his eyes scanning the area for the way to baggage claim. Following the placards, he pulled out his phone, turned off airplane mode and proceeded to check his messages. Couple notifications from social media, several emails from different prospects, a couple voicemails from Percy. Sounded about the usual. Arriving at baggage claim, Elijah set his duffel bag down in front of him and waited, only to be interrupted by a short, stout man wearing a floral shirt and khaki shorts. His head was largely balding, save for the arch of hair that wrapped around the back of his head. His eyes were covered with thick-rimmed sunglasses, his fingers with various rings that held no value. As he approached, he tapped Elijah on the arm. Elijah looked to his left, saw no one, and then looked down, stifling a laugh. [color=darkkhaki]"Hey, Percy,"[/color] Elijah greeted him. Percy's lips pouted. [color=cadetblue]"Don't 'Hey, Percy' me,"[/color] the manager replied. [color=cadetblue]"You got everything?"[/color] Before Elijah could respond, his attention was caught by a guitar case that wheeled around on the conveyor. With little effort, he slipped his fingers around the handle and lifted it from the rotating gallery of objects, smiling. [color=darkkhaki]"I do now,"[/color] he retorted. [color=cadetblue]"Good. Here's the plan. We touch down at the resort and mingle with the owners; you know—"[/color] [color=darkkhaki]"Perce."[/color] [color=cadetblue]"—get in good graces with them. Then, you start practi—"[/color] [color=darkkhaki]"Percy."[/color] [color=cadetblue]"—cing until it's time to hit the sack, and then the NEXT day... oh, God, forgot about the meet-up and—"[/color] [color=darkkhaki]"Uncle!"[/color] Before Percy knew it, they were at the airport entrance. He stared up at Elijah, a towering colossus compared to himself, eyes wide but obscured by the dark shades. Elijah wore an expression reminiscent of concern as he waved for them to keep walking. [color=darkkhaki]"I already talked to the owners of the resort. I got everything straightened away. All I need to do—and all you need to do—is relax and take in the scenery. Bury your feet in the sand, get a few Mai Tais, enjoy yourself. Okay?"[/color] Percy didn't say anything as they flagged down a taxi and got inside, but deep down, he was impressed. A few years prior, Elijah was a floundering musician that knew nothing about what it took to get his name out there, but now, he was taking the reins. Maybe Percy could finally relax, knowing Elijah's future was in good hands. Leo and Marie would be proud. [center][color=darkkhaki][h3][sub][sub]R o y a l P a l m s R e s o r t ; P r e s e n t D a y[/sub][/sub][/h3][/color][/center] Elijah awoke in his bed, still wearing the same outfit from last night. He could hear the blood rushing through his ears, his head throbbing with a dull ache. [color=darkkhaki][i]Nothing a tall glass of water and a couple of aspirin can't fix,[/i][/color] he thought, and so he downed both at the first chance he got. Next up on the docket was to grab a shower and get changed. Judging by the clock, Elijah knew he had plenty of time, so he could probably spend a little of it checking out the beach. [color=darkkhaki][i]Percy shouldn't mind too much.[/i][/color] There were sounds of soft banging on the door. [color=darkkhaki]"Little early for you to be up, Perce!"[/color] Elijah shouted from the bathroom, stripping down and stepping inside the shower. Before turning it on, he called out again. [color=darkkhaki]"Give me like twenty minutes!"[/color] Twenty minutes later, he was out and dressed, toothbrush in his mouth as he brushed his hair. The banging on the door was still soft, but less rhythmic, happening in bursts with sparse singular hits in between. Unnerved, Elijah finished brushing his teeth and cleaned up before walking over to the door. [color=darkkhaki]"Percy, come on, I said I would be out in—"[/color] As he moved to unlock the door, he stopped in his tracks, a look of worry on his face. As his eyes darted across the dark brown finish of the door, his ears picked up the muffled groans and growls of something on the other side. Elijah's muscles tensed as he called out to Percy, expecting his uncle's Brooklyn-tinged accent to respond. Nothing. He called out again. Nothing. Concerned, Elijah backed away from the door, immediately heading to the lamp on the nightstand next to the bed. He unplugged it from the outlet and wrapped the cord around its base, then unscrewed the lampshade from the top, followed by the bulb. Holding it by the end of the bulb socket, he cautiously toed his way back up to the door, his fingers gingerly twisting the lock open. His hand then found the doorknob and gripped just tight enough to turn it, hearing the bolt slide out of the slot. Immediately, the door gave way, and Percy's body slumped forward, slamming into the ground with a resounding [color=cadetblue]"OOF!"[/color] Elijah, exasperated, let out a hefty sigh and dropped the lamp, kneeling down to help his uncle up. [color=darkkhaki]"Christ, Perce, you scared the shit outta me. Why didn't you say anything when I called for you?"[/color] Percy, still inebriated, chuckled to himself as he rolled over and pulled himself up to sit. To Elijah, he seemed paler than usual, his skin lacking a little color. [color=cadetblue]"S-sorry, kid. You said I should just relaaaax, you know?"[/color] He hiccuped. [color=cadetblue]"In... in-in hindsight? Prrrrobably took it a... little too far, heh heh."[/color] [color=darkkhaki]"Alright, well... get up on the bed and rest for a bit,"[/color] Elijah advised, taking the time to place the bulb and shade back onto the lamp before plugging it back in. [color=darkkhaki]"I'm gonna go look around the beach for a while, get out of the room and all so I can be in a good spot for the meet and greet. I'll be back later."[/color] Elijah heard Percy groan before he slipped his shoes on at the foot of the bed, looking out to the hallway. At first sight, he noticed several pieces of clothing and a suitcase strewn about the floor. The wallpaper looked as if it were scratched away in some places, with large patches of it missing from other parts of the wall. His brow wrinkled as he slowly got to his feet, casually stepping out into the hallway. Where he expected a well-lit corridor, he found a dark pathway, barely illuminated by floor lights, some of which flickered and faded. Occasionally, there would be a looming overhead light that would shine over a small patch of the hallway, and in that light, Elijah could see overturned baggage carts, suitcases and luggage bags strewn about in both directions. [color=darkkhaki]"Percy?"[/color] Elijah uttered, slowly turning around. [color=darkkhaki]"What happened ou—"[/color] Before he could finish, Percy rushed him, tackling him to the ground and attempting to bite him. On instinct, Elijah placed his forearm beneath Percy's neck, yelling at him in the hopes of getting his uncle to come to his senses, but only getting frenzied snarls in response. Percy began to scratch at Elijah's skin, to which his nephew responded by pushing him off and away. They both got to their feet within seconds. Elijah darted for the hotel room, Percy following suit and bursting through the door before Elijah could slam it shut. Elijah found himself pressed up against the glass of the patio door, fists clenched as his uncle sped towards him. In the light, he could see Percy's graying and discolored skin, his bloodshot eyes, his bleeding gums and dirtied clothes. In the split-seconds before they'd make contact again, Elijah then noticed a small wound on the side of his uncle's leg, starting to piece the situation together. Percy attacked Elijah again, pushing them both straight through the glass pane. As it shattered, several pieces cut Elijah's skin, a large section embedding itself into Percy's back. They struggled for a few moments, twisting about the small area as Elijah pleaded to his uncle to stop, but failing to get through to him. As Percy's teeth neared the open wound in Elijah's arm, his nephew mustered enough strength to shove him with all his might. Elijah fell to the ground as Percy stumbled backward, slamming into the patio railing with enough force to send him barreling over the edge, screaming as he plummeted. Elijah heard the screams get quieter and further away until they were silenced by a distant thud. Shaking and seeking to catch his breath, he clambered to his feet and inched closer to the railing, taking care not to step on the glass. The part of the railing which Percy was sent over had been slicked with a dark red substance, something Elijah would avoid as he peered over the side and down to the courtyard of the resort below. He could see the floral print of Percy's shirt, surrounded by a dark shape. Looking about the other patios on the side of the building, he caught a glimpse of someone endeavoring to get to the second floor from a third-floor patio. As he regained his composure, he strode to the bathroom and searched for a first-aid kit, finding one in the cabinet beneath the sink. Working quickly, he washed off his wounds and removed what pieces of glass found their way into his skin before disinfecting them and wrapping parts of his arms in gauze and bandages. He then searched through his luggage and found a hair tie, putting his hair into a messy bun to keep it out of the way, all before going back over the lamp and preparing it as a weapon, the same way he did before. As he stepped out into the hallway, he found himself with a mission: get to the second floor to find the person making their way down, or if all else failed, escape the resort.