PHOTOBOMBED: Part IV

A serialized thriller! Will Jack reach Karina in time? Or will there be nothing left to save?

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For PHOTOBOMBED: Part I, click here.

For PHOTOBOMBED: Part II, click here.

For PHOTOBOMBED: Part III, click here.

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There wasn’t much blood on the pale kitchen tile—just a dribble here and there—but one could still decipher a clear trail of red going from the doorway to the back wall. Jack assumed the worst. He rushed screaming into the hotel room.

“Karina! Karina!”

And there she was, propped up like a doll beneath the windowsill, legs straight out in front of her, surrounded by specks of drying blood. Her face looked stiff and pale, like a freshly laundered shirt, and her eyes were puffy. Then he noticed the steak knife in her right hand.

The room was empty otherwise.

He walked over slowly and knelt down in front of her.

“Are you okay?” was the first thing he asked. It felt like a silly question, but it was the only one he could come up with at the moment.

Karina didn’t answer for some time. Finally, she nodded her head.

Jack reached over and hugged her close. Initially, she resisted, but then she succumbed to his warmth and pressed her face into his shoulder. She trembled lightly against him. Once she started to calm down, he eased his hands onto hers and carefully pried the knife from her fingers.

“It’s alright,” Jack cooed, setting the blade behind him. “He’s gone now.”

“It all happened just a few seconds after you left,” Karina said. Her voice sounded tired. “I thought you were coming back to the room for something, but when I didn’t hear the three knocks, I got scared and took the knife from under the pillow.”

Jack brushed a few strands of hair from her forehead and kissed her gently. “I should have never left you alone,” he said, cradling her face in his hands. “I’ll never forgive myself.”

“I still don’t understand how he got in…” she whispered.

“He pretended to be me down at the front desk. They literally gave him a key.”

Karina didn’t say anything. There was no point in blaming the hotel. She knew he would’ve gotten to her anyway.

“Did he try to hurt you?” Jack asked as calmly as he could.

She shook her head again. Her breathing had finally steadied, and the words flowed from her lips unencumbered. “It was all so strange,” she began. “I can’t really explain it. He walked into the room as if he knew me. Then he started talking really fast. He sounded crazy, so I swung the knife to scare him away.”

Jack glanced at the floor. “Is that his blood?”

Karina nodded.

Jack didn’t speak for some time. Finally, he said, “All that matters is you’re safe.”

“But the way he came toward me,” Karina added, “I didn’t get the impression that he wanted to hurt—"

The sharp clap of footsteps echoed through the hall. Moments later, the man from the front desk entered their hotel room, followed by two security guards with their guns holstered but unclipped. The guards stepped in first.

“Is everything okay in here?” one asked.

“Someone broke into our room and attacked my wife,” Jack said, directing his words past the security guard to the man from the front desk. “And I want out of here now. I need you to arrange a car and get us to the airport.”

The man from the front desk stepped forward.

“Mr. Doyle, please accept my deepest apologies. This has never happened before at our resort. Unfortunately, last night’s storm has blocked the main roadways, making travel to and from the hotel—and off the island—impossible.” He glanced down at Karina. “But I have already contacted the local authorities, and I promise to upgrade you and your wife to a luxury suite and provide both of you with round-the-clock security.”

Jack would’ve exploded if Karina hadn’t spoken up first.

“That’s fine,” she slipped in. “We’ll leave tomorrow. But please call right away. I want to catch the guy before we go. He has our home address.”

Three police officers arrived an hour later. They inspected the room and then asked Jack and Karina some questions. Finally, they requested to see the photos. The entire process took about two hours. They said they would write up a report.

After the policemen left, Jack and Karina were escorted to a sprawling suite on the other side of the resort. Karina slept all afternoon. Jack stayed up. This room had electricity, so he watched part of a movie before his eyelids finally drooped closed.

He didn’t know how long he’d been out before Karina shoved him awake.

“What’s the matter?” Jack mumbled, still half asleep.

“I just remembered something about what the guy said—"

“Yeah?” Jack turned and faced her. “What?”

“Unless I was dreaming, I think he told me the island was dangerous and that something was about to happen here.”

“This man sounds insane,” Jack concluded.

Suddenly, Karina appeared uncomfortable. She leaned on her elbow, staring intently at Jack, inspecting his face.

“Karina? Are you good?”

She shook the thought away. “Yeah. Yeah, I’m fine.”

“Did he say anything else?”

She nodded. “He said to ‘watch out.’”

“Watch out?” Jack repeated. He sat upright and leaned back against the headboard. “Watch out for who? For him?”

“No,” Karina said, staring at her new husband. “For you.”

***Thank you, everyone, for joining me on this journey of serialized suspense. If you’re enjoying the series, please Like and Restack! The lives of Karina and Jack depend on it!***