Nothing Makes Sense

I am a writer, I basically write stories of any genre that is taken from a small anecdote of my life, I took that incident, replace those characters and their behavior and stretch the situation of the incident to the point where it becomes interesting but does not make any sense and at the very last point I reveal the solution that readers were waiting for but this particular incident could not be stretched as it is a perfect story to tell with no change.

I was coming back from Pune to Ahmedabad on my car, I was still on the highway and my destination was still 8 hours away. It was night so I decided to take Break in a hotel if I could find one which was not packed, I came across five at the highway but none of them had any rooms.

After a while, I stopped at a gas station for fuel. Besides that, there was a shop which was very small but it was enough to get me a pack of cigarettes. Only one person was working there. I took 15 minutes nap in the car and had some tea. I knew I would not be able to get a room in any hotel but out of curiosity, I asked the owner of the shop if there was any hotel where rooms would be available. He replied with a slight nervousness in his face that there is one hotel but you don't want to go there. I asked why. He replied that the hotel is haunted when a staff member was killed. I needed rest so I can drive so it was not time for me to believe in that so I took the address of the hotel from him and drove straight there.

It was very close to his shop only 10 minutes away. The hotel name was paradise hotel and all rooms were available. The owner of the hotel was the manager and only one person was working there wearing a rep cap. I asked, " why all the rooms were empty because on the way I found many hotels and this is the only one where all the rooms are empty, is it because people believe it's true that this place is haunted ?"

He replied, " so you have also heard that a staff member was killed here ?"

I said yes but I don't care if it's true or not, I just need you to give me my keys so I can go to my room.

He didn't said anything else and gave me my keys and ordered his only employee to take my bags to the room. I checked in at 2 am and decided to check out at 7 am so I reach Ahmedabad as fast as I can. I realized as part of a horror movie or story stereotype this place didn't have an internet connection or any available signal as soon as I reached my room. I also assumed that in the upcoming hours I will hear some creepy sounds and with that, the lights will start blinking and I will realize that I made a big mistake and I should have listened to that man beside the gas station.

After I changed my clothes, I took a shower and went to sleep and nothing weird had happened. I went to sleep at 2:20 am, the sleep was peaceful and I felt comfortable and out of nowhere from inside my sleep goes away, time was 2:30 am and it felt like I had 2 hours of sleep, at this moment I felt the calm before the storm in that place. A certain emotion of panic started gathering and it was only because of the thought that this place was haunted and nothing actually happened yet. I felt like I had a long nap so I decided to get some fresh air and smoke outside. I went downstairs and I don't know why but the main door of the hotel was locked from the inside and It won't open.

I never saw this part coming if any rational person was there in my place he would have definitely called the manager where ever he was and would have told him to open the door and let him go outside but I didn't. I didn't show that I was scared and went straight back to my room. I opened the windows in my room and started smoking and I heard a knock on the door, I opened it and the manager/owner was standing there and told me to not smoke inside the room. I had so many questions at that moment like for instance how did he know I was smoking? and where was he when I tried to open the door? I replied by asking that, " can you open the hotel door so I can go outside and smoke?" He was smiling and asked

Me," so you were trying to go outside?" 

I replied, "it's okay I won't smoke now," and immediately closed my door. At this point, I was honest to myself and told myself that I'm scared and I need to do something to get out of here but I don't know-how. It was the point of the story where none of the things made any sense and maybe it would have been better if there was a third character but the third character which I can communicate is the man beside the gas station which I could not talk as I'm trapped there was also a third character which is the employee and I needed to find him to open the door.

I got out of the room and silently walked in the hallway so I would not be caught by the owner. There were three floors and he had put me on the third floor knowing it would be difficult for me to go downstairs. There was a small room on the first floor of which the door was open. I took a slight peek to see who was there, luckily the employee was sleeping on a couch and no one else was there. I went in, closed the door and woke him up as soon as he woke up I told him to talk with a low voice. He asked me," sir why are you here in the middle of the night and waking me up at 3 am ?" 

 I came to know the time and told him that I need to check out right now before the owner sees me. He said," what owner ?" 

"The one with the creepy smile who locked the door"

He replied " sir the owner of the place died " 

With a shock, I exclaimed " what ?"

He said," yes sir, a few weeks ago he went to visit his family in Mumbai and coming back he died in a car accident, I came to know about this when his brother told me on phone and since then I'm managing this place but not many people are coming " 

I asked, " but I talked to him when I came here and he gave me my room keys " 

He replied, " sir there is no room key because all the rooms are being renovated and cannot be locked and that's why villagers like to come and sleep in our rooms because the room cannot be locked and that's why I keep the hotel door locked " 

All the things somewhat started to make sense but I didn't have time to think I immediately told him to open the door because I was checking out, I packed my stuff and went downstairs, I kept waiting for the employee for some time but he didn't come and as I was thinking this I heard footsteps coming from the hallway and someone asked," so you are checking out now ?" And the owner of the hotel appeared.

I screamed for help and yelled him to stay away from me. The owner asked to keep my voice low and why was I shouting.

I replied, " I know you are not real, your man told me everything".

He asked me " what man? I am the only one living here " 

 " Don't lie to me "

He said " okay you believe my man right ?, I'm sitting right here on the front desk and find 

the person who you are talking about, we are the only two people right now in the hotel ".

" What are you talking about, I saw that person earlier when I checked in, he even took my bags "

" Sir I asked you only take your bags, if you don't believe me I have cameras in my hotel, you can see yourself "

" But I even talked to him in a small room, it was room no. 413 "

" Was he wearing a red cap by any chance ?"

"Yes" 

The owner didn't say anything and silent opened the door 

" Sir you can check our now if you want " 

" What happened, I know you know that person"

" Sir that room and employee who you are talking about died weeks ago " 

" So it is true, that this place is haunted" 

He didn't say anything and neither did I and at 4 am I left the hotel being scared and panicked. I needed another pack of cigarettes so I went back to the person beside the gas station. 

I told him, " you were right "

" About what ?"

" The haunted hotel and staff member was killed, I went there, I experienced everything"

" How could you have visited there? "

" What do you mean "

" After the staff members were killed the owner of the hotel died from a car accident while coming from Mumbai and since then the whole place shut down and the weird thing is that the hotel door is locked from the inside so I don't know how you stayed in that place".