46 - The Longest Hour

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by / 06 Aug 2016

He ran swiftly with all his might. Taking a glance at his left arm, he increased his pace and turned right. There it stood before him, his objective – the magnificent Grand Prime Hotel, dubbed the ‘Hotel of Lights’ because of its countless light fittings; making it look like sparkling bubbles in a champagne flute. With a reduced pace and a panting heart he walked through the gates and approached the receptionist. ‘I have a mail here’, he motioned with the white parcel he held. She smiled and nodded, handing him a room keycard. He rushed the energy drink on the table and gulped it down as he stepped into the room. He sat down watching the wall clock. He perceived an awful scent and felt choked instantly. He was gasping for air with eyes wide open. He struggled to the fridge and opened a bottle of water to drink from it. Segun was feeling air inside his brain. He tore his shirt buttons out of despair and shouted out loud. Entering the bathroom he turned the shower on and placed his head underneath. He slipped breaking his left wrist. Now facing two dilemmas in one scenario, he rushed out of the bathroom and headed for the main exit. He saw a different view. The windows have been surrounded by tall trees. He ran and banged continuously on the door, shouting louder than ever and gasping for air. As he stopped banging on the doors, the noise repeated including the wailings he made previously. His eyes glanced coincidentally at the keycard and he saw the number ROOM 101c. At that moment, stories of Room 101c became fresh in his thoughts. He increased his strength and banged harder than ever on the doors and the noise repeated itself. At that moment, birds ravenous in nature flew in through the window and began tearing his flesh apart. With the pain and suffocation surrounding him, Segun couldn’t bear it anymore. He just woke up from sleep. It was a nightmare. His heart was still shaky. The time was 10:05 p.m. It was barely 5 minutes ago when he lay down tirelessly. With a heavy sigh of relief he walked to the fridge and drank a bottle of water. Entering the bathroom to rinse his face, one of the birds in his dream landed on the window and made a loud wild noise inviting three more birds. The dark curtain fell and you could hear Segun screaming out loud once again behind the curtain. The night just began. Is this another dream? I only wished it could be.