A Collection of Short Stories

5. The Hotel Room

Room 306. That's where Diana is staying. The room is plain. Nothing too crazy. The walls are a beige white and the carpet is a violet shade of burgundy. A wine color that just blends into it all. Plain and simple. Perfect. Diana puts her bag down beside the bed. She slips her shoes off, and goes to the window. It's a lovely view, she thinks to herself. The wind blows on her face, messing her hair up a little. But she doesn't mind. It's a quiet place. A relaxing place, with the view she always dreamt of. She sees the sun just about to set. She pushes the curtain aside, and is about to close the window when she sees him.

The smile fades from her mouth and her eyes widen in terror. It's him. The one she's been wanting to get away from. He found her. He's right by the entrance, staring at her through the window. He'll be up here in five minutes, if not less. She closes the blinds and checks the bedroom door. Locked. She tries to move the nightstand in front of it, but it won't move. Come on, Diana. You have to do something. 

The dresser. The only possible thing that might just save her life. She moves it in front of the door, and this time, it just glides along the carpet. She slides it in front of the door. 

Diana checks the time. She must have about two minutes now. 

But why? 

Why would he make himself known to her and expect her not to run?

Because he knows that she wants to kill him just as much as he wants to kill her. That's why she brought the gun in her bag. She was able to sneak it in since they don't do bag checks in hotels anymore. What a stupid thing not to do. If there was an accident, who would take the blame?

She gets the gun out of her bag and loads it. 

Then, she waits. 

And waits. Nothing's happening. 

Diana thinks. She should be more afraid since he's not doing anything. 

But then, he arrives. 

He takes off his boots. She can tell from the small sound on the carpet floor. He probably has a gun, but she does, too. He won't be expecting it...right? She sees the shadow of his feet through the light of the door, and she can hear his breathing. It's steady. Then, she hears the sound of a key scraping against the door. Then, the key turns the lock. 

The dresser hits against the door, falling over slightly. Diana immediately rises, not caring about making a sound. Her life is more important. Hide. She needs to hide. The hotel room is small, not many hiding places. She bolts into the bathroom, slamming and locking the door behind her. She's struggling to find the switch, but then turns it on. The bathroom is decked in white and a shallow shade of gray. Just like the one back home. It brings back memories. Good ones, at least. 

__________________________

She's in here somewhere. 

Not many places to hide. He checks the closet, and then under the bed. Nothing. Then, his eyes turn to the bathroom. The light is on. She must be there. Just then, the light turns off. Yep, she's definitely there. He shuts off all the lights, and slowly, ever so slowly, he makes his way to the bathroom. 

___________________________

She presses her ear against the door when she hears the kick. And then another. He's trying to get in. She tries to pull back, but the door slams against her, sending her backwards. Her head meets the side of the bathtub with a fairly large impact. Her back slides across the wall and her feet slide across the floor. Her lead lolls forward, and she loses consciousness.

She wakes up a good thirty minutes later, tied to the hotel bed. She can't move her arms. Zip ties. It takes her a minute to get used to her surroundings again, but then she sees him, his head looming over her. She finally wakes up, and he smiles at her when she meets his gaze. 

"Hello Diana. You're awake." He says, in a monotonous voice.

"Who are you?" she asks.

"You know who I am. You see me in your dreams."

"Who are you?" she asks again, this time more demanding.

"Di, I can't tell you that. But I will soon. Just be patient."

Di. Her nickname. There's only one person who would call her that. Her ex. But the question is, why is he here?

"You're probably wondering why I'm here. I'm going to tell you. You have something I want. Something you stole from me. I want it back."

The diamonds. That's what he meant. The twelve diamonds she stole that day at the bank. She's been on the run ever since. She had to change her name and identity just so they wouldn't suspect her. This hotel would be a place where she would lay low for a while before eventually re-starting her life again. She never expected him to find her, and she never expected to kill him.

"I didn't steal anything. And if you want your precious diamonds back, you're gonna have to let me go."

"No. Give me the diamonds first, and then I'll consider letting you go."

"I don't have them with me."

"Then no deal. I thought you were smarter than that, Di."

Oh, he had no idea how smart she really is. 

"I think we should play a game, don't you think?" He gets up and heads to the window.

"Lovely view, isn't it?" 

She doesn't reply. He's not paying attention to her. She sees a pocket knife on the side of the bed. Is he really that stupid? She manages to grab it and hides it under her sleeve. How convenient that she's wearing long sleeves. She starts cutting through the zip ties in an attempt to get free, careful so he doesn't catch her. 

"So, Di. We're going to play a game of twenty questions. I think you're pretty familiar with it. Except this time, there's a catch. You have to tell the truth. No lies."

"What if I do? You won't know."

"Oh, I will. Shall we start?"

"I don't have a choice."

"Are you a robber?"

"No."

"Wrong answer." 

He went over to Diana's bed and shocked her. Her screams filled the room as he stared at her with dead eyes.

"Let's try that again. Are you a robber?"

"No, you psycho."

"Wrong. Answer."

He shocked her again, this time turning up the intensity. At this point, she was still trying to break free. She was desperately trying. Then, the zip tie broke. She was out. She sat up immediately and stabbed him in the chest. She freed her other hand and took a vase in the nearby nightstand and hit him over the head. 

"I thought you were smarter than this. Looks like you weren't. Next time, don't leave a pocket knife lying around."

She grabbed the revolver she carried in her bag. Five shots rang out. She had the silencer on, so none of the other guests there would hear anything. He was covered in blood. Diana knelt down beside him and kissed him on the lips. 

"Don't underestimate me. I'm capable of a lot more."

She left his body there, and made it look like an accident. Like he shot himself. The gun was so intricately placed that it almost looked real. Normally, she would clean up the crime scene, but not this time. She was done running. Done hiding. She was going to create a life for herself. A life where no one would know anything. 

She packed her bags and left the hotel room. She was free. She was finally free of all the abuse. She would no longer have to cry over him. After all, it was his fault why she pursued a life of crime. If he wouldn't have hurt her or kicked her out of his house, none of this would've happened. But it did. And Diana was proud of it. 

She left the hotel, and started her new life. She changed her name and even found someone for her. Someone better. Someone who truly loved her. She would do anything for him...even if it meant killing someone.