The Thirteenth Door

Rain slammed the windows of the old Koralview Hotel as Mira Verma checked in, clutching her damp duffel bag. Her face was pale under the flickering lobby lights, and the receptionist barely glanced up before sliding her a rusted brass key. “Room 311,” he mumbled. “Top floor. No elevators after ten.” She nodded, not asking questions. The corridors were narrow, lined with antique mirrors that warped her reflection as she passed. Her boots echoed on the wooden floor, the sound swallowed by the building's eerie silence. Room 311 looked like it hadn’t been touched in years. The wallpaper peeled in long strips, the lampshade tilted like a twisted hat, and the window faced a brick wall so close it blocked out most of the light. Mira locked the door behind her, triple-checking it. She pulled out a leather notebook from her bag and flipped it open. Inside were hand-drawn symbols, names scratched out in red ink, and one circled sentence at the bottom: “He went missing after opening the thirteenth door.” Mira glanced around. The room had only one door - the one she entered through. But the floor plan said otherwise. She tapped on the walls methodically, listening. Hollow. Solid. Hollow again. Her fingers stopped at a section behind the wardrobe. She pushed. Nothing. Then, as the clock struck midnight, the temperature dropped. Something clicked inside the wall. The wardrobe began to move. And a second door slowly revealed itself, ancient, crooked, and marked with a pale “XIII.” Mira’s breath caught. She hadn’t even touched it yet… but it was unlocking itself from the inside.