I was told not to tell anyone about this but it’s been YEARS since it happened, so I think it should be okay now…
A long time ago, when I was still in middle school, my family and I went on vacation. We flew to California and then rented a car to drive north to Lake Tahoe. We came in at night so there wasn’t much to see and for the most part, I slept.
When we finally reached the hotel we would be staying at, I was surprised that there was snow on the ground (it was nearly summer.) My step dad told me that we were actually in the mountains and that a glacier was nearby. I thought it was really interesting but I still couldn’t see any of it since it was night.
We brought everything inside and spoke to the receptionist. He seemed… apprehensive or perhaps worried, like he was waiting for some kind of imminent disaster. My mother gave him the information he requested and handed her the key to our room. He pointed to his right and said, “Walk forward to the corridor, take a left and follow it all the way to the end.”
My step dad thanked him and we proceeded to carry our belongings to our room. I remember the receptionist stared intensely at me as I walked by and it did make me feel a bit uneasy.
Our room was more like an apartment as opposed to a hotel room. It had THREE bedrooms and to someone as young as I was; it might as well have been a palace. I still had to share a room with my brother though, and my sister got one for herself. By the time we got ourselves all settled in; it was time for bed.
So, we all went to our rooms, laid down and tried to sleep. I fell asleep quickly but one thing did seem to linger in my mind.
Why was our vehicle the only one in the parking lot?
That following morning we were supposed to go to breakfast at a Denny’s in town. As kids often do, my siblings and I decided to go explore the hotel while our parents got ready. I remember my mom saying, “Don’t go too far and when we call your names, you better be here right away.”
Obviously we all agreed.
Well, anyway. We ran out into the hall and I noticed the immediate lack of people - of sound even. The corridor was so incredibly quiet despite our obnoxious footsteps and playful laughter; it really made me feel like we were the only ones staying there.
As we crossed the corridor that connected the main entry hall to the rooms, I saw that there wasn’t a receptionist. My brother made the typical mischievous suggestion of snooping behind the reception desk, but I told him that it would be boring and that we should continue down the opposite hallway across the corridor.
He agreed, I was older anyway, so I think that played a factor.
My brother, sister and I traipsed down the hallway without a care in the world. Soon, we turned a corner and it revealed another shorter hallway with a pair of double doors at the end. You know how it is, as a kid, a door might as well be a portal to a fantasy land and these doors were no different. I didn’t even think about what might be on the other side and my siblings never questioned my decision to venture forth.
Much to my surprise, the doors opened to a large courtyard. It was square with a glistening fountain in the middle and well-trimmed hedges lining the hotel walls. On the other side of the courtyard, was a single door that was covered in some sort of ivy; it appeared to have not been used for quite some time.
The three of us let our curiosity get the better of our young minds as we began to explore the courtyard. The place seemed straight out of a fairy-tale because birds bathed in the fountain and butterflies fluttered about, making it feel like paradise. Even as a kid, I could appreciate the odd splendor.
But, I was so focused on the scenery that I failed to notice my brother trying to open the overgrown door.
I ran over to him just as he was attempting to turn the handle. I could see he was struggling because vines had wrapped around the knob and it was likely that the door was rusted shut. That thought must have never crossed his mind, nor the thought of WHY the door had been abandoned to time in the first place.
I grabbed his wrist and yanked it away from the knob, “That hurts!” He said the moment my hand touched him.
“We shouldn’t go in there.” I said quietly. I hadn’t noticed until actually standing next to the door, but it felt unwelcoming.
“I was just seeing if it opened!” He protested while rubbing his wrist - he had an air for the dramatics.
“No, I don’t want us to get in trouble! We should go back now anyway…”
He stared at the door and then at me, “I guess, but I still want to know what’s on the other side.”
My sister suddenly chimed in from behind us, “Maybe we can tell mom about it?”
“I don’t think we should. She would probably just yell about being where we ‘shouldn’t be,’ besides… maybe it’s closed for a reason?”
“Yeah, maybe…” Said my brother softly.
“Let’s go back.”
“Okay.” He said quickly.
“I hope we’re not in trouble…” Added my sister subtly.
“Me too.” I said while beginning to walk back to the door we came through.
My siblings followed and I opened the door for them and let them through first. As I began to reenter the hotel hallway, I took one last glance at the forgotten door. Maybe it was just my mind playing tricks on me or some weird reflection, but I could have sworn I saw a face in a window next to the door; it was faint but… scary, for a lack of better words as a kid.
“KIDS?!” The rage filled voice of my mother flooded the hallway; it sounded like she had already been calling us for a while. I turned my head to face the hallway and slowly let the door close behind me. I looked at the window one more time before the door closed entirely and found that nothing was in the glass. At the time, I figured it was just my imagination.
My mother was furious and understandably so. Apparently, she had been looking “all over” for us. We told her where we were and she asked to see the courtyard. My brother and sister went back into our room and I led my mother to the door at the end of the opposite hallway. When she saw it, she tried to go out into the courtyard, but the receptionist (the one from the night before) suddenly appeared and scared the shit out of me.
“No!” He shouted while putting himself between the door and us, “You cannot go out there.”
“Why not? We pay for the facilities here?” Asked my mother.
“Because it’s dangerous and off-limits by order of the owner. You didn’t go out there, did you?” He asked while staring at me.
“No.” I said quickly. I didn’t want to get my mom or step dad in trouble for not keeping us on a short leash.
The receptionist sighed heavily and said, “Good, now I’m sure you have plans for the day, yes? Forget about this door and go about your business. Please.”
My mom scowled but nodded her head and said, “Fine.” Then, she grabbed my arm and pulled me down the hallway back towards our room.
We received the typical parental scolding. The whole, “What if someone stole you?” Or “If you got hurt, how would we know?” Both were valid but it didn’t make the verbal reprimand any easier to swallow.
After they were done, we went to breakfast. I got two eggs over-easy (which ended up being a bit too runny for me) and a few slices of bacon as well as some sausage and hash browns. A large feast, but a delicious one.
Once everyone had finished eating, my parents paid and we left. The rest of the day was filled with various activities like souvenir shopping and visiting one of the beaches (the water was ice-cold.) Then, we went back to the hotel and ordered pizza; it was a true vacation experience.
But that night, something strange happened.
After we were told to go to bed, I found myself unable to sleep. I kept tossing and turning thinking about the courtyard. Something about it just fascinated me. Like, if it wasn’t meant for guests at the hotel, then why were they still maintaining the fountain and the hedges?
While I was lost in thought, I heard a scratching sound in the wall next to my bed. At that time, I had already lived in a house with a mouse problem, so I figured the hotel had them too. But, the sound only got louder, instead of a light scraping; it soon sounded like someone drastically clawing to get out. I couldn’t imagine the damage one would do to their fingernails by doing such a thing, but it’s all I can equate it to.
I wanted to just ignore it, but it was impossible. So, I hit the wall.
And the wall thumped back.
I immediately jumped out of the bed and stood at the ready. My brother had somehow remained asleep and it didn’t seem like my parents had heard any of it either. After whatever was on the other side of the wall responded; it became silent. I thought, “Maybe I’m just really tired,” and that this was just a waking nightmare.
But that was just wishful thinking, for as I was standing there, next to my bed, I watched as a panel in the wall slowly creaked open.
I yelled instantly and the panel slammed shut; it was truly terrifying.
My mother rushed into the room and flipped the light on with an angry look across her face. I could only point my finger at the wall and when she asked what was wrong, I told her exactly what happened. She didn’t believe me though and to add insult to injury, for whatever reason, there wasn’t a single noticeable sign of a panel ever existing in the wall.
But I know what I saw.
The next day, I got a stern talking to about how we are “trying to enjoy this time together,” but as a kid, I had little in the way of vocal defense. I had to just accept what was being said even though the event from the previous night had caused me to lose all sleep, which to me, meant that it was more than a dream.
We all had breakfast and then went to see the Giant Sequoias. Let me tell you, if you haven’t seen the Redwoods; it is truly a sight to behold. We even saw a bear while taking the bus ride to see the trees. While we were out walking, my brother and sister both asked me about the night before. I told them and it obviously scared them, so much in fact that they ran to our parents and said they didn’t want to stay in the hotel anymore.
My mother was angry with me, like it was MY fault! I told them the truth, what else was I going to say?
Anyway, she was mad and I was confused. This continued until we arrived back at the hotel later that day when we were greeted by the receptionist upon walking in. I shouldn’t say “greeted” because he was actually standing in our way.
“Can I help you?” Asked my mother with an annoyed tone.
“Yes, excuse me. We received a complaint about knocking coming from your room last night. We had new guests arrive quite late and their sleep was interrupted by whatever racket you were creating. Please, do refrain from waking the other guests.”
“My son was having a nightmare. I apologize.” Said my mother solemnly as if her entire personality had been deflated.
The receptionist quickly nodded, “Yes, well, nothing to be scared of here!” He then smiled at me and I noticed two of his teeth were black. I returned his smile with an uncertain grin.
There was an awkward silence before he walked away and we went back to our room. My mom and step dad went to their room (presumably to argue) and us kids were left in the living room. There was cable at the hotel and we found some cartoons to watch while we waited for our parents to re-emerge from their room.
Quite some time passed and they still hadn’t come out. I started to fall asleep on the couch and was about to push my brother off of it (so that I could lay down) when suddenly, a knock came from the room door.
It was a soft knock. Not one from an adult.
I looked at my brother and sister and they both stared at the door. Our parents didn’t come out to answer it, so I took the initiative. As I was approaching, more knocks came; they didn’t sound frantic but more… friendly?
Anyway, once I reached the door, I slowly turned the knob and opened it. There, stood at about the same height as me, was another boy and who I assume was his little sister. He was smiling and looked happy to be seeing someone roughly his own age.
“Hello!” He said with wide, excited eyes, “My name is Elias, and this is my sister Ashelyn!” He pointed to the visibly shy girl standing next to him.
“Hello, w - what do you want?” I asked quietly.
“We just wondered if you all wanted to play with us! Our parents said we could ask after we saw you coming in from our room window!” Elias seemed overly excited.
My brother appeared over my shoulder and whispered, “Who is it?”
I turned to him and said, “Some other kids from another room…”
“What do they want?” He asked while eyeing them suspiciously.
“They want to play.”
“Are we going to?”
“Mom will be mad if we leave without saying anything.”
Elias must have overheard me because he chimed in, “Oh no! Don’t worry about that! Our parents said they were going to come over and introduce themselves, so we can play while they’re doing that!”
“Oh.” I said sharply.
“Well?” Asked Elias while smiling expectedly.
My sister appeared on the opposite side of me, “What’s happening?” She asked calmly.
“I guess we’re going to play with Elias and his sister. They’re family just got here and they’re parents said they could play with us - if we wanted.”
“Hi Elias.” Said my sister from over my shoulder.
“Hello! This is my sister Ashelyn, maybe you two could talk to each other?”
“Sure…” Said my sister with a hint of uncertainty.
“You’re sure your parents are going to come over?” I asked curiously. I know this all sounds like one of those ‘what are you doing?!’ situations, but you have to remember, I was very young.
“Yup! They said they would, so come on!” Elias gestured his hand into the hallway.
I cautiously stepped out of the room followed by my brother and sister. Elias began leading us down the hall and across the corridor that led to the hotel entrance. We kept following him until we reached the hall that housed the door leading to the courtyard.
I stopped Elias, “We aren’t supposed to go in there. The guy at the counter said the owner doesn’t like it.”
“That’s okay, we’ll just go in and out really quickly. Ashelyn and I found it earlier but didn’t get time to check it out!”
“Well… we have seen it. There’s nothing special and… it’s late! We won’t be able to see very well and someone could get hurt…”
“Nobody will get hurt, come on, let’s go!”
I didn’t want to just let them go in there by themselves in case something happened, so I went with them (despite the reluctant looks from my brother and sister.)
Elias got to the door first. He opened it and held it for everyone else. We all walked out into the courtyard and waited for him to join us. It was probably around 8, so the sun was out but just barely.
I can tell you this with certainty - there was just enough light to see that the old door was wide open. Elias noticed it too.
“What’s in there?” He asked while pointing to the previously inaccessible doorway.
“We don’t know; it wasn’t open before.”
“Oh! Let’s go take a look!”
“I don’t think that’s a good idea, Elias…” Said his little sister Ashelyn, finally speaking for the first time. She was tugging at his sleeve.
“Stop being a baby, it’ll only take a second!”
Tears began to well up in her eyes, “Don’t call me a baby…” She said softly.
“Then come with me.” Snapped Elias; it would seem he wasn’t very kind to his younger sibling.
Without another word, Ashelyn began following her brother to the open door. I went as well, but I held my hand up to signal for my brother and sister to stay back. I didn’t want them to be blamed for anything that might happen upon entering the closed off section of the hotel.
Elias reached the door and went inside without so much as an inkling of caution. Ashelyn was close behind and I approached with far more trepidation. Upon entering, we were met by a short hallway straight ahead with a small staircase butted against the right wall. To the left was another hallway, but it was more of a nook because it ended with what looked to be a closet.
I tried to flip a dusty light switch next to me and was surprised to see an extremely dim orange glow emanating from a few old lanterns on the wall. The light illuminated peeling, dull-gray wallpaper with flowery patterns that crawled halfway down the wall before meeting equally old wood paneling. To me, it seemed the place was only home to spiders as there were countless webs adorning every solitary and otherwise visible corner.
Wherever the stairs led must have had a different switch because there wasn’t any light up there. I found it odd that the floor had numerous gouges right near the door as if something had been trying to get out and each of the four doors in the hallway did NOT have knobs. The mystery of the missing knobs was short lived because a quick glance to the hallway floor revealed all four - covered in rust.
Elias surveyed the room and smiled deviously, “Wow! It’s so old!”
“Yeah, now that we’ve seen it, can we leave?” I asked, trying not to go further into the section. I turned to see my siblings standing next to the fountain; it was good that they listened to me.
“We just got in here! Let’s explore a little bit!” Demanded Elias.
“Go right ahead. I’m staying right here.”
“What are you, a coward?”
“I just don’t like this place.”
“So you’re scared?”
“No, Elias. I’m just normal.”
“Well, not wanting to explore a cool, old place like this is not NORMAL to me!” He said harshly.
“Whatever you say.”
He walked further into the hallway and stopped in front of one of the doors. Then, he looked down and reached for one of the knobs.
“Hey, the floor here is darker than the rest…” Said Elias.
“That’s great.” I said quickly.
Ashelyn stayed near me while her brother “explored.” But, something about the air, perhaps it was even a gut feeling, felt off - wrong even.
“Come over here.” Requested Elias while poking one of the knobs with his finger.
“Fine, but I’m not staying over there.” I huffed and marched towards him. Then, it all made sense. The doorknobs weren’t rusty; they were bloody.
They were covered in dried blood. A lot of it too. The dark stains spread from the base of each door onto portions of the wood paneling on the walls. At that moment, I had another epiphany.
What if the reason this section was closed off was because of some horrific crime that happened within?
Time suddenly seemed to slow down as the door right behind Elias opened up. Ashelyn screamed and I stood in shock as a long arm covered in a papery substance emerged.
Elias didn’t react fast enough and neither did I. Another arm protruded from the dark holding a pair of old scissors. The way it held them was odd as well. It had its thumb in one loop, its middle finger in the other and its index finger directly between the blades. And then, I saw its face. The same face that still haunts me to this day.
Paper, from the nose up. But, the part that wasn’t covered by paper is what sticks with me. Its mouth; it was like that of a leech with several rows of incredibly sharp teeth in a circle-like fashion. The pulsating maw created a plethora of uncomfortable noises that make my skin crawl even now just thinking about them. However, another arm suddenly appeared, and then another; they kept appearing until I counted at least nine and each one of them held a different item, apart from the first one which held nothing.
But all the time I spent focusing on the terrifying entity before me should have been spent paying attention to what it was actually doing. For, in the blink of an eye, the creature jammed the scissors into Elias’ back. He screamed but only for a moment because the creature silenced him with a paper mouth cover. I haven’t ever been able to forget the look of his eyes as they stared at me - searching for help where I could not give it.
Then, the creature receded into the dark room beyond the doorway. Ashelyn fainted from fear and I didn’t know what else to do. The only thing that came to mind was getting my parents. And so, I ran over to Ashelyn and picked her up to carry her out of there.
Can you imagine what it’s like as a child to even just see such a thing in some sort of media form let alone in person? I have to be honest, as I think about it now I’m not sure how I managed to keep myself together.
There were so many horrendous sounds stemming from that room and the walls must have been terribly thin because it was incredibly loud.
I was just about to reach the doorway with Ashelyn when it closed unexpectedly. I couldn’t really try to open it since I was carrying her and even though she was younger than me - she was heavy. I wasn’t going to leave her for that thing, but now I wasn’t sure if I’d have a choice. The door housing the creature slowly creaked open and I just knew it was coming to claim us next.
I didn’t have time to think about what I was going to do. Instead, I ran down the hallway with the closet at the end and pushed the shutter door open. I wasn’t able to see the creature coming out of the door from there, but Ashelyn and I simply needed a place to hide. I carried her in, set her down on the floor and then slid the door shut as quietly as possible. The door was one of those flimsy ones on wheels that have shutter gaps so you can see in and out of the closet.
The sun had to have fully set at that point which only made it more difficult to see anything. The lamps on the walls gave only a few feet of visibility, if even that. Still, I kept peering between the shutter gaps at the corner just waiting for any sign of that thing.
And I didn’t have to wait long.
In almost as short of time as it takes to blink, the entire hallway that led to the closet was covered end to end with the creature’s body. Even though the light was low, I could see it was splattered in blood. The creature seemed to be sniffing the air and every so often I could hear various chattering noises coming from it.
Ashelyn began to stir. She was groaning and I knew that if she made even so much as a loud sigh, then that thing would find us. So far it didn’t seem to know. I leaned down and gently put my hand over her mouth before whispering to her, “Please be quiet. I’m going to get us out of here, but neither one of us will get out if you make noise.”
She didn’t say anything and I couldn’t see her eyes, but she tapped my hand softly which was enough for me to know that she understood. I released my hand and returned to peering through the gaps. Unfortunately, the creature was still scanning the hall, but I couldn’t understand how it saw anything at all given that it didn’t seem to have eyes. Not visible ones anyway.
The creature continued to suspend and stretch itself across the entire hallway and I began to wonder if it was simply waiting for us to emerge. Perhaps it already knew we were in here but wanted to offer a false sense of safety. I can tell you with absolute certainty that I felt everything BUT safe and all I wanted was for it to go somewhere else, just for a minute. For enough time to get out.
Ashelyn grabbed onto my arm and held tightly. She was scared and so was I, but her brother wasn’t there anymore and I knew she was relying on me for protection, so I tried to not show my fear.
Finally we got our chance.
I’m not sure what it was, but something made noise somewhere else in the area and the creature immediately scurried off to investigate. I grabbed Ashelyn’s hand and flung the closet door open. It sounded like the creature was attacking something nearby which made it easier for us to slip out unnoticed.
My heart was racing, I was drenched in sweat and my breathing was quick. Ashelyn was squeezing my hand as hard as she could and her grip only tightened the closer we got to the door into the courtyard. We swiftly reached the door and I opened it. The moment the night air invaded the section, I heard stumbling and thumping behind us. I pushed Ashelyn through the doorway and turned around to face the abandoned halls.
And there, I was met face to face with the creature. It had descended upon me with fierce intent and was assuredly furious with having its door opened. Or, perhaps it was thankful. I’m not sure. Whatever the case may be, I took a step back and slammed the door shut - sealing us from the creature. Although, at the time I didn’t know how much protection a simple door like that would actually provide.
It must have done the trick though, because nothing further happened and we seemed safe. All sound dissipated except for the quiet chirping of insects and the faint cascading of water from the fountain.
My siblings were horrified; they must have seen what happened up until the door closed for the first time. I’m fairly certain they were in shock, like Ashelyn was. She couldn’t speak and wouldn’t respond to me when I tried to talk to her. Poor girl, I wasn’t able to help her in any meaningful way or rather, not in the way she needed.
And then the yelling came. That righteous fury I call my mother was nearly screaming our names. I had no idea what I would tell her, what we would tell Ashelyn’s parents, but I landed with the truth. Even if they didn’t believe me.
My mother came storming through the door leading into the courtyard and almost tripped over a stray stone. That only made her angrier and when she reached us - she grabbed my arm with a vice grip. Obviously I protested but her immediate and abrasive “Shh!” Shut me right up.
She brought me before two unfamiliar people and it only took a couple seconds for me to realize they were Elias and Ashelyn’s parents. When only the latter was present; they turned their attention away from me. Ashelyn was standing next to my sister like a statue with wide, traumatized eyes that showcased an inability to come to terms with what had happened. I didn’t blame her because I wasn’t well either, I’m still not well.
Her father knelt by her side and asked, “Sweetie, where’s your brother?” She didn’t respond and so he turned back to me, “Where is our son?”
“Something took him…” I said quietly. Although I was good with English, I did not have the right words for that moment.
“What do you mean ‘something?’” Asked his mother, confused.
“In the other section of the hotel. There is something in there and it took Elias.”
My mom looked at my siblings who were trembling and asked, “Is that true?” They both nodded without saying a word.
The receptionist appeared and was absolutely seething with anger. He must have overheard the conversation and promptly interjected himself only to express his disdain for children and his “I warned you” attitude.
Ashelyn and Elias’ parents called the police. I remember sitting in the hallway talking to an incredibly nice officer who asked me simple questions - ones that I could actually answer. I told her everything the best I could and she seemed skeptical (who wouldn’t be) but she was also listening intently. I felt heard and that was all that mattered.
Anyway, the police refused to listen to the receptionists’ pleas of leaving that section of the hotel alone. They went in with a small team and after only a couple minutes, I heard gunshots. Shortly thereafter one of the officers emerged, covered in blood and seemingly shook to the core. They began to tear into the receptionist. I honestly can’t remember what they said because it was such a tumultuous experience, but I know it had to do with the creature.
From what I gathered, the police killed the creature. They found Elias dead in the room it came out of with his face missing. Then, they proceeded to explore upstairs. I think I overheard one of the returning officers say something about “numerous doll-like bodies suspended from the ceiling” and then another say, “they used to be alive.”
While Ashelyn’s parents were heartbroken and rightfully stricken with grief; they thanked me for saving their daughter. I didn’t really know how to react or respond so I simply said, “You’re welcome.”
It was a long night with a lot of people going back and forth throughout the hotel. They tore down walls, busted down doors and asked loads of questions. By the time morning came, we were told to go to a different hotel (which the police department kindly paid for.) My mother held the three of us almost the whole night after learning what happened and ever since then she became a different person. She was humbler and far quieter.
For the sake of privacy - the name of the hotel and everyone involved have either been changed or excluded. I’m not telling anyone not to visit Lake Tahoe, I just thought it was important to share this experience.
Be mindful of the places you stay at while traveling. You never know what could be lurking in your very room.