Post by Eli Buchanan on Sept 10, 2023 17:39:37 GMT -5
“The greatest trick the devil ever pulled was convincing the world he did not exist”
- Verbal, “The Usual Suspects”
When we were children we believed that monsters were real. We’d wake our parents in the middle of the night to come check for them under our beds, or in our closets, and we would steer clear of graveyards after dark and wouldn’t dare go into the basement with the lights off. When we grow up though, we seem to lose that belief. Monsters become little more than make believe, things only found in the pages of Stephen King novels, or the latest horror movie.
What if I told you though monsters are real. They’re not just things of your imagination which disappear once you get older and become more knowledgeable. No, just as we learn and adapt as we grow up, monsters too learn and adapt, hiding in plain sight, waiting.
***
Most people paid Eli Buchanan little attention upon his arrival, if they even noticed him at all. No one picked him up at the airport, he didn’t arrive to grand fanfare in a long limousine. Perhaps there would have been if he had asked for it, but he hadn’t. No flight had been booked, no car ordered. The staff knew he would be arriving at some point, they just didn’t know when.
So when the clerk sitting at the front counter at the compound looked up from his desk he nearly jumped out of his skin. Before him stood a red haired man, dressed all in black. The man removed his fedora and sunglasses and smiled at him.
“Greetings, old chap. Eli Buchanan, checking in.”
The clerk looked past Eli, to everyone else standing around the lobby. Not a single head turned in Eli’s direction. In fact, with the exception of the clerk, no one seemed to react to his voice at all. This disquieted the clerk somehow. Eli’s very presence caused shivers to go up his spine, even if he couldn’t understand why.
Looking down at his computer, the clerk searched for Eli Buchanan’s name. If he took longer than he really needed to, no one could blame him. Finally he located his name and looked back up into that friendly face and tried hard not to look for long into those dark eyes.
“Ah here you are, Mr Buchanan. You’re a bit early, but your room is ready for you. Shall I get someone to take you to take you up to it?”
The clerk pushed a button and everyone seemed to come alive around him, like they had all awoken from a dream. A young man hurried over to the counter. If the clerk had been surprised by the arrival of Eli Buchanan, this young man was completely shocked. He looked back and forth at the front door. His expression said it all.
“Sorry, sir, I didn’t notice you came in. If I had, I would've helped you bring in your bags.”
“Oh don’t worry about it,” Eli Buchanan reassured him, “You could hardly be to blame. I can walk very quietly when I want to and you seemed so busy holding up that wall over there I really didn’t want to be a bother.”
Eli Buchanan winked at the young man and gave him his full focus. The clerk immediately felt a weight being lifted off his shoulders. It was only a temporary relief though because he noticed his young co-worker’s shoulders sag, as if that weight had been transferred on to him. The clerk coughed, hoping to break the tension.
“Harry, take Mr Buchanan up to his room. Then come back and speak with me.”
Harry seemed to struggle for a moment to take his gaze off Eli. He gave the clerk a nod and a salute.
“Sure thing, Luke.”
The clerk watched as Harry tried to lift Eli Buchanan’s bags but could barely lift either of them off the group. With a chuckle, Eli lifted both off the group himself and bade the young man to lead him to his room.
The clerk watched them go for a moment and his eyes glazed over. Shaking his head, he tried to focus again and went back to work. Staring at his computer and arched an eyebrow and gasped.
“Wait, when did Eli Buchanan check in?”
***
Up in his room, Eli Buchanan stared out a window with his hands behind his back. He smiled as he watched others pulling up in vehicles and could actively feel the presence of his dear friend, Penelope. The two of them would have to meet up soon, there was so much to discuss.
Behind him, Eli could hear Harry trying to lift his bags into the room. They had found a trolly and the poor boy had insisted on bringing the bags into his room for him. Eli could have said no of course, but Harry had been so adamant about helping him he didn’t have the heart to turn the offer down. Now it was taking all Harry’s strength to just lift each bag one at a time off the trolley and place them on the floor beside the door. No doubt his arms and neck would be hurting him for the rest of the day from the effort. Eli’s smile grew a little wider. There was nothing he liked better than a masochist.
“There you go, Mr Buchanan,” Harry said to him, trying to hide how hard he was breathing at the moment.
Eli had half a mind to ask Harry to move the bags into his bedroom but decided against it. No point breaking the young man yet; not until he had taken the time to see how far he could make him bend. Turning around, Eli smiled at Harry. He walked over to him and quickly walked over to give his hand a firm shake.
“Outstanding job, my dear boy. You’ve gone above and beyond the call of duty today. Here, I want you to take this.”
Eli slipped five one hundred dollar bills into Harry’s hand and clapped him on the back. The young man winced and Eli took a small amount of delight out of it.
“Thank you, Mr Buchanan. You really didn’t need to, I'm just doing my job.”
“Nonsense,” Eli yelled, merrily, “you’ve done me a service today when none of your co-workers even gave me a second glance. You’ve earned that money today, and I have a feeling that there’s more where that comes from in your near future.”
The young man’s face brightened up at the possibilities. He tried to thank Eli more, but was already being guided back out of the room and had the door shut in his face.
Once the door was shut, Eli took a moment to lean against it and let out a satisfied sigh. He had half a mind to erase Harry’s recent memories like he had Luke’s, but decided not to. The young man showed potential. Eli could use that, mold it and turn it into something which would help him succeed in the World Series of Wrestling.
“And if not, then he’ll make for a sweet morsel I can devour later.”
Eli walked back to the window and looked off to the horizon. A storm was coming. He loved storms.
Lifting his left hand over his head, Eli snapped his fingers. The bags behind him began to shake and unzipped themselves. A red mist began pouring out and slowly began enveloping the whole room. Eli took little notice of it as he watched the clouds pour in. He hummed to himself a familiar tune and sang out the chorus.
“Welcome to the Hotel California. Such a lovely place, such a lovely face.”
Someone coughed behind him and Eli Buchanan turned around. The quarters he had been provided had been transformed into the master’s chambers from his home at Hotel California and standing before him was a man in a grotesque mask, wearing a white uniform.
“Good to see you again, Master. I take it your trip was uneventful?”
“Practically boring, Captain,” Eli chuckled, “but I have a feeling things will soon pick up.”
“Indeed, Master,” Captain replied, “Shall I take your bags to your room?”
Eli Buchanan nodded dismissively and turned back to the window. He had a lot to think about. Behind him, Captain picked up the empty luggage bags and carried them off to the bedroom, pausing only to give his master one last look before disappearing through the door.
Eli never left Hotel California, he took it wherever he went.
“You can check-out any time you like, but you can never leave.”
***
Following dinner, Eli Buchanan sent a few text messages to Penelope, urging her to come visit him at her earliest convenience. Afterwards he stepped into his lounge, a room which couldn’t possible be able to exist inside his quarters, and sat back in his favourite chair. Captain arrived soon after with a pitcher of unsweetened black tea and a glass, and quickly took his leave.
A need seemed to fill him and Eli pulled his phone out once more. He made a video call and waited with fainted breath until a dark-haired woman appeared on his screen. She smiled at him and he felt his heart beginning to beat hard
“Oh, mon amour,” the woman said, “I thought you’d never call.”
“Oh my dear Charlie, I wish I was there so I could ravage you right now.” He was almost beside himself with lust and passion. “I would die again just to be in your arms. No, I would kill again just to be with you again.”
His wife, Charlotte O’Neil, smiled at him, lovingly, and blew him a kiss. She knew very well what effect she had over him and no doubt enjoyed every second of it.
“Oh my dear tiger, please stop torturing yourself; you know that’s my job.Tell me though, have you settled in yet?”
Eli looked around at his surroundings and smiled.
“You could say that. If it wasn’t for the fact that you weren’t here by my side it would feel like I never left home at all.”
“I’m so happy to hear that, my love. You need to be at your very best if you plan on winning this World Series of Wrestling. You know we’re all cheering for you, and if you need anything all you need to do is ask.”
“And if I said I want you?” There was a desperation in his voice. Even individuals such as he had their vices and he was staring hungrily at his.
Charlotte winked at him and laughed. It was a sound that sent shivers up his back and caused other parts of his body to grow excited.
“That could be arranged, my love. I will come visit you soon, but tell me. Have you made any friends yet?”
Eli thought again of the young man, Harry. An unpleasant smile took over his face and he laughed rather unpleasantly.
“As a matter of fact, I have. You should come meet him. The way he was talking when we were coming up to the room tells me he’d die for the opportunity to make your acquaintance.”
“Oh my, I think that can be arranged as well,” Charlotte said with a wicked grin of her own.
The pair laughed and looked longingly into each other's eyes.
“Oh my tiger,” Charlotte said, “This is going to be so much fun. I’m so glad T.I.A. sent you the invitation.”
“So am I, Charlie,” Eli chuckled, “By the time they realize the mistake they made letting me in, it will be too late…”
- Verbal, “The Usual Suspects”
When we were children we believed that monsters were real. We’d wake our parents in the middle of the night to come check for them under our beds, or in our closets, and we would steer clear of graveyards after dark and wouldn’t dare go into the basement with the lights off. When we grow up though, we seem to lose that belief. Monsters become little more than make believe, things only found in the pages of Stephen King novels, or the latest horror movie.
What if I told you though monsters are real. They’re not just things of your imagination which disappear once you get older and become more knowledgeable. No, just as we learn and adapt as we grow up, monsters too learn and adapt, hiding in plain sight, waiting.
***
Most people paid Eli Buchanan little attention upon his arrival, if they even noticed him at all. No one picked him up at the airport, he didn’t arrive to grand fanfare in a long limousine. Perhaps there would have been if he had asked for it, but he hadn’t. No flight had been booked, no car ordered. The staff knew he would be arriving at some point, they just didn’t know when.
So when the clerk sitting at the front counter at the compound looked up from his desk he nearly jumped out of his skin. Before him stood a red haired man, dressed all in black. The man removed his fedora and sunglasses and smiled at him.
“Greetings, old chap. Eli Buchanan, checking in.”
The clerk looked past Eli, to everyone else standing around the lobby. Not a single head turned in Eli’s direction. In fact, with the exception of the clerk, no one seemed to react to his voice at all. This disquieted the clerk somehow. Eli’s very presence caused shivers to go up his spine, even if he couldn’t understand why.
Looking down at his computer, the clerk searched for Eli Buchanan’s name. If he took longer than he really needed to, no one could blame him. Finally he located his name and looked back up into that friendly face and tried hard not to look for long into those dark eyes.
“Ah here you are, Mr Buchanan. You’re a bit early, but your room is ready for you. Shall I get someone to take you to take you up to it?”
The clerk pushed a button and everyone seemed to come alive around him, like they had all awoken from a dream. A young man hurried over to the counter. If the clerk had been surprised by the arrival of Eli Buchanan, this young man was completely shocked. He looked back and forth at the front door. His expression said it all.
“Sorry, sir, I didn’t notice you came in. If I had, I would've helped you bring in your bags.”
“Oh don’t worry about it,” Eli Buchanan reassured him, “You could hardly be to blame. I can walk very quietly when I want to and you seemed so busy holding up that wall over there I really didn’t want to be a bother.”
Eli Buchanan winked at the young man and gave him his full focus. The clerk immediately felt a weight being lifted off his shoulders. It was only a temporary relief though because he noticed his young co-worker’s shoulders sag, as if that weight had been transferred on to him. The clerk coughed, hoping to break the tension.
“Harry, take Mr Buchanan up to his room. Then come back and speak with me.”
Harry seemed to struggle for a moment to take his gaze off Eli. He gave the clerk a nod and a salute.
“Sure thing, Luke.”
The clerk watched as Harry tried to lift Eli Buchanan’s bags but could barely lift either of them off the group. With a chuckle, Eli lifted both off the group himself and bade the young man to lead him to his room.
The clerk watched them go for a moment and his eyes glazed over. Shaking his head, he tried to focus again and went back to work. Staring at his computer and arched an eyebrow and gasped.
“Wait, when did Eli Buchanan check in?”
***
Up in his room, Eli Buchanan stared out a window with his hands behind his back. He smiled as he watched others pulling up in vehicles and could actively feel the presence of his dear friend, Penelope. The two of them would have to meet up soon, there was so much to discuss.
Behind him, Eli could hear Harry trying to lift his bags into the room. They had found a trolly and the poor boy had insisted on bringing the bags into his room for him. Eli could have said no of course, but Harry had been so adamant about helping him he didn’t have the heart to turn the offer down. Now it was taking all Harry’s strength to just lift each bag one at a time off the trolley and place them on the floor beside the door. No doubt his arms and neck would be hurting him for the rest of the day from the effort. Eli’s smile grew a little wider. There was nothing he liked better than a masochist.
“There you go, Mr Buchanan,” Harry said to him, trying to hide how hard he was breathing at the moment.
Eli had half a mind to ask Harry to move the bags into his bedroom but decided against it. No point breaking the young man yet; not until he had taken the time to see how far he could make him bend. Turning around, Eli smiled at Harry. He walked over to him and quickly walked over to give his hand a firm shake.
“Outstanding job, my dear boy. You’ve gone above and beyond the call of duty today. Here, I want you to take this.”
Eli slipped five one hundred dollar bills into Harry’s hand and clapped him on the back. The young man winced and Eli took a small amount of delight out of it.
“Thank you, Mr Buchanan. You really didn’t need to, I'm just doing my job.”
“Nonsense,” Eli yelled, merrily, “you’ve done me a service today when none of your co-workers even gave me a second glance. You’ve earned that money today, and I have a feeling that there’s more where that comes from in your near future.”
The young man’s face brightened up at the possibilities. He tried to thank Eli more, but was already being guided back out of the room and had the door shut in his face.
Once the door was shut, Eli took a moment to lean against it and let out a satisfied sigh. He had half a mind to erase Harry’s recent memories like he had Luke’s, but decided not to. The young man showed potential. Eli could use that, mold it and turn it into something which would help him succeed in the World Series of Wrestling.
“And if not, then he’ll make for a sweet morsel I can devour later.”
Eli walked back to the window and looked off to the horizon. A storm was coming. He loved storms.
Lifting his left hand over his head, Eli snapped his fingers. The bags behind him began to shake and unzipped themselves. A red mist began pouring out and slowly began enveloping the whole room. Eli took little notice of it as he watched the clouds pour in. He hummed to himself a familiar tune and sang out the chorus.
“Welcome to the Hotel California. Such a lovely place, such a lovely face.”
Someone coughed behind him and Eli Buchanan turned around. The quarters he had been provided had been transformed into the master’s chambers from his home at Hotel California and standing before him was a man in a grotesque mask, wearing a white uniform.
“Good to see you again, Master. I take it your trip was uneventful?”
“Practically boring, Captain,” Eli chuckled, “but I have a feeling things will soon pick up.”
“Indeed, Master,” Captain replied, “Shall I take your bags to your room?”
Eli Buchanan nodded dismissively and turned back to the window. He had a lot to think about. Behind him, Captain picked up the empty luggage bags and carried them off to the bedroom, pausing only to give his master one last look before disappearing through the door.
Eli never left Hotel California, he took it wherever he went.
“You can check-out any time you like, but you can never leave.”
***
Following dinner, Eli Buchanan sent a few text messages to Penelope, urging her to come visit him at her earliest convenience. Afterwards he stepped into his lounge, a room which couldn’t possible be able to exist inside his quarters, and sat back in his favourite chair. Captain arrived soon after with a pitcher of unsweetened black tea and a glass, and quickly took his leave.
A need seemed to fill him and Eli pulled his phone out once more. He made a video call and waited with fainted breath until a dark-haired woman appeared on his screen. She smiled at him and he felt his heart beginning to beat hard
“Oh, mon amour,” the woman said, “I thought you’d never call.”
“Oh my dear Charlie, I wish I was there so I could ravage you right now.” He was almost beside himself with lust and passion. “I would die again just to be in your arms. No, I would kill again just to be with you again.”
His wife, Charlotte O’Neil, smiled at him, lovingly, and blew him a kiss. She knew very well what effect she had over him and no doubt enjoyed every second of it.
“Oh my dear tiger, please stop torturing yourself; you know that’s my job.Tell me though, have you settled in yet?”
Eli looked around at his surroundings and smiled.
“You could say that. If it wasn’t for the fact that you weren’t here by my side it would feel like I never left home at all.”
“I’m so happy to hear that, my love. You need to be at your very best if you plan on winning this World Series of Wrestling. You know we’re all cheering for you, and if you need anything all you need to do is ask.”
“And if I said I want you?” There was a desperation in his voice. Even individuals such as he had their vices and he was staring hungrily at his.
Charlotte winked at him and laughed. It was a sound that sent shivers up his back and caused other parts of his body to grow excited.
“That could be arranged, my love. I will come visit you soon, but tell me. Have you made any friends yet?”
Eli thought again of the young man, Harry. An unpleasant smile took over his face and he laughed rather unpleasantly.
“As a matter of fact, I have. You should come meet him. The way he was talking when we were coming up to the room tells me he’d die for the opportunity to make your acquaintance.”
“Oh my, I think that can be arranged as well,” Charlotte said with a wicked grin of her own.
The pair laughed and looked longingly into each other's eyes.
“Oh my tiger,” Charlotte said, “This is going to be so much fun. I’m so glad T.I.A. sent you the invitation.”
“So am I, Charlie,” Eli chuckled, “By the time they realize the mistake they made letting me in, it will be too late…”