Staring Back at Me

Gravel gray clouds filled the once crisp clear blue sky. Rain cascades from the confident sky, striking the Earth with such a powerful force that I stand paralyzed for a few seconds. As I stare out the window, I focus on two raindrops racing against each other. If the left one wins, I’m not a loser, I thought. 

“April, I’ll pay you 100 dollars if you stay the night,” Daniel joked, snapping me out of my trance. 

“Where?” I asked curiously.  

“The old hotel on the corner of Woods and Pine Street. Legend has it that no kid has ever come out alive.” Brittany responded eerily. 

My blue eyes lit up into an icy haze and my cheeks turned a rosy-red. I was known as the “loser” of my friend group; when everyone went to parties, I was stuck in my room doing homework. But tonight I was determined to change my title. “Actually, I will” I said matter-of-factly. If someone saw the look on my friends’ faces, they would think they had just been told the world was ending. 

The torrential rain slowed to an almost immediate stop. 

“Can I stay the night at Brittany’s house,” I lied to my mom

“Of course! She’s such a sweet young girl,” my mom said, happy to know that I actually had friends. I skipped down the hallway and into my obnoxiously-pink room. Digging deep into my drawer of underwear, I found my wallet and pulled out two twenty dollar bills-all of my birthday money. I threw some clothes and the money in a bag and walked over to Brittany’s house. 

“Wow, you actually showed up! I’m surprised,” Brittany laughed when she opened her front door. 

“Yeah,” I responded quietly, doubting my decision more than ever. She led me over to her car and we jumped in the back seats. The nauseating smell of gasoline and old socks filled my lungs and I started coughing. 

“Woah! Are you okay?” Brittany asked semi-concerned. 

“Yeah, I’m just a little nervous I guess” I said anxiously. 

“It’s fine, it’s just a hotel. What’s the worst that can happen?” Brittany asked nonchalantly. I stayed silent for the rest of the car ride, my heart skipping a beat every so often. 

As we arrived at the hotel, a rush of adrenaline washed over me. After all, the hotel didn’t look as scary as I thought it would. 

“Good luck!” Brittany yelled when I got out of the car, almost in a mockery tone of voice. 

“Thanks,” I said. 

I stood for a moment, the halloween night’s cool breeze blowing the hair out of my face as I watched Brittany drive off into the distance. I looked up to see the massive hotel towering above me and suddenly I felt very small. The exterior was painted a musty purple-the same color as the old grapes currently rotting away in my fridge. The shutters flapped in the wind and I swear I could hear a scream from inside. Breathe, it will all be fine, I told myself reassuringly. I took a deep breath, held my head up high, and walked inside. 

 I was in a dimly-lit foyer that smelled exactly like my grandmother’s living room. To my left was a few couches that looked like they were found straight off of the street. I walked to the right to find what I thought was a check-in desk. The only thing on the desk was a small bell. 

Ring. Ring. Ring.

I had rung the bell so many times that my fingers were starting to hurt. Finally after two more minutes of nervous ringing, a woman approached me. Her dark brown hair was swept neatly into a bun and her uniform-a bright blue dress-was freshly ironed. She seemed oddly out of place. 

She monotonously asked, “Room for one?”

“Yes,” I answered.

“That will be twenty dollars,” she said. I handed her the money and in return, she gave me a giant rusty key that looked as old as the hotel. “Down the hallway, take a left and it’s the first door on your right,” she instructed. I nodded and followed her directions. Walking down the narrow hallway, I couldn’t shake off the feeling that someone was watching me.

Finally, I arrived at my room only to find that there was no keyhole to the door. I pushed on the door, my weight causing it to creak open. The room before me was small, dark, and cluttered with stained furniture. As I put my bag down, I noticed a keyhole in one of the chests. I jiggled the key around in it and to my surprise it unlocked. A once-hidden door appeared behind it. The door seemed to be just big enough for me to crawl into it. Gripping my phone flashlight in my mouth, I crouched into the dark hole. 

I stepped onto the hard tiles beneath me. A frigid gust of wind frightened me as my eyes were trying to adjust to the darkness. I held my phone in front of me and shined the flashlight. The room was bigger than I thought and had very high ceilings. On every wall was a bookcase stuffed with dusty books. I tried to pull one out but the bookcase started to wobble and fell to the floor with a deafening crash. I escaped being crushed by only a matter of seconds. Breathing heavily, I ran to the door but it was jammed shut. I looked frantically for another exit only to find there were none. Tears rushed down my face as I pounded on the walls, I could feel the panic and anxiety rising in my chest. Was it my imagination, or were the walls moving closer together? I thought, my heart racing. My breaths turned choppy and shallow as I made my way around the room.

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw a shiny light. Turning towards it, I found that it was only a mirror. I ran over to look at my reflection. My ragged brown hair hung from head as sweat poured down my face. My bloodshot eyes and tear-stained cheeks made it so I couldn’t even recognize myself. Nor did I recognize the man standing behind me, knife in his hand.