Roseanne's Summer Vacation- Chapter 17

Nika switched on the phone torchlight and placed it upwards on the bed. The tiny light barely illuminated her face in the dark room, but it was enough to evoke the right atmosphere. Milena was covered in a blanket, clutching a teddy bear. Thally, on the other hand, was busy devouring a packet of Doritos. She didn’t mind doing that in the faint light.

“Okay, so the story goes like this,” Nika started. “There was this man who was suddenly sent on a business trip to Egypt. I mean, it’s a faraway country, right? And it’s hot as hell over there. So the guy arrived at the airport. He was sweating as profusely as a prostitute waiting by the side of the road for truckers—”

“—Girl!” Thally interrupted. “What kind of comparison is that?”

“I picked it up from a smut book,” she explained. “Anyways, the guy arrives at a hotel. It’s not for the VIPs. He needs to keep the costs down. The receptionist gives him the keys to the room. He goes there, and it’s the most basic room you could ever imagine. Just a bed and an adjacent bathroom. Nothing else. To make matters worse, there was a power outage. The receptionist didn’t know how long it would last. It was night already. He couldn’t switch on the light or charge his phone. What could the guy do? He jumped into bed and tried to sleep.”

“No! Please no!” Milena began whimpering. “He was killed, right? A monster killed him?”

Nika continued calmly. “Like I said, the guy tried to sleep. He kept tossing and turning, but there was no spot comfortable enough for him. Initially, he thought he was imagining this, but he could swear he felt the stuffing of the mattress was moving. Besides, when he put his head on the pillow, he could hear a sort of scratchy sound spreading along the mattress. The type of sound you hear when you’re using sandpaper against the wall.”

Milena trembled in horror.

“It took the guy a few minutes to figure out the sensations were real. He got up. Obviously, there was no light. The battery on his phone was at its limit, but he turned on the torch just as we had. He shone it on the mattress to inspect it closely. Suddenly! He noticed a small rubber valve…”

“Oh shit,” Milena cried.

“The guy pulled the valve open and from the inside hundreds of horrible insects marched outside: ants, beetles, cockroaches, silverfish, you name it!”

“I don’t want to hear this! I hate worms!” Milena disappeared under the blanket and started blowing her nose that became full from crying.

“Honestly, it’s a bit of a weak story,” Thally commented.

“It’s all a matter of preference. If you want to tell a scary story, go ahead,” Nika said.

“Okey dokey.” Thally put down nail polish. “There was a girl who wanted to take a bath. Mind you, she had no shower. There was only a bath. It was so nice and comfy when she got in, she drifted away to sleep. But all of a sudden, a hand in a leather glove fitted with metal blades on the fingers emerged right between her legs!”

“Uuuuaaah! Make it stop! Make it stop!” Milena screamed in fear as she pictured the scene.

“Please give me a break,” Nika shook her head in disappointment. “You’re describing a scene from A Nightmare on Elm Street for crying out loud! At least I told an original story.”

“You’ve seen that movie!” Thally pointed a finger at her. “It was awesome!”

“I only watched the trailer. I don’t like horrors, in general. What is it with you? I noticed you’re making a lot of movie references.”

“I’m just a movie buff, baby,” she winked. “You can find some old but gold stuff on Netflix if you really want to. I don’t have any social life, so it’s easy for me.”

The conversation was interrupted by the sound of slamming doors in the lobby.

“Holy jumpin’ Jesus save us! It’s that Elm Street monster!” Milena trembled.

“Calm down. It’s a lost guest, probably.” As soon as Thally said that, they heard the noise of a handle to their room being pushed. Of course, the doors had an electronic lock, but nonetheless, someone did try to insert a code.

“Oh shit…” Thally whispered.

Not a second passed when Milena and Nika disappeared under the bunk beds. Thally turned off the torchlight and silently approached the lock. In the darkness, she observed the shaking handle. She needed something that could be used as a weapon, literally anything. She pulled a strap out of her backpack, ready to jump and strangle the assailant. The handle, however, was suddenly left alone.

Thally kneeled to the door frame, trying to hear anything on the other side. With difficulty, her ears caught footsteps wandering off and the main lobby door slamming shut. The coast seemed clear.

“Don’t go out there!” Nika waved her hands in the dark. “We should call Mr Orville!”

But Thally ignored her roommate. She gently pulled the handle and slipped through an opening into the corridor.

The lobby was dark and silent. There was not a soul in sight. One could think that nobody passed through the place, but it was clear someone wanted to enter their room. Still kneeling, Thally made a few paces until she was outside.

She looked around the main entrance that wasn’t even lit by any lamp post. Although it was the middle of the night, she could hear the sounds of cars passing the main street not far off. Suddenly, the corner of her eye noticed some movement in the bushes.

A figure in a hoodie was fidgeting with a bag. Because of the darkness, the girl couldn’t see him clearly.

That’s weird, Thally thought. What’s the deal with this Eminem?

The man unknown to Thally seemed to make a movement suggesting unpacking or repacking something. After a few minutes, the mysterious task was completed. The man threw the bag over his shoulder and ventured off into a nearby park. Thally didn’t have the courage to follow him. She didn’t want to leave the hostel in the middle of the night for a hunt god knows where to. However, she approached the bush spot the man occupied.

Under the cover of leaves, she found over a dozen square-shaped boxes.

Back to Chapter 16 <----> Move to Section Break The Second Day