You Can Checkout Anytime You Like... But You Can Never Leave

The inn gets pretty quiet this time of year. The snowy seasons' just about done, then it’s real quiet; completely dead. We're only one stage away from dead. When it's dead, there's nothing for me to do. I used to spend time with the wife, or at least that's how it has been the past 2 years. She left me, left me with this inn with all this shit to run; said she wanted a “better life,”. I don't blame her: this inn is a nightmare. 

When you settle down, you never know how it's going to end up. Two years ago, I inherited this fucking place from my old man; I never wanted anything to do with it. I wanted to live a fast life — in the city — and travel and be an artist or a traveling businessman who hit up Vegas with his buddies and lived the high life doing the whole hooker and cocaine thing. Problem was, living that lifestyle didn't lead to too many smart decisions, and I never quite made it to Vegas. Barely made it out of town. Mostly got drunk and did drugs with the local losers for years, pissing away any chance I had of success. But when the old man passed away — God rest his soul — he gave me the inn. He was in good health, got hit by a car, that's what got him. I guess when it's your time, it's your time.

Such a slow night, a slow season even, and here I am, single with nothing to do but drink a bottle of whiskey till it’s time to call it a night. I always stay up till about 6 in the morning; make sure everything runs smoothly. I've already made up my mind: I'm selling this place. Gonna move to the city with the money, just get a regular job and put some of the money into some smart investments. I don't even know why I agreed to run this place; I guess with Sarah around it was alright, but now it's just another embarrassing chapter in my life leaving me here alone — As I drink the bottle — nothing to do but drink and write in my journal. I think keeping this journal will keep me busy, maybe it'll help me slow down on the drinking too. They always said that in AA: “Journal things out”, so who knows. The rest of the season is going to be boring, and I don't want to go insane.

That one room has been making a shit ton of noise all night, I think they're fucking like crazy in there. Earlier in the day I seen the two of them go out with another couple: In total there's 2 couple on a trip here and two single guys catching the last of the seasons skiing. I couldn't tell if they're gay or not, seemed more like loners than anything. I'm gonna have to tell that couple to quiet the fuck down, I'm taking another drink first though.

Jesus Christ, I walked into some really weird orgy shit. There was blood on the walls and everyone was wearing masks, I don't even know what to make of that. I guess those two couple are into som BDSM type stuff, both those girl have those guys down and were whipping them and shoving stuff up their ass. I can't handle weird shit like that. The liquor is hitting me now... I think I'm gonna talk see what those two loners are up too. They got seperate rooms, so they can't be gay, but I'd imagine their having a few drinks or something unless they're complete lame asses. I just gotta get that visual outta my mind. I'm gonna knock on their doors and see if one of them is down to have a drink.

It was the oddest thing. I knocked on the first guys door, he didn't anwser. I knocked on the second guys door and he invites me in and we have a drink together. Seemed like a nice guy at first, his name was Hannu, they're from Finland. Anyway, he's sitting there have a rum and coke watching an old re-run of “Married with children” and I sit down in the chair and we start shooting the shit. He offered me some rum and I offer him some whiskey: it's just proper ediquette. Then he tells me he knows those two couples, him and his buddy have been following them for some time. Then — even fucking weirder — as he gets drunker, he tells me that his buddy is probably off snapping pictures outside their window. That's what they do: they sell pictures and videos of these freaks online. I was starting to get creeped out and then he told me some even weirder shit. He said : “We're waiting for the big finale,”. What the fuck is that supposed to mean? I just finished watching the episode with him and then I told him, “I gotta get back to the front desk”, and I got the frig outta there. Fucking weird guy.

One of the sfreak show guys came out of the room, with his clothes on, and asked for some extra towl. His demeanous was very non-nonchalant. It like he doesn't even realize if was me who walked in on him earlier. I sear, this guy had a ski pole halfway up his ass. I couldn't even look ghim in the eye. So he ask foir extra towels and I have them to him. My God, What are they even doing in there? I need another drink. This is too much. It's 3:13 in the morning, I have a few more hhours to deal with this shit. I'm just gona hit the bottle hard toight, if I finsih it I can always grab one for the hotel bar. I know there's still a bit of booze leftoever in there. Im prerty good at timing when we close the bar for the seaons, but it's ahrd to ever get it perfect.

Holy fuck, i hagent beeen this ndrunk in a while. Icat barely write. The guy cames out agains nana ask for the timmmmmme aisnd and i gave him the ajhs. But the gop came and some one screaonoa and the sirne in repart and like a mooive and going what the fuck am I goasdnnnnnn do/

Prosecuting Attorney: ... And so, ladies and gentleman of the jury, As Mr. Barker's journal clearly indicates, he was present at the time of the murders, intoxicated, and uncomfortable by the whole situation. Something about seeing those two couples in the throes of passion, having some consensual fun together, drove him over the edge. Maybe it was because he missed his wife, as he indicated, and the loneliness and alcohol were taking their toll on him. It's clear to see, through one journal entry alone, a decline in his sanity and sobriety.... but unfortunately, this was the only documented journal entry Mr. Barker left behind.

Everyone else in the inn that night was of clear and sound mind, with only little amounts of intoxicants in the systems of Mr. And Mrs. Fox.

Mr. Barker has a history of violent crimes, having been convicted of 3 assault charges and a break and enter, in his twenties. And although he's never been convicted of a crime of this magnitude: once a criminal, always a criminal. The death of that Finish Boy and Mrs. Kelly was an utter disregard for human life at the highest level. What was done with the remains, how they were carved up and scattered, are so grotesque I feel morbid just asking the jury to look at the pictures of this horrendous crime. But, it is necessary to see the type of evil we are dealing with here. We are not only dealing with a murderer, but we are dealing with an extremely dangerous psychopath. A sick individual who needs to be locked away for the rest of his life.

The Prosecuting Attorney sits down and the Defense Attorney stands up and walks in front of the jury, rubbing his balding brown-haired head and forcing a face somewhere between cold, calculated stern frustration and a grimace for what the future holds.

Defense Attorney: Ladies and Gentlemen, Good Afternoon.

Today, you've been called upon in the name of justice. Justice, I know you’ll see, as I prove to you that my client was simply a pawn in a sick game of sexual and morbid obsession. Although he can't recall what happened, and how two bodies ended up mutilated in room 214, what he can tell you is what led up to this hideous crime. He was drinking, yes, but there was also another drug found in his system: a drug that he had absolutely no knowledge of taking. This drug, gamma-hydroxybutyric acid, is known on the street as “Liquid G”, also referred to as “The Date Rape” drug. And the reason it is called that is that it leaves the user unaware of their surroundings and what is happening to them. 

My client is not only innocent, but he could indeed be a victim of some sort of dark web sex-tape ring; these types of things exist in the underworld. There were sexual things happening that night in the hotel; no one is denying that. But what happened with these two boys, one of whom admitted to my client that they followed this group around and recorded them as they engaged in sexual activities? And how does one of them end up dead and the other missing and unaccounted for? And one of the females in this sordid orgy also ends up dead, with three people pointing the finger at my client, and we're supposed to believe them? Have the police thought about investigating them? Is all it takes to put a man on trial is for three people to agree to put the blame on him unsuspectedly and suddenly he's guilty? Today I'm going to prove that my client is 100 percent, without a doubt, innocent.