HauntedHotel Entry 16 - Mary's Baby

Just thinking about that place caused goose bumps to rise all over her arms. Her life had changed as soon as she had stepped into room 101c.

Mama Ifeoma's abacha had been soooo goooood!! She'd missed meals like this, local meals that brought back sweet memories of her childhood in Onitsha, back when life was much simpler. She glanced over at her husband, his lips still red from his second helping of abacha, and smiled as she remembered the way he had wolfed the meal down.
I need to learn how to prepare it for him.
They were on their honeymoon, and had decided to travel around Nigeria, seeing the sights, lounging in hotels, trying different local dishes and making sweet sweet love.

They stepped out of the car and paid the driver, tipping graciously. The moon shined brightly in its full splendor, illuminating the beautiful hotel the walked into, the water from the fountain in front of it sparkling as it flowed from the mouth of the marble angel.
Hotel D'angeles... the sign screamed loudly on top of the building.
Checking in had been easy. The attendants had been more than helpful, perking up as soon as they heard that their newest guests were on their honeymoon. The receptionist handed Mary the keys to room 101, a sly look in her eyes as she did so.
"Have fun you guys" she said. As soon as Mary touched the keys, she felt a surge of electricity pass through her, very brief, yet very strong. She stood transfixed as she noticed a red 'c' appear on after the room number on the key. "Sweetheart, what's wrong" Joe asked her, a concerned look on his face. "Look at the key." Mary whispered. "What's wrong with it" Joe took the key from her. "It looks completely normal" He raised it up for her to see. The 'c' was gone!
"I can't believe this". She said. "I thought I saw a 'c' after the room number" The look on Joe's face quickly changed to one of complete amusement.
"Really?" he said, trying to hold back his laughter. "Aren't you a little too old to be believing in those stories. They belong on an episode of tales by moonlight" "Foolish man" she said, playfully hitting him with her elbow, feeling a bit relieved. "Better just laugh out loud o, you look like you want to burst". Yet she still felt a bit uneasy, as she thought back to the stories her grandma used to tell her.
Tales of a hotel room that appeared at random, all over the country. Always the same number. 101c. Tales of unimaginable things happening to the occupants of the room. As she'd grown older, she'd dismissed those stories for exactly what they were, tales by moonlight, as Joe had so eloquently put it.
Yet she still felt uneasy.

The room was magnificent!! Bigger than they'd expected. The moon shone directly on the king sized bed, almost as if it knew that would be their centre stage for the night. And what a wonderful night it'd be. Joe was always so gentle with her, patient, always allowing her reach her peak before following suit.
She smiled as she looked around. There were a weird picture on the wall. It was a painting of an angel with its wings on fire, carrying an infant whose face was unseen, while unfathomable creates writhed at its feet. The more she stared at it, the more she imagined it looking back at her. That feeling of unease started to crawl back into her mind, slowly rising to her throat. She almost let out a small scream when she felt wet lips touch her neck, stifling it as soon as she realized those lips belonged to Joe. He turned her around and pulled her to the bed.

Mary woke up with a start. Her whole body was drenched in sweat, even though the air conditioner was on full blast. Joe snored lightly beside her, deep in sleep, his face looking so peaceful in the moonlight, which still shone brightly into the room.
He looks like himself again, she thought.
She could still feel the soreness in between her thighs.
The sex had been wild! Joe had taken her with a ferocity that she'd never seen in him before. What they had done couldn't be described as love making. They had ravaged each other like wild beasts, his hands wrapped around her neck as he pounded away at her, her nails leaving trails all over his back. She'd never felt so much pleasure! She remembered biting his chest hard as she tried to stop herself from screaming.
She looked at Joe again. Now his face looked so peaceful, so innocent. She couldn't believe he was the same person that had been deep inside her a few hours ago, his eyes darkened with lust, and something else, something primal.
It's almost as if he had been possessed, she thought.
She turned to look at the picture on the wall again. The angel with the fiery wings stared right back at her, and this time she noticed a smile on it's face.
And she knew.
Knew that her grandma's stories were not 'tales by moonlight', like Joe liked to call them.
Knew that Joe might have been the one inside her a few hours ago, but that he'd just been a vessel, a conduit for something, someone unspeakable.
Knew that she'd been chosen, just like the stories said. Chosen to bring forth a seed, which she instinctively knew had been planted in her, into this world.
She looked at the picture, at the infant cradled in the arms of the creature.
She could already feel it growing inside her.
The product of this unholy matrimony.
It's baby.
She felt the unease leave her mind, as an eerie calmness replaced it.
Not it's baby. Their baby.

Outside, the door of their room said '101c', the 'c' shining a bright red in the darkness.

• Written by Arinze Ikemefuna