The strangest motel I’ve ever been to

I thought it was going to be an ordinary day, but it wasn’t. I boarded a coach bus to the city where my family lives, since my sister’s wedding is tomorrow. From the start, I noticed that there weren’t many passengers about twelve, including me. Everything was going smoothly… until the coach bus suddenly stopped in the middle of a forested road.

The driver tried to restart it, but it wouldn’t respond. He got out, tried again, and repeated this over and over. One of the passengers asked what was happening. “We ran out of fuel,” he said, “but I’ll call for help right away.”

We waited for about an hour, and the passengers began to get frustrated. One shouted angrily, “How long are we going to wait? When will help arrive?” Another added, “This is your responsibility as a driver! How could you let the fuel run out on a coach bus traveling in the middle of the journey ?” The argument continued while the driver tried to calm everyone while apologizing

Eventually, he told us there was a motel nearby. “You guys can go rest there until help arrives,” he said, “it might take a while.” Then he apologized again.

We all got off the coach bus , and he led us to the motel. It was in the forest. I was surprised, but I didn’t think much of it. I was exhausted and all I wanted was to sleep.

We entered the motel, and at the reception was an old woman. She handed us the keys to our rooms. My room was on the upper floor, while the others were downstairs. I entered my room, threw myself onto the bed, and fell asleep.

I woke up to laughter coming from downstairs , I found the others gathered in one of the rooms, playing cards and laughing. I greeted them and asked about the help, but they said they didn’t know anything.

I went to the coach bus.It was there, but the driver was nowhere to be seen. I assumed he had gone to get help somehow, so I returned to my room. I tried to kill time in any way , I could picked up my phone, but there was no signal. I read a book instead, until I fell asleep again.

I woke up the next morning and realized that a whole day had passed. I hurried to the others and said, “It’s the next day, and help still hasn’t come! How is this possible?” One of them replied calmly, “Relax, it’s not worth getting so worked up.” Then they all started laughing. Another said, “Honestly, I have no intention of leaving this place. I like it. Don’t you, guys?” And they laughed again.

Their nonchalance infuriated me, so I went to check the coach bus. It was still there, but the driver was gone. I stayed there for a long time, hoping he might appear with help, but nothing happened. I decided to return to my room. As I entered the motel, the old woman greeted me: “Don’t worry, my dear, leave it to fate.” I nodded with a forced smile and continued to my room.

Before entering my room, I heard crying from the room next door. The door was slightly open, so I peeked inside. A little girl was curled up on the bed, crying. I greeted her and asked her name and why she was crying. She said her name was Amy , and she had been sleeping in the car. When she woke up, her parents were gone. She thought they had gone to fetch something, and she waited a long time on the car before finding her way to the motel. Now she is scared because she doesn’t know where her parents are .

I felt sorry for her and stayed by her side to comfort her. The sun began to set, and I realized I might spend another day here. I thought about my sister , her wedding was supposed to be today. I tried to contact her and my family, but there was no signal. I only hoped I hadn’t ruined her special day.

As darkness fell, I returned to my room and slept. The next morning, I woke to the usual noise of the others. As before, they were gathered in one of the rooms, playing cards and laughing. I went to the coach bus to see if anything had changed. Little did I know what would happen next would be the strangest experience of my life.

Before I stepped outside the motel, I heard a TV turn on. It was a small television, belonging to the old woman.

“Coach 471 was involved in an accident on Route 40, resulting in the death of several passengers, while some remain in a coma.”

The TV went dark. The news report had been accompanied by pictures of the victims,and I was among them. I froze, unable to comprehend what was happening. “Is this a prank?” I grabbed the remote and tried to turn the TV on, but it wouldn’t work. I threw the remote and ran to the coach bus, hysterical. I even tried to start it myself, but of course, it wouldn’t budge.

I ran, trying to escape this place, but I always ended up back at the same spot. Resigned, I returned to the motel, hearing the others laugh as usual. They seemed to exist in their own world, indifferent. I felt like Amy and I were the only sane people here .

I went to my room, sat on the edge of the bed, and sank into deep thought. Amy interrupted my thoughts, asking how I was. I reassured her, not wanting to share things I didn’t fully understand myself. Amy left, and I finally gave in to sleep.

I woke up again, but this time, there was no noise from the others , only silence. I went downstairs and searched the rooms, but no one was there. Where had everyone gone? Even the old woman had disappeared. Only Amy remained by my side, following me since I left my room.

I then went to the coach bus,thinking perhaps help had arrived and everyone was there. But when I got closer, it was empty,still in its place, but vacant.

I waited there with Amy . Fear and tension crept into every corner of my body. But then ,From a distance, on the other side of the road, I saw the old woman. She was heading toward the forest. Amy and I followed her, and I shouted, “Stop! Stop!” But she moved strangely fast, even though she wasn’t running.

Suddenly, she stopped in place and turned toward me. She smiled,and then everything plunged into pitch-black darkness. The motel, the trees, the bus, the road… everything vanished.

When I opened my eyes, my family was gathered around me. They were crying, then they started hugging each other, and then they hugged me. I still couldn’t understand what had happened.

A man entered, Judging by his outfit, he seems to be a doctor , “ Thank God you’re safe, Miss Elizabeth,” he said. I asked him where I was and what had happened. He told me I had been in a coma for three days after the accident. Unfortunately, all the other passengers had died, except for me and the driver, who had only minor injuries. He then left.

I stayed still. My family left the room to let me rest, but I was lost in thought, remembering the laughter of the passengers, the old woman, the motel, and Amy.

Had it all been in my head? Perhapse a dream? It couldn’t have been. It had felt real….so real. I wondered what that place was. If the passengers had died in the accident, who were the people I had seen in the motel all that time? A shiver ran through me.

My stay at the hospital ended, and it was time to go home. On my way out, I passed by a room in the corridor. I froze at the sight inside. “Amy?”, It was her,the same girl from that mysterious place.

She noticed me, and we stared at each other for a long moment, as if analyzing one another. I felt like we both knew what the other was thinking, yet neither of us had answers to the questions swirling in our minds.

She smiled at me, and I smiled back. Then I left the hospital.

The End