The Kid

Around three in the afternoon, disaster struck. It all happened so fast. Spike and Miya made it to the inn. The silence put a chill through the little girl’s body. She grabbed her dad’s leg. Spike looked down as she buried her face in his pant leg.

“What’s wrong?” he asked. The little girl shook her head. Her father frowned. She was fine until they got here. Maybe she saw something that scared her? Spike was about to ask when he heard some shuffling from the back room. The cowboy peeked over the front desk.

“Hello?” he asked. Spike moved his hand to his gun in his pocket as he rang the bell. Miya whimpered behind him.

“Shhh, shhh, shhh,” the cowboy said. He patted the child on the head. The man looked up when he heard footsteps walking toward the front desk. Spike had his hand ready to draw. A pale woman in a black yukata stood with her eyes downcast.

“Good afternoon,” she said in a quiet voice. “Welcome to our inn. How can we help you today?” Spike gave her an odd look. They were in the right place, right?

“We have a reservation, yeah?” he asked. The woman didn’t look up at him.

“Spiegel,” Spike said. “The reservation is Spiegel.” She didn’t move. He was about to reach out and shake her when she opened the book on the desk. Her finger ran down the page. Spike tried to look behind her in the back. He didn’t need supernatural powers to know that something was wrong here.

“Hey, do you mind if we walked around for a bit?” Spike asked. “I think my daughter has to use the bathroom.” The woman’s glance slowly rose toward him for the first time.

“I can take her if you like,” she said. Spike waved her off.

“Nah, we’re good,” he said. The cowboy turned and walked down the hall when he spotted the restrooms near the doorway.

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Usually, Spike would go in blasting. That’s kind of hard to do when you have a little girl in tow. He needed to get the kid out of the way. Probably should warn Sakura not to come here somehow.

Spike stood outside the women’s bathroom. Miya didn’t complain about having to go to the bathroom or not. She just kept her head down. Spike knocked on the bathroom door.

“You okay in there?” he asked.

“How long am I supposed to stay in here?” the little girl asked.

“I’ll let you know,” Spike said. “Just stay in there.”

“Okay,” Miya said. Her father sighed. He just needed to figure out his next move.

Meanwhile, the receptionist started to cry blood. It had been hard to keep up the rouse. They were going to have to move and fast. The woman lowered her eyes and moved her lips. The air became cold.

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-Two Hours Later-

Sakura arrived at the inn. Right off the bat, she could tell that something was wrong. Fearing the worst, she flew into the building.

“Spike-kun! Miya!” Sakura shouted. There was nobody in the lobby. Her stomach turned. She looked around as she bit on her lip. The tenshi-chi ran up to the desk. She spotted Spike over to the bathroom.

“Sakura!” he said. His wife ran over with big eyes. The cowboy didn’t need to ask when he saw how worried she was. He knocked on the bathroom door.

“Miya!” the cowboy shouted. “Are you okay in there?” There was no answer. Spike knocked again.

“Sweetheart? Are you okay?” he asked. Sakura leaned in for a listen. There was nothing on the other side of the door. The parents looked at each other. Spike knocked on the door once again.

“Honey?” he asked. Sakura opened the door and went inside.

“Miya-chan?” she asked. She let out a loud scream. Sakura ran to the door.

“She’s gone!” she cried. “Miya-chan is gone!”

“What?!” Spike asked. “But how?!” Sakura looked ready to cry.

“Did you see anyone come up to the door?” she asked.

“No,” he said.

“Are you sure? Please! Tell me!”

“Yes. You’re the only person that I have seen since I talked to the receptionist.” He held onto her as she started breaking down, trembling. Sakura looked up at him with tears forming in her eyes.

“Look,” Spike said. “I’ve been standing here for hours. No one went in and no one came out.”

“Was someone already in the bathroom when she went inside?” Sakura asked.

“No,” he said. Both of them paused. The tenshi-chi started to think of something Kaze-san sent her just moments before.

“You have to be careful. One of your father’s enemies has escaped from Hell. He’s out for revenge.”

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That was easier than the demons thought. The receptionist had little Miya sound asleep in her arms. The little girl didn’t even know what hit her. She was out like a light. The receptionist made out to the garden in the back. Four staff members were waiting near the pond.

“Ready?” the “gardener” asked. The receptionist bowed her head. She offered up the child like a Christmas present.

“Perfect,” the chef said. “Let’s go.” The demons stuck their hands up into the air. The gardener chanted in Latin. Black clouds started forming around their feet. Miya didn’t stir the whole time.

The child and the demons vanished in a flash. This all happened in the span of two and half hours.