DOORS - Prey with the raincoat - Part 1
Relationships: None
Type: READER INSERT
Words: 4,478
What rotten luck.
Out of all nights, why did it have to be this one that your car decided to quit on you?
It started out like a typical night. You were just making a quick run to get some snacks after getting off work and your car had suddenly decided to putter out and die on you in the middle of nowhere…during a heavy downpour…at night.
Which meant no repairman was coming to your aid until dawn and you were all alone until then. It was a rather strange occurrence…since your car has always run fine and you rarely had any problems…until tonight.
You quietly grumble to yourself as you hug your raincoat tighter to your trembling form, your small bag of snacks and drinks gripped tightly in one of your hands.
The pouring rain soaks you to your bones as you trudge through the relentless downpour. The raincoat barely does anything to help keep you from getting wet or chilly from the torrential gale that rips past your form.
Yet, you continue regardless.
You drag your feet along the wet mud and soaked concrete, struggling to keep yourself from slipping and falling over as you continue to walk up the staircase towards your hopeful salvation.
Your eyes glance up as you look up to a rather nice looking hotel, perched high up just on the hilltop. The same hilltop your car just happened to break down at the bottom of.
Hopefully the hotel would be a comfortable place to stay while you wait out the rainy night and maybe they would even have a phone you could use!
Since your phone was pretty much dead, and probably ruined from getting wet, it was your only limited option of being able to reach a repairman in the morning. Until then, you would have a nice place to sleep and keep warm on this chilly winter night.
You noticed something strange, however.
There was no sign advertising the hotel…or…even if it was a hotel. This might just be some random person’s house or mansion for all you knew…even if they called the cops, hopefully you would still get some help.
You just couldn’t sit in your car all night doing nothing. You already went through an exhausting road trip, so you just really wanted to go home. Besides, you would rather explain yourself to some cops than quietly freeze to death in your car overnight.
Upon reaching the top of the hill, you carefully approach a pair of large wooden double doors. Despite the illuminated interior and welcoming atmosphere of the supposed ‘hotel’, you pause.
There was just…something about this building…it was giving you a bad feeling in your gut.
But…where else could you go? What choice did you really have?
You were already soaking wet, your car couldn’t go anywhere, and you had no method of communication. You didn’t really have a choice and you certainly weren’t gonna sit in your car now that you were all wet…
So you push the feeling down and decide to enter the building.
With a handle gripped in each hand, you pop the latch. They open with a resistant creak as you open it just wide enough to peek your head inside. It was…strange for it to not be locked…but the moment you stepped inside, you seem to realize why.
So…it was a hotel.
There was a desk with a key rack behind it, some comfy chairs in the waiting area, fancy paintings decorating the wall, and it even had a lit fireplace!
You wasted no time in walking inside once you finished your brief visual inspection, allowing the large doors to slam shut behind you. You quickly wiped off your feet on the welcome mat and hurried over to where the fire was, eager to get rid of your lingering chill.
You slip your soaked raincoat off and lay it on the ground near the fireplace to dry as you let out a brief shudder and rub your arms in an effort to chase off the remaining chill from the rain.
You eye the cozy chairs that surround the fireplace and you shiver a bit as you take a moment to sit down in one to gather up your energy. Setting your bags of goodies down next to the seat, you let out a sigh of relief. At least you were safe, warm, and out of the freezing rain.
You take a second to look around your surroundings, taking in the fancy-looking atmosphere that made up the hotel. With its wooden floors, elegant wallpaper, wooden furniture, and fancy paintings, you silently guess it was of a much more ‘upper class’ hotel.
Thankfully, you’ll only be here for one night. So the money they would ask for shouldn’t hurt you TOO bad.
Speaking of which…where was the clerk? Shouldn’t they have come back by now?
Your curiosity is suddenly piqued as you sit for a few more moments before getting up.
You approach the desk with growing confusion as you look around to see if there were any doors that led to the back or staff rooms…but you see none.
You continue to gaze around and then you finally take notice of the desk bell. You silently figure that you would have to ring that to get service. So, you gently ring it.
There was only silence that followed afterward, so you ring it again. Expecting someone to come and provide you with some service.
But nobody came.
“Hello??” You call out into the lobby, waiting for a reply.
Again, you were met with silence.
You look around in a confused manner before checking for any notes that may be laying around, but once more, you find nothing.
Then, your eyes catch something interesting. In the back of the lobby, you see them.
Elevators. There are two of them and they both seemed to be operating as one was simply sitting open. Your curiosity only grows, but you don’t want to get into trouble by wandering around the hotel without consulting the clerk for a room to sleep in for the night…
But…maybe you could go looking for the clerk? That wouldn’t be too bad to explain if you got caught walking around the hotel, right?
You decided to think about it for a few minutes as you sit down by the fire once again to warm up and dry off before you make your next move.
A moment of idleness passes and you finally decide to stand up, gather up your coat and goodies, and go looking for the clerk yourself. What could they possibly be doing that requires them to stay away from their desk for this long??
So you begin to head towards the elevators. It was rather eerie how one elevator was staying open no matter what…so you decided to walk inside of it.
Then…that looming feeling of dread comes crawling back as you observe the buttons that lead to the lower floors. Correction…the single button that led to a lower floor. There were no numbers or designated floors for maintenance and staff…just a downward pointing arrow.
You cast your gaze back to the lobby, seeing the large double doors so far away and the heavy rain still pouring down outside. A little feeling in your body was telling you–no–BEGGING you to get out of the elevator and run, but you merely stood there in confusion before brushing it off.
You were just nervous about going into the hotel without permission, it’s okay. No need to panic.
So you merely push the downward button…and the dread only grows worse as the door to the elevator closes and it begins to descend. Your worries only amplify once you take notice of just how LONG the elevator is taking to reach the ‘second floor’.
Suddenly, the elevator jerks. Sending your heart straight into your throat as it grinds against something in the shaft before continuing on, the light flickering for a moment before everything becomes stable again. Your heart thunders as the elevator music doesn’t calm your nerves in the slightest. Maybe you shouldn’t have gotten into the elevator…maybe you should’ve listened to your instincts…
Something just kept feeling more…WRONG the deeper into the hotel you go.
Then much to your surprise, the elevator finally stops and the door opens. Revealing a much smaller version of the room from before.
There were paintings, a fireplace, tables, a desk with a bell, and a key rack. You step out of the elevator, completely ignoring how the doors suddenly close behind you without your input. Instead, the first thing you take notice of is the presence of windows.
Didn’t you just go DOWN into the hotel?? How were there windows here??
Despite your growing confusion, you refocus on the desk in the center of the room. Once more, you walk up to the desk and ring the bell. Similar to the main lobby, you get no response and you begin to ring the bell over and over in frustration. Only pausing when the bell actually BREAKS and you silently step away to avoid getting blamed for it.
Upon looking around, everything in the room looked the same as before.
However, you now take notice of the single door that displays ‘001’ on it. You see that it has a lock and with a brief look around, you see the key to said door hanging on the key rack.
You, growing more impatient and worried, crawl through the baggage carriage that blocked the way behind the desk, and snatch the key from its place on the wall. You crawl back through and make it to the door and with a little bit of fiddling, the door suddenly swings open.
Revealing a short hallway that leads to room ‘002’.
You blink in surprise and the feeling of dread suddenly amplifies as you take a look back at the elevator, looking to see if you could go back. Finding the elevator door closed tightly and noticing the lack of call buttons.
Suddenly…you feel as if you were in danger.
It takes a bit for you to gain the courage to move on in the hotel, but door after door, the hotel only grows more and more strange. So much so, that it begins to feel like you were having a fever dream.
There were numerous doors that were broken or blocked off by wooden planks, stairwells that didn’t lead to upper or lower floors, the layouts stopped making sense entirely, and there was a constant feeling of being watched and looming danger skulking about.
Then, you have your first encounter.
Upon opening door ‘014’, you take notice of how the lights flicker as you enter. Then, the sense of fear inside of you suddenly spikes as your heart begins to race. At first, you didn’t know why.
Then…
You hear it.
Something was coming from somewhere behind you. Loud, bellowing, and quickly approaching. Deep within yourself, you could feel something urging you to HIDE!
You sink down into pure instincts and look around the room in a panic.You take notice of a wardrobe that was sitting off to the side and the same feeling inside of you tells you to hurry and hide inside of it!
You sprint over and swing open the doors, finding the closet surprisingly empty.
Without hesitation, you throw yourself into the closet and shut it quickly, listening as the noise grows louder and louder. Then, through the crack in the closet, you see it.
A large being with a gray smiling face and a shadowy body races past your hiding place quickly. Bellowing loudly and shattering all the light fixtures that it passes. You even cover your ears as the beast charges past, its large toothy mouth agape, letting out its loud roar, and tearing through the room ahead of it recklessly.
Then just as quickly as it arrived, it vanished like it wasn’t even there.
Your heart was still thundering loudly in your chest as you struggled to process what just flew by your hiding place.
Even worse, you swear that the darkness inside of the closet was moving and your heart rate grew even more rapid as you swore something was touching you and whispering ‘get out’ into your ears.
In response, you bolt from the closet and out into the darkened room.
With a quick few stumbles, you enter the illuminated room ‘015’ and collapse to the floor in shock. Your heart thundering in your ribcage and your eyes flicking about as you hold onto your bag of snacks like your life depended on it.
What the FUCK was happening?!?
What was that thing that flew by the closet?? What was that thing IN the closet?!! Why wasn’t this hotel making sense ANYMORE?!! You take rapid breaths to try and calm your heartbeat, but it did very little to help.
You simply lay there on your back, panting and trying to regain your breath from your close encounter with death.
After a few minutes, you manage to calm down just enough to finally stand back up and continue on your unwilling journey. Moving on through room ‘015’ to continue on through the endless rooms.
You managed to discover a few interesting rooms, namely a painting room that involved a puzzle, multiple styles of studies, large rooms with numerous bedrooms in them, long hallways, and rooms with numerous closets or toppled bookshelves.
In these numerous rooms, you even managed to find a lighter in a drawer.
You also had more encounters with that large screaming shadow demon. Each encounter is as terrifying as the last as you hide in a closet and watch it rush past, screaming and tearing through the room with its large teeth.
Until in one particular room.
The moment you open door ‘023’ you are met with darkness. You pause at the entrance, looking into the darkened room in surprise as you blink. Worry eats at you from within, as you swear you can feel a presence lurking around in the dark from where you stand.
Squinting a bit, you take notice of a locked door further into the room and a door off to the side. Great…it was locked and it was an office-type of room. Just judging on the familiarity of the layout.
You take another moment to gather your courage and pull out the lighter you found. Upon flicking it to life, you walk into the inky black room, taking notice at how it seemed…darker than usual. Your light barely did anything to keep the darkness at bay as you walked along the wall and felt for the door to the office.
You feel the handle and turn it, opening the door to a cluttered office space that looked like someone was just moving in. Boxes, a bed, numerous unmarked crates, and a desk off to the side. Along with those ever present windows with the raining downpour still continuing outside.
You quickly stride over to the desk and begin to search the drawers. Nothing notably interesting, except you managed to find some lockpicks. The key wasn’t here.
You grumble a bit and then, much to your surprise, you sense something around you…
“Psst.”
You jump and look around rapidly and once your gaze lands on a floating inky-looking disembodied head with tendrils, glowing white eyes, and a wide toothy grin, you let out a loud scream.
The creature does the same thing, except its screech is louder and piercing. Which made you visibly flinch and recoil in response to the sheer octave that the little being reached. Then, it rapidly disappears back into the darkness of the room.
Your heartbeat thunders in your chest after the encounter and you try to snap out of it.
You needed to get OUT of this dark room, now !
So you searched and searched, looking for the key. You even had to put out your lighter to prevent it from burning out on you too quickly. So now you were working in complete darkness with that thing lurking around you.
Then, surprisingly…something in the room began to glow an eerie blue.
From a ways away, you take notice of a glowing key that was laying upon the ground. You hurry over to the luminous key, not really questioning at the moment how it was glowing, before hurrying out of the office.
Even more interesting, the door itself was glowing that same eerie blue. With shimmering sparkles and a radiant aura that emitted from it. So you waste no time and head over to the door, the light providing you enough visibility to slip the key into the slot and pop the lock.
The door to ‘024’ opens and you rush out of the dark room, doing a quick check around yourself to make sure that whatever that thing was didn’t follow you out into the light.
Once in “safety”, you take a look back towards the door that you just came through. Seeing the sparkling blue light slowly fading away from the door until it was no more.
Strangely enough…that light felt comforting.
It did help you after all…maybe whatever was causing those glows was…good? Benevolent, even? You just hoped that you had at least SOMETHING to rely on while you traverse this hellscape of a hotel.
And so…you continue on through the rooms.
Most of the rooms through 025 to 029 were uneventful. You just have another heartstopping encounter with the large rushing shadow monster in room 028, which you easily survived.
However…when you enter room ‘030’, you encounter another monster. You are taken off guard when you hear a rather peculiar sound and suddenly something appears in front of you. A mass of eyes radiating a bright blue light appears in the middle of the room.
At first, you thought it must’ve been the being that was guiding you through those dark rooms, but upon looking at it, you see its numerous pupils flash and multiple cuts begin to get slashed upon your body from seemingly nowhere. You flinch and fall down from the sudden pain, looking away from it as it hisses in agitation.
You thought you were going to die, but as you lay there, the creature remained dormant. Not attacking you after you looked away from it. Taking this knowledge in hand, you regain your composure, pick up your stuff, and finally yourself up off the floor. Keeping your gaze away from the cluster of eyes glaring at you.
You slink around it and manage to get to the next door.
Upon opening door ‘031’, the sound and light from behind you suddenly fades away. Looking back, you see nothing there. The eyes were gone…yet the cuts still remained.
You wince as you look around the room, finding it to be another multiple bedroom section of this madness-inducing hotel. Maybe you would be able to find something to help heal these injuries…so you began to look around.
For the next few rooms, you managed to scrounge up a couple of bandages to help patch your injuries. For the rest of rooms ‘031’ to ‘034’, were primarily uneventful. Except with one small dark hallway and another visit from that shadowy smiling creature that tore through the rooms at the speed of sound.
But upon entering ‘035’, you take a moment to pause as a brief moment of panic goes through you when you see the lights in the room flicker.
Instinctively, you run and hide in a closet.
But after a few minutes…you were met with silence.
Trying to ignore the lingering sense of something in the closet with you, you wait a little longer than required just to be sure that the shadowy entity wasn’t on the way over.
After a few moments, you hurried to step out of the closet once you felt the presence within growing much more touchy-feely. When it began whispering into your ear in a hostile manner, you knew you had no other choice but to leave.
Upon looking around the room, you see no signs of that quick shadow demon. No distant roar. No flickering lights. Just silence. You figured that it must’ve been just the ambiance…until you felt something watching you.
You take a closer look around the room, then you freeze in place when you see it.
An eye.
An eye was poking out of the wall from a black dripping mass that looked like a wound. The large singular pupil focused on you as you cautiously walked around it. Upon moving on to room ‘036’, you see the lights flicker again, but more eyes appear.
It was a short hallway and the eyes, two of them, each watched you move from one end of the hall to the other, and you couldn’t fathom the feeling of dread that was starting to build up in your body.
Entering room ‘037’ and ‘038’ each had a similar experience. Except the eyes were practically everywhere by the last room. All watching you move about and do whatever you need to do. The chills you were getting were unreal and the paranoia you were experiencing was unlike anything you have ever experienced before.
Something BIG was coming. You felt it. The dread, the panic, the fear…you silently wonder if the eyes could sense it as well.
But upon opening up door ‘039’. You find the place remarkably lit and free from those eye-like entities.
It was just a long hallway. No closets, drawers, or tables to be found. Just more of those windows that you couldn’t see out of and more of the ever-present pouring rain.
Still, that feeling of dread wouldn’t leave your body.
You clutch your snack bag as close to your body as possible, squishing it into your raincoat, as you walk further into the hallway. As you drew closer to the end of the hall, you thought that it was just another typical hallway, like the ones before.
Oh how wrong you were.
The sound of the floorboards creaking loudly behind you makes your head turn rapidly towards the source of the disturbance.
Your heart stops as you see a pool of that black substance from before start to build up more and more until you see two “hands” emerge from it. A head then emerges and a single eye slips onto the “head” of the creature, with a few agitated pulls, tendrils of slime pop off of its form as the excess sinks back into the floor and the humanoid form is released.
The singular eye locks onto your terrified form and it lets out a distorted screech before it PHYSICALLY STARTS TO RUN AFTER YOU.
You quickly turn around and bolt away from it into the next room.
You scream bloody murder as you hear the loud thumping of footfalls from behind you and the walls being covered with eyes and an ominous red light. Your heart thunders inside of your chest and your legs are burning from the exertion.
You break through another door and then you see furniture move on its own to block your path! You were about to panic until your eyes caught a quick glimpse of a familiar flurry of sparkles guiding you towards a hole in the blockage. To which you scurry through with reckless abandon.
It isn’t long until another attempted blockage is placed in your path, but with the mysterious light guiding you, you hurry through without a moment of hesitation.
You find yourself running through halls, each with barricades of furniture and ruined doors. But with only one door that would allow you through. The thundering footfalls from behind you almost sounded like they were closing in as you bolt through the halls to flee from the creature chasing you.
Then upon flinging open the door to door ‘046’, the scene before you is nothing short of horrifying.
A once grand hallway is turned into a war zone and large shadowy hands break through the elegant windows upon your entrance, reaching out around their limited space. The chandeliers that once hung from the ceiling now are nothing but a ball of fire on the ground.
You couldn’t even take a moment to stop and think as you run about the room.
Dodging fire, clasping massive hands, and the entity still hot on your tail from behind. You could see the open door in the distance and you almost feel a sense of relief.
Possibly sensing your happiness, you hear the creature behind you let out a shriek of defiance as you sidestep the last large hand that tried reaching for you.
The moment you pass through the door, you slam into the wall of the next room.
You pant desperately for breath as you turn around and let out a shrill scream, seeing the shadowy one-eyed entity running straight for you from the hallway.
SLAM!
You jump out of your skin as the door that separated you both is suddenly slammed shut by a familiar shower of sparkles. The creature on the other side lets out a roar of frustration as it beats on the door.
You lay there for a moment, not expecting the door to hold it back. But after a moment, the banging suddenly stops…and the dread you feel passes.
Then, silence fills the room.
Your desperate breaths are the only thing present in the room as you lay there and try to force yourself to calm down.
That was too close. This place…what WAS this place?? How were there so many monsters in this building?! You…you could’ve died! Who knows what that thing would’ve done to you if it caught you!
You lay there for a moment, clenching your bag of snacks for comfort as you struggle to calm down.
A few seconds turns to minutes and you finally feel your heart rate dropping back to a normal pulse. A few more minutes pass and you regain the strength to get up and off the floor to continue on your journey.
You look at the next door, seeing that it reads ‘048’.
Entering it, you find nothing but another short hallway. You easily pass through it, but upon entering ‘049’, you suddenly see what looks like to be the entrance to a grand study.
There were a few bookshelves, a desk, a globe, numerous ruined books, and a large elegant entryway that read ‘050’ above it. You were about to think that the whole nightmare was over and that you were about to find the exit.
Until you heard a very ominous reverberating growl come from the other side of the door.
You could only gulp and tremble in fear while standing in front of the large door in question.
It seems like your journey through this hellish hotel isn’t over quite yet…
You just hope that you get out of here alive.
