The Motel

I’ve lost track of time, I observe nervously, as the Buick screeches down the desolate road. It’s near midnight, and there’s no place in sight that I can stop. 

“Why?” I mutter to myself. “You should have stopped earlier, but it’s always ‘one more mile, one more street!’ Now I’ll probably have to sleep in the car!” 

The only response is the gentle wind out my window. I’m the only person on the street in the nearly-abandoned town. I edge the car down the road, wincing at every pothole and bump in the road. Who’s in charge of maintaining this road? I think bitterly. Whoever it is, I hope they got fired. 

And this eerie silence is piercing my ears, making me unsettled. I drum nervously on the wheel as the car inches along, driving the speed limit even though there’s no one in sight. 

Then a light catches my eye. It’s a sign, flickering pitifully, its bright green cracked and half the letters missing. V CA T. A vacant hotel. 

I turn into the parking lot. A singular car stands proud, the blue paint peeling to reveal a jet black underneath. The license plate is missing. “Hmm.” 

The back of my neck prickles tensely, and I turn slowly. But there’s no one in sight. 

“You’re being silly,” I murmur to myself, and although the words don’t need to be spoken aloud, they bring me comfort. It’s nice to hear noise. 

As I pace towards the hotel entrance, I realize just why the sound sounds so sweet. I can’t hear anything. The air is not just devoid of human chatter and the rumble of passing cards, but not a single bird is singing, and even in the dead of night, no crickets are chirping. The still air is suffocating me with its silence. I speed up. 

The click of my shoes against the concrete echoes around me as I make my way to the door. I pull it open and there is the jingle of a bell. The noise helps me feel that I’m not going insane. 

I squint in the dim lighting, and inhale a musky scent. It smells like something died and crawled into the vent. Maybe I should turn back, but I think of the eerie street and shudder. Any shelter is better than none, right? 

There’s heavy footsteps and a man enters the room. He’s young and muscular, and the keys around his belt jangle when he walks. But what catches my eye is the huge, feathered masquerade mask covering his face. 

“Hi,” he greets me, his voice raspy and low. “Welcome to the, um, the hotel. It’s thirty dollars for the night.” 

I tear my eyes away from his face, staring instead at his hands. “Right.” Then I notice the long scars up his arms. I glance away from him, pulling out my wallet. “Is cash all right?” I stare intently at a small crack in the wall. Wait- is there something in there?

“Perfect,” the man replies, making me jump. Then he chuckles. “Don’t worry about the mask, it’s an, um, insurance policy.” 

I hesitate. 

He holds out his hand for payment, and I shake my head. “Right.” I stick the wad of cash into his scarred fingers. 

He smirks beneath his mask. “Let me show you to your room.” 

He leads me outside and down the rows of rooms, all detached from each other. “Did you start this hotel?” I ask casually, trying to mask my terror like he masked his face. 

“Yep,” he replies. “I like it. It’s so… quiet.” I’m about to agree when he adds, “The nearest police station is more than twenty miles away.” 

“Uh- huh,” I reply, my eyes widening in terror. 

“Well, this is yours,” he declares, stopping at a room. “Make yourself at home.” 

 “Right. Why not any of the other rooms?” I wonder. There’s several rooms behind us and in front of us, but there doesn’t seem to be anyone occupying any of them. “Why this one?” 

His gaze hardens. “Don’t ask about the other rooms. Never attempt to break into the other rooms. Don’t even think about it. Got it?” 

I meet his gaze and give him a small nod. 

“All right.” He opens the door, and I edge in. Before he leaves, he turns to me. “If you hear sirens, uh, don’t worry. Just run.” He closes the door and it locks with a click. 

I stare after him, chills creeping up my arms. Maybe no hotel is better than this one. I reach for the door, then pause. I’m being silly. 

“You’re overreacting,” I murmur. “You’re fine.” What are the odds that the one hotel I choose is the wrong one? It’s not like these things are common occurrences. 

The howl of sirens makes me jump. 

“I’m out of here!” I jiggle the handle furiously, but the door is stuck. I push harder and the handle comes off in my hand. 

The sirens grow louder, and then there’s a man’s voice through a megaphone, though I can’t tell what he’s saying. Is that the roar of a helicopter, interrupting the endless silence? 

I ram into the door with my shoulder, but it doesn’t budge. I stare helplessly around the room. “What I would give for a chainsaw!” 

The window is propped open, and my mind is reeling. I hurl myself through the window, barely squeezing out, tugging my bag behind me. 

The night air chills me to the bone, but I don’t hesitate to start sprinting down the dark road. The howl of sirens fuel my rapid footsteps, and I throw a glance behind me at my room, watching it fade into the distance. I run past room after room on my way to the parking lot. 

“Where are you going?” 

I screech and halt, almost crashing into the owner. He stared at me through his masked face. 

“Uh, nowhere!” I gasp hurriedly. 

“You shouldn’t be wandering around this late,” he warns me. “There are bad characters around.” 

“Um, right.” I glance around. “I…” 

“Are you lost? I can show you back to your room.” 

“No, that’s all right,” I gasp. “I just need to…” 

I bolt past him before finishing my sentence. There’s a pause, then footsteps start up behind me. I yelp and run faster, as the sirens fade into the distance. 

I leap into my car as I arrive in the parking lot, willing it to move faster as it backs out of the space with agonizing sluggishness. I glance at the rearview mirror…

The owner is standing right behind the car. 

I slam down on the breaks, then veer the other way as fast as possible. The car screeches in protest, but quickly picks up speed. I’m almost out of the lot. 

“Ack!” I slam down on brakes to avoid running over the owner, who’s appeared right in front of me. I wince and close my eyes. This is it…

“Here.” He holds out something, and I roll down my window. It’s the cash I gave to him earlier. “You paid for the night. You didn’t stay for the night.” 

I stare at it for a moment, then gingerly reach out and take it. “Th-thanks,” I stammer, staring at him in astonishment. 

“Take care” is all he says. I nod and start to roll up the window, but right before it closes completely I hear “Lots of unsightly creatures out on the streets. No one is safe.” 

Unsettled, I back out of the parking space, and turn onto the main road. I glance back a few times, then turn the radio all the way up and blast my classic rock tunes. And the entire drive, I’m trying to ignore the blue car behind me, its paint peeling and its license plate ripped off. 

You’re being silly.