A Night at the Shanley Hotel

Only moments later, Kenneth could have sworn he felt the mattress press downward to one side. Right afterwards, something large rubbed against his back. He felt a chill down his spine and immediately reached out slapping down hard on the bed next to him with his hand in several places, but there was nothing there. He told himself it was probably his imagination, although it sure felt real. Eventually, he began to fall asleep, again. He became annoyed at the sound of distant voices or whispers. He figured the voices were coming from Sal’s room, so he tried to ignore them. He wondered if maybe Sal was not alone like he assumed. He probably has a wife or whatever. The voices continued for several minutes. It was too inaudible to ascertain what was being said. By this time, he felt exhausted. Just then, there was a hard whisper directly into his left ear. He even felt the warmth of the breath, as it tickled his ear. It was a man’s voice and it said in a chilling tone, “I kill myself in this room, over and over.” Kenneth was not alone! His eyes sprang open instantly and he jumped up in the bed, turning in the same instant. There was no one in the bed behind him, as far as he could tell. He pounded on the bed, once more, with his hands checking every square inch. He did not feel anything. When he turned back around, he saw the distinctive shape of a man hanging by his neck in front of the bathroom doorway. “Argh!” He screamed in shock, before leaping from the bed to switch on the light. Much to his amazement, there was no one in the room with him. He checked under the bed and behind it to make sure. He looked behind the chair, as well. He was alone, which was a relief. It did not stop him from being afraid. His heart was pounding in his chest. “What the hell is going on here? I know I saw someone. I definitely heard a voice in my ear. I felt it. I can’t be that messed up in the head that I’m imagining things, or am I?”