I awoke in some seedy hotel
suite, all squalor and gloom,
dimly lit only by a single lamp
in the far corner of the room.
A weathered black jacket dangled from
a hook on an otherwise empty wall.
The air was dust-filled and stale,
and smelled of grain alcohol.
I seemed to be alone, my only company
a faint screaming wind outside.
“Anyone here?” I asked the cold walls
anxiously, but nothing replied.
Though the room was vacant, I sensed
it wouldn’t stay this way for very long.
I needed to watch my back, for I could
feel that something here was all wrong.
Across the room, I noticed several objects
on a desk that I couldn’t quite discern.
I approached the scattered forms, and as
I did, I heard the lock in the door turn.
I panicked, my heart beating so hard
against my chest, I
