THIS WAS A STRANGE DREAM I HAD THIS MORNING AND THIS STORY EMERGED. THIS REALLY CREEPED ME OUT AND I WOKE UP SWEATING.
I'M SURE THERE IS MORE TO IT BUT IT'S A START. I'M TAKING A FELLOW AUTHOR'S ADVICE AND WRITING SOMETHING DOWN EVERY DAY IF I CAN.
The story starts with a married couple on a trip.
They are there for something, not sure what. They find themselves searching for a hotel. The friends they are with found one. The couple seem to have a reservation somewhere else.
The couple had a hotel room but couldn't find it. They were walking down a street with many lights...big city. Reminds me of New York on New Orleans.. Lighted signs fill the building walls. Free Street was the name of the street. The hotel called Free Zone. Husband and wife are walking looking around.
They become worried they can't find the hotel and the wife keeps saying like a prayer help us find this place. She may have a special gift but this time it backfires and leads them astray.
They turn down a street that opens into what looks like a station of some kind. Store booths line the walls. More lighted signs. This reminds me of a casino that I went to in Missouri. It's not well lighted. Kinda shadowy like the magic alley in Harry Potter.
They come to a booth where a man and women sit. The name on a sign says Free Zone. The hotel clerk is a man in his 40s- well defined with sandy brown hair. The woman is 20s something or looks like it. She is dressed in a short skirt, tight skirt, red lips, long manicured nails. The man reminds me of a circus ringleader or the person who mans the freak tent. Very charismatic. Woman reminds me of a stripper or porn star. Pretty face. They both look nice but they seem to have a creepy undercurrent. They remind me of characters in Clive Barker novel or maybe Richard Kadrey??? A buzzing like sound fills the wife's head...warning flag perhaps?? Should have walked away then but they are desperate and they are in a town they aren't familiar with
The wife talks to the woman first and the woman looks at the slip of paper that the wife has with the name of their hotel. The woman smiles sympathetically and says this is a high roller room, around a grand to stay. The wife says frantically, we can't afford to stay there. Is there any place else?? The guy says he can help. There is a place for a specific clientele and certain ages can stay there. The husband and wife turn around to check out their surroundings and when they turn back to the hotel clerks (or whatever they are) The man grabs the woman's ass and the woman swats his hand away and laughs. The wife is bothered by this but pushes to the back of her mind because she is relieved they may have found a room, doesn't ask details and finds herself giving the man a hug.
The man takes them down a tunnel/street with shadows that opens into a hallway. The atmosphere feels weird and strange. He takes them down the hall that has old patterned wallpaper. Reminds me of the hotel in The Shining. Satiny panels cover some of the wall. The elevator is manned by a guard who is in an uniform. He has a military styled hair cut and is wearing a baton and a taser. The elevator is gold trimmed. The hotel man nods to the guard who in turn nods and motions to the elevator...kinda like a circus ringleader pointing to a main attraction. The elevator opens and is very large. In the elevator is two black women on large beds with soft down filled comforters. The couple urns around very unsettled and the guard is behind them blocking their way and pushes them into the elevator with the women.
The first woman has a long sharp pointed nose, short tight curls, wearing a pull on hat. She says, they did a good job on you, you look younger.The other woman is quiet but looks at the couple. She looks younger but her face looks like it had a ton of plastic surgery. The elevator is taking quite awhile to get to its destination and the wife is getting even more freaked out. What kind of place is this?? she thought to herself.
Finally the elevator stops. Two orderlies wait with two other “patients” on beds. The husband and wife quickly move out of the elevator and see an armed guard at a desk. He has dark hair and wears glasses. He motions them to a service elevator. The service elevator is dark inside and wife freaks out reaching for him. He holds her, goosebumps popping up on his arms. They get of the elevator after a short ride and the wife is saying we need to get out of this creepy place now. Something is not right here. They turn around and find that the service elevator has no buttons to go down.
They come upon a nurse sitting in front of a bunch of liquid filled jars. She is a muscular woman with a butch haircut. She looks up from her jars and says gruffly. It's always the same thing, people don't seem to understand we help people. We are not a bad place. Wife starts crying on the verge of a breakdown, her body shaking, She hears the weird buzzing again and knows they must get out of here somehow.
She pleads with the nurse, “ You don't understand, we shouldn't be here. We were just looking for a room.”
The nurse replies, “That is what they all say at first. You will come to understand in time. We need your essence. There is no going back.” She motions to the jars.
The husband and wife look around, trying to find an escape route. Two muscular orderlies appear with strait jackets and move towards them.
The nurse calls out to the couple, “You should be thankful. You really are helping people. Without you, we wouldn't be able to.”
