“Ugh. Finally.” I huff, as I slam my ever aching body down on the hotel bed.

“Six hours of travel is never fun.” I place my phone, keys, and wallet on the night table, and grab my luggage, lifelessly attempting to pull the shiny silver zipper around the large suitcase.

I swear my gut told me something was wrong. But I was so tired I just ignored it.

As I whip it open i notice immediately…

These aren’t my things…

“Where is my stuff?!”

The thing was empty. I mean, EMPTY!

“How?! It didn’t feel empty?!”

I tried calling the airport but for some reason the phone wouldn’t work. I started making my way down to the lobby, wearing my best “please help me” face I could make, when I noticed something else. It was quiet, oddly quiet. I didn’t hear the feint rumbles emit off anyone’s tv’s, no conversation, no elevators dinging through the halls.

“Well, this is definitely strange…” I mumble to myself.

I got upset when I tried the elevator button. It didn’t light up, and of course, I didn’t hear it move.

“Oh great, stairs it is.”

The door opened with a loud echoing creak. I even let out a “hello” to see if anyone else could have been in there, no response. As I walk down the flights of endless stairs, listening to nothing but my own noises, I eventually made it to the bottom.

“Well the lobby is just around the corner.”

Finally showing a bit of positivity in my voice.

I saw the man at the counter and ran up to him at full speed.

“Sir please help me, my suitcase is empty, it’s not mine! The phone is dead in my room and I can’t call the airport!”

He just stared at me with cold dead eyes. Ignoring every word. He hadn’t been like this before… the way he looked at me sent chills up and down my back, so much so I actually shivered in front of him. He was wearing clothes that looked like they hadn’t been washed in years, tethered from wear. Dust was formed on the top of his black uniform hat, his teeth were rotting and covered in what looked like moss, I was frozen. At this point my mind is racing, my blood runs cold, and all of the hair I have on my body stood to a point.

Suddenly he opens his mouth and lets out this awful scream. It sounded like a fox, mixed with a banshee. It was so loud I thought my ear drums were going to explode. I collapsed to the floor holding my ears begging out loud for this all to end, closing my eyes so tightly they could have ripped through the flesh.

When I opened them I was in my room. Laid out just like I was when I arrived. I sat up, wet, like I had been showering. Trembling I pull myself together, and run over to my suitcase… everything is there.

“Dream, it was a dream. Thank god”

On my way out of the room I did one last look over to make sure I grabbed all of my belongings. When I saw something in the corner of my eye,

The hat… the dusty black hat belonging to the man, at the front desk.