I have written about many things in my time as a writer. Fantasy, science fiction, horror, even romance. I took great pride in my work. But most of these stories were just that, stories; fiction, not real at all. True, some of these stories were inspired by real events, but they were all small and minor events. Sometimes there weren’t even mine, but some things that I had seen that I, after giving it much thought, could make into a good story later on. But none of these were of great significance that was really impactful in my life. But they were enough to bring about great works in my writing. But all that was about to change.
I would soon find myself on an adventure of a lifetime. It was supposed to be a way to inspire me to write a new book. To see what was out in the world, so that I may find a way to turn it into a story. But I never thought I would be writing about a real life experience during my time on the road. Yet, here now I sit and write this out, recounting the tale of my greatest and most terrifying adventure.
My name is Steven Arnolds, and as plainly obvious, I’m a writer. Nothing big really, at least in my opinion. But I have published my fair share of stories and novels. Of course, as proud of them as I was, I didn’t think of them as potentially great pieces of art, you are your own worst critic after all. But they seemed to be enough to get quite a bit of recognition, which I was both surprised and proud of. My latest book, “The River in the Valley” was quite a hit, especially with the romantic sort. It was an epic fantasy story about a young Elven princess and a peasant boy from two warring kingdoms, who meet and find love at a river hidden within a secret valley. They then convince their respective kingdoms to set aside their grievances when a new race of Reptilian-like creatures threaten to wipe them all out. It seemed to be my bestselling book yet. But that was a long while ago and I haven’t written anything of significance since then.
For a long time, I’ve just been sitting at home, in my apartment in New York City, pondering my brain over what to write next. But in all that time, nothing came to mind. I was stricken with a major writer’s block. For months I couldn’t come up with a single thing that I felt would be a good idea for a new book. After a while of just sitting at home, I was starting to lose my mind.
You would think that a writer like myself would have all the material he would need for a story in the ‘City That Never Sleeps’ right? Well not for me. I’m not really big on writing stories based on real life. I enjoy writing stories that spark my creativity. And real life is too real, and too boring. I wanted to write something that would grab the reader’s attention, to bring people out of reality, and make them see a new world. To let them step out of their lives, away from whatever trials and tribulations they were facing, and give them a reason to follow their imagination. But, as of late, that hasn’t exactly been going so well. I had almost given up on writing something spectacular and just writing a meager storyline when I received a call from my publisher. He knew of my turmoil and reached out to me and gave me, what he thought, was a great idea. His idea was for me to take some time off and go out and see the world. To go on a cross-country road trip, to use his words. At first I wasn’t so sure about it. But after giving it some thought, and not having anything else to do with my time, I relented. It did seem like the best way to get me out of my rut. So after much planning and preparations, I packed all the things I would need into my car, making sure to bring my laptop with me, and ventured out into the world, off on a new adventure of my own.
I have to admit, leaving the city was a whole new experience. I felt like Bilbo leaving the Shire for the first time, off on a grand adventure to unknown reaches of the world. It was an exciting feeling. Not only did I feel like this would be a good experience for me, but I would actually get to see the world around me. I had never actually traveled before, not like this at least. Every time I did travel, it was always to book signing or speaking at conventions. But as much fun as they were, I never actually got the chance to see what was around me. But now things were different. Going from place to place, not knowing where the road was going to take me, or where I was going to end up. It was a feeling I didn’t know I needed, it was all so freeing. Like taking a breath of air for the first time in my life. Being in the city and only seeing lights and buildings got boring after a while. But to see the skies so clearly that I felt like I could almost reach up and touch the clouds above me. And the air was so fresh that every breath felt like being born anew, and to hear the quiet peace of the surrounding environments instead of the sound of cars honking or people yelling; It was all so invigorating, so refreshing. I told myself that as soon as I got back, I would move out of the city and find somewhere remote to live, maybe in the quiet parts of the woods. I even thought about having myself a little garden.
Being out on the road was more spectacular than I could have imagined. The places that I had seen were amazing. I found that visiting small towns was far more pleasant than being in the ‘Big City’ by a long shot. For the towns were a lot more welcoming and friendly than those that lived in the city. Every time I wandered into a new town I was met with such wonderful people, many of whom would show me the best sights that their towns had to offer. Occasionally, I would meet up with fans who knew of my travels from social media and wanted to meet me and ask me about my books. I was more than happy to answer any questions they had or to even just talk with them. I honestly didn’t expect so many people to like my work. Now I’m still a relatively young writer, but no matter how many times I hear it, it always brings joy to my heart to hear that so many people enjoy my stories.
There was even this one time when I stopped by this small town in the middle of Kentucky, where one little girl approached me and showed me a picture she drew of the main characters of ‘the River in the Valley’. I was so touched and honored by this that I offered to buy the picture from her. The smile she gave me was too much for my heart to take. She then told me that she wanted to be an artist and create things like I did. I told her that as long as she stuck to her dreams, she would be a great artist. And to show her my support, I gave her twenty dollars for her drawing. To see her so happy and excited was such a wonderful feeling. I felt like she could brighten the day of anyone who witnessed such joy coming from that little girl. The picture that she drew was pretty good as well. She most certainly had a lot of potential, and I’ve kept it with me always. I sincerely hope to see more of her work out there in the future.
But as much fun as it was to see new places and talk to new people, I wasn’t able to find anything to write about. Sure the occasional fan that I would meet on my travels would shoot me an idea that they had, but they usually didn’t fit my genre of storytelling. Plus, I like to come up with my own ideas and try not to rely on other people. It’s also a little safety thing, that way nobody can cause any trouble with lawsuits or claim that I stole their ideas. I had fun anyway. Little did I know that all that fun was about to come to an end.
I had been traveling for about three weeks and was now in the state of Kansas. It was starting to get dark out and I needed a place to stay for the night. But for as far as I could see, there was nothing but the open road ahead of me. It wasn’t for a while until I saw a little motel off the side of the road. I was getting tired of driving anyway so I decided to stop there for the night. I pulled into the parking lot and stepped out of my car. I was about to walk into the main office when I had a sudden feeling that I was being watched. It was at that moment that I noticed something off to my left. I looked to see a tall man standing a few meters away from me. He was leaning against the wall of the motel just staring at me. His hair was long and unkept and he looked like he hadn’t showered in weeks. I was never the type to be rude to people so when I locked eyes with him, I smiled and waved. But he just stood there, staring at me. His eyes were hard and he looked mad. I wasn’t sure if I had done something wrong or if he was in a bad mood, so I just left him be and made my way into the motel. But all that time he never took his eyes off me. Even when I wasn’t looking his way, I could still feel his eyes on me. It was very unnerving but I ignored it and stepped through the door.
When I approached the front desk I was met by an elderly woman who seemed to be having a bad night. She sounded like it too when she asked me if I was looking to purchase a room for the night. I smiled and said yes. When she began booking me in, I asked for her name. She told me it was Judith and I tried to make conversation. I even cracked a few bad jokes to try to cheer her up. It worked somewhat when she cracked a small grin. And that was what I was looking for. Even the smallest bit of happiness was worth it to me. That’s why I write stories to begin with; to make people happy and take their minds off the real world for a while.
Judith handed me my key and told me the room number I would be staying in. I thanked her and wished her a wonderful night. She smiled again and waved at me as I stepped out the door. The moment was outside, I looked around to see if that man was still there. Fortunately he wasn’t, which put me at ease. I then got into my car and pulled up to my room, unlocked the door and stepped inside.
It was a small room, but it was very welcoming, it was also very clean. I did a double check for bedbugs like I did in every room I stayed in, yes that was a big fear of mine, and determined that it was safe to settle in. After unpacking a few items from my car, I decided to go get something to eat. Fortunately there was a diner right across the street. Seemed like the best choice of options. I decided to bring my laptop along, in case an idea struck me. I locked my room door and was about to head across the street. It was at that moment when I turned around that I once again had that unsettling feeling. I turned to my right and noticed the man again. He was standing all the way at the end of the motel behind a corner as if he was trying to hide and was staring at me like before. His hard eyes glaring at me. I felt a shiver crawl down my spine when I saw him again. I didn’t know what this man’s problem was, but I wasn’t going to let it bother me, so I ignored him once again and headed out across the street to the diner.
It was a typical diner, similar to what you would see in the movies or a T.V. show. It was small, with a counter on one side and booths by the window. I decided to take a seat in one of the booths and took out my laptop while I waited for a server. After logging into my laptop, I stared at the blank page of what was to be my story. I was getting a little agitated because I had been traveling for five weeks now and I still haven’t come up with a good storyline. Not even a prologue.
After a few minutes of staring at the blank page, I let out an agitated sigh. Maybe the fatigue was getting to me or something. Or maybe that man just had me a little rattled. But just like the rest of my trip, my mind just wasn’t working. A menu was then placed in front of me.
“Hello,” said a voice to my right, “can I take your…” I looked up to see a very attractive waitress with long brown hair in a pink uniform standing next to me. But when I looked at her, her eyes were wider than the plates they were serving.
“Oh my god,” she said as she covered her mouth. “You’re Steven Arnolds!” She gave me the biggest smile I had ever seen. It was a smile that shone as bright as the sun and filled with such childish joy that I couldn’t help but smile back.
“Yes, I am,” I said as I held a hand out to her. “A pleasure to meet you.” She was hesitant at first, but then she quickly took my hand in both of hers.
“Oh my god!” she cried again. “I am such a huge fan of your books.” I once again smiled. Even after hearing those same words hundreds of times throughout my career, I still can’t get used to it.
“Thank you very much,” I said. “It’s always a pleasure to hear that my work isn’t awful.”
“Are you kidding?” she said. “You’re amazing. ‘The River in the Valley’ is my all-time favorite book ever.” This got a chuckle out of me.
“I guess I should write more love stories from now on,” I replied. The waitress took a seat across from me.
“I just loved how Elora was willing to give up her rights to the crown for Alan, even though it would mean losing everyone she ever loved. The whole story was absolutely wonderful.” I rubbed the back of my neck sheepishly.
“Would you believe me if I told you that that was my very first love story?” I asked honestly. “I wasn’t expecting it to be so well loved.” She looked at me as if she thought I was lying.
“No way. It was so well written and believable. You are amazingly talented.” There was a rough cough coming from behind the counter, gaining both of our attention. It was the chef in the back, giving a look that was telling the waitress to get back to work. She glared back at him before she stood up and cleared her throat as she took out her pen and notepad.
“Sorry,” she apologized with a smile, getting back into work mode. “Is there anything I could get for you?” I looked down over the menu for a moment or so and decided what I wanted.
“Yes, I’ll have the chicken sandwich with a side of fries please.”
“Of course,” she said as she wrote down my order. “And what would you like to drink with that?”
“Just a glass of water please.” She finished writing down my order and told me it would be right out. I thanked her and went back to staring at a blank page. With nothing coming to mind, I was getting very irate at myself. I had seen so much in the past few weeks of traveling, things that brought me so much joy and pleasure and met so many wonderful people. Yet in all that time, I still couldn’t come up with a single idea. It was very frustrating.
The waitress came back with my water. I thanked her and took a sip of my drink. I suddenly felt a great sense of uneasiness. that feeling of being watched was back, but this time it was stronger, like something was terribly wrong. I looked around, but I was the only customer in the diner. I then looked out the window I was sitting next to, but all I could see were the lights from the motel across the street. There was no one there, but for some reason that made me feel worse. I tried to go back to my work and ignore the feeling, but it just wouldn’t go away. I felt so uneasy that I kept looking over my shoulder every few minutes, thinking that someone was behind me. But of course, there was no one there. I was so lost in my nerves that I was actually startled when the waitress placed my food in front of me.
“Sorry,” she apologized. “I didn’t mean to scare you.” I had to take a moment to calm my nerves.
“It’s okay,” I said as I moved my laptop over to make room for my plate. “I was just spacing out there for a second.” The waitress looked down at my laptop.
“Are you working on another book?” she asked with a hint of excitement in her voice. All the sense of uneasiness left me as I smiled at her.
“I would be, if I actually knew what to write about,” I said with a chuckle. “That’s actually why I’m here in the first place.”
“Oh really?” the waitress asked. She took a seat across from me once again, and was giving me a look that was beckoning me to continue. We then shared a pleasant conversation with one another, or more so me telling her my story and her listening. I told her about why I was traveling across the country, that I had a really bad case of writer’s block and hadn’t written anything in months. I told her about the places I had visited and the things I had seen. I even showed her the picture the little girl drew for me that I kept in my pocket. I don’t know why, but talking to this waitress was easy, like I could tell her anything. And through my whole story, she never said a word and just sat there with her chin resting on her hands, listening to every word I said. It was then that her eyes darted to the left of me, almost looking behind me before her eyes went wide. I noticed her behavior, and was about to look behind but she quickly stopped me.
“So you spent these last five weeks just driving?” she asked, but there was a hint of nervousness in her voice. It was subtle, but it was there.
“Umm… yes,” I said hesitantly. “I’ve been trying to find something that would inspire me to write about.” The waitress smiled once again, but it was the same smile as before.
“That’s so amazing,” she said. But then stood up from the booth. “I have to get back to work. But I’ll be right back, okay?”
“Umm… okay?” I said. She then walked away towards the back of the counter, rather quickly it seemed. That feeling of uneasiness came back in full force as I wondered what just happened. Why did she act so strange? What was it that made her so nervous? I was so confused, but I tried to shake off this feeling as I went back to my dinner, which I had barely touched due to telling her about all my adventure. I began eating my fries and was just about to take a bite of my chicken sandwich when a Styrofoam box, as well as a paper bag, was placed in front of me.
“Here’s the to-go box you wanted,” the waitress said next to me. Confused, I looked up at the waitress.
“I didn’t ask for a…” but the look on her face stopped me. Her face was smiling, but her eyes were wide and terrified. It really set me on edge.
“You have to leave,” she said softly, still holding that smile. The way she said that sent shivers down my spine.
“What?” I asked. The waitress took a step towards me, slowly leaned down and whispered in my ear.
“You have to leave now. Your life is in danger.” My whole body went cold when I heard this. What was she saying? I looked up at her but I wasn’t able to speak.
“You need to leave now. Pack your things and get out as quickly as you can.”
Why?” it took everything I had just to say that one word as I suddenly had a difficult time breathing as.
“There’s no time,” she said. “Slowly pack your food and walk out the door. Once you leave the diner, just head straight to your room and lock the door.” Without hesitation, I slowly did as she said and was about to pull out my wallet when she stopped me.
“Don’t worry about it,” she said. “I’ll cover it. Just go.” Now I knew she was serious. She was willing to pay for my meal just for me to get to safety. After packing my food and laptop, I stood up and headed for the door. But before I did so, I turned back to the waitress.
“What’s your name?” I asked.
“Eliza.”
“Thank you, Eliza.”
“Just hurry, please.” She was practically begging me to leave now. I turned and headed towards the door but stopped. I was hesitant to step out into the darkness. I had no idea what was going on. What if something, or someone, was out there waiting for me? But I had to get out. I had to get back to my room where I was safe. I took a deep breath and stepped out of the diner and started walking. As darkness overcame me, my heart raced faster and my skin was crawling. I was walking quickly and had just stepped onto the road, when I suddenly heard it. The sound of footsteps behind me. My hair stood on ends and my blood turned to ice. I quickened my pace, as did the person behind me. I looked ahead at the motel in front of me. It seemed so far away. I wasn’t sure if I was going to make it. I could hear the person behind me gaining on me, but I refused to look behind. But the fear of him grabbing me from behind was starting to get the better of me, as I began to walk faster. We were reaching the motel, and as soon as I stepped on the other side of the road, I took off into a complete sprint towards my door. I ran much faster than I had ever ran in my life. I could hear the person running behind me but I did not look back.
I crossed into the light and I was about to reach my door. I already had my keycard in hand as I ran right to my door and quickly unlocked it, opening and slamming it shut within a second. After I shut the door, I looked through the peephole to see if anyone truly was chasing me, but there was no one there. I placed my back against the door as I struggled to catch my breath. Both from running and from fear. I tried to calm myself down as I thought about what just happened. Someone was definitely out there, there was no doubt. But what did they want? Was it that man from before? So many thoughts were coursing through my head. But I couldn’t dwell on it now as I thought about what Eliza said; to pack my things and get out.