There it was again. That ugly, shrieking sound. But it’d only be for one more day. Just one. Michael Fischer, his arm heavy with sleep, groped for his shrieking alarm clock on the bedside table. He flicked it off with a sigh that filled the silent room.

“One more day,” he thought, “Just one more day.”

Michael, aged twenty seven, lived in New York City in a penthouse apartment with his Jack Russell Terrier, Rocky, and worked as an I.T manager just down the street. He had gone to MIT and graduated with a bachelors, and now he was here. You could say he was pretty successful. Michael loved his work dearly, but at the same time, he could get tired of it. This week was an example of that. The holidays were just around the corner, and Michael just needed to get through today. It was finally Friday. 

After getting out of bed, Michael went through his morning routine, dressed for work, got a bite to eat with a cup of coffee, and then headed down the block. The Manhattan streets were bustling with traffic, and a grey sky shaded hints of snow. Now entering 50 Hudson Yards,  Michael looked over to the receptionist's desk for his buddy Joe, and sure  enough, he was right there. 

“Morning Mike! Any plans for the holiday?” Joe said, sipping a cup of hot chocolate. 

“Not this year Joe,” Michael replied, “Just gonna stay home with the dog this year.”

“Well that doesn’t sound bad,” Joe chuckled, “Heading upstate to my great aunt Nina’s. That woman hasn't seen an ounce of sunlight since the stone age.”

“Sounds wonderful Joe,” Mike smiled.“Safe travels and happy holidays.”

“You too, man.”

Michael made his way to the elevator and hit the up button. Within a second there was a ding, followed by the doors opening. He stepped inside. As the elevator made its way up to the 36th floor, Michael thought about his holiday plans. This would be his first year ever spending them alone. Last year his family had come down from New Hampshire, but this year they were going to Poland. The year before that, his girlfriend Emma had stayed over, but she was far in the past now. Sure he had his dog with him, and Rocky was a great companion, but it would be nice to have some human interaction as well.

Exiting the elevator and entering his office, Michael closed the door, sat down at his chair, and started work. But he couldn’t focus. Just then he heard a knock at his door. 

“Morning Mike, how are you doing?.”

Looking up from his computer, Michael saw his coworker Chris Daniels 

“ Great Chris, just great,” Michael said sarcastically.

Chris laughed. “C’mon Mike, you don’t gotta talk to me like that. Just tryin to be friendly. You ok?”

  “ Well if I’m being honest with you Chris, it's the holidays man. This is gonna be the first year I’m by myself without any people. You know Rocky’s gonna be there and he’s a great pal, but some human interaction would be nice. Know what I’m sayin.” 

“Yeah dude, I get it. Hey, if you want to go somewhere where there are people, you can always come up to my family’s ski resort. You would fit right in. It would be a great time.”

Surprised, Michael smirked, “You sure Chris?”

“Of course Mike. The family would love to meet you. I have an awesome time whenever I go up there.” Chris said.

“Alright then. If you're sure it’s okay, I guess I could tag along for some of the week.”

Chris’s face lit up. “Great, I’ll tell my mom and dad that you're gonna join this year. Trust me, you will have a great time,” he said as he left the room at a trot.

Michael smiled and inside his body, he felt a jolt of excitement. Maybe these holidays weren’t going to be so bad after all.

It was Saturday morning, and Michael was getting ready for the trip. He had his suitcase packed, and he was bringing his skis. Chris was arriving at noon, and the clock read 11:58. It was time to go. Heading down the elevator and out to the busy streets, Michael saw Chris waiting in front of his car, and headed over. 

“Excited buddy?” said Chris, smiling as he saw Michael making his way over.

“Very,” said Michael, “and once again thanks for the invite. How long did you say the drive is?”

Chris shrugged at the idea, “Four to five hours, somewhere around there. It's up in Lake Placid. But the drive is beautiful. The views are amazing.”

This fact cheered Michael up. He didn’t especially like long car rides, but he was just glad that he had somewhere to go rather than staying at home. He got into the car, lay back in his seat and closed his eyes.

Just like that, they were arriving. Opening his eyes, Michael looked at his surroundings and saw the beautiful mountains.

“You awake Mike?” Chris peered into the back seat, “We’re pulling in now.”

Michael saw the sign that said Daniels’ Ski Area. Looking up at the mountains, he saw what looked like a hotel. With the sunlight glistening on it, it looked magnificent.

“That's where we’ll be staying,” Chris grinned.

Michael smiled. “It looks great”

“Wait till you get inside.”

Pulling into the icy parking lot, Chris directed the car into the VIP parking area. Underneath one of the buildings was a garage door that said Daniels Family Parking on it, and as the car got nearer, the door opened. Chris parked the car, turned off the ignition, and let out a sigh.
“We’re here man,” he said excitedly. “Let's go see the family.”

With bag in hand, Michael entered the hotel. It was quite a sight. The ceilings were high, and stuffed heads of deer and moose hung from the walls. The lights were a bit dim, giving the lobby an eerie feeling, and the creak of the wooden floors added to that. Chris led the way to a door that read Authorized Personnel Only. After opening it, they climbed a flight of stairs to the second floor and opened the door. Inside the room sat a man and a woman who seemed to be in the midst of an argument.

“This has to be the year!” the man was saying, “We have waited way too long! Maybe he's the-”

Now noticing the people overhearing their conversation, the man stopped talking and looked over to Michael and Chris. A grin formed on his face.

“Chris,” he said, “How are you?”

“Great dad, and yourself?” responded Chris.

“Not too bad,” Chris’s father changed his view to Michael. “And you must be Chris’s friend. What’s your name again?”

“Michael, Mr. Daniels. Nice to meet you, and thanks again for letting me stay here. The place is lovely,” said Michael, reaching to shake his hand.

“Well it's great to have you Mike,” Chris’s dad shook his hand, “You can call me Mark. This is my wife Mary, and all of us are sure that you are gonna have a great time. Now, for where you are going to stay…”

Mr. Daniels made his way out of the room and led Michael down the hallway and up a flight of stairs, then into a different hallway. As they made their way down it, Mark got a key out of his pocket and handed it to Michael. 

“Make sure you don’t lose this, it's the only one for the room,” he said grinning.

He stopped at room number 117, turned the key and opened the door. Michael entered the room and was amazed. The ceiling, similar to the lobby, was extremely high, and the room was enormous. There were two king sized beds, a couch that sat in front of a tv, and even a Christmas tree, decorated with all sorts of expensive looking ornaments. Now making his way into the bathroom, Michael saw a shower, as well as a sizable bathtub.

“This place is wonderful Mr Daniels,” said Michael, astounded. “Thank you so much.”

Mr Daniels shrugged, “No problem Mike. If you’re gonna be staying with us, we might as well treat you nicely. Just so you know, there is no smoking allowed inside, but I don’t think you’ll need to worry about that.”

“Well Mr. Daniels, I actually do smoke, and I’ve been trying to stop for years now-”

“Yeah you really should try to stop that Mike, it’s a nasty habit.” Mr. Daniels said, cutting Michael off. There was a nasty look on his face. “If you want help qutting, Mary can perform some hypnosis that will clear it away in a heartbeat. Just something for you to think about. Now, for dinner. Come down to the main hall at 7:00, and then we’ll talk about the plan for the days that you’re here. Until then, get comfortable.”

“Alright, see you then.”, Michael responded. 

Mr Daniels closed the door, and Michael relaxed. Just yesterday, he was going to be spending the holidays alone at home, and now he was at a ski resort with his friend’s family, ready to spend the week on the slopes. Sighing, Michael walked out onto the balcony of his room. The snow covered mountains surrounding the hotel were massive, a jaw dropping spectacle. Heading back into the room, Michael lay down on his bed, set an alarm, and took a nap.

The alarm blared and Michael quickly shut it off, getting out of bed. He quickly brushed his teeth, then slipped his shoes on and went out into the hallway. Making his way down the hall, Michael noticed lots of framed photographs on the wall featuring different people. They all seemed to be related to the hotel, as each one of them had a logo on their shirt that read DSR. Michael assumed it stood for Daniels Ski Resort. All the people were smiling in a very odd but distinct way, which Michael found to be a bit creepy

Right then, Michael bumped into someone. It was a woman, who, from her attire, appeared to be a maid. He had walked right into her and knocked her down to the floor.

“Oh my goodness ma’am, I am so sorry.” Michael said, “I wasn’t paying attention. Are you ok?”

The maid, lying motionless, seemed to be stunned. But suddenly, she stood up and smiled oddly.

“It’s not a problem dear! I am sure that it was just an accident! Now hurry along. You better get to supper, or Mr. Daniels won’t be happy,” she said with a stiff grin.

She swiftly walked by Michael and hit the up button on the elevator. The elevator dinged and the doors opened. Before stepping inside, the lady looked at Michael.

“Oh, and dear, make sure that you eat up at supper tonight and tomorrow. Then you’ll really be getting a piece of me. Name’s Rosella. It was nice to meet you.” 

Now stepping inside, Rosella took one last look at Michael and smiled before the doors closed. Unsure of what had just happened, Michael turned and continued walking down the hallway. The way Rosella had smiled after she got up was reminiscent of the smiles of the people on the wall. But he couldn’t worry about that. Rosella had said Mr. Daniels might be unhappy if he got to dinner late, and it was 6:58. Michael hurried down the stairs to the lobby, and made his way into the dining room. 

Mr. and Mrs. Daniels and Chris were already seated at the table. Michael took his place next to Chris.

“How’d you like the room?” Chris asked grinning, “It’s nice isn’t it?”

“Yeah it’s amazing,” Michael responded.“When I walked from the hallway into the room, the ceilings rose maybe 20 feet.”

“Yeah, Dad wanted the VIP section to be similar to the lobby, so we made the ceilings really high. Whenever we have people up here they tend to like them.” Chris said.

“Mike,” Mr. Daniels said, joining in on the conversation, “Good to see you down here. Do you like the room? If you want to go somewhere with a bit of a lower ceiling I would understand,” he chuckled.

“Oh no worries Mr Daniels, everything’s great.” Michael replied.

Mr. Daniels smiled, “That’s great to hear Mike. Now for dinner. Rosemary, could you go get the food please?”

A woman whom Michael hadn’t even noticed, was sitting in a chair in the corner. On command, she stood up.

“Of course, Mr. Daniels, it would be my pleasure!” she said smiling.

“Thank you, dear.”

Michael watched as Rosemary made her way into the kitchen. He noticed how she also had been smiling in that odd way. Two people that he had seen within the last ten minutes had both shown off the same creepy grin. Michael decided not to think about it and shifted his focus to his dinner. 

The kitchen doors opened, and out came Rosemary along with two other people, all of them carrying trays. They placed them on the table and removed the lids, revealing what was inside.

Mr. Daniels clinked his fork on his wine glass. “Before we begin eating this lovely food, I just want to say that it is wonderful to have you here Mike, and we really hope that you enjoy your stay. Now we can eat.”

  Most of the food that Michael ate was very delicious, and he and the family conversed for a very long time. But there was something about the meat they had eaten that didn’t sit well with Michael.

“Mr. Daniels, you never mentioned what type of meat we had for dinner,” Michael said. “ It’s unlike anything I’ve ever eaten. Don’t mind if I say, but it had a bit of an odd taste.”

“Oh the meat. Well, it’s a rare type that we only serve up here, and to be honest, I don’t even know exactly what it is. But my family served it to me as a child, and now I serve it to my family and friends, and everyone seems to like it.” responded Mr. Daniels, looking down at his watch. “Goodness it’s late! Well it would probably be for the best if we all head for bed. We will want to be well rested when we hit the slopes tomorrow.”

Michael and Chris made their way up the stairs and each took their respective paths to get to their rooms. Moving through the lobby, Michael was eager to get some sleep, when he heard a voice. 

“Hey there Mike.” It was Mary, Chris’s mother. Michael hadn’t noticed, but she had left the dinner table early. 

“Hello Mrs. Daniels, I’m getting ready to go to bed.” 

“Not so fast Mike. Sit down in front of the fire, I want to talk.” On the table next to her was a tea cup and a spoon. Michael sat.

“So, I heard from my husband that you have a smoking addiction. Is that true?” Mrs. Daniels picked up the tea cup and spoon.

“Yeah that's true. I’m trying to quit.”

“Really nasty habit.” Mrs. Daniels began to spin the spoon around the rim of the cup. “I can help if you want.”

“That’s ok Mrs. Daniels, I really should be getting to be-” 

Mrs. Daniels cut him off “Mike, just relax, and breathe.”

Michael felt his neck getting itchy and sweat began to trickle down the side of his forehead.

“Your addiction is bad Mike. Why do you think that is?” The spoon was spinning faster.

“I don’t know. I really don’t know,” Michael quickly stated.

Mrs. Daniels continued to spin the spoon. “Do you smoke in front of Chris?”

“I have before. Does that matter?”

Mrs. Daniels chuckled. “That's my kid man, that's my kid. But he is an adult. I don’t control his life. Now what I want you to do is sink into the floor.”

“What do you mean sink into the flo-”

“Sink.”

Michael’s body froze. His senses numbed. He was falling. Falling through the floor. Falling through space. He couldn’t move at all. Mrs. Daniels moved closer to his motionless body.

“Now, you’re in the sunken place. Good night.”

Michael woke up gasping for air. His whole body was drenched in sweat as he tried to remember what had just happened. He was in his hotel room. But he had just been in the lobby. Now it was daylight, but it had just been nightime. He had no idea what was going on. Did he just have a dream? Or was what happened actually reality? Hopping out of bed, Michael walked into the hallway and made his way hurriedly to the lobby. Chris was sitting in front of the fireplace reading the newspaper.

“Morning Mike,” Chris said, as he saw Michael approaching, “Get good sleep?”

“Chris man, I think your Mom did some hypnosis type sh*t on me last night” Michael said as he approached.

Chris raised his eyebrows. “Well, did you ask her to? Because if you didn’t then she definitely wouldn’t have done anything. I know my Mom, she respects other people’s decisions.”

“All I know is that something happened that was crazy as crap,  and now I have no desire to touch any cigarette.”

Chris laughed, “Well then whatever happened seems to have worked. Come on man, forget about it. Let's just enjoy today. And I seriously doubt she would’ve done anything if you didn’t ask her.”

Michael agreed with Chris that he should just move on, because quitting was a big step in the right direction for him. But something about the whole experience felt a bit off. Still, he trusted Chris that everything was alright.

After eating breakfast and getting changed, Michael was ready to go skiing. It was a bright sunny day, and the mountain was bustling with people. Michael and Chris made their way out to Daniel’s Peak where they took the chairlift up the mountain. As the chairlift continued its ascent, Chris took off his goggles.

“Wow, it is great to be back here,” he said looking around. “I have so many great memories of this place. So Mike, since you haven’t skied in a while, you can start off on Puff. It’s an easy trail, but it'll help you get the feel back, and then you can come do the Diamond trails with me. Call my phone if you need anything. You can get off here.” He gestured to the upcoming chairlift dropoff. 

“Alright, see you at the bottom” Michael dismounted and made his way to the beginning of the trail. Trying to get the feel of his skis, he made a few turns across the trail and then headed out. The wind rushed by Michael’s face as he continued to pick up speed and he was starting to pick up the feeling again. Then as he made a turn, he saw a skier who was maybe 30 yards in front of him. The skier was going a lot slower than Michael was, so he manevuvered his way around him. As he passed, he quickly turned around to see what the man looked like. What he saw was unsettling. The man wasn’t wearing goggles or a ski mask, just a helmet.

And he was smiling.

The same way that Rosella and Rosemary had smiled, and the same way all the people in the photographs smiled. Michael swiftly turned around and continued down the mountain.

“Why do all of these people smile like that,” he thought to himself. “What is up with this place?”

As he got closer to the bottom of the mountain, the Puff trail combined with another easy trail called Tornado. There were a lot of skiers around the area so Michael was careful when he merged. A lot of people were skiing at a similar speed to the man Michael had just seen. Michael, who wanted to go faster, once again tried to pass them. When he did, he looked back at the people he had passed, and he saw it again. Five people were all without goggles and masks, and they were all flashing the same creepy smile. 

Now Michael was panicking. At the end of the trail, rather than head back to the chairlift, he went to the lodge. Grabbing his phone, Michael dialed Chris’s number. When Chris picked up the phone, Michael was speaking very rapidly with fear in his voice.

“Chris, I don’t know what's happening, but I’ve been seeing weird sh*t since I got here and bro I just need you to come down here right now man”

“Calm down Mike, I’m coming down right now,” Chris responded, trying to soothe his friend.

When Chris reached the lodge, Michael was sitting down, staring at the ground trembling.

“Mike, are you alright man?” Chris had a concerned look on his face. “You look terrible. What happened up there?”

“It’s not just what happened up there Chris,” Michael said looking up from the floor. “It's what's been happening since we arrived. Everyone has been smiling at me in a creepy way, we’re eating strange food that no one has a name for, and last night I had this strange experience. I don’t even know if it was a dream or reality.”

Chris thought to himself. “Well, if it’s really that bad, I could drive you home tonight if you want.”

Michael exhaled, “Honestly Chris, I think that would be for the best. Something about this place just hasn’t  clicked with me. It’s nothing to do with you. I just sometimes react to new places like this.”
“Totally understand dude. It’s ok,” Chris said, “I can just make something up to mom and dad. But if you don’t mind, I do want to stay for dinner, which will be around 5:30 today.”

“That's fine Chris. Thank you for understanding.”

“Of course Mike, I always got you.”

Back in his room, Michael packed his bag. At 5:25, he left his room to go down to dinner. As he made his way into the dining room, Chris and his parents were all sitting down. They were already eating.

“Mike,” Mr. Daniels called as he saw Michael entering the room, “Thanks for joining us! How’s your day been?” 

“It was ok Mr Daniels,” Micahel responded, “Thanks for asking. What's that you're eating?”

“Rosel- excuse me.” Mr Daniels coughed. “It's the same type that we had last night”

“Oh ok,” Michael said. Then he realized what Mr Daniels just said. “Wait, what did you just s-”

“Well, if you are ready to eat, serve yourself” Mr Daniels said interrupting Michael.

“Sorry, I need to go upstairs for a minute.” Michael stood up, “I’ll be back down in a minute. Chris, could I talk to you for a second?”

Chris looked confused, and walked over to Michael who was now outside the room. “What’s up Mike?”

“I think we should go. Like right now. Somethings up, and I’m ready to go.”

“If you really want to, that’s ok. I’ll tell my parents. Just go grab your bags and then meet me in the lobby.”

Without a second thought, Michael ran up to his room, and grabbed his bags. 

“Finally getting out of this place,” he thought to himself.

He took one last look at the room and closed the door, heading back down the hallway. When he reached the lobby, he saw Chris standing there. Accompanying him were his parents. Mr. Daniels stepped forward.

“Why are you leaving so early Mike?”

Chris stepped in, “Dad, I already told you, Mike is feeling homesick, and wants to go see his dog.”

“Ok Chris, quiet down. I want to hear it from Mike himself.”

Mike laughed nervously, “It’s true Mr. Daniels, everything Chris said is correct. It's nothing about you guys or this place, I just need to get home.”

“Well Mike,” Mrs. Daniels took the stage, “Are you really sure that you need to go home.” On the table next to her in the same spot as last night was the tea cup and spoon. She didn’t seem to be paying much attention to it.

“Um yes Mrs. Daniels,” Michael said, “I’m sure. Chris, you have the car keys?”

Chris patted his pockets. “Yeah Mike they should be in one of my pockets.”

“WELL COULD YOU PLEASE HURRY UP!” Michael roared, completely losing his patience.

Chris looked at Michael, shocked that he had just changed his tone so suddenly. But then his face changed. From shock. To smile. The same smile that Michael had seen all weekend. He reached into his jacket pocket and pulled out the keys, jangling them in front of Michael’s face.

“You know I can’t give you the keys right man?” he said, laughing. 

Michael was shocked. Chris had just turned on him. And now Chris and his parents were closing in on him.

“Alright,” Michael said, “If that's how it's gonna be.”

He lunged at Mr. Daniels, punching him square in the face. And then he turned on Chris, punching him as well.

“Sink.” It was Mrs. Daniels, with her cup and spoon in hand.
Michael froze. Falling through the floor, he was back in the sunken place. No way to move. No way out. Just frozen. Chris, whose nose was bloody, looked over at Micahel’s motionless body. 

“Sorry Mikey boy,” he said, laughing with an ugly grin. “You were a good guy. Sucks it had to come to this. But you know, I think that you’ll look great in a DSR uniform. And when the time comes and I see you on the dinner table, I think that I’ll try your hands first. They look pretty good.”

And then everything went black.