u/HorrorStoryArchive

I do a little bit of everything as one of the two employees at The Mitten Motel. If a guest disappears from their room without a trace, I'm responsible for gathering their belongings and burning or burying them. If one of the doors locks and the shrieking of the damned can be heard on the other side, I'm the one who hangs up the 'Under repair' sign. The only other worker here is my boss Dale. He's a grizzled old man who looks old enough that I wouldn't be surprised if is name was right along side our Founding Fathers on the Declaration of Independence.

Frankly, I have no idea how this place stays in business or how people even find it. The motel sits in the dense forests in the northern part of the lower peninsula. Anyone driving past at any speed greater than 25mph would notice the dense tree line momentarily opens up to the parking lot before vanishing again. It is very much a blink and you miss it sort of turn.

I only happened to stumble onto the place after being kicked out of my parents house, which is a long story that I won't share now to keep this short. Anyway, I had been walking down a dirt road, my backpack full of what little possessions I had. The last car passed me hours ago. Their only response to my raised thumb was to flip me the bird, the even stuck it out the window as they passed to make sure I had received the message.

I was about to sit down to rest my shaky legs when I saw a break in the tree line further up the road. I was hoping it was a diner so I could fill my growling stomach. Instead I was met with a single level motel with ten rooms. The bright red doors clashed with the puke green paint that was peeling from the building’s brick exterior. A large window faced out towards the road and I noticed there were only two cars in the parking lot.

I staggered my way through the front door hoping to find a snack machine to spend my last bit of pocket change on. A bell hanging from the door frame rang as I entered the area marked as the check-in office. My soon to be supervisor, Dale, glanced up at me from behind a computer that came fresh out of the early 2000’s. The room was pretty much just a glass box, with each wall (except the one behind Dale) being made up of large window pane. The room smelled like someone had just poorly cleaned up a dead body, making the air heavy with the scent of chemicals and death. The smell alone made me forget about the hunger I was feeling.

I noticed there was a help wanted sign sitting right on the front desk. I looked to the two cars outside and thought this may not be a bad place to work until I have the money to be on my way again. It doesn't seem like they are that busy so it would be some easy cash. I hoped that they would even let me stay in one of the motel rooms while I worked here.

Dale's eyes slipped back to the screen in front of him as his gruff voice cut through the silence between us. “What do you want?”

I frowned a little at his tone and walked up to the desk, “I'm looking for a job” I gesture to the sign, "I see you are hiring-"

“No you don’t.” Dale cut me off and reaching up to turn the sign around as if I'd forget what it said. He didn't even bother to look up at me as he continued whatever he was doing. I tried to peek at his screen but I couldn’t get a good enough angle.

“Yes I do. I’ve worked in the service industry before–”

“No. You. Don’t.” Dale simply stated again. Even though the credentials that were about to spill from my lips were false, his rejection made me even more determined to get the job.

I leaned over the desk and closer to him, trying to burn a hole through his head with my eyes. “Okay, tell me how you know I don’t want the job.”

Dale’s eyes drifted to my face lazily. I tried to read his expression, as I’m sure he was trying to read mine. No matter how hard I tried, I couldn’t get a read on his emotions. He was like a blank canvas. The silence between us hung heavily on my mind, as if trying to suck more words from my mouth, more arguments, more urging, more pleading. But I bit my tongue and forced myself to continue the staring contest with Dale.

“Alright.” He let out a deep sigh. I could tell he wasn’t convinced, but I was willing to prove myself to him. He waved me over to the other side of the desk. I rounded the corner, just in time to see him minimize a paused game of Galaga. He pulled up an employee form and printed it out. A printer under his desk sprung to life as he pulled out a key from one of the drawers. “While you work here you can live in room number 6…” He dropped the key into my hand, “And this is the form you need to fill out for your employment.” He picked up the warm print and handed it to me. “If you can last the night and return this to me by morning, you’re hired.”

My heart almost burst with excitement as I looked at the key in my hand. This job is already shaping up to be everything I had hoped it would be.

When I finally registered his words I looked at him perplexed, “last the night? What do you mean?” Dale didn’t even smile back as he looked up at me. Again, silence hung between us before Dale turned back to his computer, his chair squeaking in protest. I stood there another minute in silence with him just staring at his screen before I realized he wouldn't answer my question.

I shuffled a bit awkwardly, “O…Okay, I-I’ll see you in the morning.” I chuckled, more to relieve nerves than anything else. Wordlessly, I turned and walked out of the door. Dale must have turned the volume on the computer back on, because under the tone of the door bell I heard the distinct sounds of Galaga.

The room itself wasn’t anything special. Like every motel it had two beds, a bathroom, a closet, and a tv sitting on top of a dresser. I didn’t have much besides the clothes on my back so that dresser wasn’t going to get used anytime soon. I was also pleasantly surprised not to find any bed bugs hiding anywhere.

The rest of the day was pretty mundane. I filled out the form Dale had given me and walked around, finally finding a vending machine where I got snacks to fill my belly. For the rest of the day I flicked through the channels to find my favorites, and mindlessly scrolled through my phone.

A while later I was ripped away from scrolling when loud bangs shook my door. I quickly sat up, nearly jumping out of my skin, my eyes flying to the door. I sat in silence waiting for whoever knocked to do it again. The slamming came again but on another door further down the row of rooms, followed by feet running past my door and the hushed giggles of children. 'Fucking kids', I thought to myself as I laid back down and pulled out my phone. 

The banging came again sending my phone flying into the air. It clattered to the ground somewhere but I didn't know where it landed as my attention shot back to the door. However, as I waited to hear the giggling and running again, a realization slowly pushed its way into my mind. My hands became clammy and my throat dried up, as I peeled my eyes away from my front door, and turned to look at my bathroom door. 'I had to have heard that wrong…Right?' I though to myself, my vision swimming a bit as I felt my fight or flight starting to take over. The logical thoughts were starting to be smothered by the fear that someone was possibly in my room. I didn’t trust my balance enough to pick up my feet, so instead I shuffled towards the bathroom door. I reached out, my small amount of logical thinking I had left berated me for my irrational fear. It told me that I was crazy. There was no way into this bathroom other than the door that was now right in front of me. But my illogical side told me that what I heard must have been true, and it was much, much louder than my logical side. 

My hand wrapped around the door knob. I could feel my muscles tensing as if trying to stop me from making any movements to turn it. My body seemed to know that whatever was on the other side was dangerous, it didn’t want me to open it. At this point, both the illogical and logical parts of my brain were in a harmonious cry to find out what was in the bathroom. One wanted to prove there was nothing to fear, and the other wanted to prove there was. 

My body and mind were in tug of war, as I began to force the knob to turn. I couldn't even get the door unlatched before I was sent diving backwards from a single, loud bang on from the other side. I had felt the handle shudder in my hand so there was no mistaking where the slam came from this time. The certainty of someone or something being behind all too thin slab of wood, silenced my thoughts. I just waited for it to burst into splinters as whatever was in the bathroom launched its attack. However, I was only met with silence.

All I could hear was the pounding of my heart and my heavy breathing. I hadn't noticed I had been backing up slowly until I bumped into the wall behind me. When I turned to glance back at the wall that caused the sudden jolt, all hell broke loose.

Pounding started at my front door again, much louder than before. My eyes darted to it, watching it quiver in its frame from every blow. I could hear the children's laughter again. It was so loud it starting to drown out the banging on the door. It sounded like they were standing in the room with me each holding a megaphone that they screamed and laughed into. Then the pounding slowly moved from the door to the left wall, then vibrated the wall behind me. It started to circle around my room getting faster and faster, louder and louder. The noise from the children seemed to grow as well. All I could do was tightly push my hands against my ears but even that did little to muffle the noise. I closed my eyes and tried to scream, but I couldn’t hear it over cacophony of sound.

Then suddenly, it stopped. Like someone had just pressed pause on a movie. All at once the sounds disappeared.

I must have curled up into a ball at some point, because when I finally dared to open my eyes, I was looking up at the now open bathroom door. It was empty just like the rest of the room. Nothing seemed out of place. I would have thought it was all in my head if it weren’t for the blood dripping from my ringing ears and my shredded vocal cords.

The rest of my sleepless night was spent sitting in the corner of the room. I didn’t even bother to wash the blood off my hands because I didn’t trust that bathroom anymore. The sun must have been up for a few hours before I finally trusted that I could open the front door without being attacked by demon children

Despite the night's events I was still desperate for a job and a place to stay, so the first thing I did was walk into that check-in office and hand Dale the form. I felt some pride when the first bit of emotion he showed me was surprise. His face quickly slipped back into its usual blank look as I handed him the form. He took it without even glancing at the bloody hand print I had left behind.

He dug around his drawer again after setting the paper down on his desk. pulling out another key. He handed it to me, “this is your employee key. It gives you access to everything you will need while working here. Don’t lose it. You will start after you get yourself cleaned up.”

I was able to negotiate getting another room which. eventually, Dale relented and handed me another key for Room 9. "I stay in Room 10. You can stay in Room 9. You should run into anything as...hostile as what is in Room 6." I sighed a bit in relief and left the check-in area with an ignored 'thank you.'

Room 9 has been much more mellow than what I experienced my first night at The Mitten Motel. Dale can be a big softy when you get to know him. He just hides it very...very deep down. He eventually explained to me that Room 6 acts as a hazing ritual or test for any new employees that come to work at the motel. Which after what I've experienced here isn't as cruel as I initially though. Like a lot of other things Dale does, I put it more in the realm of 'tough love.'

I have many more stories to tell about this place that I would love to share with the world. Maybe it will help me process my trauma a bit...let me know if you are interested in hearing more!

I do a little bit of everything as one of the two employees at The Mitten Motel. If a guest disappears from their room without a trace, I'm responsible for gathering their belongings and burning or burying them. If one of the doors locks and the shrieking of the damned can be heard on the other side, I'm the one who hangs up the 'Under repair' sign. The only other worker here is my boss Dale. He's a grizzled old man who looks old enough that I wouldn't be surprised if is name was right along side our Founding Fathers on the Declaration of Independence.

Frankly, I have no idea how this place stays in business or how people even find it. The motel sits in the dense forests in the northern part of the lower peninsula. Anyone driving past at any speed greater than 25mph would notice the dense tree line momentarily opens up to the parking lot before vanishing again. It is very much a blink and you miss it sort of turn.

I only happened to stumble onto the place after being kicked out of my parents house, which is a long story that I won't share now to keep this short. Anyway, I had been walking down a dirt road, my backpack full of what little possessions I had. The last car passed me hours ago. Their only response to my raised thumb was to flip me the bird, the even stuck it out the window as they passed to make sure I had received the message.

I was about to sit down to rest my shaky legs when I saw a break in the tree line further up the road. I was hoping it was a diner so I could fill my growling stomach. Instead I was met with a single level motel with ten rooms. The bright red doors clashed with the puke green paint that was peeling from the building’s brick exterior. A large window faced out towards the road and I noticed there were only two cars in the parking lot.

I staggered my way through the front door hoping to find a snack machine to spend my last bit of pocket change on. A bell hanging from the door frame rang as I entered the area marked as the check-in office. My soon to be supervisor, Dale, glanced up at me from behind a computer that came fresh out of the early 2000’s. The room was pretty much just a glass box, with each wall (except the one behind Dale) being made up of large window pane. The room smelled like someone had just poorly cleaned up a dead body, making the air heavy with the scent of chemicals and death. The smell alone made me forget about the hunger I was feeling.

I noticed there was a help wanted sign sitting right on the front desk. I looked to the two cars outside and thought this may not be a bad place to work until I have the money to be on my way again. It doesn't seem like they are that busy so it would be some easy cash. I hoped that they would even let me stay in one of the motel rooms while I worked here.

Dale's eyes slipped back to the screen in front of him as his gruff voice cut through the silence between us. “What do you want?”

I frowned a little at his tone and walked up to the desk, “I'm looking for a job” I gesture to the sign, "I see you are hiring-"

“No you don’t.” Dale cut me off and reaching up to turn the sign around as if I'd forget what it said. He didn't even bother to look up at me as he continued whatever he was doing. I tried to peek at his screen but I couldn’t get a good enough angle.

“Yes I do. I’ve worked in the service industry before–”

“No. You. Don’t.” Dale simply stated again. Even though the credentials that were about to spill from my lips were false, his rejection made me even more determined to get the job.

I leaned over the desk and closer to him, trying to burn a hole through his head with my eyes. “Okay, tell me how you know I don’t want the job.”

Dale’s eyes drifted to my face lazily. I tried to read his expression, as I’m sure he was trying to read mine. No matter how hard I tried, I couldn’t get a read on his emotions. He was like a blank canvas. The silence between us hung heavily on my mind, as if trying to suck more words from my mouth, more arguments, more urging, more pleading. But I bit my tongue and forced myself to continue the staring contest with Dale.

“Alright.” He let out a deep sigh. I could tell he wasn’t convinced, but I was willing to prove myself to him. He waved me over to the other side of the desk. I rounded the corner, just in time to see him minimize a paused game of Galaga. He pulled up an employee form and printed it out. A printer under his desk sprung to life as he pulled out a key from one of the drawers. “While you work here you can live in room number 6…” He dropped the key into my hand, “And this is the form you need to fill out for your employment.” He picked up the warm print and handed it to me. “If you can last the night and return this to me by morning, you’re hired.”

My heart almost burst with excitement as I looked at the key in my hand. This job is already shaping up to be everything I had hoped it would be.

When I finally registered his words I looked at him perplexed, “last the night? What do you mean?” Dale didn’t even smile back as he looked up at me. Again, silence hung between us before Dale turned back to his computer, his chair squeaking in protest. I stood there another minute in silence with him just staring at his screen before I realized he wouldn't answer my question.

I shuffled a bit awkwardly, “O…Okay, I-I’ll see you in the morning.” I chuckled, more to relieve nerves than anything else. Wordlessly, I turned and walked out of the door. Dale must have turned the volume on the computer back on, because under the tone of the door bell I heard the distinct sounds of Galaga.

The room itself wasn’t anything special. Like every motel it had two beds, a bathroom, a closet, and a tv sitting on top of a dresser. I didn’t have much besides the clothes on my back so that dresser wasn’t going to get used anytime soon. I was also pleasantly surprised not to find any bed bugs hiding anywhere.

The rest of the day was pretty mundane. I filled out the form Dale had given me and walked around, finally finding a vending machine where I got snacks to fill my belly. For the rest of the day I flicked through the channels to find my favorites, and mindlessly scrolled through my phone.

A while later I was ripped away from scrolling when loud bangs shook my door. I quickly sat up, nearly jumping out of my skin, my eyes flying to the door. I sat in silence waiting for whoever knocked to do it again. The slamming came again but on another door further down the row of rooms, followed by feet running past my door and the hushed giggles of children. 'Fucking kids', I thought to myself as I laid back down and pulled out my phone. 

The banging came again sending my phone flying into the air. It clattered to the ground somewhere but I didn't know where it landed as my attention shot back to the door. However, as I waited to hear the giggling and running again, a realization slowly pushed its way into my mind. My hands became clammy and my throat dried up, as I peeled my eyes away from my front door, and turned to look at my bathroom door. 'I had to have heard that wrong…Right?' I though to myself, my vision swimming a bit as I felt my fight or flight starting to take over. The logical thoughts were starting to be smothered by the fear that someone was possibly in my room. I didn’t trust my balance enough to pick up my feet, so instead I shuffled towards the bathroom door. I reached out, my small amount of logical thinking I had left berated me for my irrational fear. It told me that I was crazy. There was no way into this bathroom other than the door that was now right in front of me. But my illogical side told me that what I heard must have been true, and it was much, much louder than my logical side. 

My hand wrapped around the door knob. I could feel my muscles tensing as if trying to stop me from making any movements to turn it. My body seemed to know that whatever was on the other side was dangerous, it didn’t want me to open it. At this point, both the illogical and logical parts of my brain were in a harmonious cry to find out what was in the bathroom. One wanted to prove there was nothing to fear, and the other wanted to prove there was. 

My body and mind were in tug of war, as I began to force the knob to turn. I couldn't even get the door unlatched before I was sent diving backwards from a single, loud bang on from the other side. I had felt the handle shudder in my hand so there was no mistaking where the slam came from this time. The certainty of someone or something being behind all too thin slab of wood, silenced my thoughts. I just waited for it to burst into splinters as whatever was in the bathroom launched its attack. However, I was only met with silence.

All I could hear was the pounding of my heart and my heavy breathing. I hadn't noticed I had been backing up slowly until I bumped into the wall behind me. When I turned to glance back at the wall that caused the sudden jolt, all hell broke loose.

Pounding started at my front door again, much louder than before. My eyes darted to it, watching it quiver in its frame from every blow. I could hear the children's laughter again. It was so loud it starting to drown out the banging on the door. It sounded like they were standing in the room with me each holding a megaphone that they screamed and laughed into. Then the pounding slowly moved from the door to the left wall, then vibrated the wall behind me. It started to circle around my room getting faster and faster, louder and louder. The noise from the children seemed to grow as well. All I could do was tightly push my hands against my ears but even that did little to muffle the noise. I closed my eyes and tried to scream, but I couldn’t hear it over cacophony of sound.

Then suddenly, it stopped. Like someone had just pressed pause on a movie. All at once the sounds disappeared.

I must have curled up into a ball at some point, because when I finally dared to open my eyes, I was looking up at the now open bathroom door. It was empty just like the rest of the room. Nothing seemed out of place. I would have thought it was all in my head if it weren’t for the blood dripping from my ringing ears and my shredded vocal cords.

The rest of my sleepless night was spent sitting in the corner of the room. I didn’t even bother to wash the blood off my hands because I didn’t trust that bathroom anymore. The sun must have been up for a few hours before I finally trusted that I could open the front door without being attacked by demon children

Despite the night's events I was still desperate for a job and a place to stay, so the first thing I did was walk into that check-in office and hand Dale the form. I felt some pride when the first bit of emotion he showed me was surprise. His face quickly slipped back into its usual blank look as I handed him the form. He took it without even glancing at the bloody hand print I had left behind.

He dug around his drawer again after setting the paper down on his desk. pulling out another key. He handed it to me, “this is your employee key. It gives you access to everything you will need while working here. Don’t lose it. You will start after you get yourself cleaned up.”

I was able to negotiate getting another room which. eventually, Dale relented and handed me another key for Room 9. "I stay in Room 10. You can stay in Room 9. You should run into anything as...hostile as what is in Room 6." I sighed a bit in relief and left the check-in area with an ignored 'thank you.'

Room 9 has been much more mellow than what I experienced my first night at The Mitten Motel. Dale can be a big softy when you get to know him. He just hides it very...very deep down. He eventually explained to me that Room 6 acts as a hazing ritual or test for any new employees that come to work at the motel. Which after what I've experienced here isn't as cruel as I initially though. Like a lot of other things Dale does, I put it more in the realm of 'tough love.'

I have many more stories to tell about this place that I would love to share with the world. Maybe it will help me process my trauma a bit...let me know if you are interested in hearing more!

I do a little bit of everything as one of the two employees at The Mitten Motel. If a guest disappears from their room without a trace, I'm responsible for gathering their belongings and burning or burying them. If one of the doors locks and the shrieking of the damned can be heard on the other side, I'm the one who hangs up the 'Under repair' sign. The only other worker here is my boss Dale. He's a grizzled old man who looks old enough that I wouldn't be surprised if is name was right along side our Founding Fathers on the Declaration of Independence.

Frankly, I have no idea how this place stays in business or how people even find it. The motel sits in the dense forests in the northern part of the lower peninsula. Anyone driving past at any speed greater than 25mph would notice the dense tree line momentarily opens up to the parking lot before vanishing again. It is very much a blink and you miss it sort of turn.

I only happened to stumble onto the place after being kicked out of my parents house, which is a long story that I won't share now to keep this short. Anyway, I had been walking down a dirt road, my backpack full of what little possessions I had. The last car passed me hours ago. Their only response to my raised thumb was to flip me the bird, the even stuck it out the window as they passed to make sure I had received the message.

I was about to sit down to rest my shaky legs when I saw a break in the tree line further up the road. I was hoping it was a diner so I could fill my growling stomach. Instead I was met with a single level motel with ten rooms. The bright red doors clashed with the puke green paint that was peeling from the building’s brick exterior. A large window faced out towards the road and I noticed there were only two cars in the parking lot.

I staggered my way through the front door hoping to find a snack machine to spend my last bit of pocket change on. A bell hanging from the door frame rang as I entered the area marked as the check-in office. My soon to be supervisor, Dale, glanced up at me from behind a computer that came fresh out of the early 2000’s. The room was pretty much just a glass box, with each wall (except the one behind Dale) being made up of large window pane. The room smelled like someone had just poorly cleaned up a dead body, making the air heavy with the scent of chemicals and death. The smell alone made me forget about the hunger I was feeling.

I noticed there was a help wanted sign sitting right on the front desk. I looked to the two cars outside and thought this may not be a bad place to work until I have the money to be on my way again. It doesn't seem like they are that busy so it would be some easy cash. I hoped that they would even let me stay in one of the motel rooms while I worked here.

Dale's eyes slipped back to the screen in front of him as his gruff voice cut through the silence between us. “What do you want?”

I frowned a little at his tone and walked up to the desk, “I'm looking for a job” I gesture to the sign, "I see you are hiring-"

“No you don’t.” Dale cut me off and reaching up to turn the sign around as if I'd forget what it said. He didn't even bother to look up at me as he continued whatever he was doing. I tried to peek at his screen but I couldn’t get a good enough angle.

“Yes I do. I’ve worked in the service industry before–”

“No. You. Don’t.” Dale simply stated again. Even though the credentials that were about to spill from my lips were false, his rejection made me even more determined to get the job.

I leaned over the desk and closer to him, trying to burn a hole through his head with my eyes. “Okay, tell me how you know I don’t want the job.”

Dale’s eyes drifted to my face lazily. I tried to read his expression, as I’m sure he was trying to read mine. No matter how hard I tried, I couldn’t get a read on his emotions. He was like a blank canvas. The silence between us hung heavily on my mind, as if trying to suck more words from my mouth, more arguments, more urging, more pleading. But I bit my tongue and forced myself to continue the staring contest with Dale.

“Alright.” He let out a deep sigh. I could tell he wasn’t convinced, but I was willing to prove myself to him. He waved me over to the other side of the desk. I rounded the corner, just in time to see him minimize a paused game of Galaga. He pulled up an employee form and printed it out. A printer under his desk sprung to life as he pulled out a key from one of the drawers. “While you work here you can live in room number 6…” He dropped the key into my hand, “And this is the form you need to fill out for your employment.” He picked up the warm print and handed it to me. “If you can last the night and return this to me by morning, you’re hired.”

My heart almost burst with excitement as I looked at the key in my hand. This job is already shaping up to be everything I had hoped it would be.

When I finally registered his words I looked at him perplexed, “last the night? What do you mean?” Dale didn’t even smile back as he looked up at me. Again, silence hung between us before Dale turned back to his computer, his chair squeaking in protest. I stood there another minute in silence with him just staring at his screen before I realized he wouldn't answer my question.

I shuffled a bit awkwardly, “O…Okay, I-I’ll see you in the morning.” I chuckled, more to relieve nerves than anything else. Wordlessly, I turned and walked out of the door. Dale must have turned the volume on the computer back on, because under the tone of the door bell I heard the distinct sounds of Galaga.

The room itself wasn’t anything special. Like every motel it had two beds, a bathroom, a closet, and a tv sitting on top of a dresser. I didn’t have much besides the clothes on my back so that dresser wasn’t going to get used anytime soon. I was also pleasantly surprised not to find any bed bugs hiding anywhere.

The rest of the day was pretty mundane. I filled out the form Dale had given me and walked around, finally finding a vending machine where I got snacks to fill my belly. For the rest of the day I flicked through the channels to find my favorites, and mindlessly scrolled through my phone.

A while later I was ripped away from scrolling when loud bangs shook my door. I quickly sat up, nearly jumping out of my skin, my eyes flying to the door. I sat in silence waiting for whoever knocked to do it again. The slamming came again but on another door further down the row of rooms, followed by feet running past my door and the hushed giggles of children. 'Fucking kids', I thought to myself as I laid back down and pulled out my phone. 

The banging came again sending my phone flying into the air. It clattered to the ground somewhere but I didn't know where it landed as my attention shot back to the door. However, as I waited to hear the giggling and running again, a realization slowly pushed its way into my mind. My hands became clammy and my throat dried up, as I peeled my eyes away from my front door, and turned to look at my bathroom door. 'I had to have heard that wrong…Right?' I though to myself, my vision swimming a bit as I felt my fight or flight starting to take over. The logical thoughts were starting to be smothered by the fear that someone was possibly in my room. I didn’t trust my balance enough to pick up my feet, so instead I shuffled towards the bathroom door. I reached out, my small amount of logical thinking I had left berated me for my irrational fear. It told me that I was crazy. There was no way into this bathroom other than the door that was now right in front of me. But my illogical side told me that what I heard must have been true, and it was much, much louder than my logical side. 

My hand wrapped around the door knob. I could feel my muscles tensing as if trying to stop me from making any movements to turn it. My body seemed to know that whatever was on the other side was dangerous, it didn’t want me to open it. At this point, both the illogical and logical parts of my brain were in a harmonious cry to find out what was in the bathroom. One wanted to prove there was nothing to fear, and the other wanted to prove there was. 

My body and mind were in tug of war, as I began to force the knob to turn. I couldn't even get the door unlatched before I was sent diving backwards from a single, loud bang on from the other side. I had felt the handle shudder in my hand so there was no mistaking where the slam came from this time. The certainty of someone or something being behind all too thin slab of wood, silenced my thoughts. I just waited for it to burst into splinters as whatever was in the bathroom launched its attack. However, I was only met with silence.

All I could hear was the pounding of my heart and my heavy breathing. I hadn't noticed I had been backing up slowly until I bumped into the wall behind me. When I turned to glance back at the wall that caused the sudden jolt, all hell broke loose.

Pounding started at my front door again, much louder than before. My eyes darted to it, watching it quiver in its frame from every blow. I could hear the children's laughter again. It was so loud it starting to drown out the banging on the door. It sounded like they were standing in the room with me each holding a megaphone that they screamed and laughed into. Then the pounding slowly moved from the door to the left wall, then vibrated the wall behind me. It started to circle around my room getting faster and faster, louder and louder. The noise from the children seemed to grow as well. All I could do was tightly push my hands against my ears but even that did little to muffle the noise. I closed my eyes and tried to scream, but I couldn’t hear it over cacophony of sound.

Then suddenly, it stopped. Like someone had just pressed pause on a movie. All at once the sounds disappeared.

I must have curled up into a ball at some point, because when I finally dared to open my eyes, I was looking up at the now open bathroom door. It was empty just like the rest of the room. Nothing seemed out of place. I would have thought it was all in my head if it weren’t for the blood dripping from my ringing ears and my shredded vocal cords.

The rest of my sleepless night was spent sitting in the corner of the room. I didn’t even bother to wash the blood off my hands because I didn’t trust that bathroom anymore. The sun must have been up for a few hours before I finally trusted that I could open the front door without being attacked by demon children

Despite the night's events I was still desperate for a job and a place to stay, so the first thing I did was walk into that check-in office and hand Dale the form. I felt some pride when the first bit of emotion he showed me was surprise. His face quickly slipped back into its usual blank look as I handed him the form. He took it without even glancing at the bloody hand print I had left behind.

He dug around his drawer again after setting the paper down on his desk. pulling out another key. He handed it to me, “this is your employee key. It gives you access to everything you will need while working here. Don’t lose it. You will start after you get yourself cleaned up.”

I was able to negotiate getting another room which. eventually, Dale relented and handed me another key for Room 9. "I stay in Room 10. You can stay in Room 9. You should run into anything as...hostile as what is in Room 6." I sighed a bit in relief and left the check-in area with an ignored 'thank you.'

Room 9 has been much more mellow than what I experienced my first night at The Mitten Motel. Dale can be a big softy when you get to know him. He just hides it very...very deep down. He eventually explained to me that Room 6 acts as a hazing ritual or test for any new employees that come to work at the motel. Which after what I've experienced here isn't as cruel as I initially though. Like a lot of other things Dale does, I put it more in the realm of 'tough love.'

I have many more stories to tell about this place that I would love to share with the world. Maybe it will help me process my trauma a bit...let me know if you are interested in hearing more!

I do a little bit of everything as one of the two employees at The Mitten Motel. If a guest disappears from their room without a trace, I'm responsible for gathering their belongings and burning or burying them. If one of the doors locks and the shrieking of the damned can be heard on the other side, I'm the one who hangs up the 'Under repair' sign. The only other worker here is my boss Dale. He's a grizzled old man who looks old enough that I wouldn't be surprised if is name was right along side our Founding Fathers on the Declaration of Independence.

Frankly, I have no idea how this place stays in business or how people even find it. The motel sits in the dense forests in the northern part of the lower peninsula. Anyone driving past at any speed greater than 25mph would notice the dense tree line momentarily opens up to the parking lot before vanishing again. It is very much a blink and you miss it sort of turn.

I only happened to stumble onto the place after being kicked out of my parents house, which is a long story that I won't share now to keep this short. Anyway, I had been walking down a dirt road, my backpack full of what little possessions I had. The last car passed me hours ago. Their only response to my raised thumb was to flip me the bird, the even stuck it out the window as they passed to make sure I had received the message.

I was about to sit down to rest my shaky legs when I saw a break in the tree line further up the road. I was hoping it was a diner so I could fill my growling stomach. Instead I was met with a single level motel with ten rooms. The bright red doors clashed with the puke green paint that was peeling from the building’s brick exterior. A large window faced out towards the road and I noticed there were only two cars in the parking lot.

I staggered my way through the front door hoping to find a snack machine to spend my last bit of pocket change on. A bell hanging from the door frame rang as I entered the area marked as the check-in office. My soon to be supervisor, Dale, glanced up at me from behind a computer that came fresh out of the early 2000’s. The room was pretty much just a glass box, with each wall (except the one behind Dale) being made up of large window pane. The room smelled like someone had just poorly cleaned up a dead body, making the air heavy with the scent of chemicals and death. The smell alone made me forget about the hunger I was feeling.

I noticed there was a help wanted sign sitting right on the front desk. I looked to the two cars outside and thought this may not be a bad place to work until I have the money to be on my way again. It doesn't seem like they are that busy so it would be some easy cash. I hoped that they would even let me stay in one of the motel rooms while I worked here.

Dale's eyes slipped back to the screen in front of him as his gruff voice cut through the silence between us. “What do you want?”

I frowned a little at his tone and walked up to the desk, “I'm looking for a job” I gesture to the sign, "I see you are hiring-"

“No you don’t.” Dale cut me off and reaching up to turn the sign around as if I'd forget what it said. He didn't even bother to look up at me as he continued whatever he was doing. I tried to peek at his screen but I couldn’t get a good enough angle.

“Yes I do. I’ve worked in the service industry before–”

“No. You. Don’t.” Dale simply stated again. Even though the credentials that were about to spill from my lips were false, his rejection made me even more determined to get the job.

I leaned over the desk and closer to him, trying to burn a hole through his head with my eyes. “Okay, tell me how you know I don’t want the job.”

Dale’s eyes drifted to my face lazily. I tried to read his expression, as I’m sure he was trying to read mine. No matter how hard I tried, I couldn’t get a read on his emotions. He was like a blank canvas. The silence between us hung heavily on my mind, as if trying to suck more words from my mouth, more arguments, more urging, more pleading. But I bit my tongue and forced myself to continue the staring contest with Dale.

“Alright.” He let out a deep sigh. I could tell he wasn’t convinced, but I was willing to prove myself to him. He waved me over to the other side of the desk. I rounded the corner, just in time to see him minimize a paused game of Galaga. He pulled up an employee form and printed it out. A printer under his desk sprung to life as he pulled out a key from one of the drawers. “While you work here you can live in room number 6…” He dropped the key into my hand, “And this is the form you need to fill out for your employment.” He picked up the warm print and handed it to me. “If you can last the night and return this to me by morning, you’re hired.”

My heart almost burst with excitement as I looked at the key in my hand. This job is already shaping up to be everything I had hoped it would be.

When I finally registered his words I looked at him perplexed, “last the night? What do you mean?” Dale didn’t even smile back as he looked up at me. Again, silence hung between us before Dale turned back to his computer, his chair squeaking in protest. I stood there another minute in silence with him just staring at his screen before I realized he wouldn't answer my question.

I shuffled a bit awkwardly, “O…Okay, I-I’ll see you in the morning.” I chuckled, more to relieve nerves than anything else. Wordlessly, I turned and walked out of the door. Dale must have turned the volume on the computer back on, because under the tone of the door bell I heard the distinct sounds of Galaga.

The room itself wasn’t anything special. Like every motel it had two beds, a bathroom, a closet, and a tv sitting on top of a dresser. I didn’t have much besides the clothes on my back so that dresser wasn’t going to get used anytime soon. I was also pleasantly surprised not to find any bed bugs hiding anywhere.

The rest of the day was pretty mundane. I filled out the form Dale had given me and walked around, finally finding a vending machine where I got snacks to fill my belly. For the rest of the day I flicked through the channels to find my favorites, and mindlessly scrolled through my phone.

A while later I was ripped away from scrolling when loud bangs shook my door. I quickly sat up, nearly jumping out of my skin, my eyes flying to the door. I sat in silence waiting for whoever knocked to do it again. The slamming came again but on another door further down the row of rooms, followed by feet running past my door and the hushed giggles of children. 'Fucking kids', I thought to myself as I laid back down and pulled out my phone. 

The banging came again sending my phone flying into the air. It clattered to the ground somewhere but I didn't know where it landed as my attention shot back to the door. However, as I waited to hear the giggling and running again, a realization slowly pushed its way into my mind. My hands became clammy and my throat dried up, as I peeled my eyes away from my front door, and turned to look at my bathroom door. 'I had to have heard that wrong…Right?' I though to myself, my vision swimming a bit as I felt my fight or flight starting to take over. The logical thoughts were starting to be smothered by the fear that someone was possibly in my room. I didn’t trust my balance enough to pick up my feet, so instead I shuffled towards the bathroom door. I reached out, my small amount of logical thinking I had left berated me for my irrational fear. It told me that I was crazy. There was no way into this bathroom other than the door that was now right in front of me. But my illogical side told me that what I heard must have been true, and it was much, much louder than my logical side. 

My hand wrapped around the door knob. I could feel my muscles tensing as if trying to stop me from making any movements to turn it. My body seemed to know that whatever was on the other side was dangerous, it didn’t want me to open it. At this point, both the illogical and logical parts of my brain were in a harmonious cry to find out what was in the bathroom. One wanted to prove there was nothing to fear, and the other wanted to prove there was. 

My body and mind were in tug of war, as I began to force the knob to turn. I couldn't even get the door unlatched before I was sent diving backwards from a single, loud bang on from the other side. I had felt the handle shudder in my hand so there was no mistaking where the slam came from this time. The certainty of someone or something being behind all too thin slab of wood, silenced my thoughts. I just waited for it to burst into splinters as whatever was in the bathroom launched its attack. However, I was only met with silence.

All I could hear was the pounding of my heart and my heavy breathing. I hadn't noticed I had been backing up slowly until I bumped into the wall behind me. When I turned to glance back at the wall that caused the sudden jolt, all hell broke loose.

Pounding started at my front door again, much louder than before. My eyes darted to it, watching it quiver in its frame from every blow. I could hear the children's laughter again. It was so loud it starting to drown out the banging on the door. It sounded like they were standing in the room with me each holding a megaphone that they screamed and laughed into. Then the pounding slowly moved from the door to the left wall, then vibrated the wall behind me. It started to circle around my room getting faster and faster, louder and louder. The noise from the children seemed to grow as well. All I could do was tightly push my hands against my ears but even that did little to muffle the noise. I closed my eyes and tried to scream, but I couldn’t hear it over cacophony of sound.

Then suddenly, it stopped. Like someone had just pressed pause on a movie. All at once the sounds disappeared.

I must have curled up into a ball at some point, because when I finally dared to open my eyes, I was looking up at the now open bathroom door. It was empty just like the rest of the room. Nothing seemed out of place. I would have thought it was all in my head if it weren’t for the blood dripping from my ringing ears and my shredded vocal cords.

The rest of my sleepless night was spent sitting in the corner of the room. I didn’t even bother to wash the blood off my hands because I didn’t trust that bathroom anymore. The sun must have been up for a few hours before I finally trusted that I could open the front door without being attacked by demon children

Despite the night's events I was still desperate for a job and a place to stay, so the first thing I did was walk into that check-in office and hand Dale the form. I felt some pride when the first bit of emotion he showed me was surprise. His face quickly slipped back into its usual blank look as I handed him the form. He took it without even glancing at the bloody hand print I had left behind.

He dug around his drawer again after setting the paper down on his desk. pulling out another key. He handed it to me, “this is your employee key. It gives you access to everything you will need while working here. Don’t lose it. You will start after you get yourself cleaned up.”

I was able to negotiate getting another room which. eventually, Dale relented and handed me another key for Room 9. "I stay in Room 10. You can stay in Room 9. You should run into anything as...hostile as what is in Room 6." I sighed a bit in relief and left the check-in area with an ignored 'thank you.'

Room 9 has been much more mellow than what I experienced my first night at The Mitten Motel. Dale can be a big softy when you get to know him. He just hides it very...very deep down. He eventually explained to me that Room 6 acts as a hazing ritual or test for any new employees that come to work at the motel. Which after what I've experienced here isn't as cruel as I initially though. Like a lot of other things Dale does, I put it more in the realm of 'tough love.'

I have many more stories to tell about this place that I would love to share with the world. Maybe it helps me process my trauma a bit...let me know if you are interested in hearing more!