"See your body tremble with the blood on fire

'Cause the season in my veins

Will end your world."

- Soul on Fire, Danzig

()()()

The man was one of the biggest the Hotel Cortez had ever seen, both tall and wide. He took up entire hallways when he walked through them, glancing over each individual detail as The Countess trailed behind him, dressed in a conservative black pantsuit.

The hotel was up for yearly inspection - a hundred years of history put into the hands of this rotund elephant man. Elizabeth shivered at the thought.

The entire hotel had been cleaning for weeks in preparation for this visit. She and Donovon hadn't killed in the last week alone, too nervous about what the inspector might find, and they were starving. Because of that, Elizabeth's temper was already short, she wanted this inspection to be over like all the rest of them were, since they started inspecting hotels and buildings to meet qualifications.

She waited for him to find something he didn't like - some chair out of place or bed with a wrinkle in the comforter. She waited for him to complain about a staff member - Liz's sexuality or Iris' brevity. She waited for him to make any movement to shut her down, to bring apart this hotel that trapped her here.

Finally, in room 64, he stops. He stops and sits on the bed so harshly that it creaks louder than Elizabeth has ever heard it creak before. He tests it out, bouncing and listening to its' cries, before standing back up.

"Miss Johnson, when is the last time you got new mattresses?"

Elizabeth raised an eyebrow.

"My cleaning staff took care of it," She waved her hand dismissively. "if they're not up to par, I can order new ones."

"This cleaning staff, may I see them?"

Elizabeth froze. Ms. Evers was their cleaning staff...and Ms. Evers was a ghost.

"They've recently quit, I'm afraid." Elizabeth sighed, trying to look distressed. "The Hotel Cortez has only ever had one maid, and she's had to return to her home country just prior to your visit."

"However, you've continued operating the hotel, Miss Johnson, despite not having a single maid?" He said, scribbling down words into a tiny notepad. "I must admit, however, that you've done a good job of it. The hotel does seem up to standard - except for the mattresses, of course."

"Thank you, Mr. Wilson. I've taken over most of her duties myself, but the rest of the staff has been a major assistance as well."

"But, Miss Johnson, hotels must have a cleaning staff - even if that staff only consists of one person. You can't do the job on your own, you'll have to hire someone."

"Hire someone?" Elizabeth sputtered, trying to remain eloquent.

"Yes, hire a cleaning lady presently, or else I'll have to write you up and have you temporarily shut down, Miss Johnson. There are plenty of ads in the newspaper, or online, for you to chose from - but I know someone who would be perfect for the job."

Elizabeth's stomach churned, both in anger and from lack of substance. She found herself licking at her lips, her eyes darting over this man, searching for his pulse.

Where would she cut him, if the opportunity presented itself?

Instead, he just kept talking.

"My stepdaughter, Miss Johnson, used to work for Molly Maids. She had a little issue there and was removed from the team. Since, she's had to move back home, upsetting both her mother and me, and we both agree we want her back out of the house. This is a live-in position, is it not?" Elizabeth found herself nodding. "Good, I'll give her your address and she'll report here tomorrow morning for an interview and, if you'll have her, an overview of her duties."

The bed gave a sigh of relief as he rose from it, shaking Elizabeth's hand and ripping the piece of paper out of his notepad. He threw it in the trash as he walked out of the room.

"I believe I can show myself out, Miss Johnson."

Elizabeth shook her head - she should've eaten him.

()()()

"So we're getting a new maid, a living one, just like that?" Iris shook her head, glancing at Liz. "This is insane."

"What could she do, Iris? It was that or let the hotel be closed down." Liz shrugged, taking a sip of her margarita. "Overall, I think we got lucky. If it had been a different inspector, we'd all have been out on the street."

"The hotel has never had a member of staff who didn't know about the ghosts, about the countess..."

"Oh hush, Iris." Liz waved a hand. "You worry too much. We'll all be fine, honestly. The girl won't know, and we'll keep it that way for as long as we can."

"The second she finds out, she's going to expose us." Iris crossed her arms, turning and looking towards the empty lobby.

"You can't say that," Liz rolled her eyes. "You haven't even met the girl yet."

"Neither have you."

"I'm optimistic," Liz smiled. "I have a good feeling about this one.