Zoe took in the room. The bed was pristine. Its blanket was smooth and the nightstand spotless. Everything looked perfect until the stale air betrayed it. The illusion shattered when she noticed the mirror had a slight tilt.


    Next to the phone, a shaded lamp emitted a soft hum as the light teasingly flickered but never quite went out.


    The ceiling fan hung motionless. Now that she was calmer she could hear a soft electric current from it. She walked over and flipped the switch. The light went out and she frantically turned it back on.


    “Not sleepy anymore,” she grumbled. She flipped the next switch and the humming noise stopped. Overall it didn’t look like this room had been occupied in a while.


    Any hope of finding someone else here was fading fast. Without the sound from the fan, she was left in eerie silence. That was unnerving.


    She frowned slightly and reached over to pick up the phone. Instead of a dial tone she heard static. Zoe suppressed a shudder as she pulled the receiver away from her ear.


    “What the hell was that?” It reminded her of the radio in her car.


    Several tense moments passed as she feared she’d hear something in the noise again but nothing happened. Was that normal for phones this old? No dial tone, just that damn static.


    She was about to hang up the phone when she paused and placed it on the desk next to the lamp. The soft sound of static, despite the risk, was better than the silence. The silence would drive her crazy, she feared. She’d turn the fan back on but feared it might start a fire.


    She walked over to the closet. She hesitated and tried to peer through the gap between the doors. She gripped the handle for several moments before swinging the door open abruptly.


    Nothing.


    A single wire hanger swayed in the back of the closet. She was about to close the door when she noticed a small travel suitcase pressed against the right wall.


    Her mind raced. First the car outside, now this? She reached in and tried to pick it up. It was heavier than expected. Definitely not empty. “Fuck this,” she muttered fighting the urge to panic. “I’m too tired for this.”


    Now that she was coming off an adrenaline rush she felt the muscle ache set in. She rubbed her eyes and sat on the bed facing the door. It was surprisingly comfortable.


    Zoe kicked off her boots and removed her jacket. As she folded it she felt the room key in the pocket. It felt unusually heavy. “What place even uses these old keys still?”


    She placed her folded jacket under her pillow and moved her boots under the night stand.


    Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.


    She rubbed her temples and attempted to take stock of her situation. There was a dull ache just behind her right eye. “Ugh.” She felt the need to leave but had no idea of where.


    Her thoughts were a whirlwind. Her car! She was stranded here without it, so she’d need to find a mechanic in town. Was that even possible? She couldn’t conjure anything too complicated. Definitely tools but not replacement parts.


    Maybe if that car was truly abandoned she could use it in an emergency? What about the name in the ledger? The memory of the Clerk’s unnerving smile made the hair on her neck raise.


    A haze settled in her mind from the fatigue that made it difficult to focus. Zoe laid back against the mattress. It was extremely comfortable. As she contemplated her next step she dozed off. After what felt like minutes she snapped awake and sat up. Even though she felt like she barely got any sleep she actually felt refreshed.


    That left her unsettled. How long was she out for? She looked around but didn’t even see a clock. Even her frayed nerves had settled. She rubbed the back of her neck, uneasy with how calm she felt.


    She felt guilty but couldn’t explain why. She looked towards the door, pulling free from her thoughts. The door was locked and secure. Zoe felt relief tinged with regret.


    “I should have put a sigil on the door.” The deadbolt was good and all but any door bound by a sigil would be difficult to break down.


    Zoe walked to the bathroom and caught her reflection in the mirror. She barely recognized herself. Her green eyes, usually sharp with gold flecks, looked hollow and dulled by fatigue.


    Her dark brown hair had come loose from its ponytail, framing her light olive skin which looked sallow under the flickering light. A faint scar curved through her right eyebrow, a remnant from a childhood fall.


    Zoe quickly washed up and walked back to the bed to slip on her boots and jacket. It was then that she noticed how eerily quiet it was.


    Her gaze immediately fell on the phone laying on the nightstand. She reached out slowly, picked it up, and lifted the receiver to her ear. Nothing but silence… until a faint, unmistakable breath.


    “Hello?” She heard the click of someone hanging up. Zoe slammed the phone down. “That creepy motherfucker.” It had to be the Clerk. Who else could it be? Her gaze shifted to the closet. Unless someone else really had been in the room. She dismissed that thought, allowing her anger to subdue her unease.


    After locking the door, she made her way to the lobby. The front desk was empty. The chair was still slowly spinning as if someone had just left. Zoe figured the overnight Clerk would’ve swapped out by now.


    “Hello?” The sound of a clock ticking filled the silence. She looked around but no one answered. “Great.”


    On one hand she was relieved about not having to deal with him first thing in the morning. On the other hand she was determined to get to the bottom of someone listening in on the phone. If she came back she’d make sure to confront him.


    She turned toward the door and remembered she didn’t pay for her room. The Clerk had refused payment until she signed out. “That tracks,” she mutters under her breath. Looked like she’d be coming back whether she liked it or not. Zoe hesitated at the door. She peered through the glass and felt relieved when she saw that it was daytime.


    It meant she actually slept a while despite not having any dreams. That was a small mercy in what had to be the strangest night of her life.


    She took a deep breath and stepped out. Nothing happened. The sun felt good on her skin. Zoe almost felt silly. Did she need more sleep than she thought?


    The fog mostly dispersed revealing more of the town. Her gaze locked on a sign shaped like a lantern across the street.


    "The Lantern Cafe"


    “Oh thank God. Coffee,” she said longingly. She still felt a hint of unease, but if caffeine couldn’t sort her thoughts out nothing could.