Shattered Reality

I Just Wanted Coffee

"Room and board for a Vickie Westwood." I dropped my heavy backpack to the floor and leaned against the desk, waiting for the desk clerk to tell me where my room is. I put my head down in my arms, and breathed deeply. That climb from the bottom of the mountain was rough, but I did it in record time.

"Room number is 356 on the third floor. Enjoy your stay," said the clerk. God, that was probably the cheesiest smile I have ever seen. The stairs squeaked every time I would shift my weight and I laughed.

"Haha, this so reminds me of home." I whispered quietly to myself, "Dad was always to much of a cheap ass to fix them, and Mom and I just put up with it." The lighting got dimmer and dimmer the farther up the stairs I got, until it was just a single light flickering on and off in the hallway. "How creepy."

"I know right." I jumped back startled and made eye contact with a guy standing in a doorway to the left of me. 

 "Um, Hi. Didn't see ya there." He let out a deep chuckle, and ran his fingers through his wavy white hair.

"Sorry, didn't mean to scare you. The name's Jim, but my friends call me Slick." I couldn't help but let out a soft chuckle.

"How do you get Slick out of Jim?" He rolled his eyes, and licked his lips.

"Long story. What's your name?"

" Vickie, but my friends call me.....wait, I don't have friends." We both laughed at my joke, and shook hands. His cream brown eyes looked straight into my light blue ones.

"Vickie, want to come get coffee with me at the market?" I rubbed my chin as a joke, and then laughed again. Why am I so giggly?

"I'd be happy to, I just have to go put my clothes away, and I'll meet you in the lobby?" Slick bit his lip, and shook his head.

"I'll meet you there." Room 410 huh, I might have to come back here tonight if you know what I mean.

The corridor got brighter as I walked closer to my room, and the light worked much better. I pulled the key out of my back pocket and opened the large oak door. The room looked like most all of the hotels I've been in before, but it had a cool vintage spin to it.

"Cool," I said while sitting on the large queen sized bed. I put my bags on the floor at the foot end of the bed, and made my way to the bathroom. The mirror was a little dirty, but I was more worried about my face. That climb up the mountain really did a number to my hair, and oh my lord was my mascara running hella bad. Quickly, I fixed my straight, brown peppered hair, and just washed off my makeup. I can't believe I talked to Slick like that.

As I was fixing my hair I felt a cool breeze shake up my back, and made my whole body shiver. A weird feeling pounded at the back of my head. "What the hell?" The feeling never left, and only got stronger and stronger till I felt like someone else was in the room with me. Hastily, I made my way out of the room with my wallet, and down the stairs; breathing heavy for some reason. Weird. "Hey Slick, I'm ready, how about you?" He turned around and put his phone in the back pocket of his black jeans.

"Yep, after you milady." He bowed as if he were a knight and I was a princess from some medieval story.

"Why thank you good sir," I humbly proclaimed back. I passed by him, and opened the hotel door. Slick's arm wrapped around my shoulders, and he leaned against my side a little.

"Has anyone ever told you that you're really short?" I pushed him off of me, and crossed my arms across my chest.

"All the time actually, dick."

"The name's Slick, not dick."

"Ew, you have a slick dick, that's gross," I teased. He put his elbow on my head and laughed at me.

"You know, I kinda think we can be friends."

"With benefits." Wait, did I just say that? My eyes widened in horror, and I looked straight ahead.

"Oh my god, you're hilarious," he laughed even harder. Should I take offense, or should I be glad he didn't take me seriously? I chuckled nervously, and grabbed on to the ropes of the bridge we had approached.

"Do we have to cross in order to get to the market?" His face dropped, and he suddenly got serious while looking ahead.

"Um, yeah we do, be careful though." His face curled back and forth from smiling to grimacing, and he looked overall really uncomfortable. I laughed him off and began to cross the bridge. The same feeling from inside the hotel room crept over me again, and I shivered impulsively. I don't feel safe with him for some reason now. Whatever Vickie stop being paranoid, just don't think about it.

I've been on so many hiking trips, and adventures that bridges don't scare me anymore. Plus, there was water underneath, so if I fall I won't die; I hope. While crossing the bridge I decided to ask Slick a couple of questions.

"So, Slick, where you from?" I didn't look up, just kept looking at my feet.

"I can show you," purred his voice in my ear. I went flying over the railing. Quickly, my hands grabbed on to it last minute, and I dangled over the edge. How'd he get so close?

"Slick, help me." I made direct eye contact and his cream brown eyes were now a piercing blue, and his mouth was curled almost up to his ears. His hair was still white, but stained with red crimson blood. What's going on?

"What was that....drop you into the lake?" His smooth, and deep voice got even deeper, and send shivers down my spine. Am I going to die?

"What are you?" His hand, deformed and bloody, laid on mine. What is he?

"Your worst nightmare, say hi to my brothers and sisters will ya?" With in an instant he peeled my fingers, and my body fell, plummeting to the water below. I'm going to die.

The water slapped at my back, and I gasped in pain. The water surrounded me, and my lungs immediately screamed for air. I tried to swim to the top, but my leg was caught on something. I looked down and saw a claw, not like a lobster or anything, but like a raptor claw. You know the dinosaur? The claw, black in color, and sharp had my pants, and was pulling me further down. Black dots blurred my vision, and my body got weaker and weaker, until all I saw was black gravel rock, and darkness. I AM going to die!