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Horror Highway

I was heading home from a night out with friends. We had met at a restaurant just outside of town in the county, in an area, I was not too familiar with. I obviously made a wrong turn because I found myself on a dirt road instead of the highway. I tried to use the GPS but found there was no signal. I had driven about half a mile when the hair stood up on the back of my neck, my heart began beating fast and I had that sinking feeling in my stomach. Every fiber of my being told me to get the heck out of there but I couldn't. The road was so narrow and there were no street lights so I just kept going.

The Eagles' lyrics from Hotel California came to mind.

On a dark desert highway

Cool wind in my hair

Warm smell of colitas

Rising up through the air

Up ahead in the distance

I saw a shimmering light

My head grew heavy and my sight grew dim

I had to stop for the night

It was so dark and I could not see anywhere to stop and turn around so I kept driving. Up ahead on the left I saw a light and assumed it was a business with a driveway where I could turn around. As I got closer it was as if I were being summoned. I pulled into the driveway and realized it was a motel. There were no lights except a single candle in the window. As I turned the car around to drive away I began to hear in my mind:

There she stood in the doorway

I heard the mission bell

And I was thinkin' to myself

'This could be heaven or this could be hell

Hell was waiting

The car suddenly stalled as if the battery had died. I was truly frightened now. Without cell service, I could not call anyone. I had no choice but to knock on the door of this eerie motel. Every fiber of my being was telling me to run for my life but I had absolutely no choice except to go through the door. It was getting late and the wind was whistling through my hair as I exited my vehicle. I knocked on the door and a young blonde woman who appeared to be in her 20s opened it holding a candle in her hand. Her expression was blank and her eyes looked soulless as she said in a creepy voice, "Welcome come right on in."

Then she lit up a candle

And she showed me the way

There were voices down the corridor

I thought I heard them say

Welcome to the Hotel California

Such a lovely place (such a lovely place)

Such a lovely face

Plenty of room at the Hotel California

Any time of year (any time of year)

You can find it here

Hotel hell

I asked if there were a landline I could use and she explained that the power was out because of the wind. I sat in a chair and wondered what my next move should be. I prayed and waited for an answer. I began singing a hymn under my breath and a strange thing began to happen. The young blonde woman began to twist and turn and fidget behind the desk. Out of curiosity I walked over and asked if there were a water fountain. As I spoke I took off my jacket which allowed the cross around my neck to be seen. The clerk's eyes widened and she stepped back just a bit from the counter. A look of pure hatred came across her face.

I put my jacket back on and asked if there were a room available for the night. I felt a bit better believing that the power in me was greater than whatever was motivating this young woman. The clerk reluctantly said there was, but she never took her eyes from my chest, where the cross was hidden by the jacket. She got a key and led me to room number 6 and said I could pay in the morning. She never asked my name or for a credit card but I was too tired to process it all. The room was decent as motel's go and I climbed into the bed, at 9:30, holding my cross and hoping my husband would not be too worried about me. I would text him as soon as I could.

At precisely midnight I woke straight up and noticed a chilling sound, It was a combination of moaning, and groaning. and chanting all mixed together. That feeling of doom came over me again and I quickly dressed. I had to get out of this place because if I did not go now, I might not ever leave.

Last thing I remember

I was running for the door

I had to find the passage back

To the place I was before

"Relax", said the night man

"We are programmed to receive

You can check out any time you like

But you can never leave"

AM I trapped forever?

Suddenly there was a sound of banging but it did not sound as if it were at my door. It seemed to reverberate throughout the room and the chanting grew louder. It was as if there were invisible beings in the room with me carrying out some type of ritual. I clutched my cross and began singing a hymn and suddenly the noise stopped. It was followed, however by an eerie dead silence and I knew I was in trouble. I went to the door and turned the knob but it would not open. I shook it without success and I felt trapped and feared I never would leave this place. I grabbed my pocketbook and decided to try to get out of the window but it would not budge.

At that moment I noticed the doorknob silently turning and realized that someone was outside and they had a key. In the darkness, I crouched down close to the floor to the left of the door, just as it opened. With my right hand tightly holding my cross, I ducked and ran past three individuals with hoods who were entering the room. With superhuman strength, I galloped to my vehicle, praying with all my might. I unlocked the door got in and thankfully my car started up right away. As I drove off I could see the trio in the rearview mirror. The person in the middle was holding a candle. After about 7 minutes I come to the road that I should have turned onto the first time, made my way to the highway, and was headed home.

When I arrived it was close to 12:30 AM. My husband expressed his concern as he had called several times and only got voice mail. He had also called a few of the friends I went out with and they all said I was headed home. He told me that he had begun praying for me and had a peace that I would return safely and went to bed. I told him of my ordeal and he actually looked skeptical and asked how much I had to drink. I told him he knew I did not drink and that in the morning we would return to the scene of the crime. The next morning at about 9:00 AM my spouse and I drove back to where I had the strange encounter. Imagine my shock to find a boarded-up motel that looked as if it had not been used in decades.

It was not my imagination

The doors and windows were all covered and there was absolutely no sign of life. I knew my husband must have been thinking that I hax lost my mind, gotten drunk, or both. I had no explanation but I knew I had not imagined the events of the previous evening. As we turned to get back into the car, my husband tripped over something. He bent down picked it up and held it out to me. It was a candle that had recently been used. Sometime later I shared my experience with my friends that I had been eating with that night and two of them gave each other knowing glances. I begged them to tell me what was going on. I found out that in the 1960s that the motel had allegedly been the site of Satanic rituals. The signal that was used to let members know what was going on was a candle in the window of room number 6. The motel lost business and was shut down after a young blonde girl was found murdered. It had all taken place 50 years to the very day that I had wound up in the area.