The following short story was written as an exercise taken from a website (Write&Improve) which gives you different tasks and topics to write about.

The reception area of the hotel was strangely silent, and even though he rang the bell several times, nobody answered. He started to feel anxious and a deep feeling of sadness embraced him. Why was this place desolated? The hotel wasn't in a secluded area nor was it unknown. A sudden explosion in the back part, were the kitchens were located, occurred. Noise and a blurred view was all he got.

Dazed and hurt, almost sobbing, he tried to reach the exit. The pain was unbearable and his mind started to play him wrong. Hallucinations constantly appeared and vanished. Soft music started to play and reminiscences of what this place once was came to life. People started to appear everywhere but they didn't seem to have noticed the recent event; no one seemed to be aware of his presence.

In a desperate attempt to leave that place, which he believed haunted, and with all his remaining strength, he crawled looking for help. By now, madness started to take him over. What was the reality? Had the sudden event torn the veil which divided two different realities? After some minutes, he fainted.

He woke up in a somber hotel room, old-furnished and with high levels of humidity. He was lying on the not-so-comfortable, creaky bed tied up by his limbs when he realized a deep dark silhouette was standing across the room, glaring at him. Its sole sight burned him from within, its blazing eyes deeply penetrated one's soul provoking a strong feeling of despair and its demonic appearance shocked him.

Strolling towards him and muttering unintelligible words, the demonic entity grabbed a knife which was lying on the table next to the door.

Just when he would have been stabbed, he recovered strength to unleash himself, roll and escape this undesirable fate.

Due to adrenaline, he barely remembered he has gotten wounds overall. He ran while making an effort to remain as quiet as possible and as he reached the exit, he fell, noticed that something has grabbed him from the leg, turned around and it was then when he woke up. It all has been nothing more than a nightmare.