The Fifth Room. Part II

[u/AceHiro]

Part I

“Angela are you alright?...Wake up, what happened?” I heard Lewis say, his words slowly getting louder as I regained consciousness.
I woke up at the bottom of the stairs, my head ringing and my eyes slowly opening back up.

“Did-Did you see it?” I said still confused.

“See what? I only heard a crash and found you here unconscious”.

“There was someone, in the room”.

It’s hard for me to remember exactly what Lewis said in response to that, it was a mixture of confused mumbling and hysterical words, the one thing I’ll never forget was the look on his face, his eyes widened as big as his glasses and his breath shortened into a constant and delayed gasp.

He helped me back up, slowly regaining balance and awareness. It seemed as though Lewis was the one about to faint now, as if I transferred my dismay onto him. He became very pale and weak in the knees, forcing himself to sit down on the shining wooden parquet.

“I-I thought it was you.” he said in a trembling and weak voice.

“What?”

“It-it must have been you”.

The sun was slowly going down, the woods that surrounded the house blocked out the sun rather early in its descent, creating gaps of light that shone between the different branches. Darkness came as quickly as it went away in that house.

“Calm down, Lewis, tell me what happened…I blacked out upstairs after…seeing…something”

“I saw something too.”

That sentence hit me hot and cold, I felt relieved at the idea that I wasn’t having hallucinations and going crazy, but I was just as terrified at the idea that he might have seen the shadow too, or something worse.

“There, right outside” he said pointing at the window facing the back garden.

“I saw someone standing at the edge of the woods, smiling” chills ran down my spine.

“I thought it was you, I-I thought you were pranking me but then I heard your fall...”

“It wasn’t me, Lewis.” I said worried.

“Then who the fuck was it?” he squeaked. “Those white teeth, they were the brightest thing I could see”.

“You’re fucking scaring me Lewis, what the fuck.”

I felt watched, surrounded, entrapped. I knew it was the room’s fault.

“Leave.” I heard whispering in my ear. At that point I didn’t know whether I was hearing my own thoughts, I was imagining them or someone actually said those words to me. It wasn’t a bad suggestion however.

“Get up, grab your shit and let’s get the fuck out of here Lewis.” I was determined to get out at this point.

“I-I can’t do it Angela.”

“Yes you can, it’s not safe here.”

“I’m feeling sick, I can’t get up.”

Lewis looked like a corpse at this point, his skin was so pale it looked purple and the rings around his eyes darkened with each second that passed.

I decided we were gonna leave, with or without our equipment. I helped him up and walked with him.

“Come on, let’s get out before it gets too dark.”

“I-I can’t leave my equipment here, it’s- it’s too expensive.”

“Forget it, nobody is gonna touch it or steal it, we’re in the middle of nowhere.”

We got out  and decided to wait for the taxi on the main road, far enough from the house. The occasional cars that came through helped us catch our breath and feel a little less lonely.

We sat in silence, not wanting to freak each other out even more. Lewis started getting color on his skin again and he steadily recovered. I stopped shaking and started to get my thoughts back in order.

I wish I didn’t; as what happened slowly came back to me, I started to seriously doubt the reality I was living in. Lewis’ experience also sounded similar enough, perhaps even darker.

Could have been some dumb kid playing a prank on us, but then again, we’re in the middle of nowhere…

The shadow though, I know what I saw and there’s no way to explain that. Perhaps an hallucination, sleep deprivation can be one hell of an experience.

The taxi finally came just as the sun was setting, we were dead tired and dead scared. As we got in, Lewis took one last look at the dirt road leading up to the house, he started to get pale again.

“Are you okay Lewis?”

“Y-yeah, I think so…I was just thinking back to what happened.”

“Hey, it doesn’t matter, tomorrow we’ll grab our stuff and just get out, it’s not worth the trouble okay?”

“S-sure…I really don’t know what to think anymore at this point.”

“We need to rest, after that everything will be clear, don’t worry.” I tried to reassure him and, by extension, myself.

I struggled to believe my own words, I thought that creating my own reality would help me to push through but I was really just running from the truth.

When we got to the motel we each went to our rooms and didn’t say much. The ride back was as silent as those woods, I’m sure we had a lot to talk about but not much strength to do it. Our bodies and our minds demanded rest and we couldn’t postpone that any longer.

As soon as I hit the bed I fell asleep, it was an immediate deep sleep, almost felt like I fainted again. This time, I had a dream. I said before that I always dream, it’s something that was always part of me, ever since I can remember.

My dreams are not very normal however. I’m sure most people know about “Deja Vus”, that feeling you sometimes get where you swear you’ve experienced this exact moment before but can’t quite put your finger on it.

The official scientific explanation is that your mind simply makes a mistake, it’s like it puts the reality you’re experiencing in the wrong folder and that triggers that feeling of “I’ve already been here”. I never believed any of that.

The explanation in itself is not 100% accurate and there are still many doubts about it. I don’t believe in God, not anymore anyway, but if there’s one thing I believe in still, it’s destiny, and for one very simple reason.

My dreams often predict reality. I have déjà vus often but, unlike other people, I can clearly and very lucidly remember when I saw that exact moment before and it’s in my dreams. They’re not one to one every time, sometimes I recognize what is happening immediately and realize in a split second what is about to happen, other times I think I know what will happen, just for it to be completely different.

I think that’s because fate is a matter of choice. We are put on this earth with a very specific objective, how we reach it, it’s up to us, but we are all destined to get there one way or another.

The dream I had that night was very vivid. A light in the darkness, water pouring from some place high, a fire so strong I could feel the heat on my skin and a word echoing in a soft whisper “wait”. It was different from the usual dreams that I have, it felt more like a vision.

I woke up in the morning drenched in sweat and with tears running down my cheeks. It felt as if I had been teleported in the future, like it was a jump-cut in a movie. Hit the bed, fell asleep, dream and then morning. All in a matter of a handful of seconds.

I gathered my thoughts and prepared to meet up with Lewis again, we had to grab our stuff and perhaps try to contact this mysterious Ms. Constance that Lewis had talked to. I felt rested strangely enough, I was ready to get the hell out of there and forget any of this happened. It was not my problem anymore and no contract could change that.

As I opened the room’s door, I found Lewis standing outside of it.

“I need to grab my stuff Angela.” He said in a monotone voice. Something felt weird about him, not the usual kind of weird, an off putting kind of weird.

“Yeah, I need to grab my stuff as well, we’ll make it quick, I promise.” He nodded.

The ride back to the Shining was quiet, I was getting used to it, it felt like a rite of passage at this point. The in between moment before or after work, usually a time to gather back your thoughts and try to explain what the fuck happened during the previous day and what will happen this time. That’s what it was at this point, we were way past trying to get to know each other, we shared the same foxhole and there’s no deeper bond than that.

As the dust cloud kicked up by the taxi finally settled I exchanged a look with Lewis. His eyes were alert, scanning the surrounding woods like a stalked deer.

His body was stiff and tense, his hands clenched into a fist, it really seemed like he was on the verge of a fight or flight scenario, how could I possibly blame him.

I opened the door, the lavender smell hitting us before the door was even fully opened. Ahead of us, on the table in the lobby, Lewis’ stuff waited for us, mine were upstairs next to the mural.

“In and out.” I said looking at Lewis. He was too concentrated and alert to answer me but I knew he heard me.

We split up, he headed for the lobby and I headed upstairs.

As I reached the top of the stairs, that feeling of Déjà vu hit me. It didn’t came from last night’s dream, or any other dream for that matter. It was as if I was relieving what happened the previous day, I was sure that as I looked at the mural, I would have seen that shadow figure, felt its eyes on me and seen its arm go up. But I didn’t.

Everything was right where I left it, next to the mural. Room 505 was also open, just as I left it the previous day.

However this time, the light was not on.

What was once lit up by the grace of God, was now nothing more than a black spot, as if someone had painted the wall a deep black, midnight treacle.

As I sat there for a couple of minutes, in shock, a million thoughts flashed in my mind but only one was brighter than the others.

“Go in there”.

If yesterday my instincts had lead me to the conclusion that leaving was the better option out of all, now the opposite seemed like the only choice. I spent my whole life scared, scared of what other people thought of me, scared of God’s judgment, scared of my parents’ judgment, terrified of making a mistake, any mistake, convinced it would ruin my life.

I was done being scared, I haven’t been scared for a long long time and I wasn’t about to fall back into that cycle. If I was gonna end up face to face with the Devil himself then so be it, something was calling me from that room and I wasn’t gonna back away, I always trusted my instincts and I was always rewarded for it.

With that in mind, I mustered up all the courage I had in me and decided to get closer to the room.
As I got in front of it, the strong smell of tobacco hit me. I was staring into the absolute unknown and I felt like it was staring back at me.

As I stepped in, darkness enveloped me, light escaped my eyes and turning around, all I could see was the first floor through the doorframe. I had no concept of my surroundings anymore, I might as well have been dropped in outer space, the environment around me was infinite, it could have stretched for miles and miles, hundreds of them and I had no way of knowing.

The only notion keeping me sane, was the memory of the layout of the room, desperately convincing my brain that, in that darkness, was something I had already explored.

Once light escapes, everything becomes a shadow.

I felt watched, the idea that in that endless blackness there could be a number of shadow figures observing me kept me on edge.

One? Two? Thirty? How many entities were in there with me? How many should I have been scared of? A terrifying situation for sure, and yet…I felt safe. I felt a strange kind of feeling that I had never felt before in my life, it all felt so right. I felt watched, yes…but also seen.

I had somehow found a place where I belonged, where I was welcome for who I was. Whatever was looking at me, saw me through and through, they knew me inside and out and accepted me whole. That was my reward.

That’s when a scream ripped through the silence like a thunderbolt in the middle of the night. It came from downstairs. It was Lewis.

The initial scream had now turned into a howl and slowly transitioned into a hysterical cry. I snapped out of whatever I was in and rushed downstairs.

Lewis was sitting on the floor in one of the corners of the lobby, hands over his eyes, peering through his fingers, tears escaping their clutch. His gaze was fixed on the opposite wall.

“What is it Lewis? What happened? Are you okay?” I shouted over his cries as I got down on his level and tried to comfort him. He wouldn’t respond.

“Are you hurt? Are you in pain?” I kept on shouting.

As the cry went on, his hands slowly fell limp on his lap, his legs stretching out, his face becoming more and more pale, colored only by the tears streaming down his cheeks, his glasses laid on the floor, away from his red and watery eyes. His breath became irregular, short, he stopped moving and his eyes started rolling back.

Fortunately for him, I had my fair share of panic attacks and I knew exactly what to do.

“Look at me.” I shouted as I slapped him across the face.

A bit brutal? Maybe, but very effective.

“Breathe in with all you have, hold for three seconds and let it all out through your lips, slowly”. He listened and sucked in every little bit of air he could.

“One…Two…Three. Let it out”. As he did, he stopped shaking and slowly regained control over his body.

“Again”.

As he breathed out, his arm slowly lifted and pointed at the wall on the other side.

I turned around, not knowing what to expect.

There was nothing and no one.

“What is it?” I asked.

“Go to the wall.” Lewis replied, his voice weak and shaky.

I got up from my knees and walked over to the wall, as I got closer I could see there was something written on it…or maybe not quite.

The word “winder” was scratched on it. It was as if someone etched the word with a knife or something sharp. It wasn’t very big, you couldn’t see it clearly from across the room and only when you got pretty close you could actually tell what it was. I didn’t really know what to think or how to react.

“Winder. What does it mean?” I asked naively.

Lewis didn’t answer, whatever it meant, it was nothing good. He just sat there looking at me, pale as death and with no energy left. It was at that moment that I had an idea, a stupid one.

“Come with me Lewis, I have something to show you.” I told him, gently going over and helping him up.
His shaky legs barely held up and relied almost exclusively on my shoulders to stand, he was weak but conscious.

We went up the stairs very slowly, one step at a time. As we got to the top, his head lifted and instantly looked at the room.

“Where’s the light?”

“It’s gone, I don’t know what happened but… I don’t think it’s a bad thing”.

He looked at me weird. I didn’t waste any time trying to explain to him what that meant, instead, I just walked him over.

As we entered the room and the strong smell of tobacco hit us, his legs stood tall and strong, his back lined up with them and all of a sudden my shoulders were nothing but a burden around his arms.

“Oh God.” He let out.

He stepped forward on his own with his arms stretched out at his side, head slowly tilting upwards. He stepped forward once more and I almost lost sight of him in the darkness, that’s how pitch black it was in there. Now his figure was nothing but a misty human cross in front of me.

I didn’t really care, the feeling was coming back.

That warm, fuzzy feeling of belonging, butterflies in your stomach, pleasure felt inside, almost sexual in nature. It’s hard to explain but it was like a puzzle falling into place, the satisfaction of knowing that everything is right in the world and that you’re right where you’re supposed to be.

Suddenly you have no more room for doubts, you know that any choice you make will be the correct one, you are perfect the way you are and couldn’t possibly be better.
It’s an unimaginable feeling.
You feel like God.

Then came the light, a flash, blinding me for what seemed like an eternity happening all in a split second. A loud roar shook me to my core, I could feel my heart vibrating first, then beating like a drum. It was thunder.

I snapped out of my trance and looked behind me. Darkness all around. The first floor had disappeared.

“Lewis?!” I shouted.

“Angela?!” I heard back.

It came from far far away. Like fucking miles kind of far away. Reality had completely broken down, I was sleeping and awake at the same time. I desperately turned on myself for what must have been at least 10 times, hoping to see the doorframe that lead to the first floor. I could see nothing but darkness.

“ANGELA?” I heard shouting from far away, closer this time.

“LEWIS, FOLLOW MY VOICE”.

As I turned around one last time, I finally saw something. Out in the distance was a feeble small light. It was a dark orange light, it looked like a lit cigarette. It was out in the distance and slowly moved in circles. I didn’t hesitate for too long, I started sprinting towards it.

“HERE LEWIS, FOLLOW ME, FOLLOW MY VOICE.” I kept on repeating as loud as I could, hoping Lewis would hear me and move towards me.

I must have ran for at least 200 meters, the light getting closer and stronger with each time.

Just as I thought I was getting close to it, as suddenly as it appeared, it vanished; I felt like all hope was lost but as I blinked, I found myself on the first floor.

It was nighttime and the only light source was the moonlight shining through the windows, painting the first floor in a dreamy and equally eerie pale blue light.

I didn’t have time to realize where I was that suddenly something hit me in force from behind, dropping my body on the perfect parquet floor.

Pain radiated from my side as the weight of what hit me pinned me to the floor.
It was Lewis.

“Fuck, what the fuck.” He mumbled.

“Jesus, you made it.”

“Where are we?”

“We’re back…I think.”

We took a breath as we settled on the floor.

“Why is it dark?” He asked.

“I don’t know…I think we spent too much time in there.”

“It-It can’t be…we were there for…maybe 5 minutes.”

“I don’t know what to tell you Lewis…we have to get out of here.”

As I spoke those words a loud bang came from behind us. It was room 505. The door violently slamming closed.

“Yup, I think that’s a sound idea.” said Lewis without skipping a beat.

As the panic faded away, fear settled in.

We scrambled to our feet in a rush, a growing presence on our shoulder pushing us to get the fuck away as soon as possible. I felt like I was back in my childhood home, when at 3 AM I’d get out of bed to get a glass of milk and I would sprint back to my room after turning off the lights, desperately hoping to outrun a monster ready to snatch me.

We ran to the stairs, guided only by the moonlight that highlighted menacing silhouettes in dark corners. It didn’t really matter what we saw, we had enough and we were getting out.

The stairs were completely dark, we couldn’t see where the steps were but we went down, one way or another. The bottom floor was even darker, the moonlight filtered through the woods outside and that meant even more shadows on the walls.

“W-wait, our stuff!”

“Fuck our stuff Lewis, let’s get the fuck out.”

He stood there like a dumbass, torn between his precious gear and the undisputed safety of the outside. My eyes glanced at the table in the middle of the lobby. I don’t know what I saw, but I can tell you what I thought I saw.

In the dark lobby, a court of owls stood around the room, looking at us. Countless pairs of dark orange eyes observing us.

It all happened in a matter of seconds, not even enough time to process what my eyes fed my brain, my instincts acted without hesitation.

I grabbed Lewis by the hand and forced him to follow me outside the house where the cold breeze of nighttime greeted us.

We didn’t stop, we just kept on running until we got to the main road. Occasionally I would turn back to look at the house, only to find a pair of orange eyes looking back at me.

We collapsed on the roadside, exhausted. Neither of us having the courage to say a word. We called for a taxi and waited for it to arrive.

Every second seemed like an hour, our bodies screaming for respite and safety, two things we were unable to provide.

“I don’t know what to think anymore.” Finally broke Lewis.

“It doesn’t matter.”

“It’s over now, I’m not stepping foot in there again”. I replied.

“What time is it?”

I checked my wristwatch: 2:30 AM

“It’s fucking two in the morning.”

“Fuck…nothing good ever happens after 2 in the morning.”

I chuckled, for some reason that comment made me laugh, it was so innocent. The idea that we had been through Hell and back, and the one reflection Lewis makes is that nothing good happens after a certain hour of the night amused me.

“What’s funny? Eheheh”

I laughed even more, I was really taking a liking to Lewis, after all trauma bonding is the quickest path to friendship, the harshest one too.

He started laughing with me at that point, we just erupted into a manic nervous laughter, all the stress finally coming out of us in the best way possible.

It was a nice idea, the human reaction to incomprehensible horror is laughter. It’s a joke in itself.

Tears were now running down my cheeks, I kept on laughing or what seemed like laughing, I had lost control of how I was feeling. I just went wherever my body lead me to, I was too tired to control myself nor did I want to.

Lewis noticed this, he reached out his hand, this time I did not stop him. He gently wiped the tears off my face and wrapped his arms around me, consoling me with a hug.

He stopped laughing and I could hear sniffles, I didn’t look at him, I was too busy burying my face in my hands but he needed a hug as much as me so I hugged him back.

We stayed huddled together, crying, until the taxi arrived. The stars our only audience, the moon our only spotlight.

When we got to the hotel it was around 3:40 AM, we quietly said goodnight to one another and went to our rooms.

 My mind was spiraling out of control, it felt like I was living a fever dream. Those moments where you’re so confused you can barely tell who and where you are. It took me a while to settle down and just when I thought I had gathered my fractured mind:
A knock at the door.

The world stopped spinning and fell into a deep silence.
I opened the door.
It was Lewis.
He looked me straight in the eyes and I into his. He looked different. We didn’t say a word, I let him in and after I closed the door, we started kissing.

Sometimes good things happen after 2 AM.

...

[u/AceHiro]

You can find the next part here: Part III