Chapter 254: Whitesun Hotel as New Home

“Everyone seems pretty excited about this,” I muttered with amusement, watching the bustling activity around us.

We had entered the Whitesun Hotel proper, and flashlight beams crisscrossed through the darkness like searching spotlights, illuminating eager faces as people explored their new temporary home. The beams danced across faded wallpaper and dusty carpets, creating shifting shadows that made the entire scene feel almost dreamlike.

As I surveyed the first floor, checking each corridor and wing, I noticed that virtually every room had already been claimed. Doors stood propped open, revealing the occupants inside busily cleaning and organizing their new spaces, genuine smiles lighting up faces that had been drawn and anxious for days. People were sweeping accumulated dust, wiping down surfaces, and arranging whatever meager belongings they’d managed to salvage from Jackson Township

The energy was infectious—a sense of relief and cautious optimism filling the air after Jackson Township and Gaspar’s attack.

Obviously, the first floor rooms had been snatched up almost immediately. They were the closest to ground level, the fastest to reach in an emergency, and arguably the safest in terms of quick evacuation. More practically though, I suspected it was mostly because people were exhausted and didn’t want to climb multiple flights of stairs every time they needed to come and go. After everything they’d endured, even small comforts like avoiding stairwells mattered enormously.

“Well, after four long, brutal days of constant movement and fear, we finally have someplace to stay that’s relatively safe and defensible,” Cindy said beside me. A smile curved her lips as she watched families settling in. “And having everyone together in one building instead of scattered and separated makes it so much safer. I think it reminds them of the Municipal Office, in a way.”

Right—back at the Municipal Office, despite how cramped and uncomfortable those conditions had been, everyone had slept in close proximity, sharing common spaces. It had been crowded and privacy had been nonexistent, but there had been an undeniable sense of unity and collective safety in those tight quarters.

Something they had desperately lost after the horrific events at Jackson Township shattered their community.

Now, here in this hotel, the situation felt somewhat similar in spirit but vastly improved in practical terms. There was significantly more space, actual privacy with individual rooms, proper beds with real mattresses instead of sleeping on hard floors, and furnishings from what had once been a respectable establishment. The WhiteSun might be dusty and abandoned, but it was still a far cry from huddling together in overcrowded office spaces or camping in the open.

It was genuinely good for everyone’s morale and mental health.

“Did you remember to tell them not to settle too high up in the building?” I asked Cindy as we climbed the stairwell to the second floor, our footsteps echoing in the enclosed space. When we emerged into the second floor corridor, we encountered more flashlight beams sweeping back and forth, and I could hear children’s excited voices as they ran through the hallways exploring, their mothers calling after them with exasperated but fond scoldings as they attempted to clean their chosen rooms.

The sound of ordinary family life—chaotic, messy, and wonderfully normal.

Cindy nodded in response to my question. “Rachel handled that. She made it very clear to everyone that they should pick rooms up to the fifth floor maximum, but absolutely nothing above that. Just as a safety precaution in case something goes wrong and we need to evacuate quickly.”

“Can you imagine the sheer burden of having to climb five full floors worth of stairs every single time you wanted to get home?” I said with a slight grimace, my leg muscles already aching sympathetically at the thought. “Especially when you’re exhausted or injured or carrying supplies.”

Cindy giggled at my expression.

“It’s really not that hard or exhausting for us though, is it?” She grinned at me playfully. “We are superhuman.”

“Wait—do you actually want to live on the upper floors?” I asked, her. “I thought we’d pick something on the second or third floor like everyone else.”

“Well, Sydney mentioned that it wouldn’t necessarily be a bad idea to have an entire floor just for our core group,” Cindy explained. “We don’t really care about climbing stairs since we’re used to physical exertion, and having rooms on a higher floor would give us quite an impressive view of the surrounding area from above. We could monitor approaches, watch for threats, have better positioning. What do you think? Maybe claim the entire sixth floor for our little group? It would give us space and separation.”

“I guess that’s actually not a bad idea when you put it that way,” I muttered, genuinely considering the advantages despite my initial skepticism. .

She was right, of course. We were living alongside Margaret’s community and working together cooperatively, but there would always be a certain degree of separation between the two groups. Having our own designated floor would give us privacy for discussions, planning, and activities that the broader community didn’t need to be involved in or aware of.

“We’d have plenty of rooms available for ourselves as well,” Cindy continued enthusiastically, warming to the topic. “Everyone could have their own space if they wanted it.” She paused, then added with a playful smile, “And if having separate rooms somehow isn’t enough privacy, well… we could always share.” She added shyly and a bit embarrassed.

“Now that might be a very appealing idea,” I replied, matching her playful tone before adding teasingly, “But don’t forget that we’re living in a hotel with sixty-plus people now. Our nighttime activities might be overheard by absolutely everyone in the building. Sound carries in unexpected ways.”

Cindy’s face flushed a deep crimson as I continued on her teasing.

“The walls are thick, you dummy,” she said, playfully swatting at my chest. “These are hotel rooms after all—they should be specifically designed to provide that kind of privacy to guests. And at worst, even if someone did hear something, they wouldn’t be able to identify whose voice it was.”

“Well, you do tend to get pretty loud at night, so I’m not entirely convinced about the anonymity factor,” I said with a thoughtful expression.

“Hey!” Cindy stuttered out, punching my arm with more force this time before immediately grasping it, her fingers interlacing with mine. “You’re terrible.”

When we finally reached the third floor, ascending the stairwell with easy familiarity, we noticed significantly fewer people had ventured this high. The corridors were quieter, less chaotic, with only scattered flashlight beams and hushed conversations. Among the handful of people present, I spotted Rachel standing in one of the doorways, engaged in what appeared to be an intense conversation with Clara.

Rachel must have sensed our presence because she turned around, her gaze immediately finding mine in the shadows. When she registered that I was alive, uninjured, and apparently well, there was a long, weighted pause—a complex expression crossing her features that I couldn’t quite read in the uncertain light. Relief? Anger? Hurt? All of the above?

Then she turned her back, returning her attention to Clara.

“She’s upset with you,” Cindy observed quietly as she gently guided me past and toward the stairwell leading to the fourth floor, her hand a steady pressure on my arm.

“Do you think I was wrong to ask you all to stay back and not follow me tonight?” I asked her.

“No,” Cindy shook her head without hesitation. “Your reasoning was sound, and it was the correct decision given the circumstances.”

“But…?” I prompted, sensing there was more.

“But Christopher followed after you anyway, and the two of you came back together—successful and safe,” she explained gently. “From Rachel’s perspective, Christopher got to participate in the rescue attempt, got to help, while she was forced to stay behind and do nothing. It feels like an exclusion based on something other than capability. You can understand why that might sting.”

“There was an enormous element of luck involved in what Christopher and I managed tonight,” I said seriously, needing her to understand the risks we’d taken. “Anything could have gone wrong at multiple points. We could have been captured, killed, or worse. The fact that it worked out doesn’t retroactively make it the right decision to bring more people along.”

“I know that,” Cindy said softly, squeezing my hand. “And Rachel probably knows that too, rationally. But emotions don’t always align with logic, especially after everything we’ve been through.”

“I can understand her,” I said quietly. “But you guys are all far too important to me. I refuse to take unnecessary risks with any of your lives.”

“You’re just as important to us, Ryan,” Cindy said gently. “And what about Christopher? How does he factor into this protective reasoning of yours?”

“Well, honestly, I thought he would be the last person to follow after me,” I said with a heavy sigh, running my free hand through my hair in mild exasperation. “He usually has better survival instincts than that.”

“Sydney was right about one thing,” Cindy said with sudden mischief dancing in her eyes. “Christopher is definitely part of your harem already.”

I rolled my eyes.

I honestly didn’t know how I’d managed to earn such a loyal and capable friend. Christopher’s willingness to risk his life following me into danger tonight spoke volumes about our relationship. I had never had a friend remotely close to him.

“Well…” Cindy hesitated briefly before continuing, scratching her cheek in a gesture of slight embarrassment. “I actually wanted to follow you first when you left. But Christopher stopped me and said he was planning to go instead. He basically volunteered to take my place.”

“Really?” I asked, genuinely surprised by this revelation. “He did that?”

“Yeah,” Cindy nodded. “I think the fact that he went after you also put Rachel and Sydney much more at ease, actually. They knew you wouldn’t be completely alone out there, that someone competent had your back.”

“They weren’t wrong about that,” I said. “Christopher helped me a lot tonight.” I paused, then added with a trace of guilt I couldn’t quite suppress, “No wonder you liked him first.”

Cindy immediately pulled on my arm in response, drawing me to a stop in the middle of the corridor. Before I could react, she rose up on her toes and pressed a soft, warm kiss to my cheek.

I looked at her with surprise.

“Christopher is obviously very important to me and always will be,” she said clearly. “But you’re the one I’m in love with, Ryan. You’re the one I choose every single day. There’s a difference.”

I smiled hearing those words.

“I genuinely don’t know what good I’ve done in my life to deserve either of you,” I said with complete honesty, meaning every word. “Both of you are better people than I could ever hope to be.”

“I wonder about that myself sometimes,” Cindy smirked playfully.

We continued our walk through the fourth floor, when we encountered several familiar faces clustered together in the hallway.

“We should take rooms right next to each other. “We can’t trust anyone in this hotel. Who knows what kind of traitors might be hiding among Margaret’s people?”

It was Brad.

“Right, you’re right about that, Brad,” Billy nodded in agreement, his flashlight beam bouncing as he gestured. “Can’t be too careful.”

“I honestly don’t trust anyone else in this entire place besides you two guys,” Kyle added, crossing his arms over his chest.

What kind of bizarrely intimate conversation was this? It sounded like they were declaring their undying brotherhood.

“How about you all just share the same bedroom together, guys?” Cindy asked sweetly beside me.

As expected, she was completely unable to hold herself back from commenting on the absurdity.

The three men turned around in unison and glared at us with varying degrees of hostility and embarrassment.

“’I honestly don’t trust anyone else besides you two guys!’” Cindy repeated in a pitch-perfect imitation of Kyle’s exaggerated earnest tone. “That was so incredibly touching and emotional. I’m genuinely moved.” She grinned wickedly, clearly enjoying their discomfort.

Kyle’s face flushed bright crimson.

“You wanna fight with us?” Billy stepped forward aggressively, his posture threatening as he glared at Cindy.

“Nope, not particularly interested,” Cindy replied breezily, completely unfazed by the implied threat. “But you should all consider yourselves extremely lucky it wasn’t Sydney or Christopher who overheard that very… intimate conversation just now. They would never, ever let you live it down for the rest of your natural lives. You’d be hearing about it until the day you died.”

Yeah…

Sydney especially would have turned it into an ongoing source of endless mockery and entertainment.

Brad snorted derisively, trying to regain some dignity.

“What are you two doing up here anyway? Picking out a private room together so you can fuck for all eternity without anyone bothering you?” He sneered.

“And so what if we are, Brad?” Cindy rolled her eyes with disdain, completely unbothered by his attempt to shame her. “That’s literally none of your business whatsoever.”

Brad fell suddenly silent at her blunt response, clearly not expecting her to reply to that and positively. Even Billy and Kyle seemed taken aback, exchanging uncomfortable glances.

“Cindy,” I said quietly, glancing at her.

But she simply shrugged.

“Let’s go check the next floor,” she said, tugging on my arm to guide me away from the awkward standoff.

“Can’t believe Rachel actually hangs around with this scumbag,” I heard Brad’s bitter voice drift after us as we headed toward the stairwell. “I’ll definitely make sure to tell her about this conversation.”

“Poor Brad,” Cindy giggled once we were out of earshot, shaking her head with amusement. “He doesn’t even know that Rachel’s already been in your bed multiple times. The irony is delicious.”

“You really don’t like them at all, do you?” I asked with a laughter.

“They keep making everything about themselves and their petty grievances, constantly poisoning the group with their negativity and paranoia,” Cindy said with a decisive nod. “So yeah, I’m not their biggest fan.”

I shook my head with fond exasperation, but then I froze abruptly in the middle of the staircase leading to the fifth floor.

Cindy stopped beside me, her body tensing immediately.

We both looked upward into the darkness above us, our breathing suddenly shallow.

“It’s coming from above us,” Cindy whispered. “One of the upper floors.”

We hurried up the remaining stairs with quick steps, our earlier playfulness evaporating instantly into alertness. Halfway up to the sixth floor, we encountered Daisy and Rebecca as well.

“Stay here!” Cindy said sharply.

The two women looked confused but obediently remained where they stood, pressing themselves against the wall.

“What was that sensation?” Cindy asked nervously as we continued climbing.

“I think I know exactly what—or rather who—that was,” I said with narrowed eyes.

Even though I had told her to leave this hotel and find somewhere else to hide….

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