FicWad

“Since my baby left me, I found a new place to dwell....”
Dana curled her lip and turned off the radio, she was in the car, fleeing a bad relationship. She didn’t need reminds of that.
She looked at the clock and realized how late it was. She better find a hotel to spend the night.
The road she was on was deserted and there didn’t seem much hope for a hotel to pop up. Just as she had that thought she saw a sign, “Heartbreak Hotel 5mi.”
“Heartbreak Hotel,” she thought cynically, “appropriate.”
She wondered if she should just let it pass by and wait for another hotel, when there was a loud crack of thunder. She looked up and saw the dark clouds in the distance. She realized that she would have to stop at the motel, because if she didn’t she would end up in the middle of the storm.
Just as she arrived at the hotel, the skies opened up and a deluge of rainwater poured out. For a moment she sat there, looking at the building. It looked deserted and she wondered if she should just brave the storm and drive on. Then she saw the vacancy sign barely visible in the overgrown trees, it was lit.
This normally wasn’t the type of place she would stay at, but she was desperate. So she got out of the car and ran through the rain to the front door. As soon as she walked through the door, a bell rang and a young man stepped through a door.
“Hello,” he said smiling at her.
Dana smiled back, but something about the man gave her the creeps and again she wondered if she should stay here.
A loud clap of thunder made up the decision for her.
“I need a room,” she said and the man smiled again.
“We have plenty of rooms available,” he said, and Dana got a chill at the way he was looking at her.
“My name is Asher,” he said, after she had signed in and he had handed her the key. “I run this hotel with my mother. If you need anything just ask.”
“Sure thing,” she said, as she was thinking “not a chance.”

Dana decided not to get her luggage until after the storm had passed, even though Asher had volunteered to get it for her. She really didn’t want him in her room, so she had declined.
She had grabbed her backpack at least, which held a change of clothes and some pajamas so she decided to take a shower.
After carefully checking the locks, to make sure Asher couldn’t barge in on her, she went into the bathroom and started the shower. After it had heated up, she stepped in and washed herself and her hair quickly. She turned off the shower, wrapped a towel around herself and stepped out. Crossing the sink, to the small bathroom and the mirror above it. She looked into the mirror, and screamed, a young woman, not much older than Dana herself stood behind her. Dana turned so quickly that she almost slipped on the puddle of water her feet had created.
No one stood behind her, and when Dana turned around, the girl had vanished from the mirror.
“Great,” she thought, “now I’m seeing things. This week is just getting better and better.”
Quickly she towel dried her hair, and dressed, being careful not to look in the mirror. Afraid what she might see there.
She walked out of the bathroom and crossed the room to the window. It was still raining, seeming like harder before. She went over to the small tv, which didn’t have a remote of course, and flipped it on. The reception was bad on the tv, and she could only get two channels. Neither which seemed worth watching. The only thing there seemed to be to do was go to bed, and although it was only eight o’clock. Dana certainly didn’t feel like sitting in a chair, and watching the paint peel.
She fell asleep, but was awakened a few hours later by a creaking noise. She woke up and froze, realizing that someone was in her room. She peered over the covers and saw an older woman walking around the room.
“Asher’s mother?” She thought, then wondered if she should say something.
“Asher is such a good boy,” she heard the woman mutter, as she approached the bed. “He always brings such good friends for me.”
Dana felt a moment of panic, as she realized the woman was quite possibly crazy and squeezed her eyes shut. Suddenly there was a flurry of movement and when Dana opened her eyes again the woman was gone.
Dana bolted out of bed and quickly dressed, grabbing her backpack. She ran out of the room and down the hall, praying that she wouldn’t meet Asher or his mother on her way out. It was thundering and lighting as she ran out, but she didn’t care. She would rather take her chances in the storm, then spend the night in the hotel. She ran to her car, as the rain pelted her, then stopped and stared in disbelief. All of her tires had been slashed, and she felt a chill that had nothing to do with the rain. Somebody didn’t want her to leave, and she knew who that was. She looked back at the hotel, not wanting to go back inside, but not having much choice. She would barricade herself in her room, and wait out the night.
She ran back into the hotel, and stopped. The same woman she had seen in the mirror was standing at the top of the steps, beckoning her.
“I’m going crazy,” she muttered to herself as she stared at the ghostly figure.
The woman beckoned her once more, then disappeared up the steps.
Dana stared up the steps, toward what she figured was the family portion of the hotel. Maybe she could find a phone up there and call for help. She hadn’t seen any phones in her room or at the front desk, but they had to be around somewhere.
Before she lost her courage, she started up the stairs, jumping as a particularly loud clap of thunder sounded.
Finally she reached the top of the steps and looked around, it was darker up here then downstairs and for a moment she considered turning around and going back downstairs. Then she saw the woman standing at the end of the hall, pointing at a door. Dana knew it was crazy, knew she should run back to her room and hide. But instead she carefully walked down the hall, making sure she didn’t bump into anything. Just before she reached the door, the woman disappeared again.
Dana stood there, staring at the door, wondering if she was doing the right thing. Asher might be creepy, but he deserved privacy like anyone else. Finally her curiosity got the best of her and she slowly opened the door.
She peeked into what looked like a bedroom, but there was a peculiar smell coming from inside. Almost like rotting meat. Dana crept inside, holding her breath as best as she could, then froze when she heard a woman’s voice.
“Asher,” the voice said, “the friend you brought for me, is very pretty, such beautiful long red hair.”
Dana gasped as she realized they were talking about her.
“Yes mother,” Asher’s voice said, “and soon you’ll get to meet her.”
Dana peeked over the top of the couch she was hiding behind, and gasped again. Asher was by the fireplace sitting in a chair, next to the rotted skeleton of a woman. What was even more horrifying was the fact that he was having a conversation with her, as if she was still alive.
“She’ll make a lovely addition to your friends mother,” Asher said, then a bolt of lightening illuminated the room.
Dana choked back a scream, as she saw all around her, the rotting bodies of women. She heard Asher stand up and she realized in horror that he had heard her.
“Whose there?” He asked, and Dana bolted for the door.
Asher was quicker then she was, and he grabbed her arm, before she could get out into the hallway.
“I see how eager you are,” he said smiling at her, his eyes glittering strangely. “To join my mother’s friends.”
Dana screamed and clawed at his hands as he dragged her back into the room. He threw her on the couch, and she screamed again as she landed on the partially rotted corpse of a young dark-haired woman.
“The woman in the mirror!” Her brain screamed as she pushed herself away from the body.
“Have a nice time,” Asher said calmly and Dana quickly ran toward the door, but he closed it before she could reach it.
She rattled the knob, then slammed her hands against it, but it was no use. The door was locked and there was no way out.
She turned and looked around her, the smell even more overwhelming in the enclosed area.
The lightening flashed again, and Dana sucked in a breath. Everywhere she looked, it seemed like there were dead bodies and she feared she was next. Her hand rested against her jeans pocket and suddenly she realized, that in an unusual gesture for her. She had put her cell phone in her pocket instead of her purse. She pulled it out and punched 911, praying that she was able to get some sort of reception here. The phone was filled with static, but Dana heard a faint ring, then the voice of the dispatcher.
“You have to help me,” she said, “I’m trapped at the Heart Break Hotel. The man who owns it has killed women, and I’m afraid I’ll be next.”
Suddenly she realized that the phone had gone dead, praying that someone had heard her, and got there before it was to late.
She heard the creak of the door, and quickly shoved the phone in her pocket before Asher opened it.
“Are you girls having a nice time?” He asked and Dana stared at him.
“You’re fucking crazy!” She yelled and lunged at him, punching him in the nose.
He staggered back, dropping the tray and she shoved past him, running for the stairs. She heard him behind her, and with a whimper of fear, she began to run faster. Just as she reached the top of the stairs, Asher tackled her and they tumbled down the stairs together. For a moment Dana laid on the floor, feeling as if every bone had been broken, then she pushed herself up and limped into the kitchen. She started going through the drawers, looking for a weapon. Then found one just as Asher appeared in the doorway.
“Stay back,” she said, holding the butcher knife in front of her.
Asher looked at her, with a baffled expression on his face.
“Don’t you like mother?” He asked, taking a step forward. “All the other women did.”
“Stay back, you fucking psycho!” She screamed and started to back toward the door.
Suddenly Asher lunged, and Dana slashed at him with the knife. He cursed, but managed to grab hold of her wrist, squeezing until she screamed in pain and let it go.
“She’s not a good girl Asher,” he suddenly said in a woman’s voice. “She needs to be punished.”
Asher looked at Dana and smiled slightly.
“You’re right mother,” he said and dragged Dana forward.
Dana began to fight him, clawing at his hands and dragging her feet. He stopped and slapped her hard enough to cause her ears to ring, then continued to drag her forward.
“You’re like all the others,” he said, as he dragged her upstairs. “None of them wanted to be mother’s friend. But they soon learned how nice mother is, as you will.”
He reached the top step and stopped suddenly.
“No,” he choked out, “you’re all dead. You can’t be here, you’re dead!”
Dana looked over Asher’s shoulder and saw the silhouettes of five woman.
“You have been a bad boy Asher,” said the figure in the middle and he suddenly let go of Dana’s wrist.
“I’m sorry mother,” he whispered, “I’m sorry.”
Dana slowly backed down the steps, as they advanced on Asher.
“It’s too late,” the woman rasped. “Now you have to be punished.”
Asher lurched backwards, his hand catching a brace of candles that were lit on the table. He screamed as the candles fell and ignited his pant leg.
Dana watched in horrified fascination as the flames quickly raced up Asher’s body, until he was fully on fire.
Suddenly the woman looked at Dana, and she stumbled back a few steps, wondering if she could run before the ghosts caught her.
“Run,” the woman hissed, as she and the others melted back into the shadows. “Run before it’s to late.”
Dana turned and ran, as Asher’s screams faded and the hotel began to burn.

She stumbled out of the house, just as three police cars came racing up to the hotel, with their sirens on and lights flashing.
“Are you the one who made the call?” One of the police officers asked as he got out of the car.
Dana nodded numbly, then sagged against the police officer who gently took her by the arm, leading her away from the burning building.

Five hours later Dana sat in a room at the police station, waiting for any news on what they had found at the hotel.
Finally an officer came through the door and shook his head.
“It’s the darndest thing I’ve ever seen,” he said. “Only one room survived that fire, and that was the one where Asher Lansky had kept the bodies. It was almost like they wanted to be found.”
Dana stared down at the table, then looked up at the officer.
“Yes,” she said, “I think they did. They knew Asher Lansky needed to be punished and he finally was.”
The officer stared at her for a moment, then jerked his head in a nod.
“There isn’t any questions for you,” he said, “you’re free to go.”
Dana stood up and thanked the officer, before stepping out of the room. She passed the desk, where someone had a radio playing and shivered slightly.
“Since my baby left me, I found a new place to dwell...”
Dana reached over and turned the radio off.
“I really hate that song,” she said, then turned and walked out of the police station.