It all started innocently enough, as most of these stories do. I had just graduated from college and was struggling to find a job in my field. Desperation led me to accept the only offer that came my way - a front desk position at a quaint, old hotel on the outskirts of town. Little did I know that my new job would expose me to a set of rules that would turn my life into a nightmare.
The hotel was a relic from the past, a beautiful, grandiose building with an eerie charm that seemed to draw people in. The staff were pleasant enough, but they all had one thing in common - an odd demeanor, as though they were always hiding something. On my first day, the manager handed me a thick, leather-bound book. “Read through these rules,” he said, “they’re essential to your role.”
The rules were unlike any I’d ever encountered, and the book itself had an aura of foreboding. As I pored through its pages, my heart began to race, and I could feel a growing sense of unease. Here are some of the strangest rules I found:
Rule 1: Always Address Room 333 First
The first rule was to greet the guests in Room 333 immediately upon starting each shift. The hotel had 334 rooms in total, but Room 333 had a peculiar importance. The manager warned me that failing to do so would result in dire consequences, although he wouldn’t elaborate.
Rule 13: Never Enter the Basement
The basement was strictly off-limits. I’d heard whispers from my co-workers about strange noises coming from down there, but they would clam up whenever I asked for details. The rulebook simply stated that entering the basement was forbidden under any circumstances.
Rule 22: Do Not Engage with the Clock in the Lobby
A vintage grandfather clock stood in the lobby, and according to the rules, I was to avoid making eye contact with it. It said the clock was sentient and had a malevolent intent. A glance in its direction would result in hallucinations and lost time.
Rule 45: The Guest in Room 13 Must Never Be Disturbed
Room 13 was always occupied, but the rule was clear - under no circumstance should I ever enter that room or disturb its occupant. Curiosity gnawed at me, but I obeyed.
As the weeks turned into months, I noticed odd occurrences within the hotel. Whispers in the halls, strange lights in the windows, and guests who checked in but never seemed to check out. I couldn’t shake the feeling that the hotel had a dark secret, and the rules were there to protect it.
One night, unable to resist my curiosity any longer, I peeked into Room 333 as I made my rounds. The moment I did, I was engulfed by a sensation of overwhelming dread. The walls seemed to close in, and I heard a chorus of eerie voices whispering in an unknown language. I slammed the door shut and sprinted back to the lobby.
Time seemed to blur, and I realized that hours had passed in what felt like mere minutes. The clock in the lobby mocked me with its eerie chimes, and I understood why it was one of the forbidden rules.
My time at the hotel grew more nightmarish, and I knew I had to escape. But with each passing day, the rules seemed to tighten their grip on me, making it nearly impossible to break free. The guests, the staff, the very building itself conspired to keep me within its haunted walls.
As I write this, I’m still trapped in the hotel, bound by the sinister set of rules that has transformed my life into a never-ending nightmare. If you ever stumble upon a job opportunity at a peculiar hotel, beware the rules that govern it, for they may lead you down a path from which there is no escape.