REGENT
The Arrival
Tegan looked at her watch. In a couple of hours, it would be nightfall. She had been driving since dawn and had only stopped for a break a couple of times.
An open road map lay on the passenger seat beside her. She pulled her 4WD over to the side of the road and looked at the little photo frame that swung side to side from the mirror.
A happy five-year-old boy beamed back at her. “Mummy will find you baby”. Tegan’s stomached churned, as she remembered the last time that she had held her little boy. She had kissed his little forehead and lovingly ran her fingers through his ruffled dark hair. “Now you be good for Daddy and Nanny. I will see you in a few days”. James had given her a huge grin and had replied, “ I love you mummy”. Tegan couldn’t have guessed that this would be the last time she would ever see James and her husband Drew, walk hand in hand through the front door of their house.
That was six months ago. They had never made it to Drew’s mothers house and their car was found abandoned in bushland, near where Tegan was now parked.
Tegan looked out the window. It was the middle of summer. Inside her 4WD, it was cool, but outside the heat radiated from the dirt road.
She switched off the ignition, turning off the air conditioner. Opening the door, her boot hit the dirt. Dust covered her shoes as she got out of the car and stood beside it, taking in the scenery and everything around her.
Swooping her long dark hair, up into a ponytail, she wiped the perspiration from the back of her neck.
Searing heat hit her hard, as she could feel the late afternoon sun bearing down upon her already tanned skin.
She adjusted her black Singlet and straightened out her khaki shorts. It was good to get out and to stretch the legs, even if the heat was over whelming.
For a moment, she just stood in one spot, scanning the surrounding bushland. Six months before now, there had been a full-scale search. There were no clues. The car had a flat tyre and the car wouldn’t start at all. All of James and Drew’s belongings were still in the car. Except for Drew’s wallet. He would have had that on him.
The police had come to the conclusion that the father and son had not met with any foul play. Maybe they had walked to get help and simply got lost.
Tegan knew that the police were wrong. Drew knew how to change a tyre and he knew how to fix a car. Why would he lead James and himself deep into the bush, when he would have stuck to the road?
She took a few steps and kept looking around. Deep down, she knew that Drew had met with foul play. She just had to accept that, but deep down she also knew that her little man was still alive. One day she would hold him again, the mother had faith.
Her husband and her house entered her thoughts. After a few months of getting no answer from the police, Tegan had put the house up for sale and now all that she had was this car and some money in the bank.
It broke her heart to know that a happy family now lived in her house. That a child was now sleeping in James’ room. But recovering her son and by some miracle, her husband as well, was worth giving everything up for.
Snapping out of her thoughts, Tegan realised that she had walked quite a distance from her car. No new thoughts had entered Tegan’s mind about the disappearance, but as she turned to leave, something had caught her attention.
Stepping from the roadside had she uncovered an old sign saying ‘Regent’. Leading through the bush was a narrow, overgrown road.
Tegan left the sign and made her way back to the car. Sitting in the drivers seat with the door open, she grabbed the map and scanned it carefully. “Regent. Where are you?” The name Regent was nowhere. Scanning over the map once again, she had come to the conclusion that maybe Regent was either an old town that wasn’t worthy of being acknowledged on the map, or it was an old deserted town.
She looked at the picture of James hanging from her mirror and then she spun it around to look at the photo of Drew on the other side. “Couldn’t hurt. I can always turn around and come back,” Tegan told herself. She pulled her leg in and shut the door.
Slowly, she drove to the narrow opening that lead into the dense bushland. Bushes and sticks scratched up against her new car as she cautiously made her way through. This didn’t bother her, as she had purchased the vehicle for the sole purpose of locating her loved ones.
As the road became even more overgrown, Tegan wondered if it was a good idea to follow this road. It was too late now to turn around. The road was too narrow and the shrub on either side was too dense.
The mother began to worry that she was going to get stuck, but without any warning the bushland ended. And before her was a well maintained dirt road that ran horizontally and shops over the road. She sat there for a moment and took in all that she saw.
There was no comparison between the dull green and brown of the bush and the perfect manicured grass that ran along both sides of the road.
She glanced at her watch and knew that there was no time left to waste. The sun was nearly down and she needed to find a place to stay for the night. Pulling away from the bush, she turned left and then right. No shops were open. There was an old fashioned diner, but nobody was in side except a waitress. She took a few turns, unaware of where she was heading.
What a lovely town. It was only small, but it was beautiful. All of the buildings were 1960’s design. Some a little before and the gardens that lined the tiny main street were perfectly kept.
A pub stood on the corner and Tegan could see that there were a few patrons inside.
Taking another few turns, she came across an old motel. She found the car park entrance and parked near several other cars.
Huge trees surrounded the motel. Tegan marvelled at its old world beauty as she followed the path around to the entrance. Regency Motel’ stood above the double glass door. As she entered, she was in awe of the high ceilings in the foyer and the chandelier that hung from it.
The floorboards were polished and shiny and a maroon carpet lead the way to the service desk. Dark maroon velvet drapes covered the tall windows and off to the right, antique chairs and a coffee table adorned the waiting area.
“May I help you dear?” An elderly lady appeared behind the desk. Tegan was lost for words. Surely this place would be out of her price range. Maybe the elderly lady could point her in the direction of a cheap bed and breakfast.
Tegan cautiously walked up to the desk. The old lady was plump and had a grandma quality about her. She wore a cream short-sleeved blouse with a lace collar. Her hair was short and curly and reminded Tegan of her own grandmother, from when she was a little girl. Her face was round and appeared soft, with many lines etched into her skin. She smelt like lavender.
“I was after a room for a couple of days” Before the young woman could speak any further; the elderly woman smiled and opened a large book. She turned and grabbed an old fashioned key off a large key rack on the wall. A little brass tag had the number 14 on it and it dangled from the key as it was placed on the counter.
The lady picked up a pen and began to write. “Name?” Tegan didn’t get much of a chance to ask about alternative accommodation. “Tegan Walsh”. She wrote it in the book and then looked up at the attractive woman. “Guests pay by the day. Continental breakfasts are included in the price of the room and we have a great dinner menu that I prepare myself. Of course that is extra.” Tegan placed her handbag up on the counter, not knowing what to expect, price wise.
“Now that will be $90 dear” Tegan was both surprised and relieved. She had stayed at basic motels for dearer than this and no motel she had ever been in had looked as classic and beautiful as this.
Opening her purse, she handed the cash over to the elderly lady who handed Tegan the key and a dinner menu. “Fill it out now dear and I will bring your dinner up to you. The rooms run from number one to ten down stairs and from room eleven to twenty upstairs. Go up and keep walking until you reach the end of the hallway. Turn left. 14 is the last room on the left. Oh, my name is Betty.”
Betty turned and disappeared through a light curtain behind the reception desk that led to her tiny living quarters. Tegan left her menu on the counter and picked up the key to her room. She followed the path back out to the car park and collected her large bag from her 4WD and went back inside the Regency.
Tegan climbed the beautiful old stairs and admiringly ran her hand up the decorative, polished banister. Old portraits in antique frames, lined the wall of the staircase. Goosebumps covered her arms as she looked at the cold expressions of the faces in the pictures.
Reaching the top of the stairs, she followed the maroon hallway runner to the end. The floorboards creaked underfoot as she turned to the left. She could hear the noises of the other guests in their rooms. A radio played too loud. A baby cried as its mother tried to soothe her. Two lovers argued in muffled tones and two kids laughed out loud, as they jumped up and down on a bed.
Number 14. She put the key in the lock and it turned with ease. Standing in awe, the room was much larger than she had anticipated. It was much bigger than any other room she had ever rented. A queen size solid wood bed with a canopy was the first thing that she noticed.
Placing her bags on the floor, she slowly walked over and touched the royal blue drapes on the bed. The quilt was deep red and the pillows were brocaded in gold.
The bed beckoned her to lie down. As she did so, she wondered if she was dreaming. Never before had she experienced such luxury. Swinging her legs over the side of bed, she sat up, realising that she hadn’t explored the wrest of the room.
An antique dressing table stood against the wall across from the bed. She looked at her reflection in the large, oval mirror and realised how tired and drawn she appeared.
A small glass top table stood in the middle of the room. The glass contained small roses etched into it and two antique, velvet chairs stood on either side of the table. Perfect for two. Tegan felt a little sad. Drew should be here, sharing with her, the magnificence of this room.
She walked over to inspect the wardrobe, two white robes hung inside. Taking one out, she moved across the room to the ensuite. The bathroom wasn’t big, but there was a claw bath, a shower and a toilet. The fixtures were all brass and the rest was perfectly white.
Tegan woke up and looked around the room. It was the best nights wrest she’d had in months. A soft stream of sunlight flooded through a slim gap in the heavy curtains.
A tray with last night’s dinner remained on the little table. She had eaten the whole meal that Betty had prepared. It had been a long time, since she had eaten a meal like her mother used to prepare.
Then she had slept. On her comfortable bed and full tummy. It was the first time in months that Tegan hadn’t thought of her two loved ones, before closing her eyes. So relaxed. She stretched herself out over the bed and took a deep breath. Her head rolled to the left.
Silence. Goosebumps. A shadow shot across her eyes. Tegan hurriedly sat up, her heart racing and skin cold. Nothing was here. She was all alone, but she felt that something was watching her.
Every hair on her body stood up as her feet hit the floor. Hand trembling, she nudged the already half open bathroom door and cautiously looked around.
Its eyes peered out. Out from under the canopy bed. The gold valance concealed it from Tegan. It knew that she could sense it. It had watched her as she slept. Crawling onto the bed as she slept, so close that it could feel her breath on it’s cheek.
Tegan turned and froze as she noticed the valance on the bed moving. Beads of sweat rolled down from her underarms. Her hands trembled and her knees weakened. She came a little closer to the bed and got down on all fours. Reaching out, she gently took the edge of the valance between two fingers.
It sniffed her scent and as she felt the tickle on her finger, she whipped the valance up. Taking a deep breath for courage, she discovered that there was nothing under the bed.
Smiling to herself, she climbed to her feet, in time to be greeted from the other side of the door by Betty.
Betty tapped on the door. “Tegan honey, breakfast”. Tegan moved toward the door, the feeling of panic and fear subsided a little as she felt relieved that someone was on the other side of the door.
Tegan unlatched the door and opened it for the elderly lady to bring in the tray. A look of concern washed over Betty’s face. “Why what’s wrong dear? You look like you’ve seen a ghost”. She waited for a reply as she bought in the breakfast tray. “No. I’m fine. Just feeling a little out of sorts” Tegan wasn’t quite sure of what to say. She wasn’t quite sure of what she had seen or heard, before Betty knocked on her door.
“Well, sit down and enjoy your breakfast. You can’t start the day with an empty belly” Betty was as cheery now, as she had been the night before. She sat the breakfast tray on the bed and picked up the dinner tray from the night before.
Betty gave a slight nod, as she passed the young woman and made for the door. Tegan gently closed the door behind the elderly woman and locked the door. It was surprisingly cool in her room, considering it was summer.
She went to the cupboard and pulled out a white dressing gown, appreciated its warmth. Sliding the curtains open, she was stunned by the brightness of the morning sun. She glanced down and took notice of the beautifully kept lawn and hedges that stretched out below. The trees acted like a canopy to the ground below.
Looking up, she noticed a few clouds looming overhead. Tegan turned and sat on her bed and began to enjoy her breakfast.
Too Tired
The late afternoon sun streamed in through the open curtains. The sun had warmed the room in which Tegan rented. She opened her eyes. Her breakfast tray still wrested beside her on the bed. Her skin felt muggy beneath the robe and her arm was numb from where she wrested her head. Her head ached a little and she felt drowsy, still. She stood to her feet, confused at why she had fallen asleep. Perhaps it was time to catch up on missed sleep from the past months.
“Well at least the day is still young” Tegan walked over to the dressing table and grabbed her watch. 4:45pm. “That can’t be right”. She walked over to where her smallest bag was and rummaged through. She found her little battery-operated clock. 4:46pm.
Tegan ran to the window and peered out. It was late afternoon. She had been asleep nearly all day. How could this be? She’d sat on her bed, to eat breakfast and had fallen asleep without any warning.
Climbing down the staircase of the old motel, she hurriedly shoved a photo of her son and husband into the pocket of her shorts. She hastily pulled her hair up into a ponytail, as she passed the service desk. “In a hurry dear?” Betty stood behind the desk, as she placed the 60’s styled phone back on the receiver. Tegan slowed and turned to see the kindly old lady smiling at her. Tegan made a point to be polite, even though she knew that her time was precious.
“I slept so long. I didn’t realise it was so late”. Before Betty could speak again, Tegan turned and fled the motel.
As the night began to roll in, Tegan approached Regent’s public hospital. Other than a diner and a corner pub, the town was still and quiet. A few elderly ate in the diner and drank in the pub. But Tegan wondered where the families were, where the teenagers and animals were. She drove past many houses and wondered what the people inside were doing. Maybe families were having their dinners and talking about their day. Maybe elderly couples were sitting by each other, the wife knitting and the husband enjoying a newspaper or perhaps a good book.
It seemed like a lifetime ago, that Tegan drew and their son sat and ate a meal together. On a night like this, they would have eaten dinner and taken the dog for a walk.
Tegan had to cut the memories short and again face reality. Now she ate alone and every now and then when she took a walk, it was also alone. Things were different now and they would never go back to what they were before. Drew was dead. She already knew that. If Drew were alive he would have moved heaven and earth to be with her now. They would all be together at this moment.
But James was still alive. Her instincts told her this and she could never give up her search until he was safe, once again in her arms.
She tuned into the small, hospital car park and parked in the visitor’s lot. Goosebumps covered her arms as she got out of the car and locked it. There were no sounds and nobody else around other cars around. No lights paved the way to any entrance to the hospital. No sounds. Off in the distance, bushes rustled. The feeling of fear began to well up inside of her. Tegan turned and made her way toward the hospital.
It watched her, from the bushes with it’s glazed over dead eyes. It watched as the paranoid woman repeatedly turned and checked behind her. She knew she was being watched, she just didn’t know exactly who or what was watching.
Tegan made her way through the back entrance of the hospital. Lights lit the place up, like any other hospital but there was not a soul in sight.
She approached a large sign and read it. She was right near the maternity section, and then came the paediatrics and intensive care.
The sound of heals clicking on the linoleum floor, drew Tegan’s attention from the large sign. Click clack click clack. Echoed as Tegan stepped out into the hallway. A white figure drew closer and closer until Tegan could see that it was a nurse.
The nurse did nothing to acknowledge her presence. She was tall, with a blonde beehive hairstyle. A little white hat sat on top. Her dress was fitted and it outlined her slim figure. The hem sat above her knee and her lips were crimson.
Just as the nurse drew closer to where Tegan stood, she turned her head and looked into the mothers’ eyes. Goosebumps covered her skin, as the nurse’ glare gave her an icy chill that ran up her spine. A scent wafted past that caught Tegan’s breath. It smelt of incense, the type that was used in funeral homes and funeral services. Tegan often thought of this smell as the death scent.
The nurse walked past and continued until she walked through the swinging doors of the maternity ward.
The nurse that had crossed Tegan’s path was nowhere to be seen, as she pushed her way through the doors of the ward. Silence was overwhelming. There were no nurses at the nurse station.
A piercing scream echoed through her ears as she recognised the scream as the pain of childbirth. Tegan peered in at the birthing rooms as she drew closer to where the screaming came from. The rooms were all empty, except for the room on the end.
Her son and husband exited her thoughts, as curiosity got the better of her. Tegan’s shoes made no noise on the linoleum floor as she crept up. A woman on a birthing table wept as she held her arms out. A midwife held a bundle in her arms. Tegan couldn’t see what it was exactly.
“Please. Let me hold my baby”. The nurse that had crossed her in the hall came from the birthing room and obstructed her view. “How can I help you?” The nurse said in a cold manner as she discreetly shut the door to the room. Goosebumps covered Tegan’s arms and that smell was still around. Now she stood, face to face with the nurse in the darkened hallway.
She put her hand in her pocket and fumbled for her son’s photo. “I’m looking for my son and husband” The nurse wasn’t interested in the photo. “I don’t deal with children”. Tegan was taken back by the woman’s abrupt manner. She wondered what the harm was for her to look at a photo. “Take it to the front desk at the entrance. They will let you look in emergency and paediatrics”. The nurse turned to let herself back into the birthing room without another word.
She stopped, as Tegan spoke again, not willing to let the nurse escape so easy. “You don’t understand. They went missing six months ago. It’s possible they could have passed through here” The nurse was rude in manner this time. “Like I said. Take it down the front” She shielded Tegan from the scene inside the room, as she entered and closed the door in the outsiders face.
Tegan sat in her 4WD, in deep thought. Her car key tingled in her hands. “They were here, I can feel it” She sat for a few more minutes before turning on the engine.
She finished her meal in the diner and then headed back to the car. There were only two other people in there and they were elderly, sipping tea. Tegan had felt uncomfortable inside the diner. The woman behind the counter wasn’t friendly. She wasn’t rude either, but the mother got the impression that she wasn’t entirely welcome either.
As she had eaten her meal, the old couple had watched her. But when Tegan passed glances at them, they simply looked away and continued to sip their tea. Both the woman behind the counter and the waitress only quickly scanned the photos Tegan knew that the brief scan meant that they had not taken in any details of the faces she had showed them.
Her 4WD was parked down near the pub. Elderly patrons sat in there, quietly drinking their beers and chatting between themselves. Even the bar tender was elderly.
She looked down, as she pulled her keys from the pocket of her shorts. As she glanced back up and into the window of the pub, she saw him. He sat side on, sipping a beer. His brown hair neatly cut and his face clean-shaven.
He wore a style of shirt that Drew would never have worn and he sat differently. But her heart skipped a beat, as she ran and pushed her way through the door. She looked at the spot where she had seen Drew sitting. A half empty beer mug sat, but no man. Tegan once again held the photo as she rushed over to the bar tender.
“Where is the man that was sitting there?” She asked as she pointed to the spot where drew had sat. “What man darlin?” The bar tender treated her urgency as if it didn’t matter. “The man that sat there at that table. Brown hair, button up shirt” She held her breath as she waited for his reply. “You mean Sid. He always sits there. Always has. But I’m afraid he lost his brown hair long ago” He leaned in toward Tegan as he said this. “Here he is now”
An elderly man came from the men’s room and sat in the seat. His hair was short and grey and he wore a short-sleeved polo shirt. The man picked up the Beveridge and continued to sip.
“No. No! That’s not him” Tegan raised the photo and pointed to Drew. “I saw him. This is my husband and he was sitting right over there”. The bar tender was becoming a little annoyed at the woman’s sudden assertiveness. “Now you look at this photo and tell me that you have never seen them before”.
He quickly scanned the photo and turned to place a bottle on a shelf. She raised her voice, so that he had to turn and face her again. “What’s wrong with you people? No one will look at this picture, let alone help me. This is my husband and I saw him sitting right there” The man took the photo and looked at it.
“You say that this is your husband and he was sitting right there?” Tegan nodded. “That’s Sid Callahan. He’s been here since this afternoon. He sits in that chair every time. Lady, I don’t know your husband”.
Tegan snatched the photo from his hands. “I know what I saw”. She turned and stormed out of the pub and found herself, once again sitting in the quiet of her car.
It hid on the floor in the back. It’s dull, grey eyes piercing her as she let the tears fall.
Betty placed the tray on the little table and drew a chair beside Tegan. She could tell that the woman was upset. She cupped her aging hands over the young woman’s hands. “What’s wrong honey?” The gentle voice allowed Tegan to relax a little. She held out the photo for Betty to take. “No one will help me. All I want is somebody to look at this photo of my husband and son and tell me if they have seen them or not”. A nearby lamp illuminated the hotel room. Betty stirred the cup of tea as she took it from the tray and sat it in front of her room guest. “Relax and have some tea dear”
Betty spoke as she took the photo from Tegan and studied it. “I’m sorry dear but I have never seen them. This is a small town and we would have known if two outsiders had passed through”. Tegan relaxed as she sipped the tea.
Her legs became heavy and so did her arms. “I’m sorry Betty, but I think I need to sleep now”. Tegan went to stand, to make her way to the bed, but Betty grabbed her arm and assisted her.
Covering her over, Betty silently left the room so Tegan could wrest.
Breathless. Winded by a blow to the sternum. Darkness. Gasping for breath, but the cotton sack made it difficult. Lots of hands roughly grabbed at her but no words were exchanged. The string that was placed around her neck to keep the sack on made it impossible to scream.
Tears streamed her face as fear took over. Her wrists were bound together with wire, as were her ankles. The wire that bound them, was so tight, it bit deep into her flesh with the tiniest movement.
Strange chanting came from outside the hotel and the smell of incense carried in the atmosphere. Like a pig being carried to a spit, she was raised from the bed and swung from side to side as she was carried from the room. “Don’t eat the food”. Was whispered in her ear.
She woke in fright. Recalling every terrifying moment of her dream. The room was still dark. In an hour, the sun would begin to rise.
Her head was still cloudy and she felt unusually drowsy. As her eyes focused, a face stared back. They were dead grey eyes with a hint of pale blue. Skin so white, with a blue marble effect and putrid sores.
It pointed to the door. Tegan leapt up with fear, only to be faced with an empty room.
Stumbling for the lamp, she turned it on and made an attempt to focus. A headache was coming on and the light from the lamp made things worse. She wasn’t sure what had just occurred. But she didn’t feel well.
Trying to steady her steps, Tegan slowly worked her way to the door. She knew that if she could make her way to reception, Betty would take her to the hospital.
The door creaked as Tegan cautiously opened it. The hallway appeared to stretch on endlessly as she contemplated the journey.
Her fingertips steadied and guided her as she ran them along the hallway wall. She was thankful that the lights on the wall were dim. Slowly, her mind cleared a little more and her steps steadied. She took her hand from the hallway wall.
A moment ago, the hotel was silent, but as Tegan passed the rooms, similar noises greeted her as they had the night she’d arrived.
A mother soothed her crying baby. Two children jumped up and down on their beds and then there were the two lovers, having a disagreement.
Looking ahead, she saw the silhouette of a child. The darkness of the hallway hid most of the child and what little light there was, accentuated his skeletal frame. He had the height of a six year old.
Tegan stopped in her tracks. Her heart rapidly pounded in her chest, but she knew this skeletal child wouldn’t hurt her.
The skeletal frame sat down, with his knees up, resembling the sitting position of a frog. Reaching his thin arm out, he pointed toward the staircase.
She blinked and then he was gone. Tegan picked up her pace and raced to the end of the hall, where the figure had crouched and looked down from the top of the stairs.
It seemed strange to Tegan that the whole time she had been staying at Regency, she had never actually seen nay other of the guests, nor had she heard or seen any doors opening or closing.
Tegan looked around, wondering what it was that the child was pointing at. After she had descended the top three steps, she found her attention being taken by the old portraits that hung along the wall.
Old faces stared back, creating a creepy atmosphere. She stopped at a portrait of a woman. The photograph was oval and sepia tone.
A cold hard face glared down at Tegan. She wore a dark dress, with a high neck. Her fair hair was pulled back from her face into a tight bun. She sat up straight with great poise, but there was harshness in her gaze. Her thin lips were in a tight line. Tegan thought that the lady in the portrait could have been beautiful, if not for her harsh gaze.
Tegan felt as if someone had run an ice cube up her spine. A chill passed through her, as she realised that the woman in the photo, somehow was familiar.
She took her attention from the portrait and descended a few more steps. The air left her lungs, as she gazed upon a black and white portrait of twins, a boy and a girl. Both fair hair and light coloured eyes. As she looked into the face of the little boy, she recognised him as the skeletal frame that she had seen when she woke this morning and just before, in the hallway. Disbelief washed over her, as she felt that her heart was going to stop beating.
In the foyer, the telephone rang and Betty answered it. Tegan silently crept to the bottom of the stairs, keeping out of sight of the reception desk.
“She is in her room”. Betty’s words grabbed Tegan’s attention immediately. “No. She will stay another night. I will make sure of that”. The young woman began to panic, as she realised it was her, Betty was talking about.
A scent of incense overcame her, as she turned to climb the stairs. She had smelt that scent before, wafting through the air. Looking up, the skeletal frame stood there, pointing in the direction of her room. Adrenalin took over as she ran up the stairs to her room.
She knew she had to leave; there was something wrong about this town.
Escaping Regent
She had made sure that her room door was locked and then she began to throw her belongings back into her case.
The temperature had dropped as Tegan heard the rain pelt down upon the roof. It was a nice break in the hot weather. She threw on a light long sleeve jacket as she zipped up her bag.
Her lips were dry and she felt dehydrated. Reaching for the jug of water beside her bed, she drank until her lips were full and moist and the hunger pains in her stomach temporarily subsided. With her handbag over her shoulder, she grabbed her belongings and made her way down the hall.
The same sounds. A baby was crying, a couple were arguing and two children were jumping on their beds.
Tegan sped up her pace. Confused. “What is going on here? I have to get out of here”. Her feet carried her quickly down the hall, stumbling a little, but making it to the stairs.
Carefully, but quickly she moved down the stairs. She hurried across the foyer floor. Betty came rushing from behind the desk. “Are you leaving dear?” Tegan kept moving and avoided eye contact. “Yes” She pulled out some money and gave it to the elderly woman. Tegan’s eyes felt heavy. That tired feeling was creeping up again. She stopped for a moment and thought. The water! “I was fine again until I drank the water” Mumbled Tegan.
“Pardon me, dear?” Tegan spoke louder this time, as she looked at Betty. “The meals you had made for me. The breakfast, you have been drugging me”. Betty was shocked at this accusation. “I don’t understand what you mean”. Betty tried to guide the young woman toward her living quarters behind the service desk.
“Now lets sit and I’ll make you a cup of tea. We can talk about this” Tegan threw her hand away. “I am leaving. This place is wrong. Where are the other guests? And the house maids?” Her vision began to blur a little.
Betty’s face went from soft and grandma like, to hard and icy. Her posture changed and she made Tegan realise that it was Betty in the portrait near the stairs.
Without another word, Tegan pushed open the front doors of the hotel and ran down the path. Her vision came in and out as she ran to her car. Sitting behind the wheel, she locked the doors and got herself together. It was then that she realised the very few cars that were in the lot hadn’t moved since she had arrived.
Carelessly, she pulled out of the lot, her vision blurring again and then going back to normal.
She cruised down the little street, away from the hotel. Tegan noticed middle-aged people on the street, watching her, standing in the rain. The cold rain didn’t seem to bother them.
Her vision blurred again and her eyelids became heavy. Tegan struggled to keep them open as her arms and legs felt like weights.
Accelerating, in a desperate bid to escape Regent, she realised that she couldn’t fight the fatigue any longer.
Losing grip on the steering wheel, her head dropped to the side. She could feel the 4WD veering off to the left, but remained helpless. A deafening bang erupted as the car came to a halt.
A blinding headache greeted Tegan as she opened her eyes. At first everything was blurry. She immediately wanted to just close her eyes and go back to sleep, but she couldn’t.
Her legs were cold and bare and as her eyes adjusted she realised that she was staring at a white ceiling. She was lying down. Looking around, she realised that she was in a hospital ward. There were other beds, but they were vacant and stripped of their linen. She was in here alone.
It was now nighttime and the only source of light was a fluorescent light on up the end of the ward.
Rain pelted the window as Tegan noticed that the only sound in the hospital was that of the rain outside.
She lifted her hand to push herself off the bed, but something had stopped her. Her arms were restrained. Goosebumps covered her skin as she lay there in a short hospital gown. Tegan turned her head to the other side and saw that her lower arm was in a plaster cast.
He appeared beside her, scaring her. Her eyes looking straight into the dead eyes that were his. His skeletal appearance still shocked her.
“Pretend you’re asleep” The click clack of stilettos approached the ward. She blinked and he was gone.
The doors of the ward flew open as Betty and a nurse walked in. It was the same young nurse that Tegan had encountered when she had first arrived in Regent. That incense aroma was so strong this time that it took all of Tegan’s will, to lay there still and not gag.
“It’s important that we move her before she wakes”. Betty stood over the young woman. The nurse replied; “It doesn’t matter if she wakes. She won’t go anywhere. Harold will be here in an hour to take her to the psych ward”.
Tegan remained unresponsive as the nurse touched her face with her icy cold fingers. She roughly turned Tegan’s head to the other side as she visually examined the cut on the side of her head.
“Will it take long for her to heal? When I take shape, I don’t want any broken bones or cuts”. The nurse took a few moments to answer. “The cut on her head won’t take long, but the arm will take a little time” She continued as she looked at the elderly lady. “We can keep her in the hospital until you need her…for a price”.
She took her icy fingers from Tegan’s face. “Money is not a problem”. Betty replied. Tegan listened, as the doors to the ward swung open and she couldn’t hear their voices or the click clack of their shoes.
Immediately, she began to resist against the restraints. Blood smeared the restraints as they rubbed the skin from her wrists. Her broken arm ached, but she persisted.
Panic took over, as she knew that she had to escape. The restraints loosened. He stood beside her again. The little boy gently loosened on of the straps, with his bony fingers. He disappeared just as he had before, when Tegan had one hand free.
She loosened her other hand and threw herself off the bed.
Her bare feet landed on the cold linoleum floor. She looked around for an exit. There were doors at either end of the ward. She could just run through one of those doors and hope that she wouldn’t be seen, or she could exit through the window.
Tegan ran over, confident that she wouldn’t be heard over the pounding rain. She knew they would be back in an hour to mover her, so she had until then to get out of town. When they realise that she has escaped, all eyes will be watching out for her.
She slid the window latch across and applied pressure on the window frame, but nothing happened. Her heart skipped a beat at the thought of having to make her exit through the hospital.
Taking notice of the window frame, it came to Tegan’s attention that there were no nails fixing the frame shut, or anything else. It simply had not been opened in a long period of time.
With one hard push, the frame ,made a cracking sound and it lifted. Knocking the screen out, she poked out her head and saw that it was at least an eight-foot drop to the ground. Without hesitation, she lifted her body and threw herself out.
Landing on her broken arm, she cried out in pain, until she realised that she was free to run. Even though there was a plaster cast to protect her arm, the pain was still there.
Already, she was saturated from the rain. Looking over towards a group of large trees that hung almost to the ground, she saw the little boy that had helped her to free herself.
Running over, little stones and twigs pierced the soles of her feet. But it didn’t slow her down. The boy was still there, as Tegan stood freezing under the low canopy of the trees. At least she was sheltered from the rain. The smell of incense still clung to the inside of her nose, making her nauseous. This time, the scent emanated from within the hospital.
“You must go back to the hotel” The freezing woman was taken back by the boy’s words. “I can’t. I must leave here. In less than an hour, they will realise that I’m gone. They’ll come looking”.
The skeletal boy understood her concerns. “Yes they will. But how far do you think you’ll get with no car and no clothes? You’re not the first to try and escape. You have to go back to the hotel. There’s something you must see” Tegan was frightened. Her instinct was to flee. She needed to get out of this town, with or without the use of a car..
He geld out a silver charm, hanging from a long thin piece of worn leather. She took it, examining the round charm. It was a hollow ball, with a latch to open it up. She flicked the tiny latch and examined the contents. She sniffed the dry herbs and then pulled her head back.
“What is this?” It took the boy a few moments to respond. “It was my mother’s. That scent you smell all the time is a herbal spell, to prevent outsiders from seeing what is real. That charm that you hold is a herb that will counteract to spell of the incense.”
Tegan put the charm around her neck. “Now you must get back to the hotel. I will help you.” As he said those words, he disappeared as she looked up.
Even though the rain pelted down, the moon was full and bright. The clouds drifted on either side of the moon, but failed to pass across it, making her escape a little more difficult. If the clouds were to hide the moon, she would have been able to disappear into the darkness, but now she would have to be extra careful.
The odour from the charm wafted up into her nostril. She couldn’t smell the scent of the incense that came from the hospital, before.
Tegan turned and took one last look at the hospital. It had changed. The outside was not white and smooth, but was dull and cracked, as was the window that she had just escaped from.
Keeping to the shadows, she ran towards the hotel. Her feet were shredded from little bits of natural debris that littered the ground. Her body was frozen from the wet.
She could hear the faint sound of chanting, but concentrated on not being seen. Tegan approached the walkway to the large hotel. She stood at the entrance of the Regency. It was different now, as was the hospital.
The front was in great disrepair. The tall windows were broken and the doors were old and weathered. There was nothing grand about this place. The boy’s words came to mind. “To prevent outsiders from seeing what is real”.
She pushed the doors open with great force and stood inside. Dust floated in the air. Cobwebs and dust had covered the chandelier, covering its once dazzling beauty. The slim red carpet that lead to the desk and staircase was faded and dirty as were the drapes. The floorboards were dull and scratched with wear and the reception desk was falling apart with age.
The telephone. Tegan ran to the reception desk and grabbed the phone, but when she picked it up, the receiver was dead. No tone. She slammed it down in anger. The air was stale and musty. She was amazed at how well Betty had masked the truth.
Glancing up to the top of the stairs, the boy was there. Snapping out of her disbelief, she quickly made for the stairs. Once again, the portrait of the boy and girl took her attention.
“That’s my sister and I”. Tegan felt a sensation of dread wash over her. He didn’t have to tell her what she already knew, that the girls was now deceased.
She looked across at the portrait of the hard, tight-lipped woman. “Yes. That’s my grandmother” Tegan looked closer and now knew why she looked so familiar. “That’s Betty.” The boy quickly answered. “Yes. My Grandmother”.
He disappeared and the young woman realised that every second she was standing still, was a chance that she could be caught again.
Reaching the top of the stairs, she instinctively ran up the hall. There were those familiar sounds. Two children were jumping on their beds, two lovers were arguing and a mother was soothing her baby.
She approached one door and placed her hand on the lose doorknob. It took a little force, but the old rickety door flew open. It was a room similar to hers, except it was dusty with cobwebs everywhere.
In the middle of the floor, was a tape recorder on a loop. It appeared that every time someone approached the room, it would start up again.
A suitcase sat unopened on the bed. Opening it up, she found a pair of jeans and a jacket. Slipping into the jeans, she realised that they were a fraction too big, but they would have to do. After putting on the jacket, she found some slip on shoes.
A firm hand gripped her shoulder as she spun around in fear. “You must hurry. There’s something you must see.” She sighed in relief as the boy took his hand from her shoulder.
She left the room, closing the door behind her, in an attempt to conceal her discovery.
Tegan made her way once again to the stairs. The little boy stood at the bottom and she knew that he was leading her to what he wanted her to see.
Reaching the bottom of the stairs, instinct told her to turn to the left until she reached a cellar door, that was situated toward the back of the hotel.
An unpleasant odour drifted from the gap underneath the door. She turned the old handle and it rattled in her hand. She gave one hard push and the old wooden door flew open. Even though Tegan wore the pendant, the smell of the air rushed into her nose. It made her gag. The smell reminded her of road kill that she had passed in her car. The smell of the dead animals had rushed in through the vents of the car and had filled the confined space of the car and had made Tegan filled ill.
Moonlight shone through the tiny cellar window, giving just enough light to be able to see what lay ahead of her.
She descended the cellar steps, keeping herself pressed hard against the wall, she hoped with every step that the creaky stairs wouldn’t give way beneath her.
When she reached the bottom of the stairs, Tegan noticed how huge the cellar was. The walls were damp and moist. Mould grew up over the walls over the years.
There were wooden boxes piled up everywhere. Tegan guessed that they were supplies from years ago that hadn’t been used. The boxes appeared to be rotting away. She did her best to avoid coming in contact with them as she explored the cellar.
Out of the corner of her eye, Tegan saw the skeletal boy. He stood near the far wall. She looked again and he was gone, but she assumed that whatever it was that he wanted her to see, was on the far side of the cellar.
Lot of little mounds were on the ground, along the wall. Stepping closer, she could see that each little mound had been covered with a blanket that was now rotting away.
Looking closer at the cellar wall, she could see sets of chains fixed to the wall, with cuffs on the ends. An icy sensation ran down her spine as a feeling of dread pulsed through her. Some cuffs were larger than others and it dawned on Tegan that some were to restrain wrists, while others were large enough to be put around the neck.
Looking up again at the skeletal boy, Tegan knew what it was that he wanted her to do. Kneeling beside the mounds, she steadied her trembling hand as she gripped one of the blankets between her fingers.
Gently, she peeled the blanket back, knowing deep down that this would be something shocking.
Gasping in shock, the remains of a child stared back at her. There wasn’t much left of the corpse. Tegan noticed that the child’s skeleton was wearing what appeared to be a party dress.
A little bow still remained on the collar of the dress. Tegan guessed that the dress was once pink, although it was now pale and ravaged by time. Mould had grown and stained the fabric. The wide ribbon around the waist of the dress was also faded and rotting.
A small bundle of hair lay on the floor beneath the skull. Reaching out with her other hand, she picked up the dusty hair and noticed that it was fair and blonde.
Once again, instinct instructed her to remove the blanket from the next mound. Pulling back the sheet, there was another small skeleton. Tegan recognised this Skeleton as the skeletal boy that had been leading her, except there was more of the boy that now stood before her. The skeleton on the floor, wore remanence of a little button up shirt and pants. Her skeletal guide also wore less of the remanence clothes.
“My sister and I”. Tegan was saddened by his words. She covered both of the remains back up again. “Who did this to you?” The mother asked as she stood. “My Grandmother.” She was shocked . She didn’t want to believe that any Grandparent would do this to their Grandchildren, but she had to know what happened and if it could help her find her own child.
“What happened?” There was a silent moment as he began to remember. “We moved here with our parents, to Regent to begin a new life with our Grandmother. My mother was due to have another baby when my father left for work one day and he never came back. He took no belongings, not even the car. So my mother wouldn’t believe that he had simply left us. A little while after that, my mother was taken to the hospital to have the baby. It was the last time she ever spoke to us and cuddled us. Something about my Grandmother changed.
My sister and I lived in a downstairs suite. Grandmother begun locking us in the room of a night and when we asked to visit our mother and new baby at the hospital, my Grandmother would force a smile and say later. She would then give us a hot chocolate and we would sleep. One night, she hadn’t come in to see us. We were very hungry and our door wasn’t locked, so we came out. We heard loud voices coming from the little room behind the desk in the foyer. We went to the desk and helped ourselves to the bowl of candy on the desk.
That’s when we heard the voices getting louder and angrier. We snuck around the desk to the hidden room and we peeked through the bottom of the curtain. My Grandmother was arguing with my mother. At first we smiled at each other, thinking that she was finally back again. I held tight onto my sister and she stayed quiet.
My mother stood there, in front of my Grandmother, barefoot and in a hospital gown.
“I want my baby. I want him now. Then my children and I are leaving here.” We hadn’t seen our mother so angry before. All the anger left my Grandmother and she laughed. “Those children are mine now. The baby has already been passed on. I’m afraid you are going nowhere. You should never have left the hospital”. I guess knowing that her baby was gone, was too much hurt for my mother. “Tell me where my baby is”. Mother lunged at her to grab her and that was when my
grandmother grabbed an ashtray from the table and hit her on the head.
My mother laid on the floor, with blood trickling down her forehead. Cigarette butts littered the floor around her. My Grandmother stood over her with no expression. My sister began to tremble and before I could stop her, she ran to my mother screaming.
My Grandmother grabbed my sister so hard and quickly that she lifted her from the ground. I could do nothing but run in there and try and get my sister away, but before I knew it, she had me too.
That’s how we ended up in here. She kept us chained up and her and the other adults in the town would come and chant and feed from our life force. They would all take turns in putting their hands on us and bit-by-bit they would drain our auras. That’s how they bear the aging process. They stop aging at the age they are when they start feeding and age no further.
Grandmother would bring us basic food and needs, so our life force would last longer. Other children would be bought here”. Tegan interrupted him, as her heart sank with the realisation that her son could be under one of these many mounds.
“Did they ever bring adults here?” The starved soul slowly shook his head. “No. Adults only last one session. They don’t have the will or life force to live. Children have a stronger will to survive and are healthier.”
“When was the last child bought here?” Tegan’s voice trembled. “Your son isn’t down here. It’s been a few years since they have used this cellar. They use the psyche ward at the hospital for the children. They last much longer there. If they refuse to eat, the nurse sustains them with a drip”.
Tegan felt a glimmer of hope. “How long do they last?” The spirit noticed the lift in her voice. “When they were bought here, it was anywhere between one month and twelve months if they were unlucky. Usually it was the cold and damp that took them, along with being drained. They would eventually give up hope”.
The mother felt that she had to hear of his sufferance. “How long did you last?” There was a slight pause before he answered. “A little over a year. My sister was lucky to last a month. She pined for my mother and refused to eat. After a while, she refused to drink. I was relieved when she passed. I knew we would never leave this cellar again”.
Tegan found if difficult to imagine what it must have been like to have been next to the corpse of a sibling for twelve months. “Is my son still alive?”. “I don’t know . But it has been known that some of the children last up to 18 months”. The mother appeared to have grown a puzzled look, before she spoke again.
“Why didn’t you show me to the psyche ward while I was at the hospital? I could have even let them take me there”.
“No”. The spirit corrected her. “They would have sedated you and locked you up. You would have never left that room alive again. I bought you here to show you what this is all about. To show you the truth. You have to burn this hotel down. And when or if you find your son, you must make sure that the whole town burns. Release those who are trapped and make sure this town is destroyed”.
Shaking her head, she replied; “No. I just want my son. I will send help when we get away”. The boy was becoming impatient. “No. You won’t get away. Not unless you create a huge diversion. Set fire to this place”. Her heart near jumped through her chest, as there was a thump at the cellar door.
The door flew open with a bang and the two voices appeared to be arguing. The guide disappeared and Tegan ran for the closest hiding spot. An old wardrobe stood across the cellar.
Crouching inside, she gently pulled the door shut.
Louder. The arguing voices advanced and it was only then, to Tegan’s horror that she realised the door wouldn’t shut properly. It was too late to pull them closed and she panicked. Wondering if they would be able to spot her.
With her panic turning to horror, she saw the two women standing near the bundles along the wall.
Their appearance showed true. The frightened woman held the amulet around her neck tightly in her hand, protecting her from all that was false.
The skin that covered their bodies was dry and a pale shade of grey. Bright blue veins ran like cobwebs just under the skin. Big round scabs appeared here and there on the exposed parts of their flesh. Their hair was thin and dry like straw. Both the women’s lips were pale, the same colour as their flesh and Tegan imagined their teeth to be decaying.
“I told you she wasn’t here. Why would she come back here?”. Betty stood beside the nurse. The nurse’ tall stature made Betty appear exactly what she was. A little old lady with her days numbered. Standing with her hands on her hips, the nurse replied; “ Well she hasn’t left town. We have eyes everywhere. We must find her. The hour is near and we need to drain her.” Betty instantly made herself taller by correcting her posture and straightening her spine.
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(Pages 1-27 show above.)