CHAPTER 241: CHAPTER 241: THE EERIE KNOCKING

"Two rooms. Look and see which one you like?" Landon Sutton said as he swiped open the cards to the two adjacent rooms after they went upstairs, asking her.

Shannon Quinn looked at both rooms and they both looked cozy and comforting. But one had a mountain view, and the other had a view of water.

"This one." She chose the room with both mountain and water views.

"Alright, keep the room card with you and don’t lose it."

Shannon Quinn reached out and took it before heading straight into the room.

"Once you finish your shower, come over to find me. Let’s go get some dinner."

"Got it."

She shut the door and immediately ran to the window, gazing at the moonlight reflected on the water’s surface in the night. She took a deep breath, feeling like all the bumps of today were worth it.

Only, she regretted forgetting to bring her drawing board.

"Dingdong——"

Her phone rang in the bag. She immediately went to the window to get her phone out and check the messages.

A bizarre message from Landon Sutton popped up on her WeChat: By the way, are you afraid of ghosts?

Seeing the message made the hair on Shannon Quinn’s back stand up. She looked around the room. The lighting was ample, and there were plenty of people in the lodge, not to mention other lodges nearby. She reassured herself before replying: "What?"

Landon Sutton: Nothing, just heard that this lodge has some strange tales. Though it’s one of the unique features here, I thought you might get scared if anything peculiar happens, so I wanted to let you know beforehand.

Shannon Quinn seized the chance to mock him: "You’re superstitious, huh? Actually believe in these things?"

Landon Sutton: If anything happens, come find me. I’m right across.

Shannon Quinn didn’t take this seriously. She grabbed an outer-wearable nightgown from her suitcase and headed to the bathroom.

Evenings in the mountains could be chilly, and the warm shower felt comfortable.

There was a bathtub beside her, but she dared not use the lodge’s bathtub and instead spent a little longer under the shower.

With only the sound of water cascading in her ears, she faintly heard what seemed like knocking as she was almost done showering.

The knocking was sporadic and unclear to her, so she turned off the tap.

Everything fell silent in her ears, and the knocking ceased as well.

Assuming she misheard or perhaps someone was knocking on another door, she was ready to resume showering when the knocking began again, audibly this time.

And the knocking was odd in its rhythm—a distinct interval with three knocks.

She could tell it was knocking on her door.

"Who is it?" She shouted towards the door.

Due to the soundproofing of the bathroom’s glass door, perhaps the person outside didn’t hear her, as there was no response.

But typically, if someone knocked and received no response, they would call out the name from outside, right?

No response came as the knocking faded again.

After a few seconds of silence filled the air, Shannon Quinn recalled Landon Sutton’s earlier message, feeling a bit uneasy.

No longer daring to indulge in the comfortable shower, she quickly dried off, put on her clothes, and stepped out.

Sitting on the bed, drying her hair with a towel, there came another knock.

"Dong—Dong—Dong—"

Just like before!

Same rhythm, same three knocks.

"Landon Sutton?!" Shannon Quinn shouted towards the door, but there was no reply.

The eerie knocking made her skin crawl, and she sat quietly by the bedside, the knocking vanishing once more.

Standing consciously, she made her way to the door, lifted the cover of the peephole, and looked out into the empty corridor, devoid of any person.

Was there truly something strange happening?

Just as she was about to turn back, the door was knocked again, freezing Shannon Quinn in place.

But this time, the knocking was normal. Then came a familiar voice: "Shannon, are you done?"

Hearing that voice, Shannon Quinn instantly returned to the door and opened it, saying as soon as she saw him, "Someone was knocking on my door earlier."

"That was me knocking."

"No, it was before you came. The knocking was odd!" She knocked on the door, imitating the sounds she’d heard before, and said, "Knocking like this. Who knocks this way? No one spoke, and when I looked out the peephole, no one was there!"

Landon Sutton raised an eyebrow in surprise, saying, "Could it truly be that weird?"

"What kind of lodge did you choose? Why is it so strange?"

Landon Sutton, sensing her anxiety, chuckled and said, "Weren’t you skeptical about all this a moment ago?"

"I... I’m worried it could be something nefarious!"

"Alright then, maybe it was the hotel’s staff. Perhaps they have a specific knocking pattern, and maybe their voices were soft, which is why you didn’t hear. And, seeing no one opened the door, they just left."

Shannon Quinn frowned in perplexity but found Landon Sutton’s explanation to be somewhat reasonable.

"Dry your hair first; your clothes are all wet."

Shannon Quinn took a few steps back into the room, still uneasy, and turned back, saying, "Stay at the door while I do it, I’m almost done."

Landon Sutton nodded and waited by the door.

Seeing her become frightened meant his strategy worked.

After dinner downstairs, the lounge area on the first floor was quite lively, and the bustling atmosphere eased Shannon Quinn’s tension a bit, gradually making her forget the peculiar knocking.

After dining, Landon Sutton asked if she wanted to take a walk. Shannon Quinn saw the time was already ten o’clock; she felt quite alert after her afternoon nap but knowing he hadn’t rested much, she suggested, "It’s so late and dark. Let’s go out tomorrow instead."

Landon Sutton agreed with her suggestion, worried she might be too tired from the journey.

They went upstairs, and he walked her to her room. Shannon Quinn seemed concerned but couldn’t bring herself to admit she was scared.

"Good night."

"Good night," she absent-mindedly replied.

After closing the door, she had no interest in admiring the night view outside and turned on all the room lights before hopping into bed.

Unsure if it was her lingering fear or her excessive napping that day, she felt no sleepiness.

So she took out her phone to scroll through WeChat Moments and Weibo, eventually finding a variety show to watch.

The lighthearted and funny show gradually made Shannon Quinn forget her inner terror, occasionally laughing alone in her room at the content.

"Dong—Dong—Dong—"

The sound echoed again, halting her laughter and bringing her heart to her throat.

She turned down the phone’s volume, listening carefully, when the knocking repeated.

Curious yet scared, she wondered if the knocking was from a human or a ghost.

She wanted to check the door but feared that, when she peered through the peephole, another eye might be staring back at her from outside.

Her mind flooded with horror scenes and ghost story fragments, accelerating her heartbeat.

After sitting quietly on the bed for two minutes, the silence returned outside, but Shannon Quinn dared not sleep.

Approaching midnight, the surroundings fell eerily quiet.

She pulled up Landon Sutton’s phone number, hesitated multiple times, and, driven by her inner fear, dialed the number...