"The Nowhere Motel" by Manofmystery202 | CLANCYPASTA

[00:00:00] Badewanne, Podcast und Herbst? Das wird nur getoppt von Alturs Reisen und Günstig. Denn auch wenn dein Schaumbad zum Träumen von sonnigen Breitengraden einlädt, echte Südsonne bleibt unschlagbar. Und Alturs hat einfach die besten Ziele für dich. Ägypten, Kanaren, Griechenland, Türkei, Karibik. Nicht träumen, Alturs buchen. Alles drin, alles gut, alles für dich. Alturs, alles aber günstig. Jetzt im Reisebüro oder auf alturs.de.

[00:00:32] Before I graduated high school, that I wasn't going to college. School wasn't my thing. I was more than content just working whatever shitty job I could find. Work my shift, go home, and live week to week.

[00:00:45] So when I graduated, I took a job at Walmart, and I worked there until about two months after I turned 19. Then I got fired after I called a customer a dumbass. It wasn't a perfect look for the resume, I'll admit.

[00:00:59] So I spent another two months looking for a job.

[00:01:04] The job search wasn't going well, and I had to move back in with my parents. After about three weeks of staying there, my mom came into my room.

[00:01:13] Hey Jackie.

[00:01:14] Hey Mom.

[00:01:15] Do you remember your Uncle Wallace? She asked with an enthusiastic grin.

[00:01:20] I had met him once at a family reunion when I was little, when my mom introduced me to him.

[00:01:26] I don't even remember him talking. All I knew about him besides that was that he was rich and distant from the family.

[00:01:35] Barely, I replied.

[00:01:37] Well, I just got off the phone and he told me he has a motel about an hour away from here, and he needs someone to work overnight.

[00:01:44] Before you say no, he's offering to pay you $25 an hour.

[00:01:48] Not too shabby, huh?

[00:01:50] And he said he'd give you a card you could charge gas on so you wouldn't have to worry about that.

[00:01:55] I'd never worked overnight, but with the job struggles, I'd take anything.

[00:02:00] And honestly, it seemed like a pretty decent deal.

[00:02:03] Not bad pay, and I didn't have to pay for gas.

[00:02:07] Mom gave me his number, but when I tried to call him the next day, he didn't answer.

[00:02:11] I received a text shortly after that said,

[00:02:15] I prefer to do things by text.

[00:02:18] Okay, it's Jackie.

[00:02:20] I texted back.

[00:02:22] I know.

[00:02:23] Mom must have already given him my number.

[00:02:27] Well, I'd like to accept the job.

[00:02:30] When can you start?

[00:02:32] Whenever is fine.

[00:02:34] He sent an address.

[00:02:36] Be there at 11pm tomorrow.

[00:02:38] Don't be late.

[00:02:39] I don't accept tardiness.

[00:02:42] What a hardass, I told myself.

[00:02:46] But I needed the job.

[00:02:48] The drive up there was kind of creepy.

[00:02:51] It was already dark before I started driving,

[00:02:54] and by the time I hit the woods, my nerves set in.

[00:02:57] You couldn't see anything past the beams of my headlights.

[00:03:01] Even with my brights on, it felt like I was consumed by the darkness.

[00:03:05] I was so scared of hitting a deer,

[00:03:07] and at the time, that was the biggest of my worries.

[00:03:11] My little Subaru struggled to get up the mountain.

[00:03:14] When I arrived at the motel,

[00:03:16] I couldn't help but feel how out of place both I and it felt.

[00:03:20] You drive in nothing but forest for this long,

[00:03:24] and finally spot the ball of light.

[00:03:26] You'd think it was run down, but no, this place was surprisingly nice.

[00:03:31] All the lights worked.

[00:03:32] There were no spider webs anywhere.

[00:03:34] The parking lot was extremely well maintained,

[00:03:37] and the place looked freshly painted.

[00:03:39] It was just for being in the middle of the woods.

[00:03:43] It was obscene how clean the place was.

[00:03:46] I saw a man in what looked like a janitor outfit getting in a truck as I pulled in.

[00:03:52] I took a mental map of the place.

[00:03:55] There were eleven rooms out front and an equal amount of rooms out back.

[00:03:59] The office slash lobby had a woman sitting in it.

[00:04:02] Next to the office, there were two vending machines,

[00:04:06] one for soda and one for snacks.

[00:04:08] The glowing sign out front read,

[00:04:11] The Nowhere Motel.

[00:04:13] What a cheesy name, I told myself.

[00:04:17] I parked my car, and at the same time, the truck pulled out.

[00:04:21] I made my way towards the lobby.

[00:04:23] I opened the door,

[00:04:25] and there was one of those little bells that ding when you walk into,

[00:04:28] like a gas station.

[00:04:30] The woman shot me a glance.

[00:04:32] She was a short redhead wearing a hat.

[00:04:35] You need a room?

[00:04:36] She said with a little bit of an attitude.

[00:04:39] Um, no, I'm the new hire.

[00:04:42] Oh, you're jackals.

[00:04:43] Jackie, I corrected.

[00:04:46] Alright, follow me, I'll get your card and your keys, and we'll get you trained.

[00:04:51] She ushered me through a door that had a desk with a computer and a bunch of paperwork.

[00:04:55] Then she handed me a card and keys.

[00:04:58] Named Sam, by the way.

[00:05:00] The card there is for gas and food only.

[00:05:03] The boss gives you twenty bucks a day, and he will revoke it if he needs to.

[00:05:07] I bought a scratcher once, and he chewed my ass out.

[00:05:10] The boss said you were out of a job for a while, so he gave you a one hundred.

[00:05:16] It was then I began to notice the southern drawl in her voice.

[00:05:20] Do I have to pay it back, or does it come out of my checks?

[00:05:25] Nope.

[00:05:26] Just something nice he does since the place is so far out.

[00:05:30] I was kinda expecting Wallace to meet me here.

[00:05:34] Who the hell is Wallace?

[00:05:36] Oh, um, the owner.

[00:05:39] How do you know his name?

[00:05:40] She looked extremely puzzled.

[00:05:44] I didn't want to say he was my uncle, so I lied and said he was a friend of my mom's.

[00:05:50] The face she gave me made it feel like she didn't believe me.

[00:05:55] So that's his name?

[00:05:57] Neither me, Sergio, nor Phillip knew it.

[00:06:00] And I and Sergio have been here nine years.

[00:06:03] Phillip, even longer.

[00:06:05] She must have seen.

[00:06:06] I didn't know who those people were.

[00:06:10] They the other workers.

[00:06:11] Sergio's the manager.

[00:06:13] He works in the office with me.

[00:06:14] Phillip's the janitor.

[00:06:16] You'll meet them both tomorrow.

[00:06:17] Phillip usually stays till one in the morning, but he had to leave a little early tonight.

[00:06:22] The rest of the night was all the boring job stuff.

[00:06:26] How to clock in and out.

[00:06:28] How to help guests with paperwork.

[00:06:30] How to make keys for guests.

[00:06:32] How to check and use the cameras.

[00:06:34] What to do in the event of a robbery.

[00:06:36] Etc.

[00:06:37] The part that startled me was when she showed me the gun under the counter.

[00:06:42] It's just a .22 meant for animals.

[00:06:44] Calm yourself.

[00:06:46] After I calmed down, I felt a bit of relief.

[00:06:49] At least I'd have something to protect myself in case of an emergency.

[00:06:54] You know how to use it?

[00:06:55] She asked.

[00:06:56] Yeah.

[00:06:57] Good.

[00:06:58] Didn't feel like teaching you.

[00:07:00] The last overnighter we had had a fit when I showed him.

[00:07:04] I chuckled a bit, and for the first time tonight, Sam smiled.

[00:07:08] You didn't bring any food, did you?

[00:07:10] No, I haven't had much money.

[00:07:13] Well, I have some pizza in the office fridge we can split.

[00:07:16] Good.

[00:07:17] Sam lightened up a bit after eating.

[00:07:20] So, you've worked here for nine years, huh?

[00:07:24] Yep.

[00:07:24] You'd be surprised how many guests we get.

[00:07:27] At least ten of the rooms are full at a given time.

[00:07:29] Don't know how hard it is on nights.

[00:07:31] I usually don't work them unless it's to train one of the overnighters.

[00:07:35] You're the only one at the moment.

[00:07:37] Place is supposed to be 24 hours, but we have a hard time keeping the nightfolks.

[00:07:42] Any reason why?

[00:07:44] Place is haunted.

[00:07:46] She paused.

[00:07:47] I got a little nervous when she said that.

[00:07:50] Just fucking with you.

[00:07:52] It's probably because working nights sucks ass.

[00:07:56] The night went off without any problems.

[00:07:59] Before I knew it, the next night came by.

[00:08:01] I walked into the lobby to Philip and Sergio talking at the desk.

[00:08:06] They both stopped and looked at me.

[00:08:08] Philip was freakishly tall, with long black hair.

[00:08:12] He left the room after I walked in.

[00:08:15] He doesn't talk much till you get to know him, but you'll work with him more than us,

[00:08:19] so he'll warm up to you.

[00:08:21] You're Sergio then?

[00:08:23] Yes, and you Jackie, I presume?

[00:08:25] I could already tell he was a much warmer person.

[00:08:28] Well, we won't work together much, just your first half an hour of your shift.

[00:08:33] Boss only gave me and Sam a night to train you.

[00:08:35] So, job's pretty easy, so you should get it all figured out if you didn't last night.

[00:08:41] Sergio was also pretty tall.

[00:08:44] Not nearly as tall as Philip.

[00:08:46] He had black hair with spots of gray mixed in with it.

[00:08:50] His voice was calming, the type of stuff you'd hear from someone who makes ASMR.

[00:08:56] Oh dang, you brought food?

[00:08:57] I made burgers, he said, looking at the salad in my hands.

[00:09:01] I'll just put it in the fridge for tomorrow.

[00:09:04] The night went off pretty similar to the night before, but Sergio took his time to walk me

[00:09:09] around the motel and show me what some of the unoccupied rooms looked like.

[00:09:14] The rooms have an electric lock opened by a key card for the guests, but can be opened

[00:09:19] with a key we keep on a keychain for the employees.

[00:09:22] Room 18's lock got stuck, so he showed me the trick to open it.

[00:09:26] I also got my first guest around 2am.

[00:09:29] The whole transaction went off without a hitch.

[00:09:33] Around 4am, we heard this horrible noise from the woods, but Philip assured me it wasn't

[00:09:40] elk.

[00:09:41] Elk don't sound like that.

[00:09:43] They make horrible noises, don't get me wrong, but that sounded like grinding metal.

[00:09:50] Philip will be here till 1am tomorrow.

[00:09:53] He works Wednesday through Sunday, so you won't be alone every night, and Sam will be here to

[00:09:58] pass off the keys when you get here.

[00:10:01] With that, Sergio and I drove off.

[00:10:04] Around 7.30 in the morning, when I was driving back, I swear I saw someone watching me in the

[00:10:12] woods.

[00:10:12] I slammed my brakes and pulled over to check on it, but there was no one there.

[00:10:17] I told myself my brain probably just mistook a bush or tree for a person.

[00:10:23] When I got home and tried to sleep, I couldn't stop thinking about the person and the noise.

[00:10:30] Something about them both just stuck in my mind.

[00:10:34] It was Friday night, my third night on the job, and I'd have the weekend off.

[00:10:40] I felt very anxious once again.

[00:10:42] It was going to be my first night working alone.

[00:10:45] I mean, Sergio and Philip would both be there, but only for part of my shift.

[00:10:50] But after 1am, I'd be by myself.

[00:10:53] There were more cars in the lot than usual.

[00:10:56] Philip was power washing the sidewalk.

[00:10:59] He gave me a nod as I walked past him.

[00:11:03] Hey, Jackie, Sergio said as I walked in.

[00:11:07] Looks like a busy day.

[00:11:09] Yeah, we had a group of friends on a road trip come through.

[00:11:12] Heading up towards Canada.

[00:11:13] They'll be gone in the morning.

[00:11:15] We talked till he had to leave and he passed off the keys.

[00:11:19] I brought some of my drawing stuff so I'd have something to do.

[00:11:23] When it came Philip's time to leave, he stopped off to let me know.

[00:11:27] I'm heading out.

[00:11:28] This was the first time I genuinely heard him speak.

[00:11:32] His voice was very deep and it scared me at first.

[00:11:37] Have a safe drive home, I replied.

[00:11:40] He headed for his truck, but he turned around, catching the door before it completely closed.

[00:11:46] I don't live far from here.

[00:11:48] Just a cabin about 10 minutes east.

[00:11:51] You've probably driven past the road on the way here.

[00:11:55] Maybe.

[00:11:56] Maybe.

[00:11:56] The drive is pretty dark, so I'm not sure.

[00:11:59] Well, I'll leave you with my number if anyone or anything.

[00:12:04] He paused for a moment with a worried look across his face.

[00:12:11] Call me, and I'll be up in just a moment.

[00:12:15] Thank you, Philip, but I'm sure I'll be fine.

[00:12:19] That's what everyone says.

[00:12:25] I wanted to stop him.

[00:12:28] I wanted to know what he meant by that, but his truck was out of the parking lot before I could even think to stand up.

[00:12:34] Soon after, a woman, who was clearly drunk, stumbled out of her room and toward one of the vending machines.

[00:12:42] I paid her no mind until she wandered into the lobby.

[00:12:47] Are you out of Dr. Pepper?

[00:12:49] She said in her most convincing, I'm definitely not shit-faced voice.

[00:12:55] I have more in the office.

[00:12:56] I'll grab you one.

[00:12:58] I returned with a can and traded it for the two dollars in her hand.

[00:13:03] You're a lifesaver, she said, leaving the room.

[00:13:06] I figured I'd restock the vending machine since I had nothing better to do.

[00:13:11] I cracked open the machine, loading the soda into it.

[00:13:15] Then someone whispered into my ear.

[00:13:18] Thank you, Jackie.

[00:13:21] I flipped around to reveal my visitor, but no one was there.

[00:13:26] I chalked it up to auditory hallucination and finished up my task.

[00:13:31] I began walking back towards the lobby.

[00:13:34] Through the window door, I could see someone standing behind my counter.

[00:13:40] At first, I thought, shit, they told me to lock the lobby if I wasn't in there.

[00:13:45] But when I blinked, the person was gone.

[00:13:49] Shit.

[00:13:50] Shit.

[00:13:51] It's the dark.

[00:13:52] It's tripping me out.

[00:13:53] That's all I kept telling myself.

[00:13:56] But deep down, I knew that was the same man in the woods from yesterday.

[00:14:03] Morning and the sunlight could not come soon enough.

[00:14:07] I spent the rest of the night peeking every corner.

[00:14:10] I locked the lobby for the rest of the night as well.

[00:14:13] I was worried too much, I told myself.

[00:14:17] I just mistook a shadow or something.

[00:14:20] Right at seven, a car rolled up to relieve Sam and hopped out, coffee in hand.

[00:14:26] How was your first night alone?

[00:14:27] She asked.

[00:14:28] It's a bit creepy being alone out here.

[00:14:32] You'll get used to it, I'm sure.

[00:14:34] Don't quit yet.

[00:14:35] I'm getting sick of training people.

[00:14:37] Well, two days isn't much for training, I joked.

[00:14:40] Well, get out of my seat.

[00:14:42] I got up and made my way towards the door.

[00:14:47] You were joking about the place being haunted, right?

[00:14:52] Ain't seen no ghost, sweetie.

[00:14:55] Her voice soothed my nerves a bit.

[00:14:57] Ghosts aren't real, I knew that for sure.

[00:15:01] I don't know why I suddenly was getting all scared of some shadows.

[00:15:07] I remember that weekend zooming by.

[00:15:10] Don't even remember what I did.

[00:15:11] Within the blink of an eye, I was making the same drive up the mountain.

[00:15:16] Surprisingly, Sam and Sergio were both there.

[00:15:20] Phillip ain't here tonight, so it'll just be you all night.

[00:15:24] Call someone if you need anything.

[00:15:25] Sergio said, making his way out the door.

[00:15:28] Sam following behind him.

[00:15:30] She gave me a little wink on the way out.

[00:15:34] I made my normal rounds, and at 3.50am, a man came into the lobby.

[00:15:40] The man looked disgruntled and extremely sleep-deprived.

[00:15:45] His shirt had small holes across it.

[00:15:48] I assumed he was homeless.

[00:15:49] Why would a homeless person be this far out in the woods?

[00:15:54] Room.

[00:15:56] Room.

[00:15:56] Room.

[00:15:56] He whispered.

[00:15:57] Would you like a single or a double?

[00:16:00] Price?

[00:16:02] A 75 for a single, 115 for a double.

[00:16:07] Cheaper.

[00:16:11] I asked if he'd like to choose a room, since there was no one else staying at the time,

[00:16:17] but he ignored me.

[00:16:19] So I chose a random room and handed him the paperwork.

[00:16:22] He scribbled across the page and handed it back to me.

[00:16:26] I read over it, but I struggled as his handwriting was atrocious.

[00:16:31] He slapped a $100 bill on the counter and left not bothering to take his change.

[00:16:37] He was giving me the creep, so I didn't bother to chase him down.

[00:16:42] I went back into the office to grab a drink from my fridge, but the computer that had our

[00:16:46] camera system on it caught my eye.

[00:16:49] It's set to automatically cycle through the cameras unless I interact with it.

[00:16:54] It was set on camera 3, the camera that stares directly at the sign out front.

[00:17:00] There, the man stood, smacking his head against it.

[00:17:04] I didn't want him hurting himself or damaging the sign, but as I peeked out the door, he

[00:17:09] wasn't there.

[00:17:10] I wasn't having any of this, so I went to room 11, the room I had assigned him, but before

[00:17:16] I even got to it, I noticed the door was wide open.

[00:17:20] The man was unwell and had some sort of mental problem, so I pulled my phone out and called

[00:17:27] the police as I didn't want him to do anything to hurt himself or me.

[00:17:32] The operator picked up and I began explaining the situation to them.

[00:17:37] They asked me to return to the lobby and lock the door, but I went against that.

[00:17:43] I couldn't stop staring at the door and it felt like it was pulling me in.

[00:17:48] I grabbed the handle, turned it, and pulled the door open.

[00:17:52] The 911 operator was practically screaming at me.

[00:17:58] I stood right in front of the room.

[00:18:01] The lights were off and the dim glow of the lights around the motel was the only thing

[00:18:05] lighting the room.

[00:18:07] I suddenly realized that my car was the only one in the parking lot.

[00:18:12] Did he walk here?

[00:18:13] I took a step inside, then another, then another.

[00:18:19] My heart was pounding.

[00:18:22] The door to the bathroom flew open and the man poked his head from around the corner, his

[00:18:28] head upside down as his arms reached toward me.

[00:18:31] His arms seemed cartoonishly long and smiled wider than seemed possible.

[00:18:37] He spoke in a voice that felt like it scratched my eardrums, devilishly inhuman.

[00:18:45] Your heartbeat sounds wonderful.

[00:18:49] He spoke before stepping out from the corner and running at me.

[00:18:54] I bolted from the room straight to the lobby, slamming and locking it behind me, placing a

[00:19:00] chair in front of it to help keep it propped shut.

[00:19:02] It took around 40 minutes for the police to arrive, and by the time they did, I had called

[00:19:09] both Sam and Phillip who beat them here.

[00:19:12] Phillip was strapped with a 12 gauge and sat and stared at the room.

[00:19:16] When the police finally arrived, they reviewed the camera footage, but the moment I left the

[00:19:21] office, all the cameras were cut off.

[00:19:24] They only returned to recording once I ran to the lobby.

[00:19:28] So they checked what happened before the man came in.

[00:19:32] It was like he just appeared when the cameras had a small bump in quality, as if he was born

[00:19:37] from the air itself.

[00:19:39] When Sergio found out, he told me to take Tuesday off.

[00:19:43] I did and returned on Wednesday.

[00:19:46] When I got there, Sergio stood over something with a petrified look on his face.

[00:19:53] I asked him, trying to figure out what he was reading.

[00:19:57] He looked at me and said,

[00:20:00] I was in the bathroom for 30 seconds.

[00:20:03] This wasn't here when I left.

[00:20:06] He handed me what he was reading.

[00:20:08] A sticky note.

[00:20:10] Can't wait to see you again, Jackie.

[00:20:15] Three weeks would pass before anything noteworthy happened.

[00:20:19] I'd arrived to work as usual, but an unknown woman on the older side stood there talking

[00:20:25] behind the counter with Sergio.

[00:20:27] For a second, I thought it was a guest, but guests aren't allowed behind the counter.

[00:20:33] Jackie, this is our new hire, Sunny.

[00:20:37] She'll be working night shifts with you, Sergio said.

[00:20:40] I was a bit surprised as this came out of the blue.

[00:20:44] I'm sorry, boss, spraying this on us a couple hours ago.

[00:20:48] Are you going to be okay to train her?

[00:20:50] I felt confident enough in my job now, so this seemed fine to me.

[00:20:56] Sunny was extremely kind.

[00:20:58] Her hair was red, but she was graying.

[00:21:00] She was also quite short.

[00:21:02] I'd learn that she'd only be working three days a week after her training.

[00:21:07] Friday through Saturday.

[00:21:09] Just to cover my days off.

[00:21:10] The only day we'd worked together was Friday, but even with that, I was glad to have someone

[00:21:16] on nights with me.

[00:21:17] I quickly, over the next couple weeks, became good friends with her.

[00:21:21] The nights we worked together would be my favorite, as the woman was just full of stories.

[00:21:27] She only took this job as her husband had recently passed, and she didn't want to be at home

[00:21:33] all the time.

[00:21:34] She and her husband had stayed at the motel in the past, and she told me that it was always

[00:21:39] nice.

[00:21:41] Until...

[00:21:42] The last time we stayed here was over two years ago.

[00:21:46] Tucker, my husband, was extremely healthy.

[00:21:49] He never had any health problems.

[00:21:51] But after that last visit, he started having heart issues.

[00:21:55] The doctors said it was because of his age, but I don't believe that.

[00:22:01] So...

[00:22:02] What's your theory?

[00:22:04] Have you ever seen him?

[00:22:06] Seen who?

[00:22:08] The man?

[00:22:09] The one with the long arms?

[00:22:13] I don't know what compelled me to lie at that point.

[00:22:18] No?

[00:22:19] I whispered.

[00:22:20] But I know that she knew I was lying.

[00:22:23] We didn't talk about it for the rest of the night.

[00:22:27] Sunny never took her eyes off room 11.

[00:22:30] Three more months passed.

[00:22:32] It was October now.

[00:22:34] We'd seen an influx of hunters staying at the hotel as it was a short drive from a well-liked

[00:22:40] hunting zone.

[00:22:41] I walked into Sam and Phillip, talking about some guests as if they knew them well.

[00:22:46] What's up with these guests?

[00:22:48] I asked.

[00:22:49] It's weird.

[00:22:50] Every year they book a room for about two months, Phillip said.

[00:22:55] They always claim they're up here hunting, but rarely ever leave their room.

[00:22:59] They're a nice couple though, said Sam.

[00:23:02] They're fucking weird.

[00:23:04] I hear them making all kinds of odd noises and rattles, chants.

[00:23:08] But every time they leave, they never leave anything behind.

[00:23:11] If you ever stay at a motel, how often do you leave shit behind?

[00:23:14] I've done it every single time.

[00:23:16] Phillip began ranting the most I'd ever heard him talk.

[00:23:20] And I really can't remember most of it.

[00:23:23] Maybe they're just meticulous people, I responded.

[00:23:28] No.

[00:23:29] Something is up with them.

[00:23:30] I just know.

[00:23:32] He said, leaving the lobby.

[00:23:35] He gets like that every year when they come.

[00:23:38] I don't give a damn what they're doing.

[00:23:39] They pay and they don't cause problems, Sam said, handing me the keys on her way out.

[00:23:45] But what seemed like out of the blue, I realized I hadn't seen Sergio in some time.

[00:23:51] He was supposed to be the one meeting me tonight, not Sam.

[00:23:56] Something wrong with Sergio?

[00:23:58] He must be really sick.

[00:24:00] All this time I've worked with him, he's never called out, she responded.

[00:24:04] I could see the worry on her face.

[00:24:06] I'll check on him.

[00:24:07] I know where he lives.

[00:24:08] She forced a smile.

[00:24:10] I made the usual rounds of stuff that didn't take me very long to do.

[00:24:15] Then the boredom would set in well before I noticed Phillip pressing his ears to one of the room.

[00:24:22] I was sure it was the one that the couple was staying in.

[00:24:25] So I figured I'd confront him about his quite creepy behavior.

[00:24:31] Phillip, come on man, you can't be doing that.

[00:24:35] Shut up and listen.

[00:24:38] I decided to feed into the delusion, but he wasn't wrong.

[00:24:43] The noises were weird.

[00:24:45] A bunch of chanting and what sounded like cans scratching together.

[00:24:50] What the hell?

[00:24:51] I whispered.

[00:24:53] Every year they do this.

[00:24:55] Every year they book this same damn room, even call in advance to make sure we have it.

[00:25:00] What's so goddamn special about room 11?

[00:25:03] Right when he said that, a familiar noise rang through the air.

[00:25:09] That same grinding noise from that first night with Sergio.

[00:25:15] That's not a goddamn elk.

[00:25:18] Phillip walked off shortly after.

[00:25:21] That's when the door opened.

[00:25:25] So, you're his muse.

[00:25:27] A woman's voice said from behind me.

[00:25:31] I turned around to face her, but was met with both a woman and a man.

[00:25:36] I was grabbed and pulled into their room.

[00:25:39] I was forced into introductions.

[00:25:42] Susan and Jackson Weller were self-proclaimed exorcists.

[00:25:47] They claimed the hotel was haunted and they came every year to keep the evil spirits at bay.

[00:25:53] I tried not to laugh until Susan said,

[00:25:58] You've seen him.

[00:25:59] The man with long arms.

[00:26:01] She said it in the same tone as Sonny when she asked that question.

[00:26:06] You don't have to answer.

[00:26:08] I can feel him.

[00:26:09] He wants you to follow him to this room.

[00:26:12] He's fascinated by you and he'll hurt others to get what he wants.

[00:26:18] Alright, that's enough.

[00:26:19] You two are nuts.

[00:26:20] I got up to leave the room.

[00:26:22] You mean to say you've never seen anything paranormal?

[00:26:26] No voices?

[00:26:27] Things where they shouldn't be?

[00:26:28] Jackson said.

[00:26:30] I, uh, I was at a loss for words.

[00:26:34] It caused me to run from the room.

[00:26:36] On the way out, I heard Susan say,

[00:26:40] We'll be here when you realize the truth.

[00:26:43] I didn't leave the lobby for the rest of the night.

[00:26:48] The next night was weird.

[00:26:50] When I got there, the lobby lights were off.

[00:26:53] For the first time, no one was there to greet me.

[00:26:56] Philip came from the parking lot to hand me the keys.

[00:27:00] He never had them.

[00:27:02] He told me to go inside and sit down.

[00:27:05] His face was full of dread.

[00:27:07] I went in and he followed.

[00:27:11] I wouldn't consider any of y'all my friends.

[00:27:15] He started.

[00:27:16] Ouch.

[00:27:17] Hurtful, man.

[00:27:19] Sergio and Sam always said I was their friend.

[00:27:23] But I realize now, all you are.

[00:27:26] I realize that when Sam called me crying shortly after I was off.

[00:27:31] She sat and cried and begged me to come to town, so I did.

[00:27:35] She was still bawling her eyes out when I got there, and she made me come inside.

[00:27:40] I really wish I didn't see any of that.

[00:27:44] Philip, what are you talking about?

[00:27:48] Philip kept talking like I hadn't interrupted him.

[00:27:52] Sergio was on the floor.

[00:27:54] He looked like something had burst from the inside of him and his skin was inside out.

[00:28:01] He paused.

[00:28:02] I don't know what could have done that to him.

[00:28:05] I don't know how well of a friend y'all were, but Sam said you should know.

[00:28:11] I sat there, speechless, trying to wrap my head around the whole thing.

[00:28:16] Sergio was really dead?

[00:28:18] I tried to hold my tears in.

[00:28:22] Now, if you don't mind, I think I'm gonna leave early.

[00:28:26] I hugged him on his way out and both of us just cried.

[00:28:30] I don't know if I considered Sergio or any of them friends, but we shared in our grief for a moment.

[00:28:37] Philip left and I stayed behind the counter.

[00:28:41] It would take a couple of hours to see the next sticky note with only the word soon written on it.

[00:28:51] Sam wouldn't be at work for the next two weeks.

[00:28:54] When she did finally show up, you could see how sleep-deprived she was.

[00:28:59] The first thing I did was hug her.

[00:29:01] Her unbreakable exterior seemed to waver for once and she hugged me back.

[00:29:06] That's when she asked where Sunny was.

[00:29:09] I didn't know I hadn't seen her in two weeks either.

[00:29:13] Sam said she must have finally been scared off, but I still don't believe that.

[00:29:19] The days went by and soon winter would be upon.

[00:29:23] A really bad blizzard came and my little Subaru could barely make it up the mountain.

[00:29:28] Sam, I knew I wasn't going to be home on time.

[00:29:32] I was still surprised to see the Weller's car was still parked out front of their room.

[00:29:37] Ever since that night, I dreamt of the day they'd go home.

[00:29:42] It felt like they stayed only despite me.

[00:29:46] Sam was in the lobby waiting for me.

[00:29:50] You're not going to try to make it down that mountain, are you?

[00:29:53] I asked, genuinely concerned for her safety.

[00:29:57] Oh, hell no.

[00:29:58] I already talked to the boss.

[00:29:59] He said I could take a room tonight.

[00:30:02] Did Phillip not make it tonight?

[00:30:04] No, he said he couldn't get his truck out of the driveway.

[00:30:07] Well, if you need anything, I'll be down in roommate.

[00:30:10] I wouldn't mind the company if you stopped by.

[00:30:13] She smiled on her way out.

[00:30:16] It was nice to see Sam back in her spirit.

[00:30:20] She hadn't seemed like the same Sam I knew after Sergio's death, but it finally felt like

[00:30:27] Sam, the Sam I knew, was coming back.

[00:30:30] I took my jacket off and threw it in the office.

[00:30:34] The heater at the motel worked way too well, and I hadn't figured out how to turn it down.

[00:30:39] Some nights I felt like stripping down, but that's beside the point.

[00:30:43] The snow came down hard that night.

[00:30:45] I had to step out every 20 minutes or so to shovel the sidewalk.

[00:30:50] It was on the fourth time that I noticed him.

[00:30:53] That man from all that time ago.

[00:30:56] The same guy who I had to call the cops on for being batshit insane.

[00:31:03] Look, I'm not a skeptic at all.

[00:31:06] I figure this dude was just insane.

[00:31:08] Since both the Wellers and Sonny knew about him, I also figured he was a regular visitor

[00:31:14] of the hotel.

[00:31:16] Look, dude.

[00:31:17] You have to go.

[00:31:18] If you don't, I'm calling the cops.

[00:31:20] That was kinda an empty threat.

[00:31:23] Even if I called the cops, they wouldn't be able to get up here for a while.

[00:31:28] They won't come.

[00:31:30] No one will come for you, Jackie.

[00:31:34] Look, I don't wear a name tag, so the fact he knew my name was kinda alarming.

[00:31:41] If you think knowing my name is gonna scare me...

[00:31:45] It scared me.

[00:31:49] Jackie.

[00:31:51] Jackie.

[00:31:54] Jackie.

[00:31:57] He paused each time he said it.

[00:32:00] Alright, I'm calling them.

[00:32:03] Really?

[00:32:04] I was heading for the gun.

[00:32:06] All the lights in the motel flicked off, and for a second, I thought we lost power.

[00:32:11] But the light came back on after about ten seconds.

[00:32:15] When they did, he was gone, and in his place, a deer that looked like it had been fillet opened.

[00:32:24] Worse, it smelt like the deer carcass had already begun to rot.

[00:32:29] I made my way back to the lobby, still gagging from the smell.

[00:32:34] When I did, I locked the door behind me and went for the rifle.

[00:32:38] It may not have been a big gun, but it was better than nothing.

[00:32:42] Jackie.

[00:32:45] Jackie.

[00:32:46] Jackie.

[00:32:49] I heard him coming from the door.

[00:32:51] He stared straight at me.

[00:32:54] Jackie.

[00:32:55] Jackie.

[00:32:57] Jackie.

[00:32:58] He began to bang on the glass.

[00:33:00] Every time he did, the lights flickered.

[00:33:03] How the fuck was he doing that?

[00:33:05] Fuck it, I told myself, aiming the gun at him.

[00:33:10] Leave or I'll shoot.

[00:33:12] He didn't relent.

[00:33:14] I pointed the gun at him, getting a flashback from when I did hunter safety.

[00:33:19] Never aim at anything unless you're planning to kill it.

[00:33:23] I placed my finger on the trigger.

[00:33:26] Bang!

[00:33:27] A-22 is not very loud, so that was slightly dramatic, but I digress.

[00:33:33] He wasn't there.

[00:33:35] No blood, no person.

[00:33:38] Just a window that I broke.

[00:33:40] I knew now I should probably tell Wallace.

[00:33:43] I sent him a text explaining the situation, but the text wouldn't go through.

[00:33:48] I knew he liked to talk through text, but this seemed important, so I called.

[00:33:54] It rang for two rings, and then...

[00:33:57] This number is no longer in service.

[00:34:00] What the hell?

[00:34:01] Sam said she talked to him earlier.

[00:34:04] I knew I needed to call the cops, even if it took them a while to get here.

[00:34:08] But all I got was beeps, like it was a dead call.

[00:34:13] Shit.

[00:34:13] So I'm stuck out here with no help from a possibly crazy man.

[00:34:18] That was until I turned around to see the words.

[00:34:22] I said no one was coming.

[00:34:26] Carved into the wall.

[00:34:29] No.

[00:34:30] No.

[00:34:30] The doors locked.

[00:34:31] I looked to make sure.

[00:34:33] How did he...

[00:34:34] Were the wellers right?

[00:34:36] Was this some type of evil spirit who wanted me?

[00:34:39] I looked over at their room.

[00:34:42] Well, if it was some evil spirit, I was no safer in here than I was out there.

[00:34:47] I stupidly left the rifle and made my way towards room 11.

[00:34:53] Surprised to find the door was already cracked, I pushed it open slowly, and I saw Tucker knelt

[00:34:59] over his wife.

[00:35:01] She lay in a pool of her own blood.

[00:35:04] And...

[00:35:05] He made me, Jackie.

[00:35:07] He forced me to cut her throat.

[00:35:10] I stood there, my legs not letting me move.

[00:35:13] When we came to this motel all that time ago, I was struck with how evil this room felt.

[00:35:19] I learned all this spiritual bullshit because I felt it was my colleague.

[00:35:23] She didn't care.

[00:35:24] She just played along because I liked it.

[00:35:26] But one day, she said she could feel the evil too.

[00:35:30] So every year, we come to try to purge the evil, and every year, we learn new techniques

[00:35:35] just for it.

[00:35:36] It meant nothing in the end.

[00:35:38] We never did anything to hurt him.

[00:35:40] Run, Jackie.

[00:35:42] I don't know why he has an obsession for you, but you need to run and never look back.

[00:35:49] I was finally able to move.

[00:35:53] I had to leave.

[00:35:54] I ran back to the lobby.

[00:35:56] I stopped at the room Sam was staying, banging on the door and begging her to come out.

[00:36:01] When she didn't, I went back to the lobby.

[00:36:04] I just needed my keys, and I took my chances with the mountain.

[00:36:08] I went into the office, and Sam was standing there.

[00:36:11] She held the rifle in her hands.

[00:36:14] Sam, this might sound crazy, but there may or may not be a ghost or something like that,

[00:36:19] and I think he wants to kill or possess me, but we need to go.

[00:36:24] Sam's eyes ran with tears as she lifted the rifle at me.

[00:36:29] I'm sorry, she said through the tears.

[00:36:34] She shot the round, gazing at my arm.

[00:36:37] I dived for my keys, grabbed them, and ran for the door.

[00:36:42] She came behind me as I went for my car.

[00:36:45] She shot again, this round hitting the window.

[00:36:48] Knowing it'd be no good to go for my car, I tossed the keys back at Sam, hitting her in the face.

[00:36:54] I made a gamble and ran into the forest, thinking my chances of surviving out there were slightly better.

[00:37:01] My arm ached, my body shivered.

[00:37:04] The snow made its way past my shoes and onto my feet.

[00:37:08] They began to go numb.

[00:37:10] The cold was too much, and I began to think I made the wrong choice.

[00:37:15] In the corners of my eye, I swear I kept seeing him.

[00:37:21] I stopped as he stood in front of me, the mixture of freezing and exhaustion not letting me move any further.

[00:37:28] He stepped closer, wrapping his elongated arms and fingers around my neck.

[00:37:34] The sound of grinding metal and laughter filled the air.

[00:37:38] He kept yelling my name like he was taunting me by knowing it.

[00:37:42] The world spun.

[00:37:44] The night was brighter than it should have been.

[00:37:47] I could hear the voices of everyone I knew all at once.

[00:37:52] All my senses felt overwhelmed, and I was pushed to the ground.

[00:37:57] He pressed down into my throat, wrapping his hands all the way around my neck.

[00:38:02] I was even fighting back.

[00:38:03] My vision went blurry, my last sight being the glow of my phone making one final call.

[00:38:13] I woke in someone's living room.

[00:38:17] I was lying on their couch next to a furnace.

[00:38:21] Ah, you're finally awake, he said in a British accent or his attempted one.

[00:38:28] I looked toward the voice to see Philip.

[00:38:32] Philip, you have to get the cops to the motel.

[00:38:35] There is something-

[00:38:36] He cut me off.

[00:38:38] I did.

[00:38:40] Found the Wellers.

[00:38:41] It looks like they, uh, killed themselves.

[00:38:44] Both their throats were cut out.

[00:38:46] Someone shot at your car, too.

[00:38:49] I got your call, so I went to the motel.

[00:38:52] I found someone's tracks, followed them, and, well, found you.

[00:38:57] Do you mind telling me where those bruises on your neck came from?

[00:39:02] I left town shortly after, and moved down to New Mexico, as far away from the woods as I could get.

[00:39:13] I still keep in touch with Philip from time to time, but since the motel closed shortly after that night, he ended up moving.

[00:39:21] The police ruled the Wellers as a suicide.

[00:39:25] They ended up finding Sam's car crashed into a tree a couple of miles from the motel, but they never found her.

[00:39:34] It's been six months since I worked there, and I only chose now to share my story because I just got off of the phone with my mom.

[00:39:44] When I picked up the phone, I could already tell she had been crying.

[00:39:49] She told me they had found my Uncle Wallace's remains, but the weirdest thing is he had been dead for almost three years.

[00:40:01] Then who gave me the job? I asked.

[00:40:05] She didn't answer.

[00:40:07] She just hung up.

[00:40:09] Now I'm torn.

[00:40:11] I don't know how to feel.

[00:40:13] Till all this happened, I never believed in the supernatural.

[00:40:17] But I need someone to tell me I'm not crazy.

[00:40:20] That what I think happened did.

[00:40:23] I feel like I need to go back to see the motel once again, just to convince myself I'm not crazy.

[00:40:30] But would going back make all that trauma I received come back?

[00:40:35] I just don't know what to do.

[00:40:38] I just don't know what to do.

[00:40:38] I got one, many times I better think.

[00:40:38] But even if we're not, I want to get one, and then I can't miss myself.

[00:40:39] I'll give you a minute.

[00:40:39] Thank you.