Overnight Stay

My sister and I lay awake, occupying twin beds in the near-silent hotel room. A moment ago we'd been chatting away, like we usually did. A minute passed, however, where the two of us said nothing, and there seemed to be no movement around us.

An eerie calm had settled over the space, as if we were the only guests sleeping in the entire building. Our windows were shut, and the shades drawn; no light crept in from outside.

My sister, Amelia, began to doze off, and yet I remained awake. Something didn't feel right; perhaps it was the fact that we'd never shared a hotel room before, but it seemed something more out of the ordinary was happening.

Momentarily, I spotted it; there was an odd blue light reflected on the wall, as though someone were shining a projector. Yet there seemed to be no source for the light...nothing came from outside, and all the bulbs in the room were black.

"Amelia," I whispered to my sister. No response. We'd both had a long day of traveling, and sleep seemed like the next logical thing. And there it was, this blue glow, just resting there, as if it too had rented the room.

"Amelia!" I almost shouted. She practically jumped off the pillow.
"What? What is it?"
"Do you see that?" I murmured, pointing at the bluish form.
"See what?" she mumbled, half-asleep.
"That blue shape on the wall," I replied, pointing again. As I adjusted to the dark, it seemed Amelia was regaining her senses.
"Uh...yeah. That's what you woke me up for?" I could see this wasn't going anywhere. Drowsy, yet determined to figure out what was going on, I rose from the bed and walked toward the strange blob of light. As soon as I was within reach, however...it vanished!

I'm definitely dreaming now, I thought. How was it possible that a strange glow could just appear out of nowhere, and then fade away right as I walk towards it?

"There! Did you see it that time?" I whispered again.
"Uh...I think so," said Amelia, still about to nod off.
"Amelia, come on! I know you saw it!"
"OK, so what if I did see it? It's probably just a light from outside or something."
"But how? The curtains are so dark that no light could come in." It seemed my sister thought about this for a moment, and then got out of bed herself.

"You think it's something in the room?" she asked. Though I hadn't considered this, it still didn't explain why there was no beam attached to the light. Both of us, now standing, watched the spot where the blue form had been, waiting for it to reappear. When several minutes passed, and nothing happened, the two of us returned to our beds, disappointed.

Figuring that I was just overtired and had an active imagination, I finally nodded off. Though I don't quite remember falling asleep, I started dreaming.

"Get out...get out of my house. This is my room," a voice was saying.
"Who...who are you?" I responded, feeling delirious.
"I said...get out now!" the voice breathed in my ear, jolting me awake. I almost leaped off the pillow, terrified, breathing heavily. My eyes darted back and forth; I'd forgotten where we were.

I could hear my sister's breathing across the room; she was now sound asleep. Slowly turning to face the opposite wall again, I saw it...there was the blue light. Not only had it returned, however; it seemed to have grown larger. There had to be an explanation for this...but who was around to tell me?

As I started to rise from the bed again and approach the anomaly, something else caught my attention. The light over our doorway, which had been switched off hours ago, suddenly flashed...almost as if electricity had surged through it. My breathing intensified; surely something odd was going on now.

The bluish blob seemed to pulsate and stretch, and I backed against the pillow, as if the blur were taunting me. I covered my face, whispering, "Don't hurt me...whatever you are...just go away...please." All I wanted was to slide peacefully into sleep just like my sister had, but my nerves and adrenaline were at full speed, urging me to take action. Just as I'd covered my head completely with the pillow...

A shrill scream came from the hallway outside our door! It was a woman...terrified...

"WHO ARE YOU?! GET OUT OF HERE!!!" she shouted. It then sounded vaguely as if she were crying, but the sounds trailed off down the hallway. Unable to stifle my curiosity any longer, I ran to the door and threw it open.

Sure that I would finally understand the mystery, I peered out into the hallway...and...nothing. Nothing, except the dim glow of the electric candles lining the walls. There was no sign of any panicked woman, nor what might have caused the light to flash so suddenly as it did.

Still horrified, I shut the door, and locked it, making certain that the bolt was completely in place. I then placed the chain across the door frame, and lastly checked the peephole to make sure no one was there.

With an uneasy sigh, I began to return to bed. Once under the covers, I placed my head on the snug pillow again, prepared to have myself a decent sleep. My comfort was short-lived, however...

As I glanced toward the wall again, I spotted the bluish shape once more. Not only had it grown larger; it seemed to have formed a face. Yet it was no face I could recognize...it was more like a skull, or like the vague blue spots you see on the moon.

The "mouth" appeared to be talking, yet no words were being spoken. In terror, I shut my eyes, saying an incomprehensible prayer. Even with eyes shut, the blue-green glow seemed to be expanding, overtaking the room...there was no escape.

That was the last I remembered. The next morning, I awoke...in the same room...in the same bed. Something seemed different, but I couldn't place it. I glanced around the room, checking to see if all was in place; so far, it was. The lamp, the bedside table, and there were our things, my suitcase...what was missing?

At that moment, I spotted the bed next to me...empty.

"Amelia? Amelia! Where are you?!" No sooner had I asked the question than the blue-green shape reappeared, as a hand, reaching towards me...I sprinted toward the door, and ran from the room, never looking back.