Shit. I am writing this post while I’m locked in my motel room. I will make this short. DO NOT UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCES COME CLOSE TO ANY 25/7 MOTELS. STAY AWAY. This might seem like a strange message to post here, but let me tell you my story.
When I applied for a job at 25/7 motel, I didn’t think much about it. It was just another regular job. The motel needed staff for the night shift, and they were paying a nice little sum of money which I desperately needed. Since I got kicked out of the house, I worked at way worse workplaces in order to survive. When I came for interview, I didn’t find anything odd. The motel was clean and peaceful and the manager was nice. I got the job. I will be working at reception from 23:00 to 7:00 starting from tomorrow. My job was to greet everyone with a smile and give them the key to the room. Simple enough.
Next day, I came to the motel about half an hour before my shift. The manager greeted me and gave me some basic info. Before he left me for the shift, he turned around and said this: Just one more thing. If any guests come during the 25th hour, you have to follow some advice on the list in your drawer. I thought they were just messing with me. After all, how could guests come during the 25th hour? I mean it. He said in a serious tone and left. After that, boredom soon hit. There weren’t many guests. I checked in one truck driver and one young couple during the whole night. I mainly just sat in the lobby and scrolled through Reddit on my phone. Night was peaceful, and the morning came soon with the sun rising at 6. When the manager came in the morning, he was satisfied when he heard that there were no problems during my shift. I thought this was the best job I have had in a while.
The following day, I went to work again. While waiting for my shift to start, I chatted a bit with the manager. He was a nice guy and I enjoyed talking to him because we had some similar interests. But in the middle of our conversation he asked me if I had read the paper that was in the drawer. I didn’t want to do it, but he urged me to read it the moment my shift starts. We chatted for a bit more before my shift began. No one came in, so I thought I could finally read the list. I took the paper from the drawer and started reading. This is a transcript of the original paper with some of my thoughts.
GUIDE FOR 25TH HOUR IN THE MOTEL
OK, this must be some kind of prank.
WHEN OUR CLOCK IN THE LOBBY STRIKES 13 TIMES, IT SIGNALIZES THE START OF THE SPECIAL 25TH HOUR, 1 MORE HOUR OF WORK FOR YOU, BUT IF YOU SUCCESFULLY FINISH IT, YOU GET BONUS OF $1000
OK, now I’m interested
IF ANY GUESTS COME DURING THIS TIME, KINDLY WELCOME THEM AND TAKE THEM TO THEIR ROOM, THERE ARE FEW EXCEPTIONS TO THIS RULE:
1-GUESTS THAT WEAR OUTFITS FROM 1800S
They are mostly harmless, avoid eye contact and be polite with them. They will be grateful for the room.
OK, this is some kind of joke.
2-GUESTS THAT CLAIM THAT THEY COME FROM A NON-EXISTING COUNTRY
Follow the same protocol as with No.1.
3-GUESTS THAT LOOK INJURED
They might seem like injured people, but they aren’t. Insist that they can’t stay and should go see a doctor. They will leave quickly.
4-GUESTS THAT CAME FOR BUSINESS MEETING
Welcome them to the motel and tell them that there are no available rooms. They could yell a bit, but are mostly harmless.
5-GUEST THAT STANDS IN THE LOBBY AND STARES AT YOU.
This one rarely happens, but is most dangerous. If this happens, take the gun from under the desk and aim for the head. It should do the trick.
6-ANY OTHER GUESTS
They shouldn’t come at this time. If they do come, call your manager on this number ****
For the safety of the hotel, please follow the rules.
OK, this is some kind of twisted prank.
I finished reading and put the paper back in the drawer. But hey, at least I had something to think about while waiting. The next hour went by as usual. I was playing a game on my phone when I noticed something. The clock in the lobby struck 13 times. This shouldn’t have been possible, but I thought that someone was playing a prank on me. But when I looked back at my phone, I froze. The clock on my phone worked as always. But it was showing 25:01. I felt panic taking over me, but I forced myself to remain calm. Finally, whatever this was, I wanted to stay collected. I sat there and waited.
The air was suddenly cold and there was some kind of eerie feeling taking over the building. I turned on my phone and started playing a game to calm myself. As I sat there in silence, I realized that nothing was happening. When I got up to grab a bag of chips from the vending machine in the lobby, I felt chills running up my body. I slowly turned to the door. There was a person entering the motel. He looked normal, so I hurried to my desk to welcome them. He was a polite guy in his 30s. When I asked him where he was from, he casually told me that he was from a country that I had never heard of. When I typed it on the computer (standard check in process), I suddenly remembered something. While he was standing there, I slowly turned my head away. I calmly told him to wait for a second. There is nothing to worry about. I probably just don’t know this country exists. I tried to calm myself while Googling the country. No result. Not the slightest mention of the country. I handed the guy the key and took him to the room while keeping his head so low that I looked at my shoes the entire time. When he entered the room, I felt relieved.
The whole experience wasn’t so scary. It was rather shocking to find out that this was real. The 25th hour ended soon and the rest of the night went by normally. In the morning, I told my manager everything and I got my bonus. The strange guy also gave me a nice tip. I decided to keep working because the pay was good and night visitors seemed to be harmless.
Everything went smoothly for the next few weeks, until one night, a guy started staring at me. I had just sent a guy with a broken arm away when I felt someone was looking at me. I turned around to se a man wearing a business suit staring directly at me. I remembered what I had to do because there was a man staring at me during the 25th hour. I slowly reached for the gun under my desk. I took the pistol and aimed at the stranger. The scariest thing was that he didn’t seem to be bothered by the gun. He just stood there staring at me with his… Wait. THE GUY HAD NO EYES. I was never so scared in my entire life. I felt chills all over my body and my hands started to sweat. I pulled the trigger. I don’t think that I will ever forget what happened next. The guy simply just turned around and walked out WITH A BULLET HOLE IN HIS HEAD.
At that moment, I decided that if I would make it out of this night alive, I would quit for the first time in the morning. Whatever I was welcoming during that time definitely wasn’t human. I didn’t know whether they were ghosts or zombies or something even worse, but I wasn’t planning on finding out. I fortified myself in the break room and waited for the sunrise. I somehow survived. When my manager came in the morning, he didn’t have to ask what happened. I collected my bonus and left.
I haven’t thought about this place ever since, until this night. I was traveling and I stopped at a motel. I was feeling very tired and I just went to the room. I had an uneasy feeling that this motel looked familiar, but I didn’t think much about it. I was woken in the middle of the night by a gunshot and a scream. I immediately locked my door and put a desk against it. I was about to call reception when I saw something terrifying. The clock on my phone showed that it was 25:18. That was the reason that motel seemed familiar to me. It was the motel that I used to work at. My thought process was interrupted by a loud bang on the door in the hallway. Something is there, and I think that I might know what it is. Whatever happened there, it isn’t looking good.
Currently, it’s 25:48. The thing has not stopped banging on the doors. I heard a few screams in the last half an hour. I still have to hide in my room for 12 minutes. But who knows, maybe it somehow broke in our world. I just hope that I will make it out alive.