Happy Nights Inn

Happy Nights Inn
Chapter 1

This drive to nowhere has lasted for quite some time now. On the outside, there is absolutely nothing to be seen. No gas stations or houses, no cars and not even a single hitchhiker. The road seems to go on forever. It seems like the driver has found himself in a post-apocalyptic world.

He keeps looking over at the rear view mirror, which is perched above the windshield, and is unable to recognize the person staring back at him. As the driver briefly brushes over his bald head with his right hand, he begins to recall having long dark brownish hair that was always slicked back. It's all gone now. His face on the other hand is covered with a thick bushy beard that looks like a bird's nest. How long has it been since he had picked up a razor blade?

With his left hand firmly placed on the steering wheel, the driver reaches for the glove compartment. As he opens it, a bundle of items start falling into the ground in unison after the car hits a bump on the road. After screaming out in frustration, the man begins to search for the map among all the items that have fallen from the glove compartment. While trying his best to keep one eye on the road, he shuffles through various items such as an unlabeled cylindrical container full of pills, two cigarette packs, a pamphlet for an anger management clinic, five lighters and a bottle of vodka which has now been smashed into a million pieces.

The stench of the vodka has now filled the car as the driver attempts to multitask by driving and studying the map at the same time. He looks out the window and sees nothing but white snow covering the barren lands. Is this place even on the map? He hasn't seen a sign board in the last thirty minutes or so and is therefore unable to put a name to his current location. In fact, he is struggling to remember the last time he saw a car drive by.

After a while, the man throws the map aside in frustration as he begins to realize the hopelessness of his situation. Who can he possibly call upon at this time of need? To make matters worse, he starts to feel the car slowing down.

"What the hell?"

He takes a look at the fuel gauge and notices that the indicator is pointing towards the E symbol. Eventually, the car stops moving for good. Thankfully for the driver, there is a gas canister in the trunk of his car that is filled with fuel. Dressed heavily in a furry jacket, he steps out of the vehicle and starts to walk towards the trunk. He does not have much difficulty walking in the snow due to his well maintained winter boots.

As he opens the trunk of his car, the smell of gasoline rushes into his nostrils. He watches in horror as the insides of the trunk appear to be flooded by a foul smelling liquid. It turns out that the lid of the canister has not been properly sealed.

"No. No. No. This can't be happening to me!"

He desperately clamps the mouth of the canister with one hand to prevent any more of the fuel from spilling away. With a great deal of caution, he lifts it out of the trunk. After removing his hand, he peers inside. It's all gone. Every last drop.

"I don't fucking believe this!"

He aggressively flings the empty canister into the snow and slams the trunk shut with his fists, bruising his hands in the process.

"Ahh!!! Fuck!!"

Soon, the man starts to feel an aching sensation in his head. As he clutches on to his bald head with one hand, he rushes back to the front seat of his car. He lunges towards the floor of the passenger seat and picks up the cylindrical container. After aggressively pushing the lid open, he shoves about five to six pills into his mouth. He looks down upon the broken bottle of vodka in frustration as he realizes that he does not have any drink to help wash down the pills. Left with no other choice, he swallows the pills dry.

As he leans back on the driver's seat, the man closes his eyes and tries to take several deep breaths.

In and out. In and out. In and out.

Within a few moments, he is able to feel the pressure in his head decreasing. Furthermore, the pain in his hands seem to no longer be there as his entire body enters a more relaxed state. Soon, he opens his eyes and casts his gaze upon the empty road in front of him. He steps out of the car once more in order to get a better view of his surroundings. Where is everybody? The length of the road seems infinite as there doesn't appear to be a start or an end point. Empty plots of land occupy both sides of the road as the man struggles to see any type of farmhouse in the distance. Furthermore, there are no telephone lines in close range.

With a look of dread on his face, the man enters the car one last time in order to collect his belongings. With the exception of the map and the pamphlet, he shoves every single item into the pockets of his jeans. He slams the driver's door shut and is now ready to continue his journey on foot.


Chapter 2

The night is still young as the white snow continues to fall from the heavens above. The man looks up and sees the full moon dangling in the middle of the sky. The walk to nowhere continues on for quite some time. Seeing that the end to this harrowing journey is nowhere near, he digs into his right pocket and pulls out a cigarette. He slips the tip of the cigarette between his lips and reaches for the lighter in his left jeans pocket.

Click. Click. Click.

No matter how hard he tries, the fire simply won't start.

Click. Click. Click.

He throws the lighter aside in frustration and takes out another from his pocket. Different lighter but the problem still persists.

Click. Click. Click. Click.

At this point, the tip of his left thumb starts to hurt. He pulls the cigarette out of his mouth and throws it away in frustration. His body begins to shiver uncontrollably as the temperature outside starts to drop. As he marches on towards an unknown destination with his arms crossed, the man develops a burning desire to scream for help at the top of his lungs. Maybe there is someone in this cruel world who will take pity on him. Someone who is inherently good and will not hesitate to provide a helping hand to a complete stranger.

Maybe there is a community close by who can take him in. One that exists in secret. Far away from the modern world. It will be like a brand new start for him. Even though he has grown up in the city, the man is able to imagine himself living in the wilderness for the rest of his life. No bills to pay. No taxes to file. No need to wake up at eight in the morning to go work for some bully in a big office.

He continues to scan his surroundings but is unable to spot any living being. There seems to be no sign of human civilization nearby. Where are the sign boards? Did they stop putting them up after a certain point? Has mankind suddenly become extinct in the past hour? Did he somehow miss the end of the world event?

Soon, feelings of numbness begin taking over his hands. He touches the palm of his left hand with his right index finger and realizes that he does not feel anything. Slowly but surely, his body is beginning to shut down. This damn weather. Feels like freezing hell on Earth.

The internal pain continues to become more intolerable as the man desperately searches for shelter. In addition to having lost all feelings on both hands, he begins to develop a severe headache. The pain inside his head seems to follow some type of rhythm. Two seconds of severe pain followed by a five to six second cooling period before the cycle repeats itself. Feels like the ticking of a bomb in his head.

Unable to go on any further in his journey, the man drops to his knees. He quickly reaches for his right pocket and pulls out the cylindrical container. After forcefully shoving the remaining pills down his throat, he throws the empty container away. He latches on to his head with both hands as he begins to feel every inch of life being drained out of him.

This is it. The end of the road is here. Never in a million years, could he have possibly imagined going out in this manner. Multiple thoughts begin to cluster his mind as he falls face down on the snow underneath. What could I have possibly done to deserve this? Is my soul doomed to roam across this empty snow covered wasteland for eternity? Mother nature can be so cruel.

With his left cheek pressed against the cold white snow, a thought begins to enter his mind. He recalls something that he had seen on the road moments before his upper body collapsed to the ground. He manages to slowly lift his head and cast his gaze upon the towering billboard in the distance. Is this a mirage? The man squints his eyes as he tries to figure out the words on the billboard.

With a great deal of effort, he manages to lift himself off the ground. After brushing the snow off his clothes, he makes his way towards the giant billboard. Feelings of hope and optimism begin to resonate with the man as he desperately attempts to reduce the distance between himself and the billboard. Even the pain in his body now seems tolerable.

Alongside the billboard, two smaller houses can be seen. One of them has two storeys which is connected by a single stairway. The other one storey house looks more like an office. It takes the man a while to realize that this might be a motel. A very shabby looking place. Not that he would mind at this point. All he wants right now is a bed to sleep on and a roof over his head. Slowly but surely, the words on the billboard start to become clear as he covers more ground.

HAPPY NIGHTS INN


Chapter 3

What a strange place to build a motel. Literally in the middle of nowhere. As the man walks towards the one storey house, which he presumes is the manager's office, he begins to wonder whether this place might be deserted. It is way too quite out here. Except for the ghostly howling of the wind, he finds himself surrounded by an uneasy silence. The dark red paint covering the outer walls of the office is clearly fading away. The apparent lack of maintenance work seems to further indicate an absence of human civilization. However, the man is able to see light shining out of the office windows and is therefore hopeful of meeting another person. As he approaches the front door, a sign attached to the door knob becomes visible with the following words.

Come in. We are open.

Not needing a second invitation, the man lets himself inside. Feelings of warmth and relief washes over his body as he closes the door behind him. He has finally found refuge from the brutal cold weather. He looks around the office and realizes that he is all alone. The walls around him appear to look very shoddy. It seems as if the paint job inside the office is only half done. Below him lies a wooden floor covered with multiple scratches. He looks to his right and is able to see two empty couches. Just like everything else in this place, the leather covering both couches seem to be peeling off.

Soon, his gaze is shifted to the front desk as he begins to hear the sound of a woman's voice. Placed on top of the desk is a small square shaped television that looks like it might have been manufactured during the 1950s. In addition, several other items present on the desk include a cylinder shaped container holding several pens, a closed book and a bell. The sound of the woman's voice is seemingly coming from the television. In order to get a better view of the television screen, which is faced to the right, the man walks towards the front desk and sees that the news channel is being shown. A female reporter is seen standing outside an apartment building with a microphone in hand. Her voice can barely be heard as the volume on the television seems to be low. On the bottom of the screen, the following sentence is displayed.

Missing man still not found.

The man glances behind the television and notices a single wire that is connected to a power source on the wall. His attention soon shifts to the bell which is lying nearby.

DING

He rings the bell once and waits. No answer. After a while, he rings the bell once again.

DING

"Is anybody here? I'm looking for a room to stay the night."

No answer. The man is extremely frustrated. He is reluctant to leave the office and venture outside due to the terrible weather. As he looks around, he notices that there is not a single picture frame on the walls. For a place that is supposedly open for business, the motel office looks strangely vacant. Eventually, his eyes once again fall upon the television. On the screen, an elderly blonde woman is seen standing before a podium. As tears run down her face, she is being comforted by other people. While some give her a hug, others seem to be contend with providing gentle taps on her shoulder. After a while, the people around her move out of camera view. The woman is then seen adjusting her spectacles before looking down towards the podium, presumably at a script. Eventually, she finds the courage to say the following words.

"As you all know, my son has been missing for more than two weeks. If anyone has any information regarding his whereabouts, I urge you to come forward immediately. You are not going to be in any trouble as we do not intend to press charges."

The woman looks away for a moment as she is overcome with emotion. Looking to go off script, she decides to stare directly at the camera and speak from her heart.

"Willy, if you are watching this, please know that we all miss you and we just want you back home safe. If anyone has my son or knows where he is, please don't hurt him. He is a good boy. He has never harmed anyone in his life. Please, just let him come home. We promise not to press charges. I just want my son back."

At this point, the tears from her eyes start to fall rapidly. Eventually, she is escorted away from the podium by a uniformed police officer. The apparent suffering of this poor woman does not seem to deter the journalists, that are present on the scene, from hounding her for more information. They begin to surround her like vultures as she is being escorted away by the policeman.

"Heartless bastards. Every single one of them."

The man is startled by the sound of another person's voice. He turns back and sees an older gentleman pushing a yellow mopping bucket on wheels. A dark brownish towel can be seen placed on his right shoulder.

"Sorry. Didn't mean to scare you there. I was just cleaning up one of the rooms upstairs. Guests here often tend to leave a big bloody mess before they check out."

The man responds by saying, "Oh. That's ok. I didn't hear you come in."

The older gentleman moves towards the space behind the front desk. At this point, it becomes obvious that he is the manager of the motel. However, he does not seem to be dressed like one. After putting the mopping bucket to the side, he takes off his winter jacket and reveals a stained collarless white shirt. Due to his short sleeves, his fragile looking arms are mostly exposed. Despite his skinny physique and limited height, the old man does not seem to be intimidated by the tall and muscular gentleman standing in front of him.

After opening the book that is lying on the desk, he takes a while to flip through the pages as the bald man patiently waits. Soon, the manager asks a question which mildly irritates his new tenant.

"So, you looking for a room?"

Pretty fucking obvious isn't it. Why else would I be here? But the bald man does not say this out loud.

"Yeah. Actually my car broke down a few blocks from here. I have been walking in this damn snow for like an hour now."

"Oh. That's terrible. Do you want me to call a tow truck for your car?"

"No, that's ok. I just want a room for the night."

"Are you sure? You can use my phone if you want."

"Look, its fine. I just want a room." The bald man says this with a bit more urgency.

The manager gives him a look that might have lasted a few seconds at most.

"Ok. It's fifty dollars for the night. Paying by cash or credit?"

"Cash."

After the monetary transaction takes place, the manager grabs a pen from the cylinder shaped container. Before the tip of his pen makes contact with the book, he asks the following question.

"Can I have your name please?"

"It's Bill."

"Does Bill have a last name?"

"Bill Sanderson."

As the manager writes down the information in his book, he makes the following comment.

"You are a strange man, Mr. Sanderson. Most people wouldn't just abandon their car in the middle of the road."

The manager glances at the bald man and notices him clenching his right fist. He quickly looks away and proceeds to reach for one of the drawers underneath the desk. He pulls out a key which has a tag with the number 205 written on it.

"Room number 205. Enjoy your stay Mr. Sanderson."

Without even saying thank you, Bill grabs the key from the manager's hand. As he walks back towards the exit door of the office, he is forced to stop in his tracks as the manager unexpectedly issues a rather bizarre statement.

"One more thing, Mr. Sanderson. Here at the Happy Nights Inn, we like to keep all the mirrors covered after three. As you enter your room, you will find that several sheets have been provided on the mini table next to the bed."

An ugly frown begins to form on Bill's face. He appears to sound a bit perplexed as he asks, "Why do I need to cover the mirrors?"

With a deadpan expression, the old man says something that would get most people thrown into an insane asylum.

"The devil's hour starts at three. That's when they try to come in to our world. The mirrors are used as gateways."

Bill is at a complete loss for words. Did this man really just say that? Is he trying to be funny? He stares at the old man for a while before finally responding in a confused tone of voice.

"Ok. Umm. Thanks for letting me know."

The manager's facial expression does not change. For some reason, Bill expects him to burst into laughter at any moment. The two men continue to stare at each other until the manager decides to break this uncomfortable silence by saying, "Enjoy the rest of your night, Mr. Sanderson."

Without saying another word, Bill turns his back to the old man and lets himself out of the office. Not wanting to spend any more time out in the cold, he makes his way towards the stairs. He almost slips on the first step but manages to grab the handrail in time to prevent himself from falling. After looking up at the stairway, he realizes that all the steps are covered in black ice. Not wanting to injure himself, he continues to hold on to the handrail with both hands as he attempts to walk up to the top floor.

Just a few more steps, he keeps telling himself. This walk to the top of the stairs feels more like a mountain climb. Soon, he finds himself at the top floor of the two storey house. As he makes his way to room 205, he begins to wonder whether there are other tenants in this motel. Who would possibly come all the way here just to rent a room?

It does not take him much time to locate the door leading to his room. As he reaches into his pockets for the key, he briefly scans his surroundings and notices that the entire top floor is deserted. For some reason, the emptiness of this place makes him a bit uneasy. He uses the key to unlock the door to room 205.

Unlike the manager's office, the room does not have a television. Except for a single size bed and a mini table carrying several sheets, the rest of the room is mostly empty. Even a window is nowhere to be seen. Bill starts to feel like he is standing in the middle of the ocean due to the blue carpet covering the entire floor. The room is illuminated by yellow light that is coming from the solitary light source on the ceiling. He locks the door behind him and then proceeds to walk towards the bed. As he takes off his winter boots while being seated on the bed, he notices the mirror hanging on the wall at the other end of the room. On the right side of the mirror is a door that presumably leads to the bathroom. After taking off his winter jacket and revealing a black dress shirt underneath, he walks towards the light switch on the wall. After flipping the switch downward, the entire room is overcome with darkness. Soon, he finds himself lying in bed with his left cheek pressed against the pillow. Finally, a roof over his head and something to sleep on. Eventually, his eyes close and this horrible day seemingly comes to an end.


Chapter 4

What the hell is that noise? Bill struggles to open his eyes as he feels like his upper and lower eyelids have been glued to each other. Eventually, he manages to force them open and comes face to face with darkness. For a brief moment, panic sets in. Have I gone blind? Where am I? Why can't I see anything? It takes him a while to realize where he is. In a dark room at a strange motel from an unknown part of town.

He reaches for his phone in his left pocket in order to get some light. Is that someone crying? As a result of having been in complete darkness for quite some time, the light from the phone almost blinds him. It is five after three in the morning and some inconsiderate prick from one of the other rooms is keeping him up. At least he thinks it might be someone from a different room. Using the light from his phone, he looks around and does not see anything out of the ordinary. But the wailing continues on.

He hops out of the bed and moves towards the light switch. After turning on the lights, he looks around his room once again. There is nobody else here. But someone can be heard crying. Sounds like a woman. Panic sets in once again as Bill begins to wonder whether the noise might be coming from the bathroom. Instead of calling the manager, he decides to investigate on his own. With a great deal of caution, he makes his way to the bathroom door. He puts one ear against the door and tries to figure out whether someone might be inside. Reluctantly, he raises his right hand to knock.

Thud. Thud.

No answer. Eventually, he finds the courage to open his mouth.

"Is somebody in there?"

Once again, there is no answer. But the crying has still not stopped.

Thud. Thud.

"Is somebody in there?"

Once again, his question is met by silence. Reluctantly, he decides to place his right hand on the door knob. As he gently presses it down, he pushes the door forward at an extremely slow pace.

Creeeaaaaakkk.

As the creaking door continues to be pushed forward, the insides of the bathroom slowly come to light. Located a few steps ahead is a dust covered toilet. Bill cannot help but notice that the toilet seat is up. On the left side of the bathroom lies a tub which is partially obscured from view by a brown curtain. On his right, he is able to see an extremely dirty sink.

Even though the bathroom looks empty, Bill decides to check the area behind the shower curtain. As his hands makes contact with the curtain, his heart starts to beat rapidly. His breathing becomes loud as he prepares himself for what may or may not be behind the curtain. Desperately wanting to alleviate the level of suspense, he forcefully pulls the curtain to the side. A huge sigh of relief is let out as the tub appears to be empty. But the crying has not stopped. Surely, it has to be coming from another room.

As he shuts the bathroom door, numerous thoughts begin to enter Bill's mind. Is someone being abused in one of the other rooms? If so, is it really any of my business to interfere? Considering that his sleep is being affected, the answer would have to be yes.

As he makes his way to the entrance door, Bill makes a sudden stop. He manages to catch an oddity in his peripheral vision. He turns his head to the right and comes face to face with the mirror on the wall. A look of horror and confusion begins to form on his face as he stares at the mirror in disbelief. A woman in a white wedding dress can be seen standing at the right hand corner of the room. He looks back but does not see anyone. He faces the mirror once again and there she is. Her face is obscured from view as she is staring at the wall with her back to the mirror. Furthermore, she can be heard sobbing heavily. Needless to say, Bill is terrified at the sight of this woman. His room may be empty but the mirror seems to be showing otherwise.

Is this some kind of trick? For some reason, Bill waves at the mirror only to see his reflection do the same. He attempts to pry the mirror off the wall with both hands but is unable to do so. It seems stuck. What was it that old man said about covering the mirrors?As he slowly backs away, his eyes remain fixated on the woman. His ear drums are being bombarded with the sound of her cries. As the back of his legs make contact with the edge of the bed, he clumsily loses his balance and falls backward. However, he manages to avoid injuring himself due to the softness of the mattress.

With a great deal of urgency, he rushes towards the spot on the ground where his jacket is lying. After grabbing it, he slides across the bed and places both his feet into the winter boots that are lying on the floor nearby. Without even bothering to tie his shoelaces, he makes a dash for the entrance door. He flings it open with a great deal of force and rushes out of the room in no time. Somehow, he manages to not trip on his shoelaces as he makes his way towards the staircase. All the while, he desperately attempts to put his jacket on.

As he approaches the top of the stairs, he is forced to stop in his tracks. From where he stands, he is able to see two uniformed police officers talking to the motel manager. While muttering profanities under his breath in frustration, he decides to go back in the opposite direction. His hopes of finding an alternative exit are dashed as he soon realizes that the only way to go down is by using the stairway. Out of desperation, he contemplates jumping down from the second floor. He decides against it after realizing he will not get far with two broken legs.

Soon, he hears people coming up the stairs. At this point, he has two choices to make. He can either walk out of this motel using the stairs or go back inside the room. Within seconds, he is able to make up his mind and decides to rush back into the room. After locking the front door, he looks towards the corner. The woman is nowhere to be seen. Despite feeling a great deal of fear and discomfort from being inside the room, Bill chooses to turn off the lights. He decides to remain inside until the police officers leave the motel.

Don't move a muscle. Don't make any sound. Don't even breathe. As Bill stands completely still, he begins to hear a familiar sound in the darkness. That woman is still here. There is a sudden drop in temperature as her cries of agony begin to fill the room. Using the light from his phone, Bill checks his surroundings. Her presence cannot be detected even though her cries can clearly be heard. Soon, his attention turns to the mirror on the wall. With phone in hand, he decides to walk towards it.

Bill gets the shock of his life as he comes face to face with this dreaded object. The woman is now seen standing in front of the bed with her back to the mirror. He looks back but does not see anyone. He desperately flashes his phone light across the room in the hopes of detecting her presence. But the room is completely empty. As he faces the mirror once again, his entire body becomes paralyzed with fear at the sight of this ghostly woman. Soon, he is startled by some loud banging on his door.

Bang. Bang. Bang.

"Open up. This is the police."

Bill does not utter a single world. But that does not stop the officers from banging on the door.

Bang. Bang. Bang.

"Open this door right now. We know you are in there."

Seeing no other way out, Bill decides to hide in the bathroom. He turns off his phone and opens the bathroom door. Once again, he finds himself engulfed in darkness. Feels like he has been swallowed by a black hole. Despite not being able to see, he can clearly hear the police enter his room. The motel manager must have let them in since he did not hear the door being kicked open.

As Bill waits inside the bathroom for the officers to leave, he begins to hear a familiar wailing sound. His entire body begins to shudder at the sound of her voice. Not wanting to alert the officers to his presence, he initially refrains from pressing the light switch. As her cries grow louder, so does his desire to leave the bathroom. Eventually, he attempts to find the light switch in the dark. As his hand makes contact with the switch, he decides to turn on the lights.

Tick. Tick.

To his horror, he realizes that the switch does not work.

Tick. Tick. Tick. Tick.

The lights are not coming on. He quickly reaches for his phone and turns it on. Using the light from his phone, he frantically looks around the bathroom but does not see anyone. Not even a mirror. But her cries can still be heard. Her presence is felt as Bill begins to shiver. As he turns to face the door, he becomes deeply frightened by the sight of a mirror. The same ghostly woman from the other room can now be seen standing at the right hand corner of the bathroom. This time, she is facing the mirror. Her face is covered by the veil of her wedding dress.

All of a sudden, the wailing stops. The ghostly woman just stands at her corner silently. As if expecting to see something different, Bill quickly glances back and sees nothing out of the ordinary. As he keeps a close eye on the woman in the mirror, he begins to wonder whether the officers have already left. While reaching for the door knob with his right hand, his heart begins to pound relentlessly. Excessive amounts of sweat start to form on the palm of his hands. Just as he is about to make contact with the door knob, the woman in the mirror starts to walk. He frantically looks back but does not see anyone. The bathroom is completely empty. But the woman's footsteps can be heard as the mirror shows her walking towards Bill.

Tap. Tap. Tap.

He attempts to leave the bathroom but is unable to do so as the door knob seems to be stuck. He keeps an eye on the mirror while he struggles with the door knob. The woman seems to be getting closer with each step.

Tap. Tap.

Out of desperation, he starts to bang on the door and cry for help.

"Somebody help. I'm stuck inside the bathroom."

Tap. Tap. Tap.

Soon he hears the voice of another person.

"This is the police. Open this door right now."

Bill continues to struggle with the door knob as he says, "Please help me. The door is not opening. Please you have to help me. I think there is someone else in here."

Tap. Tap. Tap.

The officer does not respond to his cries for help. Bill continues to watch the mirror while he bangs on the door. The woman is a few steps behind him.

Tap. Tap. Tap.
Out of desperation, he attempts to smash the mirror with his bare hand. As the glass pieces pierce through his skin, he begins to scream in agony. However, the pain does not seem to deter him from wanting to destroy the mirror completely. As he continues to punch the mirror with all his might, the blood from his fist starts to pour all over the floor.

Tap. Tap. Tap. Tap.

Despite having broken a significant portion of the mirror, the footsteps can still be heard. At this point, he tries his best to kick the door open.

Bang. Bang. Bang.

Unfortunately, his efforts prove to be futile. He turns his back to the mirror and frantically looks around the bathroom using the light from his phone. His heart starts to beat rapidly as the footsteps get closer.

Tap. Tap. Tap. Tap. Tap. Tap.

It stops. How close is she now? Bill does not dare look at the mirror to find out the answer. He starts to breathe rapidly through his mouth as he flashes the phone light around the bathroom with shaky hands. There is an unnerving silence in the air. No footsteps. No crying. No sound of the police officers. With his back against the door, Bill puts his blood soaked hand on the door knob. As he is able to successfully push the door knob downward, relief washes over him. Finally, he can leave this place. Compared to this hellhole, prison does not seem so bad.

Bang.

Bill is violently pushed forward by an unseen force and hits his forehead on the edge of the toilet bowl before falling face down on the floor. Soon, two uniformed police officers are seen entering the bathroom. They remove the door that lies on top of Bill and turn over his body. A waterfall of blood begins to trickle down to the floor from the edge of the toilet bowl.

One of the officers picks up his walkie-talkie and says, "This is officer Wilson. I need an ambulance at the Happy Nights Inn. Room number 205. The suspect is not breathing. Hurry."

As the officer attempts to revive Bill by performing CPR, his partner makes the following comment.

"You shouldn't have kicked that door so damn hard."

By the time the ambulance arrives, it becomes too late for Bill. He is carried out of the motel room in a body bag as the manager looks on. Soon, he witnesses his motel being swarmed by a heavy police presence as the investigations on the events of this cold December night get underway.