Key of Worlds - The Keeper Of Keys

Chapter 1

Rows of motel rooms stretched along both sides of the foyer, with small concrete steps climbing up to the second story floor. A group of bulky men stood in front of a broken down door, passing around a blunt and a bottle of whiskey.

The old crumbling walls were not the most pleasant looking, but at least it was a place to stay for a few nights.

A bored-looking guy sat at the desk in the foyer, with his phone resting on the counter. As the young woman wandered over to him, he glanced at her lazily and raised an eyebrow.

The poor guy looked like he was falling asleep. With dark shadows under his eyes and the large frown on his face, it was easy to believe that he was just tired from a long day at work. His bloodshot eyes were barely open and he had very poor skin tone.

The woman shifted her eyes to the bag of pills he was trying to hide under his phone, and smiled hesitantly.

After leaving a hefty amount of cash on the counter, with the promise of paying the rest of the deposit when she leaves, she made her way back outside with a very grimy key and almost a quarter of the rest of her money.

Serayah held the key with the tips of her fingers, her mouth curling up with squinting eyes. Shakily climbing the stairs, she turned away from the scent of weed and towards the right side of the motel.

Room 117 was at the end of the row where a small rotting bench was placed just outside the door. A small frosted window sitting above the door handle was just clear enough for her to see the silhouettes of dirty furniture.

Crinkling her nose, Serayah slid the key into the keyhole and opened the creaking door. The light switch was to the right-hand side, and with a flick of the wrist the light bulb began flickering.

The bulb finally switched on after a few agonizing minutes; the darkened room wasn't overly welcoming, and the faltering light wasn't helping the serial killer vibe the motel had going on.

Stepping into the small room, Serayah made the unwise decision of removing her trainers, flinching slightly as the cold seeped up from the concrete floor. She made her way across the cold floor with nothing to protect her socks from the dirt and grime.

Dumping the duffel bag on the floor beside the bed, the exhausted woman collapsed down onto the dusty bedspread. Feeling her shoulders loosen, Serayah settled back into the blankets, not caring about the brown stain on the mattress.

The past few hours had been hectic; her step-mother only allowed her a small amount of time to pack up her few possessions, and she had to find a motel before the night arrived. If it wasn't bad enough, Serayah wasn't allowed to say a final goodbye to the family dog.

She was really going to miss that dog.

Serayah tried to relive good memories of the house she once lived in, but all she could picture was the small hairline cracks in the windows, and the uneven bricks of the walls. The whole house looked like it was going to crumble away.

There weren't many good memories living there, with only a few great ones that were shared with her father. Now that he was gone, and the step-mother and her new partner lived in the house, there was no good reason for Serayah to stay there any longer.

However, when she stood there on the front porch, her gaze lingering over the bunches of dandelions and long grass, she realised that she would have done anything to stay in that house a little longer. Even tolerating her step-mother and the newborn baby.

In the motel room, Serayah closed her eyes and allowed herself to relax for the next few hours.

The whirring sound of the air conditioning overpowered Serayah's soft breaths, irritation growing as the sound seemed to grow louder with each passing minute.