A Haunted Marriage & The Cookie Baking Poltergeist

Chapter 11: The Victory Motel

    Julia skidded her Subaru to a halt in the parking lot of the Victory Motel at 3am with enough force to cause smoke to emanate from the back tires. Michael's slumbering eyes opened to a red neon "vacancy" sign flashing on an off through the windshield. The words "Victory Motel" were also ablaze in a steady yellow neon light. The Subaru was now parked in the closest spot next to the motel's office which was in a small, separate structure from the rest of the motel's twelve rooms. This square office was made of wood paneling and contained a door with an "office" sign wood cut into its top next to a lone window trying to hold in the room's light. Through this window, the shadow of a solitary man or woman appeared to be standing in front of a counter.

    Julia was the first to exit her car, quickly followed by her husband. Michael tried to reach for Julia's hand, but she shook her head and kept her right hand stuck to her side, her other hand carrying her purse.

    The Victory Motel consisted of a two hundred foot rectangular one story building made of logs that contained doors to its twelve room every four feet. Various cars and motorcycles were parked in front of each of the doors numbered one through ten. Behind the motel's office stood a three story Victorian home atop a hill with an arched roof that came to a point similar to a church steeple. A set of stone steps led up from the office to the home. A full moon lit the home from behind, casting the office and motel in its white light.

    Julia turned the doorknob of the hotel's office and the door creaked open. Julia and Michael found themselves in a small ten foot square office with a wood counter and a key rack hung behind the counter. A small table with a lamp atop, stood in the office's corner. From the corner of the ceiling, to the left of the counter, a taxidermy owl, with its wings spread, stared down at any office visitor.

    No one attended the counter when Julia and Michael arrived. Julia rang the bell and within five seconds a young man emerged from a door behind the counter. The man had dark hair with a buzz cut similar to a US Marine. He was dressed in blue jeans, and a blue t-shirt with "Victory Motel" written in white across its front. The man also chomped down on a wad of gum continuously like a cow chewing a straw of hay.

    "So sorry I didn't hear you. We don't get too many guests this time of night. Sorry I fell asleep and probably kept you waiting. But we aim to please at the Victory Motel. My father and I named it the Victory Motel to commemorate the Revolutionary War battle won not too far from here. Anyway I assume you guys want a room. That's why people come to motels after all. You guys lucked out because we only have one room left, it has two small beds in it instead of one. Hopefully that's ok? My name is Anthony Westcott, but please call me Tony," Tony finished as he slid his gum between his tongue and roof of his mouth.

    Michael opened his mouth to answer, but before he could utter a word Julia said, "That will be fine, fine. We had sort of an emergency tonight at our house. We'll take anything."

    "Nothing too serious I hope?" Tony said.

    Julia laughed out loud before thinking, No, not serious at all. We were just defeated by a ghost living in our basement. But I am not going to tell this guy that.

    "Our carbon monoxide detector went off in our basement. The fire department is checking it out right now but they wanted us out of the house for tonight," Julia said.

    "I am so sorry to hear that. Can I fix you guys anything? I can bring down some sandwiches if you like," Tony said shrugging his shoulders.

    "No no, that's quite all right. You've been so kind to us so far," Julia said.

    "Ok great. I would be happy to show you to the room. It's at the end, number twelve. Are there any bags I can carry for you?" Tony said as he over the key he removed from a rack on the wall behind him.

    "No thanks friend. We'll be fine," Michael said.

    "Yeah, we're ok. We don't have much anyway," Julia said.

    "If you need anything, don't hesitate to call."

    "We will. Again, thank you so much," Julia said extending her hand to Tony.

    Tony shook Julia's hand before coming around the counter to open the office door. He pointed to the end of the row of rooms before saying, "That's the one at the end there. I just changed the linens today so you both should sleep really well. And room twelve has the hottest water so be careful if you shower."

    "Thanks again," Julia said before walking down the boardwalk to room twelve. She didn't even bother looking behind her to see if her husband was following her.

    Michael jogged to catch up with his wife. When they reached room twelve, Julia had to jiggle the key a few times before the knob would turn. Michael flipped the light switch next to the door to illuminate the entire room. Two beds, with red sheets and blue pillows stood parallel to each other four feet apart. A wood shelf was hung between the beds with a white phone atop it. Across from the beds stood a wood polished bureau with four metal drawer handles. A fifty two inch flat screen television sat on the bureau. The corner of the room contained one door, the door to the bathroom. Next to the bathroom was a window with the curtains opened. The window looked out at the Victorian home behind the hotel. The home stood like a some sort of sentry guarding the hotel.

    Julia closed the curtains before dropping her purse onto the bed closest to the bathroom. Michael sat on his bed and tossed off his shoes before laying down, still dressed in his jeans and t-shirt. Neither him or Julia had packed any other clothes in their hurry out of their haunted home.

    "So what do we do now? Since you know everything you should be able to figure it out for us?" Julia said.

    "I am tired. Some of us have to work tomorrow. Can we talk about it at home in the afternoon tomorrow?" Michael said placing his elbows on the pillow and closing his eyes.

    "Home, we have no more home. I am only going back there to pack some stuff and pack it definitely during the day. I don't want to live there anymore. In case you aren't up on current events, our house is haunted by some sort of ghost or demon. It's not safe to be there."

    "And where are we supposed to go? I have a job up here."

    "We can stay in a hotel for awhile. I would prefer to stay here for a few weeks than go back home."

    "I would rather go home than stay here. That Tony guy down there creeped me out. He is one step from dressing up at his old mother and terrorizing the people in this place. I got a bad Norman Bates vibe out of him."

    "Tony was a very nice man. You're just jealous."

    "Jealous of a man who runs a hotel. Don't you ever get tired of fighting?"

    "I just want you to know that a few days ago you said that the ghost was gone and you were confident that you were right. And I actually believed in you. You actually suckered me in. For the past five years I have always believed in you, but I don't anymore. I believed that you would be a successful teacher and writer, but you're none of the above. I want a husband who will actually take care of me. This move upstate has been a disaster and you still want to actually live in that house. You f*****g need to see a psychiatrist."

    I really should just punch her in the face right now but I am too damn tired.

    "Julia you are f*****g unbelievable. Do you ever take any sort of responsibility for anything? When we first were shown the house you liked it more than I did. You had dreams of starting a family upstate too. Don't you pin all of this s**t on me you arrogant cunt."

    "You are such a d**k. When you come right down to it you're just a failure. You're father was a failure because he beat the s**t out of you and your mother. But you're a different breed of failure, one who talks about his dreams but doesn't act on them. The man I married, the one who wanted to write that great book, and be that man his father wasn't, doesn't exist anymore. Only the shadow of a real man exists."

    "And the hopeful wife that I used to have turned out to be a cynical b***h who refuses to take any sort of responsibility for any of her choices. Your cynicism is the real reason no one will hire you. The way you are now I am glad you never got pregnant. I wouldn't want you as the mother of any child, let alone my child," Michael said before walking to the hotel room door. "I think it's best if I sleep in the car tonight because I really want to beat the s**t out of you."

    "Go ahead. I don't want you anywhere near me right now. I am not sure I am ever want to be near you again. Get the hell out of here you dumb s**t," Julia said.

    Michael balled his right hand into a fist before opening the door with his left hand. He clenched his teeth so hard walking out the door that he thought that he might have chipped a tooth.

                                                                                  #

    As soon as Michael left the room, Julia ran over to engage the door's deadbolt. She peeked through the keyhole to see her husband stagger across the parking lot and open the car's back door. She watch Michael lay down in the back seat before thinking, he had better be out of my car by tomorrow morning. He can f*****g walk home. It's only a mile.

"I should take a shower. That basement was disgusting," Julia whispered to herself.

    Julia went into the bathroom and turned on the light. A white sink and toilet stood on the left side of the bathroom. The tiled floor alternated between white and black tiles. On the towel rack, hung two towels with the words "Victory Motel" sewn on. The white tub, with a white shower curtain stood at the bathroom's far end.

    Julia closed the bathroom door behind her. She took one of the towels from the rack and placed it on the tiled floor in front of the bathtub. After turning the shower water on, Julia felt it to make sure it wasn't too hot like Tony said. Steam began to cover the mirror and bathroom walls. Julia then kicked off her pants and pulled off her panties before removing her shirt. She shivered before taking her first step into the warm shower stream. Julia rubbed a bar of soap up and down both of her arms and legs. Because of the shower stream, Julia did not hear the person who had just broken the deadbolt of the hotel door to enter her room.

    Julia's back was to the bathroom door as she reached down to pick up the miniature Victory Motel shampoo bottle. Through the haze of the mist, a figure, looking like a large silhouette, opened the bathroom door. The silhouette raised a hand over its head, a hand that Julia didn't notice due to the relaxation from the shower. The figure extended one hand to pull back the shower curtain.

    "AAAAAAAHHHHHHH."

    Michael had returned and he no longer saw the face of his wife in the shower, but the rotting face of Frances Pine's corpse, a face he saw in his basement not more than two hours before. Michael punched the face before him in the right cheek. Julia fell onto her back and stared up at a figure that she no longer believed to be her husband, but a real life monster, a monster more real than the monster residing in her basement. This new monster caused her to shake and place her hand over her mouth. Her heartbeat intensified. She placed the other hand up to guard herself from another blow that never came. Julia was now in a fetal position with the shower stream cascading down the side of her body.

    Michael turned and ran back out of the bathroom. Julia's lip began to spurt blood as she sobbed into both hands. She wiped the tears from her eyes and watched the blood and water spiral down the drain. My life with Michael has just gone down that drain too.