New
Arrivals
Author-Suzie
Titles
Hotel on the Hill
by Suzie
Summary: A road trip to a conference takes a twisted turn on a dark and stormy night.
Disclaimer: Some of the characters in this story belong to the UPN Network and Pet Fly Productions as part of the television show The Sentinel. I do not claim these characters as my own. No money has changed hands.
Notes: Very small reference to The Waiting Room. "Sit with me and read my tale at 11:59pm on this All Hallows Eve, when the walls between worlds are very thin, and those on the other side can come over." **Thank you, Jen**
“Be silent in that solitude,
Which is not loneliness--for then
The spirits of the dead, who stood
In life before thee, are again
In death around thee, and their will
Shall overshadow thee; be still.”
From “SPIRITS OF THE DEAD”
by Edgar Allan Poe (1827)
######
The rain came down in sheets, lightening flashed, thunder rolled, and the wind howled. The night was so dark that the headlights barely lit the road ahead of them.
“It was a dark and stormy night,” Blair muttered as another bolt of lightening made a jagged slash across the sky.
“What was that?” Jim asked distractedly.
“Nothing… just talking to myself,” Blair answered from the passenger side of the pick-up. “Jim, can you see?”
“Not too well, really,” Jim answered. “I’m keeping my vision on normal because of the lightening.”
“Don’t you think we should just get off the road for the night?”
“Do you *see* anyplace to get off the road, Sandburg?” Jim snapped irritably. “There isn’t enough shoulder to pull off onto and the ditches are overflowing. It’s just not safe.”
“I know,” Blair sighed. “I’m sorry.”
Jim sighed and took a breath, "No, I'm sorry I bit your head off."
“If I hadn’t talked you into driving to the conference in Billings instead of flying, we’d be home…”
“Whoa there, Chief,” Jim interrupted. “If you remember, it didn’t take much talking to get me to do this, and the drive into Billings was great. I'm glad we took the extra time to drive instead of flying. It’s not your fault the weather turned to crap any more than it’s mine, so don’t start blaming yourself for this.”
“Okay,” Blair said quietly.
“I can’t even blame you for that wrong turn that took us nearly fifty miles in the wrong direction,” Jim said. "The turn we were suppose to take wasn't even marked."
Blair smiled at that. “Yeah, I am totally innocent on that one.”
Jim was just about to make a comment when something caught his eye. He checked the mirrors and slowed the truck to a stop.
“What’s up?” Blair asked curiously.
Jim pointed out of the windshield. “Up there… I see lights.”
Blair squinted in an effort to see through the dark and rain. “Yeah, up on that hill. I can barely see them. Can you make out what it is?”
A flash of lightening lit the area, followed by booming thunder.
“I don’t care if it’s the Bates Motel as long as they’ll put us up for the night,” Jim said as he started the truck moving again. “Keep an eye out for a road or sign or something.”
Several minutes later, Blair spotted a turnoff as they drove past it. It was well hidden by the dark and the overgrown bushes on either side. Jim made a U-turn back to it.
"We're not having much luck with road signs. I'm surprised there isn't something marking that turn back there," Jim mentioned, as he slowly drove up the small road.
"Maybe the storm blew it away," Blair said. "Or maybe this is a driveway to someone's private home."
"Yeah, you're right. I just hope they'll let us stay for the night."
The blacktop road was rutted and unkempt, as if it hadn’t been used in a very long time. It wound around and up. They followed the path to a large lodge style building. It loomed in the dark like a haunted mansion out of an old movie. Dim lights shone through several windows on the ground level. The sign hanging above the front steps swung and creaked in the wind. Lightening flashed, revealing the name… Hill’s Hotel - est. 1950.
**********
"Hello?" Jim called, standing at the desk running a hand through his now wet hair.
A small, wrinkled old man stepped out of a backroom and grinned. "I'm sorry, sir, I didn't hear you come in."
Jim returned the smile and said, "No problem." He indicated to Blair, who was dripping on the mat at the front door with their suitcases. "My friend and I would like a room for the night."
"Well, sir, you are in luck. There is just one room available... but it has only one bed."
"Uh huh... would you have a roll-away or something?"
"Sorry, sir, everything is taken at this time, but the bed is a very large one. It's a king size."
Jim thought for a moment, then decided that sleeping with Blair was better than driving any further in the storm. "We'll take it."
"Very good, sir," the old man beamed. "Can I have a boy carry your bags?"
"No, thank you. It's just the two. We can handle it," Jim replied, handing over his credit card and filling out the register.
"As you wish. Your room is on the third floor... number 301." The old man handed Jim the receipt to sign and two keys to their room.
Jim nodded his thanks and turned to Blair. "Okay, Chief, let's go find the elevator."
"I'm sorry, sir, but the electricity is out due to the storm," the old man said. "We have a generator to run lights and necessities, but the elevators and the heating system are not working. You'll find a fire warming your room and an ample supply of wood for the night."
Jim sighed as Blair stepped up next to him with their suitcases.
"I am sorry for the inconvenience."
"That's all right. Can't fault you for the weather."
"One of the necessities is hot water if you'd like to shower, and the phones are working if you need anything."
"Something to eat would be nice," Blair said hopefully.
The old man continued grinning happily, "The kitchen is closed for the night, but I'll ask my wife to make up a couple of sandwiches... if that would be satisfactory."
"Great... thank you," Blair smiled.
"Good, I will have them sent up to your room shortly."
**********
The room was warm, the water hot, and the bed large, all as promised.
"Did you happen to grab the map?" Jim asked opening his suitcase after dropping it on the bed.
"No, I didn't," Blair answered. "Want me to go get it?"
"Nah, I can get it later."
"You'll be all dry and warm by then," Blair argued. "Why don't you grab the first shower while I run downstairs."
Jim smiled and tossed the keys across the room to his friend. "Thanks, Chief."
Blair caught the ring of keys and started towards the door. "No problem. Be right back."
The door closed and Jim pulled clean clothes from his suitcase. The fire crackled in the fireplace, bringing Jim's attention to the yellow and orange flames. He noticed that the fire had to have been burning for some time for the room to be so comfortably warm. Why would they start a fire in an empty room? Jim thought. Shrugging it off as unimportant, he went to the bathroom for a hot shower.
**********
Blair skipped down the stairs and across the lobby to the front door. The knob turned, but the door wouldn't open. "Huh... must be stuck," he said to himself. "Probably all the rain has the wood swollen." Pulling harder, Blair tried again, but the door wouldn't budge. "Damn."
The grandfather clock that sat against one wall in the lobby began to chime out midnight.
Blair glanced over his shoulder as he continued to pull on the door and noticed that there was no one at the desk. "Hello... anybody back there?" he called. "The door's stuck."
There was no response. Sighing, Blair again tried to open the door.
On the stroke of midnight there was an odd whooshing sound, as if all the air in the room was being sucked out at once.
Blair turned automatically to see where the sound came from and the lobby was on fire. Flames licked up the walls and over the ceiling. He could even feel the heat. Letting out a gasp, Blair backed up into the door, but in a blink of an eye it was all back to the way it was. What the hell?! he thought, looking around.
With his heart hammering in his chest, Blair turned back and tried the door again. This time it opened easily. Frowning suspiciously and looking back into the lobby again, he ran quickly out to the truck for the map.
A minute later, as Blair stood under the covered front patio and shook the rain off his jacket, he happened to look back at the parking lot. That's strange, Blair thought. If the hotel is full, why is the only car in the parking lot ours?
**********
Jim stepped out of the shower and toweled off, then slipped into a pair of sweatpants and a T-shirt. Feeling better after the warm shower, he moved his suitcase off of the bed, folded and laid his damp clothes on the floor next to it.
Knock... knock.
Jim straightened. "Who is it?" he called, walking to the door, his senses telling him that it was not his Guide.
"Your sandwiches, sir," a female voice called back.
Smiling, Jim opened the door. There was no one there. He looked up and down the hallway, but saw no sign of anyone. Using his enhanced sense of hearing, Jim focused and listened for retreating footsteps. At the same time a flash of lightening lit the room behind him and a loud crack of thunder caused the Sentinel to gasp, placing both hands to his ears.
Jim shook his head and turned his hearing back to a normal level, then went back inside the room, leaving the door open slightly for Blair. "I *know* I heard someone out there. Maybe it was another guest trying to be funny," he told himself as he tried to shake the ringing from his ears. Then stopped dead in his tracks and stared at the two plates sitting on the table.
A minute later, Blair walked into the room. “Hey, Jim… did you notice…”
Jim looked at Blair, then back at the table across the room, a frown of confusion on his face.
“Jim, what’s wrong?”
“Someone was at the door, but when I answered it… no one was there,” Jim replied.
“Just somebody playing a trick, man.”
“I thought of that." Jim looked at the table. "Then who brought in the sandwiches?” He turned back to Blair. “They weren’t there when I went to the door. Did you see anyone on the way up?”
“No… no one,” Blair answered. “You know… it’s strange that for a full hotel, the only vehicle in the lot is the truck.” He closed the door. “Do you think something weird’s going on here?”
“I don’t know, Chief, did you think it was odd that there was a fire going in an empty room?” Jim said.
"To be honest, I didn't even think about it until you mentioned it. But yeah, that is unusal."
“Maybe we’re just tired.” Jim walked over to the table and stared down at the two plates. Smells like chicken sandwiches and macaroni salad. He touched the rye bread on one of the sandwiches. Feels real enough. “Why don’t you go get a shower, then we’ll eat,” Jim said without turning around.
“Uh… yeah, sure. A shower would feel good,” Blair said quietly, heading for where he’d left his suitcase. He wanted to tell Jim about what happened in the lobby, but wasn’t sure if he should.
“Blair?”
“Yeah?” Blair dropped the map on the bed before he bent down and opened his suitcase on the floor.
“Did anything happen while you were downstairs?” Jim asked, concern in his deep blue eyes.
“Well… yeah… sort of. Let me take my shower and I’ll tell you about it while we eat.”
Jim nodded and watched Blair pull clothes from the suitcase and disappear into the bathroom.
**********
“It was the weirdest thing,” Blair said as his set aside his napkin. “For a split second I really thought the place was on fire… and then the door opened without a problem and I went out to the truck.”
“I have to admit that if the thing with the sandwiches hadn’t happened to me, I’d write it off and say you’re over tired,” Jim said, stoking the fire for the night.
“I was there and it still doesn’t seem real.” Blair watched Jim closely for a moment, then said, “You don't think it could be someone trying to contact you, do you?”
"Contact me?"
"Yeah, like Molly did when she appeared to you in the mirror."
"But you saw the fire downstairs," Jim mentioned matter-of-factly.
"So, maybe they're trying to contact both of us."
"I don't think so, Chief. This isn’t anything like when I saw Molly." Jim straightened and yawned, changing the subject by saying, “It’s late, why don’t we get some rest.”
There was something happening. Something they couldn’t explain… and maybe didn’t really want to.
“Sounds like a plan. What side of the bed do you want?” Blair asked without further discussion, standing and stretching.
“You take the side next to the fire. This old place is drafty and the fire will keep you warm.”
Blair smiled, “Thanks, Jim.” Crawling under the blankets of the large bed, Blair watched as Jim checked the door and turned out the lights. “Except for the wind blowing it seems awful quiet.”
Jim stripped down to his boxers and got into bed. “No city noises out here.”
“Yeah, I guess that’s it. G’night, Jim.”
“Good night.”
**********
Jim jerked awake. Using Sentinel sight and the slight orange glow from the fireplace, he peered at his watch. Three o’clock in the morning and all was quiet. They had only been in bed about an hour and a half.
So what the hell woke me up? Jim thought as he listened to the silence.
The storm had apparently finally blown over. Scrubbing his hands over his face, Jim turned to see that Blair was soundly asleep, sprawled on his stomach across as much of the bed as he could. The fire popped and cracked quietly as it continued to die. Enhanced hearing told Jim that the rain had stopped, but the wind was still gusting, though no where near as bad as it had been.
I can’t believe how quiet it is.
Why Jim did it, he didn’t know. Maybe it was a feeling… a premonition. He wasn’t in the habit of invading other people’s privacy, but he let his hearing roam through the hotel.
Jim listened… then listened some more. There was nothing. Not a snore, snort, or sigh. No one turned over or shifted in their sleep. Jim focused a bit more, trying to hear something… anything. But there was still nothing. He couldn’t hear anyone breathing, there were no heartbeats…
Sitting up, Jim reached over and shook Blair awake.
Blair shifted and batted Jim’s hand away. “Huh?” he grumbled sleepily.
“Get dressed,” Jim said, sliding out of bed and reaching for his clothes. “We’re getting out of here.”
“Wha…” Blair pushed himself up, still half asleep. “Jim…”
“Don’t argue, Chief… please.”
Blair stood up and began pulling on his clothes. “What’s going on, man?”
“There’s no one here,” Jim replied hurriedly.
“No one… but, Jim…”
Jim pulled a T-shirt over his head and turned to face his Guide. “I was trying to figure out what woke me up, and I listened for sounds in the hotel... Believe me, there is *no one* here. No one inside... no one outside.”
Blair tied his shoes and closed his suitcase. "I'm ready," he said, picking up his coat.
Jim nodded and went to the door, suitcase and coat in hand. "Let's go. I have a bad feeling about this place. The sooner we're out of here the better." He opened the door and immediately hit by a cloud of dark sooty smoke. "Whoa! What the hell..."
"Oh my God," Blair muttered. "The hotel's on fire!"
Jim slammed the door shut, coughing and sputtering.
"Jim, are you okay?" Blair asked anxiously, gently hitting his Sentinel on the back.
"Yeah... I'm fine," Jim managed. "Why didn't I smell it before?!"
"We have *got* to get *out* of here, man!" There was an edge of panic in Blair’s voice that he desperately tried to control.
Jim put his hands on Blair's shoulders. "Calm down, Chief. We can get out through the window." He dropped his suitcase and slipped into his coat. "Leave the suitcases and put your jacket on."
“Right… the window,” Blair said, pulling on his jacket as he followed Jim across the room.
Jim unlatched the window and pushed. Nothing happened. “Help me out here. It’s stuck.”
Together the two men tried to slide the widow up, but it just wouldn’t budge.
Blair looked up at Jim, his eyes reflecting the fear he felt. “Oh, God! It’s just like the front door, Jim. It was stuck too… then I saw the fire.”
Jim grabbed a piece of wood from the stack near the fireplace. “Stand back, Chief!”
Blair quickly moved away, almost stumbling in his haste.
Jim swung the wood like a baseball bat, hitting the glass pane square in the middle, and bounced off.
“What the…” Jim swung again. Connected again, but still the glass did not break.
“OhmyGod! We’re going to die, aren’t we?!” Blair blurted out.
Jim dropped the wood, quickly crossing to where Blair stood. Sentinel hearing easily picked up the panicked beat of his Guide’s heart. “We are *not* going to die!” Jim looked into Blair’s dark, dilated eyes. “What’s wrong with you, Chief? I know you’re scared… we both are… but this just isn’t like you.”
“I-I don’t know?!” Blair panted out as his breathing picked up. “I’m just so scared... and... and I can’t control it!”
“Is it a panic attack?”
Blair shook his head, sending long curls swinging wildly. “No… it’s like… more like… fear than panic. I’ve *never* felt anything like this before, man!”
Jim grasped Blair’s arms, feeling the tremors running through the body beneath his hands. “Blair… look at me!” He waited for the younger man to look up at him. “It’s going to be all right! We *are* going to get out of here!”
Tears trailed down Blair’s face and his hands grasped Jim’s wrists. “I-I… know, Jim,” he gasped. “But I can’t… shake this feeling. It’s just so… intense!”
Something in Jim's brain clicked. “Listen to me, Blair,” he said as realization dawned on him. “I don’t think it’s you. I think it’s the hotel… the building. There's something strange going on here. I don’t know what’s going on, but you have got to fight it, Chief!”
Blair stared up into Jim's concerned eyes and nodded. There was something going on... and it felt as though it was going inside him.
"Okay, let's get out of here." Jim said, patting Blair's cheek fondly. "Go into the bathroom and wet down a couple of large towels."
Still looking dazed and shaking, Blair quickly went into the bathroom to do as he'd been told.
Jim went back to the door and carefully held his hand up to the door, but not quite touching it. His enhanced senses told him that there wasn't any fire directly outside the door, but he could smell the smoke as it billowed through the hallway.
"Jim?" Blair said quietly from behind him.
Jim turned to see his friend holding the wet towels out to him. He grabbed one and tied it snuggly around Blair's face, covering his mouth and nose. Then Jim tied the second towel around his own face in the same manner. "Ready to go, Chief?"
Blair's eyes widened, shaking his head and backing away.
Jim caught the younger man's arm. "It's okay, Blair. I checked and there isn't any fire on this floor... just smoke."
Blair shook his head adamantly and tried to pull away.
"It's our only way out! Either we go together or we don't go at all!"
Blair stopped struggling and stared at Jim.
"Your choice, Chief," Jim said calmly. "But there's not much time."
Blair blinked, the fear behind his eyes warring with common sense. After a moment, he nodded and moved towards the bigger man.
Jim's arm went around Blair's shoulders and he nodded as he reached for the doorknob. He felt Blair tense as he pulled the door open and black smoke poured into the room.
**********
Together Jim and Blair down the smoke filled hallway.
“I can’t see, Jim!” Blair cried, pulling back at the top of the stairs.
“We can do it together, Blair!” Jim said. “Trust me on this!”
Blair hesitated a moment, fighting with the fear that wanted to overcome him, then nodded and let Jim lead the way down the stair.
Smoke billowed around them, burning their eyes, and slowly seeping through the drying towels wrapped around their faces. Jim’s enhanced senses did absolutely no good in the smoke and he could only hope that they didn’t fall and break their necks on the way down to the lobby.
The second floor was an inferno. Orange and yellow flames had engulfed the hallway, rolling and roaring up the walls. Wood crackled in the intense heat and it was evident that the building was soon going to collapse.
Jim grasped Blair’s arm. “Let’s go!” he yelled over the noise of the fire.
Blair pulled out of Jim’s hand and continued to stare into the flaming hallway.
“Blair, we have to get out… NOW!”
“Don’t you see them, Jim?!” Blair said, his voice so low that Jim barely heard.
“See what?!”
“The people… the people in the fire, Jim.”
Jim strained for a moment, but could see no people. “There’s no one in there, Chief!” He took Blair’s arm again.
“We can’t help them, you know,” Blair said, looking up at Jim. “They’re all dead.”
Jim frowned, realizing that what Blair saw wasn’t real. He pulled on Blair’s arm and this time the younger man followed.
The fire was slightly less intense, but growing rapidly as Jim and Blair passed the first floor hallway. Smoke burned their lungs through the terry cloth material, making them cough harshly.
As they reached the lobby, Blair pulled up again. “It’s just like when… when I was down here before.”
Flames crawled up the walls of the lobby and across the ceiling. They licked up and over the front desk, setting the registration book on fire, burning one page at a time.
“C’mon, Chief, we’re almost out!” Jim called, reaching for Blair.
“NO!” Blair screamed, backing away. “I have to stay here!”
“Blair, what in the hell are you talking about?!”
“I died here. I can’t leave.” Blair backed into the stairs and stumbled, falling hard against the steps.
Jim lunged forward, grabbing Blair around the waist before he could recover. “I’m getting out of here, and I’m taking you with me!”
Blair fought against Jim’s hold. “I have to stay!”
The fire raged as the two men struggled. Jim could feel the stairway beginning to give way as it was weakened by the fire. Burning pieces of the ceiling began to fall around them and a crashing sound could be heard from one of the upper floors.
“Fight it, Blair!” Jim yelled at the writhing man. “Fight it!”
Then another sound began to rise from out of the depths of the burning building. It started as a wailing cry and quickly rose to sound like many voices screaming in agony.
“Good, God…” Jim said quietly, looking up the burning stairway.
Blair went still beneath Jim’s hands and the Sentinel looked down to see that his Guide was unconscious. Quickly, Jim stood, pulling Blair up at the same time, and let the limp figure settle over one broad shoulder.
Once outside, Jim went to the truck, lowered the tailgate, and gently laid Blair down. With Sentinel sense of hearing, Jim checked his Guide’s vital signs as he retrieved his cell phone from his coat pocket and dialed 911.
“911 emergency,” the operator stated.
“We need fire/rescue at the Hill’s Hotel…” Jim began.
“Pardon me?” the female operator interrupted. “Where did you say you were?”
“Hill’s Hotel. I don’t know the address, but…”
“I know the place,” the operator’s voice said angrily. “Your little *joke* is not appreciated.”
“What?!” Jim said unbelievingly. “This is no joke! My name is James Ellison and I’m standing outside the hotel now! It’s on fire and there are people trapped inside!”
“Listen, I don’t know why you’re doing this… but when Hill’s Hotel burned down twenty-five years ago, no one survived. It’s a very sad anniversary for everyone around here… one we wish could be forgotten.”
“You don’t understand…”
“No, apparently *you* don’t understand.” The operator’s voice was firm. “I could have you arrested for using 911 for prank calls. I’m going to hang up the phone now… and I do not expect to hear from you again.”
There was a click, then the connection died.
Jim looked from the phone to the burning building. “Twenty-five years ago?” he whispered.
**********
Daylight was just dawning and the skies promised to be clear. Jim sat silently on the tailgate of the truck with Blair’s head resting in his lap. He had watched the hotel burn down to a large pile of smoldering rubble and had heard the continued screams of the people trapped inside.
When he’d made the call to 911, Jim had known something strange had been going on. He’d known the building was empty when he’d heard the first cries. They were the anguished screams of the people who had perished in the Hill’s Hotel fire twenty-five years earlier.
Jim ran his fingers through Blair’s hair, wishing that the unconscious man would awaken. Blair had been possessed, it was the only explanation for the young man’s actions and fears. Jim reasoned that whoever had occupied their room at the time of the fire, had died there and had, for some unknown reason, decided to *borrow* Blair.
Haunted hotels, ghosts, possessions… all things that Jim would never had considered possible before he’d seen Molly in that mirror. She had led him to her killer 45 years after she’d been murdered. Now Jim was willing to believe pretty much anything.
Blair stirred slightly, his heartrate and breathing picking up.
“Blair?” Jim whispered. “Come on, buddy, time to wake up.”
Blair groaned and opened his eyes. “Jim?”
“Yeah, right here.”
Blair slowly pushed himself up to sit on the tailgate next to Jim.
“Easy does it,” Jim said, steadying Blair as he moved. “How do you feel?”
“Kinda fuzzy… like I’ve been drugged of something,” Blair replied, pushing his hair out of his face.
“Do you remember what happened?”
Blair hesitated a moment, then nodded. “He was a kid… sixteen I think. His name was Carl.” Blair looked up at Jim. “He died in the fire… a long time ago.”
Jim nodded knowingly.
“He had been waiting for his father to return to the room. Then they were going down to the dining room for dinner.” Blair shivered in the cool morning air. “Carl was putting wood on the fire… and somehow a burning log rolled out onto the carpet.”
“So the fire started in the room we were in.”
Blair nodded. “He tried to put it out, but the fire spread too quickly.” Tears stood in Blair’s eyes and he looked away. “Carl panicked and ran outside… and didn’t warn anyone about the fire.” Blair took a deep breath. “After a time, he felt… guilty I guess and ran back inside to find his father. Carl ended up back in the room upstairs and the fire had already burned through the floor, setting the room below on fire. He kept trying to put out the fire, but it was no use.” Blair shrugged, “That’s all I remember.”
Jim nodded. “I called 911 after we got out. The operator accused me of playing a prank.”
“You’re kidding?”
“Nope. She told me that the Hill’s Hotel burned down twenty-five years ago.”
Blair blinked, taking in what that meant.
“No one survived.”
“Carl’s spirit is still here… unable to pass on.”
Jim nodded solemnly.
The sun broke over the horizon and lit the hilltop around Jim and Blair. They both looked up, not surprised by what they saw.
The smoldering rubble that had lain where the Hill’s Hotel had stood was nothing more than a lump beneath the grass and weeds that now grew over the foundation.
“Do you think what happened to us will happen again?” Blair asked.
Jim shrugged. “Maybe… in another twenty-five years, if there’s a storm, and someone on the road below happens to look up here. They may see the same lights we saw and decide to stay for the night.”
Blair didn’t say anything and Jim said nothing more. They sat together in silence on the tailgate of the truck and let the sun rise against their backs.
<>~~<>~~<>
end