The Last Stop on Our Road Trip
My cousin and I got to our last stop on a road trip. I get out to check in while my cousin waits in the car. Everyone stares at us. I walk into the tiny, dirty “lobby” and a man with two teeth emerges from his apartment behind the front desk. He makes strange small talk and tells me I look like a Stephanie and he’s going to call me Stephanie. He tells me he gets off at 11 and that he gave us the best room, right above his apartment.
I return to my cousin’s jeep and she looks horrified. She said a man came up to her jeep, touching it and peeking in until he realized she was still inside. He bolted.
Our room was the last one in front of a large deck and next to a ladder leading down to the man’s apartment. We quickly realize that the conjoining door to the room next door is open and has no way to lock. We prop something up against it to keep it closed and unpack. We see scratches down the walls and dents in the walls– signs of a struggle.
As I’m in the bathroom, the door has about a half inch between the door and the frame where anyone can see through. It’s weird, but I deal with it. My cousin calls to me. She points to the main door, where the deadbolt is busted clean off. There’s a latch, but nothing to latch onto. The peephole is also covered by a plastic sheet.
My cousin wants to leave, but I tell her we have until 11 until the worker’s shift ends and we can sit and think about it. Just then, my mom saw some photos I sent her from the room and sends back two words: “leave now.”
My cousin and I literally run to the car and speed out of that parking lot, never turning back.
Story credit: Reddit / fattypattyy