I have no idea where to start. I don’t even know what I’m writing. Maybe I’m just writing for the sake of writing. After all, writing has always kept me calm and in a situation like this, I need to remain calm. The storm isn’t helping to keep me calm. It's only getting worse and worse.
My name is Jared Conrad, I’m twenty-eight years old, My address is 13 Toronto street, Prince George, British Columbia, Canada, I am 5”8, I have medium brown hair, blue eyes and a small scar on my right cheek, I am wearing a South park T-shirt, blue jeans and black Nike runners, I think I entered this place on the 1/12/2018 and I am currently in room 312 of the Great Northern Hotel. That’s really the best I can do with location but I will explain all that in a minute. I don’t know if I should write this down but something in my head is telling me too.
I don’t know how I found myself in this hell hole and I don’t know if I will ever be coming out of here. The music hasn’t played in a while but that’s something I’ll also write about in a minute. I should first write about how I found myself here but it's way harder than it sounds.
I was on my bed and I just felt like my entire body jolted and before I knew what happened, I was in the hotel lying on a bed. The room was like it was from the late 20th century. I thought I was Lucid dreaming at first so as you could imagine, I was quite excited but the excitement quickly faded away. I think I had a panic attack but it’s been ages and with the state my head is in at the moment, I am not the best at remembering. I still just hope this is a dream but I know it isn’t.
After I managed to calm myself down, I think I left the hotel through the lobby? Ignore the last part. I know for certain I got a drink at the hotel's bar. I don’t remember what brand it was but I think it was cider.
After my drink, I left the hotel and I looked up over the main entrance to see the name of the hotel. It was called ‘Hotel Holyrood’. I stood my ground outside the hotel and looked around, the first thing that caught my eyes was the ocean and with the ocean came the smell, I hate the smell of the sea. The sky was void of clouds and the sun stood stationary in the middle of the sky. As I looked around at the buildings outside the hotel and read the various signs, it seems as if I was in a Seaside amusement town. The various cars on the streets told me what country I was in. The licences plates were Irish. I thought I was in Ireland. Well, I know I’m not in Ireland. The cars in this town were all brands I knew, Toyota and all that stuff.
I had three options, I could take the road to my left that led me to what seemed to be a suburban area, the road to my right that led deeper into this town or the road in front of me that led me out to the coastal road to what I know now as the memorial in the next town and the Waterpark in the town I’m in now. I still don’t know what stood in the first town in place of the memorial and waterpark in the others.
I know what I’m saying is really weird about these different towns but I will explain all this soon enough. Please ignore any spelling mistakes, I’m shitting myself and my head is a mess. I already wrote that, didn’t I. Looks like I’m repeating myself as well.
I turned to my right and head deeper into this town. The format of each town is pretty much the same even with all the big differences. The first town felt like your standard seaside town with its arcades and such.
I think the name of the town is Bundoran? I saw this word on various buildings and signs.
It’s at this point I realised something that I should have realised the minute I left the hotel. This place was void of life. There were no humans and there were no animals. I think that the fact that there were no animals was the thing that put me off the most.
Apart from the distant waves of the sea, my footsteps and my breathing, this place was void of sound.
There were various cars parked here and there and the buildings looked as if they were opened for business and every living thing just vanished.
When I reached the very edge of the town, I found myself at what seemed to be a roundabout except the two other roads that should have been there were not there. There were meant to be two other roads because there were signs pointing to my right and in front of me. It was basically a Cul-de-sac. They had English names on the top and Irish names on the bottom. I forget the names of those towns and even then it isn’t relevant. In front of me and to my right was a rolling plain, kind of what like you would see at a golf course and to my left was the sea a few hundred meters in the distance.
As I stood at the edge of the roundabout that’s when I first heard that damned song. It came from all directions and it felt like it was playing in the distance. As you can imagine, I was shocked and scared. The song kind of sounded like LO-FI or something along those lines. It has the words ‘we didn’t make out’ and ‘I was all over her’ in it. It always plays for the same amount of time, 30 seconds or so. I only wished that I didn’t take my damned watch off before I came here.
After the song ended and I got my wits back together, I saw it in the distance. Another town on the sea across the plains. I thought it looked similar to the town before because it was the same town. I just didn’t know it yet.
The fucking song played again, this time it came from outside the fucking window. It always comes from every direction but this time it played a little longer, I couldn’t make out the new words because of the storm but I know there were more words. I’m scared but I know what I must do, I must keep writing, It’s the only thing I can do. Fuck that song.
It took me a few minutes but when I made it to the other town, I felt as if I had made a mistake, it was dilapidated, every house on the edge of this town was boarded up or there was no longer a house where a house should have been. I walked further into the town and I don’t know why I did it, it wasn’t like there was anything dangerous about the town looking back on it but with how dilapidated it looked, it looked dangerous.
As I walked further into this town I saw a hotel to the right of me. Its doors were wide open and Mother Nature had definitely had her way with it. Above the front entrance there where two letters, H and R. There was defiantly meant to be more letters there and I think that’s when it hit me.
This was the exact town, just a lot more derelict. That was the same hotel I woke up in. I think I was quite shocked but I can’t remember. The town looked the exact same in layout and buildings and I can’t emphasize this enough.
That time, I went down the road to the sea. The road curved to the right to reconnect to the main road and when I was on this road, I could see the old town I was just in just past the horizon.
As mentioned before, there was a memorial on this road.
The memorial was a black, square rock, around two meters high with various names on the bottom. In the middle of the rock was what seemed to be writing in Irish on the left and English on the right. The flag flew on the top of the rock but I will talk about that in a minute.
I went over to it and I still remember through my foggy-headed state what the English read.
‘This memorial commemorates the brave Irishmen and Irishwomen who gave their lives on the 12/5/1941 defending their home of Bundoran from the traitors who dared go against the teachings of our leader, Eoin O’ Duffy. May their deeds not go in vain.’
The memorial was just as derelict as the buildings surrounding it. I was close enough to see what was on the flag now; the flag had a red satire on a blue field.
If I’m not mistaken, at this time, I heard the music again. I think. I’m not sure.
From this road that ran along the sea, I could see the old town. They even seemed to have the near exact same coastline but it was hard to make out the other town’s coastline.
As I walked along this road to get back on the main road, There were various buildings to my right, near destroyed or destroyed but there was something I noticed, on the road and the sidewalks were torn up flags, the same flag that was on the memorial. I don’t think I saw a single Irish tri-colour.
As I walked along the road, it reconnected to the main road and from there; I walked through this other town. More of these strange flags lay amongst the ruins.
As I neared the edge of this town, I think the music played again, This time, a tiny bit louder but I don’t know, maybe I was just mistaken.
Once again, I stood at what seemed to be the exact same roadless roundabout but this time, I don’t think there were any signs.
From the edge of the roundabout, I saw it, The exact same town but it looked like it was in a lot better shape from that distance and low and behold, I was right.
After a few minutes of walking, I reached the new town, the town where I am now. It was the exact same as the first town with an odd difference here and there, primarily, I don’t think I saw any signs in Irish, They were all in English.
In this town, I think a wave of truth hit me about my situation. First off, I must have been here for an hour or two now and for some reason, I wasn’t hungry, thirsty or tired.
I did have a drink in the first hotel but that was just to calm my nerves and I hadn’t even sat down after having that drink. I had been walking for what must have been an hour or two at this point.
It fucking played again. Fuck this place. It was even louder this time and it had a direction just like last time, it came from outside the damn door. I don’t know what is playing it but whatever the hell it was, it just came and went, It played for around five seconds this time. My ears are nearly fucking ringing. That storm is just getting worse as well so I can’t even leave and even if I could. I’m on the third floor and I’m not going out through that damned fucking door. I’m going to stop writing for a while. I don’t know if I’ll start writing again but I’m going to barricade the door with the chairs, nightstand and the other things in this room.
It’s been a few minutes since I barricaded the door, I’ve heard no other noises apart from the rain and wind. I am currently writing this in the bathroom. I closed the curtains and put two nightstands, two chairs, the bed and all the other furniture in the room. I don’t know why I didn’t just close the curtains when I heard it coming from outside the window but even then, It isn’t like they will protect me. All I can do now is write and that’s what I’m going to do.
I took the road that ran along the sea in this town, just like what I did in the last town.
Where the memorial stood was what seemed to be a waterpark. It seemed to be in fairly okay condition but nature and time definitely had been trying to reclaim it if I’m not mistaken.
Next to the waterpark seemed to be a small fairground. Bumper cars, mini golf and stuff like that. The buildings that were across from the monument in the first town were in much better condition in this town but I think they still looked a little worn down.
I think that’s when I felt it; A few drops of rain fell on me.
I looked up in the direction that would presumably lead me too another town. The sky was full of pitch-black clouds. I still remember them clearly. The clouds were moving and they were moving fast and with the clouds, another truth dawned on me.
I don’t think the sun had moved at all in the few hours I had been here. It had stayed stationary in the middle of the sky.
The rain continued to fall as I reached the end of the sea road. I think at this point, I thought to myself I had to find shelter. It was as if this place was answered my query.
The coastline in this town was different; a large headland protruded into the sea and on top of this headland, was the hotel I am in now, The Great Northern.
A road led up to this hotel and I began to make my way up to it.
I think I was halfway up the road when the fucking music started again. I began to run. I was terrified. It came from all around and it was the loudest I had ever heard it before up to that point. I think it played for around ten or fifteen seconds but the volume was nothing compared to what happened a few minutes ago.
In case you were wondering, the ringing in my ears has stopped.
As I made my way through the large doors of the hotel, it was if the storm suddenly became a hurricane the minute I closed the doors.
I don’t know what’s real anymore. I’m still hoping this is just a dream but I know it isn’t. I have never tried drugs before but I’m hoping something I ate before I came here had something in it or something like that. I did eat a dodgy restaurant in town before I entered this place. I don’t know if I mentioned that.
The hotel lobby was large and felt a lot more upscale compared to the other one. To my right was a dining room, to the left was the check-in desk and some couches and straight ahead was a hallway with a staircase at the end.
I went behind the desk and rooted around a little. There I found this old bet up copybook and this pen. After that, I went down the hallway and to my left after a few seconds was a bar, I poured myself a few drinks and I think I may have gotten a little tipsy.
I got a bag that was behind the bar and put a bunch of drinks in there. I put a few sodas in as well. I recognised most of the brands but a few of them I never heard of. As I put the bottles in, I think that’s when I realised that all of them had the exact same expiration date, 3/12/2018.
I made my way down the hall and after about a minute of walking at the end of the hallway was the staircase.
I walked up the staircase and there seemed to be three floors including the ground. I decided to find a room on the third floor and here I am.
It’s been a few minutes since that fucking song played again. The lights have been flickering for the past few minutes now. They flicker for about a second and then go back to normal. The storm just seems to be getting worse. I’m scared. I don’t know what to do and I think I’m beginning to feel a little hungry and tired now. I don’t know why I didn’t bring any food. I guess I just couldn’t think about it with the way I was.
I’m tired. I’m tired of being scared and I’m tired of writing. I’m going to try and sleep. If you’re reading this, I don’t know what to tell you. This place is alive and it’s playing with me. I’m going to climb into the bathtub and I’m going asleep. I don’t care what happens next.