Jason Brooks

He'd never seen anything like it.

He paused when he reached the back of the car.

Was it a Mercedes?

It had the familiar symbol on the trunk, but something about it felt off.

It took a few minutes of staring for him to realize what was wrong.

Instead of three points, the star within the circle had four points, like it was a knockoff pretending to be the real thing.

He took a closer look at other cars in the parking lot and found more strange discrepancies, symbols that weren't quite right, doors that didn't look like they could open, even wheels that sounded hollow when he kicked them.

An eerie feeling crept over him, but he finally tore himself away, convinced he was just tired.

The lobby was quiet when he entered, and no one was at the front desk.

He stood at the counter, waiting.

The lights softly buzzed above him.

He stared at the pattern on the carpet until it seemed to be moving.

God, he needed sleep.

Where was the damn desk clerk?

A bang sounded from a door behind the desk area.

Jason straightened, but no one emerged.

He rang the bell on the counter, hitting it harder than necessary.

The ding rang out in the silence before being swallowed by it.

Hello?

I need a room, please.