Aspen Ski Resort isn't too far from downtown Denver, only about a one or two-hour drive.
It was a close call, almost losing the hotel room Roy had booked.
Luckily, Roy managed to get the real estate agent's phone number at the rental car place.
Well, generally, people who rent cars are tourists from out of town, so rental car companies have connections with many tourism-related businesses.
Christmas Eve was just two days away, and all the tourist hotspots were fully booked. It would be impossible to book a hotel room now. They could only check if there were any vacant vacation rentals, which would likely be more expensive.
"Hello, this is Williams Property Rentals."
"Hi, I'd like to rent a vacation home near Aspen Ski Resort. Do you have any available?"
"Ah, sir, you've come to the right place! At this time, Williams Property Rentals is the only company in Aspen with vacation rentals still available!"
Roy ignored the self-praise and got straight to the point.
"I need a medium-sized vacation home right now, and I need to check in within two hours. Can you make that happen?"
"Please wait a moment. I'll check the property information right away. I'll have an answer for you shortly."
While Roy waited, he kept an eye on Heather, making sure she wasn't ambushed by Sadako.
Thankfully, Heather just seemed a bit dazed, probably from lack of sleep or the cursed videotape.
Thinking about it, in *The Ring*, it seemed like people who watched the cursed videotape all died on the seventh day. That's why the movie also has another name: *Ring*.
It seems they were safe for the time being, though Heather might get a few scares in the next few days.
The person on the phone came back.
"Sir, are you still there?"
"Yes, I'm listening."
"I just checked, and vacation rentals are very tight this year. There's only one small Japanese-style vacation home left. It's only $100 a day. Would you like to rent it?"
Roy frowned. Putting aside the fact that there would be a Japanese-style vacation home in Aspen, wasn't that rental fee a bit too cheap?
During this peak tourist season, hotel prices were skyrocketing. A standard double room would start at $200, and vacation rentals should be even more expensive than regular hotels.
Unless, there was something wrong with the house!
"Is there something wrong with this vacation home?"
There was a moment of silence on the other end of the phone before the person hesitantly answered Roy.
"Well... there were some unfortunate incidents at this vacation home some time ago, but it has been cleaned up now and won't affect your stay."
That confirmed it. This vacation home was probably a haunted house, which was why the rent was so low.
Roy hesitated for a moment. While he didn't really care if it was a haunted house, he was worried Heather might overthink it.
But there were really no other vacation rentals available right now.
After thinking for a while, Roy decided to rent the house anyway.
"I'll take the vacation home, but I have one condition. If you agree, we can sign the contract right now!"
"Please tell me."
Roy stated his condition.
"This will require an additional fee. It includes some equipment costs and labor costs."
"$1000. If you get this done for me, I'll pay you another $1000."
"Absolutely no problem! Sir, call me again after you arrive at Snowmass in Aspen. I'm here right now and will get everything done for you immediately!"
"I'll be there in two hours."
Roy hung up the phone, letting out a sigh of relief. He had finally prepared the little surprise.
"Heather, we can go now."
"Ah! Roy, you startled me! Is everything done?"
Heather seemed a bit jumpy.
"Of course! Heather, you don't look too well?"
Roy gently stroked Heather's hair.
"I probably didn't sleep well last night. I feel dizzy now, and I keep feeling like someone's watching me."
"Ha! Heather, you're so beautiful, isn't it normal for someone to secretly look at you? Alright, let's go to Aspen now. It's still a two-hour drive, so you can take a nap."
"Okay."
Just as Roy was driving towards Aspen, a special guest arrived in the distant town of Waterfall.
"Is this the place?"
Because Christmas Eve was approaching, there weren't many residents in Waterfall. Many families, like the Blakes and the Lesnickis, had gone on vacation for the Christmas holidays.
Waterfall had lost its usual liveliness. Only the faint smoke rising from some chimneys indicated that the town was still inhabited.
A nun with the face of an angel and the figure of a devil walked along the snowy town roads. Unfortunately, there were no pedestrians on the road to witness this beautiful sight.
The nun closed her eyes and sensed for a moment, but didn't detect what she was looking for.
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"I can indeed sense a faint aura of hell, but I can't pinpoint the source. Has it already left?"
While frowning in thought, a black sedan sped past, and the nun stepped aside.
Watching the snowstorm stirred up by the departing car, the nun murmured to herself again.
"Isabella, I haven't tracked down that demon. I need to hibernate for a while now. I'm handing over control of the body to you. Call my name if anything happens."
As soon as she finished speaking, the nun's demeanor underwent a huge change.
If the nun had previously resembled a resolute warrior, she now became a normal woman, and even the sound of her voice softened.
"Okay, my Lady."
Even during Christmas, some industries don't completely shut down. Someone has to be on duty to maintain basic social needs.
Like hospitals and police stations.
Today, there were only two police officers on duty at the police station, one of whom was Chief Hughes.
Chief Hughes had been recovering from his injuries for some time and had only started feeling better a few days ago.
Feeling like he was rusting away at home, Chief Hughes had volunteered to return to the police station for duty during the Christmas holidays.
His superiors approved his request, so he was sitting in the police station, drinking coffee and listening to the radio.
At this moment, a black sedan pulled up in front of the police station. A beautiful woman with chocolate skin got out of the car, followed by two men in black.
The three of them looked very much like the secret agent figures often seen in movies.
"Who's in charge of the police station?"
"I am. And you are?"
The three approached Chief Hughes.
"FEA, the Federal Emergency Agency. We're here to inquire about the Amboras town case that was reported here a few days ago."
"The Federal Emergency Agency? I haven't heard of this department."
Chief Hughes was still cautious and wouldn't believe everything people told him.
"Just a moment, a call will be coming to the police station shortly."
No sooner had the chocolate-skinned woman finished speaking than the phone on Hughes' desk rang.
"Hello, Waterfall Police Department... Yes! Okay! I understand!"
Hughes hung up the phone and looked at the two men in black.
"Can you cooperate with our work now?"
"Of course."
(End of this chapter)