Hellacious Hospitality Ch. 01

Not a giant flashing marquee sign that his apparently addled memory had impressed upon itself, but a small, flashing white strip above a single metal man-door, perched over a small concrete landing. The noise was barely more than a low hum again.

That couldn't have been there all along, could it? Was his mind just playing tricks on him? Had he somehow ignored the sight of the door, because its appearance didn't align with his apparently very faulty memories? Even with that uncertainty, Benson still trusted his faculties. The way the flashing light softly illuminated the surroundings negated the need to have pulled out a flashlight. Perhaps it had only just been turned on?

He approached the door with trepidation, feelings of unease and surreality creeping in his stomach. It was oddly nostalgic. He could see that the small flashing strip was actually a basic, unassuming sign that said merely "Entrance". He grasped the door handle, pressed the thumb trigger, and pulled. A rush of air struck him in the face, causing him to shut his eyes tightly.

Light leaked in through the corners of his eyelids, and Benson slowly opened them, no longer feeling the gale force of air buffeting him. He didn't remember crossing the threshold, but even still, he found himself in a brightly lit vestibule, his feet cushioned by a luxuriously plush red carpet. A wide grin stretched across his face now, as he bounded the flight of marble steps before him and onward into the room beyond.

Any nervous edge in his body had been replaced with pure elation, as he sprinted through the massive lobby space before him. The memories he had doubted and questioned found vindication, the welcoming tranquility of this place washing away his anxieties. Past the tropical topiary now. His energy carried him weightlessly, with a single purpose, to the tall counter at the far end of the room.

A swish of lavender-violet caught his vision, as the figure seated behind the desk surged upright. "...Mr. Lachlan!?" a sweet, melodious voice called out to him tenuously.

He raised a hand to casually wave, his giddy grin subsiding into a warm and friendly smile. He suddenly paused halfway through the action, when in the span of a blink, the figure had completely vanished from his field of vision.

He barely had the time to scan the room in puzzlement, however, when he felt a weight crash into his chest, knocking the wind out of him. Thin arms tentatively reached around his torso, before pulling him into a surprisingly firm embrace. The heat rose in his cheeks as he appreciated the soft, pillowy bosom of the young lady crushed against his abdomen.

Benson looked down, to see the silky, vibrantly-colored tresses of the girl, who had her face buried against his chest. Startled by the unexpectedly intimate display of affection, his hands still hovered uselessly above her shoulders, unsure of how to reciprocate.

Her face turned upwards, to gaze directly into his eyes, revealing to him the beaded tears of happiness that had welled up in the corners of her eyes.

An inexplicable movement suddenly caught at the edges of his own vision. A long, thin black tail that swished back and forth, lazily, happily. Small, leathery, bat-like wings sprouting from between naked shoulder blades, stretched wide with vibrant pink membranes, that shuddered to life. Dark, jagged, obsidian horns that protruding violently above pale, pointed ears. Sparkling amber eyes that faintly glowed with their own internal luminescence. Extended, razor-sharp looking canine teeth gleamed against a shining pearl smile.

Every single one of Benson's base instincts flared to life, screaming at him to heed impending danger, mingling with the sudden onrush of the memories of similar feelings from the week before.

But his body remained motionless, transfixed in this very moment, as he could only feel the tenderness in her passionate hug. Lavender/lilac perfume filled his senses and quelled any turbulent thoughts that tried to burst their way through the surface.

Her body weight shifted, releasing her great bear hug from his ribcage, as she gently, hesitantly pushed herself away from him. He could only watch worldlessly, as she stepped back a few paces back, now, while delicately brushing the teardrops from her eyes. She tugged strategically at her scant outfit, smoothing out wrinkles as she returned to her familiar professional demeanor. She tipped her head toward him in a humble bow, before returning to a prim, upright posture to regard him openly.

"Welcome back!" Her honey-and-sunshine voice filled his ears and warmed his soul. He gazed deeply into brilliant topaz jewels, and found only kindness. Behind pointed fangs lay only the most dazzling, broadest, and genuinely welcoming smile he had ever been offered.