A NIGHTMARE IN PARADISE
Monday, September 8
Jim took a deep breath of the salt air. He had been looking forward to this day for months. The first day of his new job as head of maintenance at the Holiday Inn Sunspree in Paradise Cove, Florida. At last, he finally made it out of the freezer. The hotel had a nice atmosphere. The beach in front of the hotel was beautiful. The sun was brighter and friendlier in Florida than it was in Chicago. Paradise. Pure paradise.
The first half of Jim's day was spent shaking hands. By lunch time, his head was swimming with all the new names. He could only place a few to their faces. He remembered Beverly's red hair and her sarcasm. He introduced himself and she told him to fix her chair. He remembered Michelle, the reservationist. He could still hear her voice. It made him think of phone sex. Then there was Colleen, the housekeeping manager. He would never forget how her low-cut blouse and high-cut skirt almost passed each other. And there was Scott, the GM of course.
The rest of Jim's day was spent exploring the hotel. He made a list of every thing that needed servicing, even Beverly's chair. He was putting his notebook in his pocket, after finding some rust on one of the freezers, when he saw the door.
The door was hidden in a dark corner of the kitchen. There were rolling bread racks and an old chalk board stacked in front of it. None of Jim's keys worked.
Jim knocked on an office door. Michelle was sitting at a desk wearing a telephone operator's headset. "Hi, Jim. Come on in."
"Sorry to bother you. Do you know who has the key to the door in the back of the restaurant?" Jim asked.
"You mean the emergency exit?" Michelle asked.
Jim shook his head. "No. There's a storage closet or something way in the back of the kitchen. None of my keys work on it."
"I didn't know it was there." Michelle said.
"Neither did any of the kitchen staff." Jim said.
"Ask Scott. He should know." Michelle said.
Wednesday, September 11
No one had the key. In fact, no one knew the door was there. It was unsettling.
"Hey Mr. Fixit. Watcha doin'." Colleen said.
"I'm looking for the bolt cutters." Jim said. "What are you up to?"
"Just taking in the sights." Colleen said. "Why do you need bolt cutters? Are you trying to escape already?"
"I want to see what's behind that door in the kitchen." Jim said.
"What door?"
"The one in the kitchen I asked you about yesterday," Jim said.
"I don't remember a conversation about the kitchen. Are you sure you were talking to me?" Colleen asked.
"How could I mistake anyone else for you?" Jim said.
"That's sweet," Colleen said. "We're all going out for drinks after work Friday. You wanna come?"
"Sure."
"See you then." She sauntered down the hall.
The bolt cutters made short work of the lock. The room was almost bare. There was a large, very old, boiler against the far wall. It was cold. There were holes in two of the walls. The first was hidden behind the boiler in a brick wall. It was about three feet square. It was less than a foot into the wall. It ran so deep down the length of the wall that Jim's flashlight couldn't find its end.
The second hole was in a plasterboard wall. It was big enough for Jim to crawl through. Before Jim knew it, he was kneeling in the atrium garden that was between the rest rooms and the pool entrance. Jim stood up and brushed the dirt off his pants.
"Is something broken in there?" Beverly was standing in the doorway of the ladies room. "You know, we have a kitchen. You don't have to forage for food."
Friday, September 13
It was a hole-in-the-wall bar; one dart board, one juke box, one pinball machine, two tables, and a cluster of stools.
"Hey, we've got to start a new pool." Martin, the heavy set accountant, said.
"Who won?" Beverly asked, spilling her drink on herself.
"No one." Martin said.
"Who quit?" Colleen asked.
"Jessica." Martin said.
"Which one was Jessica?" Michelle asked. She was already numb.
"One of the maids." Colleen said.
"The pot starts at fifty bucks." Martin said.
Everybody started pulling money out of their pockets.
"What's going on?" Jim asked.
"We run a pool on who will quit next." Beverly said. "It's five bucks to get in. You can pick any employee. If that person quits you win the pot. No one picked Jessica, so the pot rolls over and we start again."
"Is the turnover of people really that high?" Jim said.
"We loose two every three months, or there about." Colleen said.
"Every forty-five days." Martin said. "I got curious one time and actually counted. Someone quits every forty-five days. I can set my calendar by it."
"How long has that been going on?" Jim said.
"Years." Beverly said.
"Longer than I've been here." Michelle said.
"Nobody here thinks that's just a little bit strange." Jim said.
"I never gave it a second thought." Beverly said. "Barkeep, another round of Zipperheads."
Thursday, September 19
Jim finished repairing both of the holes in the old room. He put a new lock on the door, and made sure he knew where the key was. It turned out that Colleen wasn't the only one that had forgotten about the old room. It was as if they had all been hypnotised to keep forgetting it. Jim's paradise had a flaw in it.
No one had the key. In fact, no one knew the door was there. It was unsettling.
"Hey Mr. Fixit. Watcha doin'." Colleen said.
"I'm looking for the bolt cutters." Jim said. "What are you up to?"
"Just taking in the sights." Colleen said. "Why do you need bolt cutters? Are you trying to escape already?"
"I want to see what's behind that door in the kitchen." Jim said.
"What door?"
"The one in the kitchen I asked you about yesterday," Jim said.
"I don't remember a conversation about the kitchen. Are you sure you were talking to me?" Colleen asked.
"How could I mistake anyone else for you?" Jim said.
"That's sweet," Colleen said. "We're all going out for drinks after work Friday. You wanna come?"
"Sure."
"See you then." She sauntered down the hall.
The bolt cutters made short work of the lock. The room was almost bare. There was a large, very old, boiler against the far wall. It was cold. There were holes in two of the walls. The first was hidden behind the boiler in a brick wall. It was about three feet square. It was less than a foot into the wall. It ran so deep down the length of the wall that Jim's flashlight couldn't find its end.
The second hole was in a plasterboard wall. It was big enough for Jim to crawl through. Before Jim knew it, he was kneeling in the atrium garden that was between the rest rooms and the pool entrance. Jim stood up and brushed the dirt off his pants.
"Is something broken in there?" Beverly was standing in the doorway of the ladies room. "You know, we have a kitchen. You don't have to forage for food."
Friday, September 13
It was a hole-in-the-wall bar; one dart board, one juke box, one pinball machine, two tables, and a cluster of stools.
"Hey, we've got to start a new pool." Martin, the heavy set accountant, said.
"Who won?" Beverly asked, spilling her drink on herself.
"No one." Martin said.
"Who quit?" Colleen asked.
"Jessica." Martin said.
"Which one was Jessica?" Michelle asked. She was already numb.
"One of the maids." Colleen said.
"The pot starts at fifty bucks." Martin said.
Everybody started pulling money out of their pockets.
"What's going on?" Jim asked.
"We run a pool on who will quit next." Beverly said. "It's five bucks to get in. You can pick any employee. If that person quits you win the pot. No one picked Jessica, so the pot rolls over and we start again."
"Is the turnover of people really that high?" Jim said.
"We loose two every three months, or there about." Colleen said.
"Every forty-five days." Martin said. "I got curious one time and actually counted. Someone quits every forty-five days. I can set my calendar by it."
"How long has that been going on?" Jim said.
"Years." Beverly said.
"Longer than I've been here." Michelle said.
"Nobody here thinks that's just a little bit strange." Jim said.
"I never gave it a second thought." Beverly said. "Barkeep, another round of Zipperheads."
Thursday, September 19
Jim finished repairing both of the holes in the old room. He put a new lock on the door, and made sure he knew where the key was. It turned out that Colleen wasn't the only one that had forgotten about the old room. It was as if they had all been hypnotised to keep forgetting it. Jim's paradise had a flaw in it.
Monday, October 28
Jim saw it the minute he walked threw the pool doors. There was white powder all over the floor and in the atrium garden. Jim climbed into the garden and looked at the wall. The hole was back. The white dust was plaster board. It looked like some one had broken out from inside.
Jim ran into the kitchen. His lock was still on the door. Both holes had been reopened. But, there was no debris. The room was clean.
Colleen won the pool. One of the night maids never showed up for work.
Jim saw it the minute he walked threw the pool doors. There was white powder all over the floor and in the atrium garden. Jim climbed into the garden and looked at the wall. The hole was back. The white dust was plaster board. It looked like some one had broken out from inside.
Jim ran into the kitchen. His lock was still on the door. Both holes had been reopened. But, there was no debris. The room was clean.
Colleen won the pool. One of the night maids never showed up for work.
Thursday, December 12
"Hey Jim, you gonna help us decorate the christmas tree?" Colleen was at the top of a ladder with garland in her hands. Scott and Martin were under the ladder taking stock of Colleen's mini-skirt.
"I'll be there in a moment. I have some things to do." Jim said.
In the last six weeks, Jim couldn't keep his mind off the holes and the old room. He had unbolted the boiler from the floor and pushed it into a far corner. He knew he was crazy for thinking what he thought. He just had to be sure.
It was ten minutes to eight when Jim opened the lock. The sun was gone for the night. Jim could feel a chill rising, but he couldn't tell if it was in the air or in his spine. Then Jim's blood ran cold. The holes were back.
Jim sat on the floor with his back against the closed door. His shotgun was laying across his lap. He sat in the dark listening to the beat of his heart. He could feel the seconds ticking away. His eyes adjusted to the dark. He could see faint light coming from the plasterboard hole. The brick hole looked like a shadow on a shadow.
After a couple of hours, Jim called himself crazy and was about to give up when he heard something being dragged. He pointed the shotgun at the hole. He waited until the dragging sound was in the middle of the room, then switched on the light.
The scream sounded like a tortured animal. The thing raised up on its hind legs. It was black as black could get. Its arms looked like rubber hoses with the claws of a lobster at the ends. There were no eyes. The head was taken up by the mouth of a shark. Giant cockroach antenna were sticking out of the top of the head. It had been dragging a body towards the hole in the brick wall.
Jim lifted the shotgun to his shoulder. The thing screamed again. Jim pulled the trigger. The wall behind the thing turned black, as if Jim had pulled the trigger of a giant paint sprayer. The arms were on the floor wiggling like mammoth earthworms. Jim fired twice more. Then he shoved the shotgun down the hole in the brick wall and fired until he was out of shells.
Jim rolled the body over. It was Colleen. She was still breathing. There was a gash on the back of her head and a mark across her throat. Jim carried her out the back and drove her to the hospital. He told her she got caught up in the garland and fell off the ladder. She was just drunk enough to believe him.
"Hey Jim, you gonna help us decorate the christmas tree?" Colleen was at the top of a ladder with garland in her hands. Scott and Martin were under the ladder taking stock of Colleen's mini-skirt.
"I'll be there in a moment. I have some things to do." Jim said.
In the last six weeks, Jim couldn't keep his mind off the holes and the old room. He had unbolted the boiler from the floor and pushed it into a far corner. He knew he was crazy for thinking what he thought. He just had to be sure.
It was ten minutes to eight when Jim opened the lock. The sun was gone for the night. Jim could feel a chill rising, but he couldn't tell if it was in the air or in his spine. Then Jim's blood ran cold. The holes were back.
Jim sat on the floor with his back against the closed door. His shotgun was laying across his lap. He sat in the dark listening to the beat of his heart. He could feel the seconds ticking away. His eyes adjusted to the dark. He could see faint light coming from the plasterboard hole. The brick hole looked like a shadow on a shadow.
After a couple of hours, Jim called himself crazy and was about to give up when he heard something being dragged. He pointed the shotgun at the hole. He waited until the dragging sound was in the middle of the room, then switched on the light.
The scream sounded like a tortured animal. The thing raised up on its hind legs. It was black as black could get. Its arms looked like rubber hoses with the claws of a lobster at the ends. There were no eyes. The head was taken up by the mouth of a shark. Giant cockroach antenna were sticking out of the top of the head. It had been dragging a body towards the hole in the brick wall.
Jim lifted the shotgun to his shoulder. The thing screamed again. Jim pulled the trigger. The wall behind the thing turned black, as if Jim had pulled the trigger of a giant paint sprayer. The arms were on the floor wiggling like mammoth earthworms. Jim fired twice more. Then he shoved the shotgun down the hole in the brick wall and fired until he was out of shells.
Jim rolled the body over. It was Colleen. She was still breathing. There was a gash on the back of her head and a mark across her throat. Jim carried her out the back and drove her to the hospital. He told her she got caught up in the garland and fell off the ladder. She was just drunk enough to believe him.
Two years after Jim fixed the holes, a maid quit and the pool rolled over again.
No comments:
Post a Comment