Don't Step Out After Dark

Hotel Blue Lily

The rain was pouring down and I had nowhere to go. All the hotels I had checked were completely booked.

I hurried to check the last hotel in town. I desperately wished that they had a vacancy.

After another ten minutes of walking in the rain, I found the hotel. I was drenched by then, and quickly entered the hotel doors under the sign that bore the words 'HOTEL BLUE LILY' in bright blue.

The hotel booking app had said that this hotel was never completely booked, so I was hopeful about finding a room.

At the reception, I was relieved to find that they did  have plenty of empty rooms.

The receptionist however, hesitated before handing me my room keys. He lowered his voice, looked down and muttered,"Sir..the only vacant rooms are on floor number 8..its the topmost floor and...well...nobody wants to take the rooms on the eighth floor..I..."

I cut him short and said eagerly,"No matter! I'll be glad to take it! " and picked up the keys from his hand.

In the elevator I noticed that while the buttons for all the floors were worn out, the one that read '8' was untouched. I didn't think too much about it and exited the elevator as it pinged.

I found myself in a long hallway with doors leading to the rooms at regular intervals. The entire floor was eerily quiet and there wasn't even any staff in sight.

My footsteps echoed down the hall as I walked towards my room. I had the keys to Room NO. 810, the last room at the end of the corridor. As I walked past all the other rooms, I noticed that the doors were all covered in dust like they hadn't been cleaned since a long time.

Making a mental note to myself to not give a five-star rating to this hotel, I entered my room. I saw that it was lavish and comfortable, and had everything ranging from a television to a mini-bar.

I hurried to change my wet clothes and leave for the assignment I had received. The magazine I worked for had sent me on a special trip to this city to click photographs for the latest edition.

***

I locked my room and pocketed the keys. Suddenly, from behind me I heard a soft whistling sound. I turned to look and saw that it was an old lady with a pram. A tiny child was asleep in it, and on seeing me she smiled kindly. Her gray hair was untidy and she had deep lines around her eyes. I smiled and asked her,"Such a sweet little baby,  is it your grandchild?"

She seemed to  be taken aback by the question but replied,"Yes, Linda is my daughter's child. Just four months old you see."

I waved to the sleeping child and continued on my way. Only after I was in the lift did I realise two things. One: that the lady had strange clothes. They were old and definitely did not look like they were from present-day trends. Two: if no one took rooms on the eighth floor, how come she was there? Then I wondered if she was another person eager to escape the rain, and dismissed all suspicions about her.

***

I returned to the hotel late at night. Almost all the staff members had gone home, and only the old  janitor and the man at the receptionist were in sight.

As I made my way to the lift, the old janitor passed me and muttered," Bad omen...leave it soon...strange happenings.."

I ignored them, thinking them to be the ramblings of an old man.

When I entered my room, the clock was already striking one in the night. I was about to crash on my bed, when someone knocked on the door. I opened it, but no one was in sight. I hung a 'DO NOT DISTURB' sign on the door, and went back to sleep.

When I woke up the next morning, all the lights, fans and electrical appliances in the room were switched on, although I clearly remembered that I had gone to sleep in a dark room.

***

As I made my way down the corridor, the old lady and her grandchild passed me again. This time she didn't reply to my 'good morning' and just walked on. She had a wide grin on her face, revealing toothless gums. Her eyes were narrowed to slits.

When I reached the reception area, I saw the old janitor again. I hurried to ask him,"What did you mean last night? What omen?"

He just shook his head and murmured,"Very soon...it may be too late...". You see, I was a bit unnerved about this hotel after the strange things I had noticed.

I didn't have much time to think about it though, and left the hotel to work on my photography assignment. At the lake where the photo shoot was supposed to happen, I pulled out my camera. I saw that there were photos of the hotel in it although I had clicked none. Most of them were of the door of the room 802 and of the window next to my room door. The window overlooked the busy street below.

I felt my blood run cold. I had never believed in the paranormal, but even I had to admit this was weird. I felt nervous about returning to the strange hotel.

***

It was again midnight by the time I reached back. Not wanting to run into something unpleasant, I ran to my room and dived under the covers, firmly resolving not to get out even if the sky fell down.

***

I checked out of the hotel next morning. As I handed him my keys, the receptionist asked me,"Did you find your stay here comfortable Sir? I hope there were no inconveniences?"

I finally decided to confront him. The mysterious reason about people refusing to accept a room on the eight floor had bothered me for too long.

"Tell me, why doesn't anyone ever stay on the eighth floor? And yeah, I think you may be wrong because I met an old lady and her granddaughter every day in front of my room. How can that be if nobody stays there? Also, what's with the weird old janitor who keeps muttering things? The janitor is  named Richard...am I right?" I bombarded him with questions before he had the chance to answer even one. I am a curious man you see.

The receptionist froze. All the colour drained from his face. His gaze stopped at the keys in his hand. All at once,he started trembling. I could hear him whimper quietly. He began muttering,"No...no...no...NO!"

I felt irritated at him for such a strange reaction. I grabbed him by the shoulders and shook him hard.

"Tell me what's the matter man! Stop whimpering!"

He stopped murmuring. All at once, he raised his eyes to face me. He began to speak in a low, frightened voice.

"S-sir...twenty years ago, a mentally unstable old lady murdered Richard, the aged janitor who worked here. Then she jumped from the window on the eight floor, along with  her grandchild Linda, resulting in her death."