I’m a receptionist at a hotel. I can’t tell you which one because as much as I hate my job right now, I really can’t afford to get fired. Let’s just say it’s a chain in the UK, it rhymes with GravelSlodge, and it’s pretty gross. Like, we’re talking powdered egg for breakfast and vomit stains on the carpet.
I work nights, so I’ve seen my fair share of fucked up stuff. There’s the woman who took a shit on the floor, picked it up, put it in her purse, and carried on about her evening like nothing had happened. Or the time a man ran around naked, arms flailing, screaming “the sheep are coming”. And that’s just a standard Friday night.
Honestly, I have hundreds of tales like that to tell. But this one is different.
Okay, so I’m going to set the scene for you: it’s a Sunday night, so it’s pretty slow. It’s about 11pm- I’m a few hours into my shift. There’s one other dude, Greg, working the front desk with me, but he’s disappeared to help someone with their key card. I’m doom scrolling on my phone.
“Hola!”
I look up and there’s this elderly woman with long black hair standing in front of the reception desk grinning at me. She couldn’t have been any younger than 75, but her face was absolutely plastered in make-up. I’m talking chalk white foundation, thick black eyeliner, and bright red lipstick to compliment her yellow teeth.
“Oh!” I say, tucking my phone back in my pocket. “Sorry. How can I help?”
“A room.” She giggles, spit flying out of her mouth.
“Of course. Single or double?”
She bursts out laughing, like I’d said the funniest fucking thing on the planet. A vein protrudes on her forehead as she cackles harder and harder.
I start laughing myself, taken aback by her reaction.
Then she just stops. Becomes silent for a few seconds, staring at me.
“Uh… okay.” I say, smiling awkwardly. “So single or double?”
“The cheapest room you have.”
I book her in, take payment, hand her a key card, and send her on her way. When Greg returns, I tell him about it and we have a laugh.
“Shit, man.” He says. “You really do get some sorts, don’t you?”
An hour later I get a call from make-up lady. I’m not gonna use her real name, so let’s call her Doris. Anyway, Doris gives me a buzz.
“Front desk, Max speaking.” I say.
“Hello, it’s Doris calling from room 67.”
“Hello Doris, how can I help?”
“Do you have cameras in the rooms?”
It’s not the first time I’ve been asked this, so I’m not really phased by the question.
“Not in the bedrooms,” I say. “But we do in all the public areas like the hallways, reception area, dining area….“
She hangs up.
Okay… I think. Bit weird.
I get back to my doom scrolling and a little while later Greg informs me he’s popping out for a quick smoke. So I’m alone again, sitting at the desk, minding my own business.
Then I hear it. It almost sounds like someone blowing bubblegum. You know that annoying popping noise? I look around, but don’t see anything, so turn my attention back to my phone, trying to ignore it. The noise carries on for several minutes and in the end it’s getting on my nerves so much so that I stand up and walk around the desk.
I nearly jump out of my skin. Doris is crouched down on the floor, clicking her tongue against the roof of her mouth. I stare at her in shock, and she clicks again.
“Are you okay?” I say, eventually.
Click.
At this point, I start to feel uncomfortable. Like I said before, I’ve seen some weird shit, and I’m relatively used to it. But there was just something about this woman that rubbed me the wrong way. Her bulging eyes and clown-like make-up combined together with her bony body and odd behaviour made me want to run and hide.
“Is there anything I can do for you?” I ask her.
Suddenly, she jumps up. She cranes her neck towards the ceiling, staring at one of our security cameras.
She looks back at me and gives me the weirdest smile.
“You’re watching me.” she says, wagging a finger in my face.
“…uh, what?”
Her smile vanishes and for a brief moment she looks furious. Then she turns and walks away.
“It was so fucking weird!” I say to Greg when he gets back.
He laughs again, but less convincingly this time. Greg’s a bit younger than me, so realising I might have spooked him a bit, I try to play it down.
“I think she’s lost her marbles.” I say. “I’m sure she’s harmless.”
About half an hour later I get a call from Doris again.
“What can I do for you this time?” I ask.
“Can you see me?”
My heart flutters a bit and I look around. She’s calling from her room though, so there’s no way I’d be able to see her.
“No.” I reply.
“Look harder.”
I don’t know why, but I play along. I scan the hotel again, and even take another quick peek behind the desk. I don’t see her. I just see the dark and empty dining area, the main entrance leading to the car park, and a long empty corridor. No Doris.
“Nope,” I say, trying to hide the fear in my voice. “Don’t see you. Is there anything I can do for you?”
She hangs up.
“Hey, Greg.” I say, and he walks over.
“What’s up?”
I pause for a moment, wondering if I should actually tell him.
“Uh.. can you cover me for a sec?”
I go outside for a smoke, bumping into Tokes. Tokes is one of the security guards and by far the most intimating looking person I’ve ever seen. He’s 6”4, bald, covered in tats, and can smoke a whole cigarette in two tokes, hence the nickname. Despite his appearance, Tokes has an absolutely winning personality. He’s one of the funniest and friendliest guys ever, so it’s no surprise that I got carried away chatting to him.
About twenty minutes later I remember I’m meant to be working. I bid farewell to Tokes and head back inside. As I walk through the main entrance I see Greg standing behind the front desk. He looks rough.
“You alright?” I ask him.
He shakes his head.
“What’s up?”
“I’m really sorry, Max.” he says. “I hate to do this to you but I think I need to leave. I don’t feel good.”
“Oh, shit. Yeah, no dramas. I’ve got things covered.”
He nods. His skin is white and clammy, and he really doesn’t seem right, so I know he’s not faking. But something about his expression told me he wasn’t being 100% honest with me.
“Greg… did something happen?”
“I just really don’t feel good, I’ve got to go.”
He grabs his things and scurries off, apologising again before heading out the door.
Then the phone rings.
“Front desk, Max speaking.”
“It’s just you and me now.”
My blood runs cold.
“Pardon?” I say.
There’s a short pause followed by that god awful clicking noise.
“Can you see me?”
“No, I can’t.” I say, trying to sound stern. “Please stop calling unless you need help with something. I’m busy.”
I hang up. I realise I’m slightly out of breath, and wonder why I’m getting so worked up over a batty old lady. I turn around to look at the security screens just in case. Nothing out of the ordinary.
The phone rings again. I pick up, getting pissed off now.
“You’re getting warmer…” says Doris, in a sing-song voice.
“Look, lady. There is literally no way I can see you.” I say to her. “You’re calling from your room, a place with no cameras. Please stop wasting my-”
I stare at the screen. There, in a box in the top hand corner, is Doris. She’s standing at the end of a corridor, smiling up at the camera.
“What the f-“
She gives me a slow wave, and starts laughing down the phone.
“Looks like you found me.” She says, but her lips don’t move on the screen.
“How are you doing that?”
“How am I doing that?” she says, and again, her lips don’t move.
I watch her creep closer to the camera. It’s like she’s staring right at me, bearing all of her yellow teeth in a disgustingly large grin.
It doesn’t make sense, and I feel the panic rise up in my chest. I slam down the phone, my body shaking. Suddenly, I feel extremely vulnerable. Like I’m being watched. I have an overwhelming urge to turn around, but I don’t.
Instead, I give Tokes a call, asking him to come to reception.
He arrives only minutes later, but those were the longest few minutes of my life. With every second that went by, I felt colder and clammier. I felt eyes on me, but all I could do was sit frozen in my chair, staring at nothing.
“What’s up, big guy?”
His voice makes me jump. I look up at him, unable to speak.
“Woah. You look like fried shit. Are you alright?”
I glance back at the security screens. I’m relieved to see Doris isn’t there. I try to compose myself a bit.
“Can you check room 67 for me?” I ask.
“Of course. What’s the problem?”
I don’t want to say too much because I’m beginning to doubt my own sanity at this point, so I simplify things a bit.
“There’s this woman in there and she keeps calling the front desk. Not with any problems, she’s just being a nuisance. Could you maybe give her a warning?”
“Sure.”
I almost tell him to be careful, but I stop myself. It’s late, I’m tired.. maybe my mind is playing tricks on me.
“Cheers.” I say, and he walks off.
I turn my attention back to the security cameras, watching Tokes walk across several different boxes on the screens as he makes his way to Doris’ room.
He knocks on the door. Nothing. He gives it a second, then knocks again. The door opens a crack.
I can’t see inside the room, but I can see Tokes talking. Nothing heated, just a normal conversation. About twenty seconds pass and the door shuts. Tokes turns around and looks up at the security camera. He gives me a thumbs up, and walks away.
I sit back in my chair, exhaling sharply. Hopefully that’ll be it from Doris this evening. I reach into my pocket to pull out a cigarette and lighter, feeling like I’ve more than earnt another smoke break. But then something on the screen catches my eye.
It’s Tokes, standing at Doris’ door again, talking. I watch, wondering if it’s about to kick off. But then the door closes, and Tokes turns around, looking up at the security camera. He gives a thumbs up and walks away.
Then he appears again, standing at the door. He knocks. Waits a second. Knocks again. Door opens. He talks. Door closes. He looks at the camera. Thumbs up. Walks away.
It looks like it’s the same footage playing on repeat, but when I double check the time stamp at the top of the screen it’s running fine. It’s not a glitch, it’s not a malfunction. He’s just… stuck.
The phone rings. I want to cry. I don’t answer.
I stare at the screen, watching Tokes do the exact same thing over and over again.
The phone is still ringing.
He knocks. Waits. Knocks again. Door opens. He talks. Door closes. He looks at the camera. Thumbs up. Walks away.
My mouth feels dry from hanging open for so long. My jaw aches. My eyes are begging for moisture, yet I’m too terrified to blink.
He knocks. Waits. Knocks again. Door opens.
Tokes carries on like he did before, completely oblivious to the horror in front of him. The door opens wider and wider. Tokes gives me a thumbs up, and walks away. The door is nearly all the way open now, but all I see is pitch black. Tokes knocks on nothing. He waits. Then knocks again.
I notice her eyes first. Those bulging white spheres staring into my soul from the darkness. Then her smile.
The phone is still ringing, it has been the whole time. My hand slowly reaches over to answer, despite my mind pleading it not to. I put the phone to my ear.
“Did you tell on me?”
“What do you want?” I ask in a shaky voice.
Click. Click. Click.
A high pitch ringing jolts through the phone, making my ear throb. I let out a cry, dropping the phone. I cover my ears with my hands and rock back and forth saying “no” over and over again. This is a fucking nightmare. I fell asleep on the job. None of this is real. It’s a dream.
I scream when a hand touches my back.
“Woah! Take it easy.”
I spin around to see Tokes standing there, looking concerned.
“Tokes!!” I shout. I hug him.
“What the fuck, man?” he laughs, patting me on the back.
“What happened to you?!”
“What do you mean? I just spoke to the lady. She said she’s sorry, she’ll leave you alone.”
We look at each other.
“That’s all that happened?” I ask.
“Uh, yeah. She literally just said ‘sorry to be a bother’ and ‘I’ll stop calling’. That’s it. Dude, are you alright? You’re acting weird.”
I sit back, exhaling deeply.
“Yeah…” I say. “Yeah, I’m fine.”
I spent the rest of my shift completely on edge, staring at that bastard phone waiting for it to ring. But it didn’t. For whatever reason, Doris kept her word and didn’t bother me again.
Trust me when I say I’ve tried to think of a rational explanation for what I went through that night. I’ve spent many sleepless nights pondering it, over and over again, trying to make it make sense. But it doesn’t. None of it adds up. I couldn’t figure it out then, and I still can’t now. If anyone out there has any theories, then please.. I’m all ears.
Oh, and did I mention Greg quit? Yeah. He just never came back to work. I tried asking around to see if he said why but management didn’t really give me much information. Just said generic shit about “following a different path”, whatever that means.
But judging by the look I saw on his face that night, I know that in those twenty minutes he was by himself a certain someone gave him a call. Or perhaps paid him a visit. Something spooked him so bad that he never came back to GravelSlodge.
And honestly? I don’t fucking blame him. Not one bit.