Something happened to me a few months ago while I was travelling from one end of the country to another. I’ve tried not to think about it as, try as I might, I just can’t seem to explain it. I’m hoping that by posting what happened here it might help, you know, get my thoughts in order.
So like I was saying, I was travelling from one end of the country to the other. The idea came to me last year. I’ve lived in the same country all my life, I thought to myself one evening, but I’ve only ever seen a very small part of it. I enjoyed travelling to other countries, seeing the sights they had to offer and experiencing the different ways of life, yet I’d hardly explored any of my own.
I resolved to correct this and began making preparations. I meticulously mapped out my route, stopping in each of the major cities and beauty spots throughout the country before finally coming to a stop at the opposite end. I’ll not lie, my excitement was at an all-time high as I set out on what would be my biggest venture yet.
I packed the essentials and left, letting my parents and friends know what I was doing in case they needed to get in contact with me. It all went swimmingly to start with, I’d had no issues at all and had seen so much. There are some truly beautiful places here and I was having an amazing time.
It wasn’t until a few days into my trip that something happened. I was making my way through a more northern part of the country, a very rural area. It was full of small towns, lots of fields for growing crops and raising livestock, you know the type of thing.
It looked idyllic, the sounds of nature, and the smell of the grass and wildflowers thick in the air. The sun gave the wheat fields a golden glow as it slowly began to lean towards the horizon.
Checking the time on my phone, I realised it would soon be getting dark. I was tired from the long walk of that day. I’d thought it would be a nice idea to walk from the last town I was in to this one, to get the full travelling experience.
It had taken me far longer than I expected and now rather than being in the next town over, I was about two-thirds of the way there, coming up on a small village. With a sinking feeling, I realised there was no way I’d make it to the next town before nightfall, and I was not equipped to continue my trek in the dark. The only source of light I had available to me was my phone, and there was no way it would have enough charge for me to use the torch all of the way there.
There was no signal, so I wouldn’t have been able to call for a taxi or assistance, the only option available to me was to try and look for somewhere to stay in the nearby village. Its name escapes me now, I never bothered to memorise it when I found it.
Just as I reached the outskirts a sense of hope filled me as I felt like my prayers had been answered. At the crest of the hill that led down to the village was a large house with a sign-out front that read B&B. It looked a little old but that seemed to add to its rustic charm. It was a quaint-looking little building.
Happier now that I’d at least solved one part of my dilemma, I could sleep here and then carry on my trek tomorrow. I made my way across the path to the front door. It was a little stiff and opened with a loud creak, as though its ancient hinges had not been moved for many decades.
As soon as it opened the smell of wildflowers and herbs filled my nostrils. Before me was a large foyer with several seats and magazines on one end and a large, wooden reception desk at the other. The place looked deserted, an old radio providing the only sounds that reached my ears. It was a little eerie, to be honest.
“Hello,” I called out as I slowly made my way to the reception desk. A faint sound of movement seemed to come from the room just behind the desk, but no answer. There was a bell on the desk with a plaque that read “Ring for Service” adorned to it. Gently pressing the top of the bell it let out a high-pitched ding.
“Hold your horses there, I’m not as fast as I used to be”
The wisened voice came from the door behind the desk, followed by the shuffling sounds of shaky footsteps. A few seconds later the door was gently pushed open to reveal an elderly man, well into his seventies. He slowly shuffled out to the counter before adjusting his glasses and looking at me.
“Sorry about that, these old legs don’t work like they did, and my ears ain’t much better either. Now, what can I do ya for?”
“I’m looking for a room if you have any available. I’m on my way to the next town over but it’s taking me longer than I thought. Is there anything available just for tonight?” I asked, hopeful that there were vacancies.
I know I could have asked to use his phone and call a cab if there weren’t, but it felt a little too much like cheating, I’d much prefer to continue my walk. Also stopping somewhere like this would add to my sense of exploration, finding some hidden spots that aren’t on any map.
“Why sure, take your pick, I recommend room three on the top floor as it’s got the best view of the village,” He said, waving his hand to show the rack of keys to his right. All the while holding a faraway gaze, as though he was looking right through me.
As he extended his arm, I noticed a large red mark in the middle of his forearm. It was a bold red. A deep, angry cut was clearly visible amongst the mottled grey and blue tones of his aged arm. It looked like he’d had a very nasty accident recently. Something about it made my skin crawl and I turned my attention back to the keys. If the old man saw me looking, he didn’t react.
“Sure, I’ll go with room three,” I said, trying to shake off the strange feeling the old man’s arm had given me.
“Good choice, that’ll be £33 for the night, breakfast included. It starts bright and early at 8 am. If you need anything at all don’t hesitate to call me or my wife Nancy. Name’s Jerry, “he said.
His tone seemed jovial, but his expression never changed, as though it was set in stone. He held out his hand, again revealing that glaring wound on his arm that my eyes couldn’t help but be drawn to. Tentatively, I took his wrinkled hand in mine and shook it.
“If ya can’t find us wandering around the place then check out the back, we like to sit out there some nights and admire the view,” He said, handing me the key from the rack. “Your room is just up the stairs and on the left”
I thanked Jerry, taking the key and beginning to make my way up the stairs to my room. Jerry waved me goodbye. “See ya real soon” he said with a cheery notation, although his face still held the same expression it had all of the way through our conversation.
I shuddered. He seemed nice enough, but there was something about him that unnerved me. I couldn’t quite put my finger on it. I don’t know if it was the faraway look in his eyes as he spoke to me, the strange wounds on his arms, or just the general feeling of the B&B. All these things seemed innocent enough but I found that, as I unpacked in my room, I just couldn’t relax.
The room itself was beautiful. Decorated with a tasteful floral wallpaper on one wall with hues of turquoise and gold, it was bordered by a deep blue on the others giving the room a calm feel to it. A floor-to-ceiling mirror occupied the far wall, separated from me by a large, king-sized bed.
Suddenly all thoughts of the strangeness of the interaction with Jerry left my mind as I took in the view of the rolling hills and meadows leading to the small village in the distance. It was amazing, this is exactly what I’d wanted on the trip, to see things like this, things you’d never normally see. It was almost perfect, except for the smell.
I couldn’t smell it constantly, and when I could it was very faint, but occasionally as I turned around or disturbed something my nostrils would be met with the stench of iron and mildew. I spent a good half an hour scouring the room, looking for the source, but everywhere I checked was pristine, Nancy and Jerry obviously took keeping this place clean seriously.
I tried to push it to the back of my mind. I could deal with it for one night, I thought to myself, it wasn’t that bad. As I lay in bed, sinking into the comfort of the soft mattress, the fatigue from walking all afternoon soon caught up with me and my eyes became heavy. I barely managed to read a page of my book before I slipped into a deep slumber.
The gentle tapping of something dripping on my face roused me from sleep. My eyes took a second to adjust to my surroundings. I was still in my bed in the B&B, but everything looked different. The room had a strange red hue seeping in from under the closed curtains, causing the walls to glow faintly.
Blinking away the remnants of sleep, I felt my senses come back to me along with my vision. I could now clearly see the room. My jaw dropped and the blood drained from my face. This has got to be a nightmare, I thought to myself.
As I surveyed the room, I could now make out what the faint red glow was illuminating. The room had changed. The walls, formerly blue and floral, were now pink and fleshy, peeling in places to reveal dark red sinew and muscle beneath, with snakelike blue veins running along in intervals. Reeling around, the other walls were the same, all looking like they were made of some grotesque fleshy membrane.
They were moving, tensing and contracting rhythmically. Watching them, I couldn’t help but be reminded of a worm, contracting and expanding its body to move. The rhythm, some strange invisible heartbeat, was mesmerising.
I could hear screaming coming from somewhere further away. It was loud, frightened. It sounded like whatever was making it was in pain, gradually weakening. It felt muffled against my ears as I watched the rhythmic writhing of the walls of the room, almost hypnotised.
A drip hit my face again, snapping me out of my trance. A thick red liquid splattered across me on impact. The stench of iron and mould from before was thick in the air now, coming from this thick liquid. I reached my hand to it, pulling it back to reveal what I could only describe as decaying blood, dark red with black clumps.
I nearly vomited, and my mind began reeling. This was a nightmare, this had to be. It was so vivid, it felt so real. I needed to wake up.
I tried to wake myself, slapping myself in the face, hard. I felt the sharp sting of the impact, expecting to wake up in the bed again in the dark. A fresh wave of terror washed over me as I realised I was still exactly where I had been. Looking around I was still met with the fleshy pulsating walls, the deep crimson liquid that was now pooling where my head had been resting, and the horrific screams emanating from somewhere outside of the room.
This can’t be happening, I pleaded with myself, there is no way this can be happening. But the lingering pain in my face forced me to confront the reality of my situation. I sat there, helpless, not knowing what to do or where to go. I felt trapped in this hellish fleshy realm.
I got to my feet, shivering with disgust as my feet seemed to sink into the floor, also fleshy and writhing to that sinister inaudible heartbeat. I could almost feel it pulsing underneath me.
A scream from somewhere down the hall grabbed my attention. It sounded frail and close. Slowly I made my way to the door and tentatively reached for the fleshy lump where the handle should have been. It seemed to quiver as I grabbed hold of it, soft and warm in my hand. Shuddering, I gently twisted it.
It slowly began to move open on its own, a thick squelching sound coming from it as it slithered its way out revealing the hall in front of me. It was made of the same fleshy substance that comprised the walls of my room. I could see it writhing and pulsating in time with the sinister invisible heartbeat. With each pulse, droplets fell from the ceiling, pooling in places along the floor, giving off that same terrible odour. Red light beamed in from outside illuminating the macabre scene in front of me.
My mind struggled to comprehend what was happening. I felt like I was in the belly of a gigantic animal, watching its insides slither and writhe.
The screaming came again from somewhere to my right. Through the gloomy red glow of the hallway, I could make out the doorway to the owner’s room. Made of the same fleshy substance, it was clearly ajar, the screaming seemed to be emanating from further within.
I gingerly made my way down the hall, avoiding stepping in any of the foul-smelling puddles dripping from the ceiling. I stumbled several times as the fleshy ground seemed to shift beneath me. All the while the screaming from the owner’s room seemed to grow louder and more frantic, I could almost feel the pain in each shout.
“Nancy? Jerry?” I called out, shakily. No one answered my calls, I was only met with the sound of more screaming. Nervously reaching out a hand for the door, I was just about to grab the flabby handle, when the sick squelching noise rose up as the door began to open on its own.
I let out a scream and my legs went weak, a cold sweat breaking out across my forehead and a sickness rising up in my stomach. What I saw in that room, it had to be a nightmare.
The doorway revealed the owner’s bedroom. Illuminated by the same red glow as the rest of the B&B I could make out the fleshy pulsating walls and the same dripping red liquid, only that’s not what made me stumble around and flee.
Hanging from the ceiling of the room were the owners. They were suspended a few inches above the ground, their wrinkled, naked bodies exposing the butcher’s hooks embedded deeply within their limbs, pulling them tightly at odd angles.
They were writhing in pain, contorting as the hooks pulled and tugged with each pulse of the silent heartbeat. Ear-piercing screams left their frail old throats as they were pulled this way and that by the sharp hooks impaled deeply in their limbs.
This on its own was horrifying, but it was their faces, I couldn’t take my eyes away from their faces. They were grinning, almost smiling as the chains tried their best to rip them apart, as though they were enjoying every minute of it.
A scream forced its way out of my throat as I tried to process what I was seeing. Immediately their eyes snapped to me and their faces turned to that same blank expression that Jerry had maintained throughout our interaction earlier.
Then, without warning, they both threw their heads back unleashing an ear-shattering scream, before violently thrashing against the hooks and chains, pulling against their taut skin. I watched in horror as it stretched and tore before the hooks swung back and embedded themselves deeper into the couple. Their hands reached out for me, a sense of longing in their eyes as they screamed.
I stumbled backwards, slipping in a puddle of that disgusting red liquid, before getting to my feet and running. I needed to get out. I was going mad, I had to be. If this wasn’t a nightmare then that was the only other solution.
Another desperate scream escaped the couple’s ragged mouths as I turned to flee, my legs feeling like they were fighting against some kind of invisible force. It felt as though I was running in slow motion, the top of the staircase only inching closer no matter how hard I pushed myself.
I had to get out of this place, maybe to the local village? Yeah, the village, there would be someone who could help me there. I rounded the bannister, using my momentum to hurl myself down the stairs. I could see the front door now, still made of that same biomass as the rest of the B&B. The world spun as the stairs seemed to shift under my feet, throwing me down like some kind of strange tongue.
I fell until, with a painful thud, I fell onto the warm, squishy flesh of the reception floor. Turning around I could see the stairs contracting back into place like some sinister muscle, giving the illusion that it was not waiting for another opportunity to strike.
Panic took hold again as I observed my surroundings down here on the reception floor. The walls were made of the same flabby flesh as the ones upstairs, blue and purple veins were pulsing through them in time with the inaudible heartbeat. I wrinkled my nose as I noticed the stench down there.
The place already stank, but this wasn’t the same smell of iron and decay as I’d smelt upstairs. It seemed fouler, almost aggressive. A slight movement to my left caught my eye. Slowly turning my head towards it, my eyes laid upon a large pool. Its brown surface seemed to be slowly rippling as though it had been recently disturbed.
As I watched the ripples spread, a small series of bubbles began making their way to the surface before gently popping, adding to the mass of ripples. Each pop was accompanied by a rotten, sulphurous stench that made me gag.
I began to get to my feet backing away from the foul odour, when I thought I noticed something else breaking the surface. Only for a second. Before it quickly disappeared again. It looked kind of like a skeletal fin, taught translucent skin clinging to it, veins and blood clearly visible within.
I didn’t have a chance to determine more before it vanished beneath the bubbling waters, releasing yet another stench of death. A cold washed over me as my mind tried to conjure up possibilities of what that thing might be.
As the water’s surface began to bubble more aggressively, one thought screamed out in my head. Get out! I didn’t want to stick around to find out what that thing was. Turning as fast as I could, I begged my legs to run to the door. They sluggishly obeyed, as though they were running through treacle.
As I gradually closed the distance between me and the door, the sulphurous stench ever present in the air and getting stronger, I reached a hand towards the flabby lump that was the handle.
Grabbing it tightly and wrenching it as hard as I could, I felt it shiver in my fingers, as though a jolt of pain had just flashed through it. I pushed against the door, waiting for the squelching as it slid. Only it didn’t. I watched in bemused fear as the door seemed to stretch and solidify, the congealed lump hardening in my hand.
I pushed against it, my hands sinking in slightly, but it resisted me. Terror took over and I threw myself against the door frantically. I was trapped, I couldn’t be trapped! Over and over again I threw myself against it. It began to turn a deep purple colour where I had slammed my body against it, darkening with each impact.
My shoulder was burning, each impact with the solid mass causing a flash of pain to shoot through my side. I was about to give up, when with a wet tearing sound, it started to give. I took a run up and slammed into it one more time, hearing that wet tearing as the door was wrenched from its socket, dark red liquid spewed forth from where it was previously clinging.
I sprawled out, into the world outside of the B&B, a sense of relief filling me. That is, until I was able to process what my eyes were seeing.
It was the same! My hands, now on what should have been the paving slabs outside leading to the front door, were pressed into the same fleshy mass that the B&B seemed to be composed of.
“No, no, no!”, I thought to myself, “No! This isn’t real, it’s not real! I got out, I just want to wake up!”
But try as I might, it was futile. A part of me deep down knew that I was awake, that everything here was real, I just couldn’t accept it. I looked around for anything, any sign of what to do or where to go.
As I scanned the landscape, a sense of hopelessness smothered me, sapping my will to even move. The path was made of the same pulsating flesh, lined with thick, black hairs where the patches of grass on either side should be. A burning red sun illuminated the world in a scarlet hue.
I could see the line of trees in the distance. Veiny growths that seemed to be protruding from the fleshy ground like snaking worms. With each pulse of that silent heartbeat, thick crimson fluid burst forth from their branches, drenching their thick trunks in a deep red.
Turning towards the village, I could see the rolling hills that obscured it from this side of the B&B. Again they were made of the same thick flabby mass as everything else, coated in the same thick black hairs as the grass patches outside of the B&B. Only there was something else that made me feel sick to my stomach.
I could see an eye. A large, bloodshot eye, rolled frantically around just underneath the fleshy mound of the hill. It seemed to flail around randomly, scanning the area under its membranous mound, before it turned my way.
As soon as its gaze rolled onto me it stopped dead, staring at me. Its bloodshot pupil contracted, as though it was trying to get a better look at me, but there was something unnerving about the nature of the look. The only way I can describe it, is that it felt like it was looking with the same sense of longing as the couple upstairs.
Just as I’m beginning to try and process this horrific sight, a wet sound from my left steals my attention. A low, wet gurgling sound, mixed with a horrendous cracking, like the snapping of bone.
Gingerly, I turn my head, not wanting to see the source of that wretched noise, but unable to stop myself. I can make out movement in the distance, just before the treeline. The silhouette of several large creatures comes into view in the distance.
They’re huge. Almost as tall as the veiny trees themselves. I can’t quite make them out clearly from here, but what I can see sent screams of primal panic through me.
Limbs, skeletal and sinuous, composed of multiple joints, lead up to a thick mass of wriggling flesh.
From a large tear just under where the creature’s heads should have been, drooped several thick, red tendrils, swinging back and forth through the air, reaching out in different directions as though scenting for something. They wrapped around the protruding bones around their opening, licking at the taught grey skin beyond.
Overwhelmed by what I was seeing, and sure that I was going mad, all I could do was scream. I screamed until my throat was hoarse and my lungs burned. I was shivering, the feeling of being alone and trapped pressing down on me.
I didn’t know what to do. I couldn’t wake up. I wasn’t sure I was even dreaming. I couldn’t go outside, who knows what those creatures were or wanted, or even the eye. I couldn’t go back inside with whatever that thing in the pool was, or the couple hanging from the hooks, their eyes begging, longingly.
Everything reeled around in my head, fighting for control. Unable to think clearly, I did the only thing that I felt would provide me with some kind of comfort.
Turning around, I ran back inside the B&B. I tried slamming the door behind me, to hide away from the monstrosities outside, but it fought me every inch of the way, leaving a trail of red in its heavy wake.
Eventually, after great exertion on my part, it relented, sliding back into place, sealing the outside away. Turning to the pool, it began to bubble and roil violently, the thick sulphurous stench clogging my lungs.
I ran for the stairs, not paying attention to the pool, knowing that if I saw whatever was in there, my resolve would leave me completely. I needed to get to my room, if I could just get there then I could get my things, think of a plan. I’d be safe, for a while at least.
Grabbing the bannister, I was about to put my foot on the bottom step when the whole gelatinous staircase moved violently, reflexively. I waited a few seconds for it to complete its aggressive writhing, before it gradually shrank back.
Pushing myself to get up it as quickly as I could, not wanting it to throw me off them again, I took the stairs two at a time. Fighting for balance the entire way, my feet sinking into the flabby steps, I finally reached the landing, stumbling on all fours to my room.
Forcing the fleshy door back into its frame, I frantically dragged my bed across the room. Large purple bruises appeared on the floor as its heavy feet tugged harshly against the skin. I positioned it in front of the door, throwing anything else I could on top of it to barricade myself in before slumping down to my knees.
The weight of everything I had witnessed came crashing down on me, tears welled up in my eyes as the hopelessness of my situation set in. I sat there, clutching my knees and sobbing, for what felt like hours.
Eventually, the red hue of my room was gradually replaced with the yellow glare of the rising sun. I lifted my head from my hands, not believing what I was seeing. The walls, the flesh of the walls seemed to rescind, slowly replaced by the blue and gold that lined them before. I could feel the floor beneath me moving, slowly returning to the hardwood planks that I’d stepped on when I had first entered.
The puddles of thick red liquid seemed to leak away, vanishing into the cracks between the boards, the stench of iron and decay still lingering for a short time afterwards. Within a few minutes it was as though nothing had ever happened, the room had returned to normal, other than the pile of furniture barring the door.
I needed to get out, go home, go anywhere other than here. I didn’t feel safe, I couldn’t trust what I’d seen or was seeing. I tore at the barricade, removing as much of the furniture as I needed in order to squeeze my way out through the now solid oak door.
I shakily made my way through the hallway outside, now also returned to its same dingy state. The carpet was soft under my feet as I gingerly walked down the stairs, the entire time expecting them to buck and throw me off in an aggressive reflex.
“Hey there, how’d ya sleep?” I hear in a cheery voice from my right. My heart sinks as the thoughts of last night fill my brain again. The images of Jerry and Nancy hanging from those hooks, the expressions on their faces and the sounds of their screams echoing in my mind.
“Ya look like you’ve seen a ghost” he said as he saw my haggard face, concern filling his voice but not reflected in his blank expression. I could see the same look of longing in his eyes again and I dropped my gaze. I couldn’t stand to look at him.
As my gaze lowered, I could see Jerry’s arm again. The hairs on my neck stood on end and I ran for the door as I knew the events of the previous night were definitely real. Shouts of confusion followed me, but I kept running, I needed to get away, as far away as I could.
When I looked at Jerry’s arm, I could see a new wound, near the location of the old one. That in itself isn’t what terrified me though. Sure he was old and he could have got that wound anywhere. Only this one still had a hook hanging from it.