The Inheritance

I wake up to my mom knocking on the door of my apartment. I wasn't expecting her, I could just tell. It was the knock: bold and unapologetic like she was. I moan pitifully as I roll out of bed and trudge to the door like a zombie, hair wild, the previous night's makeup smeared in what I'm sure was the most unflattering of ways. Luckily I didn't have to walk far in my cozy studio apartment.

“Good God, Jane. Is that how you answer the door?” She never bothered to shield me from her disapproval.

“It is at this hour,” I grumbled and headed for the small kitchen nook. I slipped a K-pod in the Keurig, set it to make a large cup, and wiped the sleep from my eyes.

“Really Jane, this is what you sleep in? What about the nice pajama set I bought you for Christmas? You like this better?” I groan loudly as she continues to harass me.

“What brings you here, Mom?” I ask gruffly.

“I have news.” She reveals a thick envelope in her hand and pulls out a set of official-looking papers. “It seems one of your relatives left you a hefty inheritance.”

I choke and spit coffee on the floor. “Jane!” my mom scolds.

“An inheritance? Who left me an inheritance? And why didn't anyone tell me that they died? Oh no, was it Grandpa?” I reach out and grab her arm.

“No, I would've told you if your grandfather died. It was your great uncle on your father's side. I don't know why they sent me the paperwork instead of him, but they did, and now here I am to give it to you.” She tossed the papers on the counter in front of me. I picked them up and started to flip through them.

“It says here that I'm the only beneficiary, he's leaving everything to me. Why would he do that when he's never even met me?” I ask.

My mom shrugs, “maybe it's because you're his namesake,”

“Huh?” This is news to me.

“Your middle name, Lee. Your father chose it because of him.”

“How is it I know nothing about the man I was named after?” It's much too early for this.

“We never saw him. He was a little...eccentric.” Ah, this should be good. “He believed in ghosts...well, more than just believed. He spent his life chasing them,” she says and I can hardly believe my ears. “I guess it kept him pretty busy because he never made it to any of the family celebrations. Or maybe he just preferred ghosts to his family. I'd have to agree with him on that.” I shoot her a look. Since the divorce, she spoke a little too freely for my taste.

“What's this?” I ask as I skim through the paperwork, “it looks like there's a condition. I only get the money if...” I flip the page, “I spend the night in a haunted hotel?” I look at her in shock and am met with the same expression. That's just bananas. I'm not the type of person to hang out with ghosts. I'm not even the type of person to watch a movie about ghosts. They're scary and I prefer the living. Because I'm normal. It sounds like my great Uncle Lee was a loon. “Well, that's not going to happen,” I say as I throw the papers down on the counter.

“Are you crazy, Jane? You'd rather give up all that money than step out of your comfort zone for one night?! What do you think is going to happen? No offense to your great uncle, but there's no such thing as ghosts. I've seen you give up on a lot of opportunities over the years but this is too much. Lord help me, I don't think I will ever understand you!” She exclaims, shaking her head at me before storming out of the apartment.

“Mom, wait...I,” I call after her. Okay, so I guess there's a chance I'm being a little dramatic. Flipping through the pages again, I check the numbers. Whoa, all right. Maybe I could give it a shot. I mean, it's just one night, right? I grab my phone and search the name from the paperwork, “The Bloodwind Hotel.”

Now here I am, two weeks and a ten-hour plane ride later, standing on the doorstep of my great uncle's favorite haunted hotel. I'm ready to spend the next twenty-four hours, and not a minute less as the paperwork clearly states, with...ghosts. As if on cue, the wind picks up and whips through my hair with the sound of a hushed whisper. It feels like a warning for me to turn back. “Money, Jane, you need the money.” I remind myself and walk inside. It doesn't take me long to notice that no one else is here. There is no one at the desk, no one in the lobby, no signs of life at all. The space itself looks a little dingy like it hasn't been cleaned in some time. Weird. The lights are on, but very clearly, no one is home. For a moment I wonder if I am the victim of a prank. “Hello?” I call and wait for a response; nothing. “I'm here to check in...hello?” I call louder this time but still am only met with silence.

Something on the front desk catches my eye and I walk closer. I see a room key sitting atop an envelope with my name printed on it. Clearly, someone is here. I take another glance around the room before picking up the key; the key chain reads 313. I shove it in my pocket and open the envelope to find a single sheet of paper; a short, handwritten letter on the hotel's stationery.

Jane Lee,

Welcome to my favorite place on Earth. You have the honor of spending the night in one of the most haunted hotels in the world. I've seen them all in my lifetime and I assure you that The Bloodwind provides the most authentic experience by far. As I'm sure you know by now, I've left you my fortune. But I'm not giving it to you for free. You must first prove yourself worthy and, I warn you, it won't be easy. This place is not for the fainthearted. But if you pass my little test, you just may walk out with new life as I did, once upon a time. Best of luck.

Lee Raymond Sheffield III

Hmm, still not sure what to think about my great Uncle Lee. I also don't know quite what to make of his note, though he clearly meant to scare me. But for what? What game was he playing? I don't know how I feel about going head to head with a dead relative but am not left with much of a choice. Not if I want that inheritance money. I take one last look around the abandoned lobby and check my watch: 11:00 am. I head for the stairs.

I unlock the door to my room and look around. They are really playing up the sinister theme, I notice as I spot the blood-red bedspread and matching curtains. The room is adorned in an old-world Gothic Victorian design that provides a chilling atmosphere; doom and gloom at its finest. As if the absence of life hadn't already done a good enough job of that. Though I did start to hear the sound of a television passing through the walls of the next room. How ironic, I'm in the most haunted, not to mention the emptiest, hotel on Earth and I wind up with noisy neighbors. Still, it is a relief to find out that I'm not the only one staying the night in this very large, very spooky hotel.

I decide to explore a little, now that I know other people are here. I'd like to find someone- say hello, talk about how freaky this place is. I search the rest of the third floor to no avail, before starting on the others. I only see signs of people, a coat left behind, umbrellas in the rack, but no living, breathing people. On the first floor, I stop and scan the dining area. It looks like everyone is off duty today. Sliding my index finger across one of the plates that were neatly set out at the table, I note the layer of dust on it. Everything had been sitting out for a while, a long while. Maybe they've taken off the whole month.

In the evening, I try calling down to the desk to order dinner and am shocked when someone answers. The line is full of static and I can barely hear the strange voice that comes on. A woman's, it sounds artificial like it's computer-generated, but she responds to what I say with specific answers that simply couldn't have been prerecorded. It is odd, to say the least, and the call leaves me feeling uneasy as I wait for my food, wondering if it will arrive at all. But then I hear a knock at my door and hurry to open it, thinking I will finally lay eyes on another person, except there is nothing waiting for me except my tray of food. I check the hall but don't see anyone. I bring the tray inside and check my watch: 6:30 pm.

I take a walk around the property after dinner, but as the sky grows dark I keep hearing strange sounds. Whispers in the wind, like when I'd arrived but now I was hearing actual words. I thought I even heard my name and I'm sure that's what led my eyes to start playing tricks on me. I see large figures move just out of my field of vision, disappearing as soon as I turn my head. When I feel something brush against my skin, I decide to keep to my room for the rest of the night. I take a long, hot bath before settling on the bed to watch TV. Not ten minutes later, the television set turns off by itself and won't turn back on for either the controls or the remote. Meanwhile, I can hear that my neighbor's TV is still going strong. In fact, I think it just got louder.

I walk over to the adjourning wall and knock; three quick taps should send the right message. I jump as someone on the other end knocks three times in response. Who would have thought my main annoyance tonight would be rude neighbors? I call down to the desk to complain but only hear static on the line. Fine, I'll handle it myself. I am my mother's daughter after all. I head over and as soon as my fist makes contact with the door, it swings open before me. I take a cautious step inside. “Hello?” My heart starts to pound as I realize no one is there. The room is completely empty. The bed is made and untouched, I see no luggage, no people, no life. Except for the TV, which is still on. I quickly assured myself that it's all part of the show, my uncle's little game, though honestly, I'm not so sure anymore. I move to turn it off but the screen goes black before my hand can even reach the knob. I jump back. That's a good trick. A little too good.

I run to my room and call down to the desk for the third time. I'm grateful when the strange woman answers and start to ask her for help but find she is just repeating the same words over and over: “We're sorry, no one is available at the moment- the ghosts have come, we're overrun- and now they're coming for you!” I slam the phone down on the receiver and check my watch: 12:00 am. I still have eleven hours to go but I'm scared and I don't want to do this anymore. I consider packing up and leaving but then hear my mom's voice play through my head, what do you think is going to happen...there's no such thing as ghosts. I beg to differ but it is enough to keep me from bailing, at least for now. I jump into bed and pull the covers over my head when, suddenly, my TV turns back on with the volume on full blast. I rush over to shut it off. As soon as I do, I hear that the neighbor's TV is on again too. I retreat back to the bed, there's no way I'm going back over there.

My best idea is to hide under the covers for hours with my headphones on, listening to my favorite songs on repeat to cover the sound of the TV and occupy my mind. I pray for the time to pass quickly so I can go home and never try anything like this again- no matter how much money is involved. Suddenly, I notice that the neighbor's TV has turned off and it's silent, but only temporarily and I scream when I hear knocking on the wall again. Starting as short, quick knocks in the exact same tempo as before, it soon progresses into a constant beating. I put my hands to my head and cry. It feels like I'm losing my mind.

When the knocking finally ceases, I lay back on the bed and try to catch my breath but am quickly overcome by the most peculiar sensation. It feels like someone is wrapping their thick, cold arms around my upper body, but the touch is very different than anything I've felt before. As I struggle to identify it, I feel added pressure, like someone took hold of my legs as well. I then start to feel like I'm being squeezed and pulled. As it starts to become painful, I cry out and my body is released. That's it, I'm done with this game. I sit up and move to flee the bed, the room, this nightmare of a hotel, when my body is abruptly, and violently, shoved. I gasp and right myself to see a man's face in front of me. Though he only appears for a second, I can clearly make out his cruel, twisted smile.

A new set of hands latch onto my feet and yank me towards the foot of the bed, hard. I spin around to see a woman standing there. The man appears beside her before they both vanish. I know the sight of their wild, feral eyes will haunt me forever. The mattress starts to wobble and rise off of the bed, with me still sprawled helplessly upon it. I see brief flashes of the many figures surrounding me and can hear their crazed laughter bouncing off the walls as they push and pull the mattress like a game of tug-of-war, tossing me around like a rag doll. They turn the mattress upright and flip it over, sending me to the ground with a thud. The heavy mattress lands on top of me and traps me beneath it.

I struggle to crawl out from under it and, even when I do, I find that I am still completely entangled in the sheets. I can't free myself from them no matter how hard I try and collapse in a pitiful pile on the floor. I can feel their ghostly hands all over as they start to shove me from all directions. I scream for someone, anyone, to help me, but no one comes. The ghosts start taking turns yanking the sheets, dragging me across the floor. They begin slamming me into the furniture and the walls, laughing with glee after each hit. My fear boiling over, I feel dizzy as my vision fades to black and I pass out.

When I come to, I can tell the sun is shining through the windows even though my head is still covered. I pull off the sheets and check my watch: 11:09 am. Time to go. I pack my things as quickly as I can and limp down the three flights of stairs, hair wild, make up smeared all over my face. The lobby is as empty as ever when I make my final exit. As I'm pulling out, I hear a strange noise as one of the tires runs over something. I drive on without looking back, so I don't see the large sign laying on the ground with the words “CLOSED-DANGER-KEEP OUT” printed on it. I speed to the airport, more than ready to go home. I did it, I completed the test. The inheritance money is mine. Though I wonder if it will be worth the nightmares and the lifetime of therapy that will undoubtedly follow my night of terror at my great Uncle Lee's favorite place in the world. Rest in peace, you lunatic.