Chapter 4 Dreamewood.

I wasn't the only one who woke up with a scream, Mom and Dad had opened their doors and tumbled outside, Jess was clutching her chest, her inhaler held up to her nose.

The car was still parked in front of the tree we'd nearly run into last night, Mom and Dad re-entered the car a few seconds later, but not after looking around. The moment of fright had turned into awkwardness when we all noticed everyone was screaming.

"Was everyone screaming for the same reasons as I was?" Dad asked after a long reign of silence.

"If you had a dream that a woman named Florence was spilling blood out of her mouth then yes."

I and Jessie stared at each other, almost instinctively. "We had the same dream too!" We chorused.

"Aww come on there's no way you guys had the same dream as I did," Dad said. "Okay, what was she wearing?"

"A bloody gown?" I offered.

Jessie raised her hand. "Actually she was wearing the most beautiful house dress any woman from the 1800s could have, until the lights went off‒"

"The lights went off in your dream too?" I and Mom asked.

"Yes," Jessie replied." "And before that there was a man sitting by a fireplace‒"

"Us too!" The rest of us chorused.

Dad drew a deep breath, "Fancy all of us having the same nightmare."

"This place is evil Clyde," Mom said, looking outside with terror written all over her face. "First our car drove into the wood on its own and now this, there's a satanic spirit in this place."

"Calm down Miss Exorcist," Dad replied, patting her shoulder.

"I can't!" She shrieked. "We have to leave this place right now!"

"It was just a bad dream, Marie‒"

"And how do you explain all of us having the exact same nightmare?"

"It's just a co-incidence." Dad shrugged.

"That's not a co-incidence, Clyde. This place has an evil spirit‒"

"Hold up," Dad chuckled. "This isn't one of your Nigerian forests, there's no spirits here."

"Turn around Clyde and let's leave, now, please." Mom said calmly, putting her hands to her temples.

I and Jessie watched the whole conversation unfold with our mouths open. Mom and Dad rarely called each other by their real names, even in an argument. It was always "honey" or "dear". Maybe this place was haunted after all.

Dad gave an exasperated sigh. "Alright, let's get going, we have to get home anyways." He patted Mom and looked backwards. "Um... Mark?"

"Yes sir?" I looked up.

"Is there a chance you promised to scout a way out of here in your own dream too?"

"I did." I replied, marveled at the similarity of our dreams, it seemed like there was no varying whatsoever.

"You did in mine too." Jessie said.

"Me three," Mom called out.

I bit my lip, I wasn't so sure of trudging through this place all by myself anymore, still I got up and headed outside, it was better to die trying to leave than remaining here for even another hour.

"Mark wait," Mom called when I was outside.

"Yeah?" I moved towards her side of the car.

"Your forehead is bleeding." She said, putting a hand on my head.

"Oh?" I bent to look at my reflection in the side mirror. "It's from the injury I had earlier." I shrugged.

"But it had dried up. Why is it suddenly bleeding now?"

"Mom don't be so uptight, the dude had a nightmare, he must have hit his head on something when he woke up." Jess said.

I checked my wrist watch. It was 6:40am already. "Alright let's move already. This place is as creepy as hell!" I said desperately.

"Like you've ever been to hell before," Jessie said with a snort.

I ignored her and sprinted ahead, with Dad starting the engine behind me. Getting us out was easy as I'd kept my eyes open throughout our detour. In a few minutes we were back on the road and driving as smoothly as Dad's emotions would let him.

"I hope the next hotel has an infirmary," He said. "We can't have Mark's head bleeding all the way to New Jersey."

"I'm so hungry," Jess whined.

"Don't be so dramatic," I replied.

"I don't see how I am." She shot back.

"We're going to the next hotel, just hold on for a bit." I sighed.

"Whatever."

After an hour and half, we approached some outbuildings that turned out to be the second hotel and a small pharmacy. The place looked a lot more welcoming than the last one did, with more flowers and small cherub statues. There was even a small fountain.

"We've hit gold, people." Dad cried as he pulled up on the parking lot.

We went straight for the pharmacy, only to discover it hadn't opened yet. We then decided to just get into a room; Mom suggested the possibility of the hotel having a nurse on hand. Until then, I had to hold a wet towel to my forehead.

"Welcome!" The woman at the reception smiled as we approached her desk. "Welcome to The Hank brothers' Inn and Spa." she said, with a smile plastered on her face.

"Good morning." Mom replied with a grin.

"Before we check in, I'm sorry if I sound rude or too upfront, but is there by any chance a reptile of any sort in here?" Dad enquired, making the receptionist give a warm chuckle.

"This place is totally safe for you and your family sir." She said with her face still in a smile, under her breath I thought I could hear her saying: This isn't Wordsworth's.

"Very well then, but we aren't staying long, we just need hot baths and food." Dad continued, leaning on the counter.

"Okay sir," The receptionist ducked her head behind a computer, her fingers tapping furiously on the keyboard. "Your rooms are fifty-one and fifty-two." She said after a minute, raising her head and handing us the keys.

I and Jess exchanged glances.

"Give us another room!" We yelled together as if we'd rehearsed.

Mom and Dad glared at us first, and then turned to the receptionist, nodding in unison.

"Uhh, fifty-one and fifty-two are me and my son's unlucky numbers." Dad said, and then chuckled nervously.

"Okay,:" The receptionist replied with a rather dumbfounded look and then went back to tapping furiously on her keyboard. "Your new rooms are sixty-four and sixty-seven." She replaced our keys.

While everyone was all too happy to go in, I remained staring at the receptionist; she smiled way too much, and yet her smiles didn't look like they were forced; something told me she knew more than she let on.

"Mark?"

I turned to see Dad beckoning me. I gave one last look at the woman and shuddered when she winked at me, slowly I moved over to Dad's side.

"Were you checking her out?" Dad smirked.

"Hell, no!" I half-yelled.

"Seemed like you were," He chuckled and pressed something in my hand. "Here's the key to you and Jessie's room. We'll be leaving at four o'clock."

"I just hope there's nothing scary in here." Jess said as we entered.

"Scaredy-cat." I sneered; watching for her reaction, we both burst into laughs when after she'd tried to roll her eyes and got dizzy in the process.

The room looked pretty normal, with lavender painted walls and large oval windows on the far sides of the room.

Jessie swatted my arm. "Go get a bath, you stink."

"You first," I argued.

"Your loss then, I'm spending an hour for my spa treatment." She stared straight at me. I knew she was only scared of getting into the bathroom even though we'd been given entirely different rooms. I was too tired to even consider any of those things.

"Go ahead." I shrugged.

"Are you sure Mark?" She began shifting from foot to foot.

"Yes scaredy-cat, be my guest!" I gestured to the bathroom.

She let out a frustrated "Ugh!" before stomping into the bathroom; I chuckled as she slammed the door behind her.

Since we had till evening to move again, I decided I'd check the place out a bit. I began to regret not taking Jessie's offer when I'd reached the ground floor, it was like my bladder had suddenly filled itself up. My eyes darted left and right before spotting doors with a bathroom sign near the front desk, I gritted my teeth and sped for it.

I shouldn't have, when I entered I bumped into the receptionist coming out of an inside toilet.

"What the f**k?!" She gasped.

"I'm sorry!" I stuttered, stepping backwards. "I just needed to use a restroom real quick and my sister's in ours‒" I stopped when the expression on her face changed from a frown to a smile.

"Oh. Hi Mark," She waved.

"Yeah‒" I started a reply but stopped immediately. "How do you know‒"

"You checked in, silly." She said, still smiling.

"Oh, right." I sighed.

"You can use the restroom if you like," She gestured to the door behind her. "It's a ladies' bathroom though so I'll have to cover for you."

"Umm, never mind." I said, not in the mood to pee anymore whatsoever.

"There's no snake in there, trust me." She grinned, urging me on.

"What are you talking about?"

"You and your family were at Wordsworth's yesterday, right?" She shrugged.

"How do you know that?"

"Your dad asked if there were snakes and you all rejected rooms fifty-one and two, that's something almost every traveler who's been to Wordsworth's does when they get here."

"Is that so?" I furrowed my brow.

"That's a pretty dangerous place to spend even a minute, not to talk of a whole night." She shook her head.

"Umm... why is that?" I asked.

"That place is more than a hotel for the night; it's a haunted house if you ask me. No one goes there, except weary, unsuspecting travelers who have no idea what that place is." She said, pulling me inside and shutting the door behind me.

"But there were people there. I saw them." I argued, squirming to free myself from her grip.

"Those aren't people Mark." She said darkly.

"The hell? What are you talking about?"

"You see, the only real people there are Miss Florence Roosevelt and her daughter Elaine who acts like a receptionist. Those guests you saw were only a trick of the mind, figments of your own imagination." She said, scanning the doorway again.

I stared blandly at her, trying hard to believe what she was saying.

"Of course, the security personnel are also an illusion," She continued.

"But... why? Why does she do all that?"

"Because she's a witch; no, a demoniac." She peered throught the slit on the door. "I have to get back to work, but there's one more thing I need to tell you."

"What's that?" I asked, now feeling the urge to take a piss once more.

"Please tell me you guys spent the night at Wordsworth's and not at Dreamwoods."

"What is Dreamwoods?" I asked.

"Did you all have the same bad dream last night?"

"Yes, some woman in a bloody gown was‒"

"I'd rather not have the details," She interrupted with her palm raised. "But there's a big chance your nightmare will come true."

"What?"

"It may not happen exactly as you saw it, but those woods have the power to influence the future of whoever is foolish enough to sleep there-no offence."

"None taken." I replied, dumbfounded.

"Here," She fished out a paper and pen from her pocket and scribbled furiously on it before handing it over to me. "That's my e-mail address and my telephone number."

I stared at the finely written cursive. "What do I need it for?"

"I can be of more help than just giving bad news," She winked and opened the door, almost closing it behind her before she paused. "Oh, I'm Clarissa by the way." She winked again and left, shutting the door.

I remained staring at the paper, deciding if this was all a hoax or she was really telling the truth. In the end I shoved the paper in one of my pockets, even if I wouldn't need it eventually, it couldn't do any harm being in there. It was better to be on the safe side I guess.

I walked past Clarissa attending to another customer and back to my room, taking a bath and putting on some new clothes, I decided I'd go for a walk again after having lunch, but when I was done I was too full to even move, I dozed right there on the sofa, a very easy thing to do if Jessie forces you to watch one of her documentaries with her.

I woke up just as Dad came to tell us we were moving. We got our luggage together and checked out without any qualms, except for how Clarissa kept staring at me knowingly. Dad noticed for a bit and sidled up to me as we headed to the car.

"Too bad she's not in New Jersey huh." He winked.

"Who?" I asked.

"Don't play dumb, I saw you two staring at each other." He winked again.

"Dad!" I whined. "It's not what you think; besides she's way older than I am."

"I'll take your word for it," He chuckled. "But I won't be surprised if you start talking about her non-stop, too bad you never got her name."

"That's what you think." I muttered under my breath as he moved forward.

We made some last minute shopping and stopped for gas before hitting the road once more, all the while discussing about the strange things that had happened yesterday. I felt the urge to mention Clarissa and what she'd told me, but I decided against it. It would be really dumb for me to magnify a simple bad dream if what she said eventually turned out to be false. Silence was the best option now, even though I was anxious as to what I'd do if she wasn't bluffing.

"Mark, your bruise doesn't look that bad anymore; maybe you needed just a wash." Mom remarked. "But we should have gotten it stitched."

"Take a chill pill woman," Dad laughed. "We'll be at New Jersey before nightfall, what could go wrong before then?"

A lot of things could go wrong.