I drove into the hotel parking lot. It had been a hard day- a long early morning drive to Burnton, followed by intense development meetings, and I was dying to get to my hotel room and unwind.

A police car, parked by the entrance, and a couple yellow and orange police barriers, folded away neatly caught my attention.

The receptionist looked worried. I gestured outside, “Looks like you’ve been having excitement here!” I remarked.

She laughed nervously. “Oh yes, very sad, but the police presence is over in an hour and I’m sure you’ll have an excellent night stay with us!” She smiled.

As I stepped out of the elevator and looked round to find my door, it was impossible to ignore more barriers and yellow crime tape further down the corridor.

It had actually happened on my floor?

I found my room- the crime tape was about three doors down. I checked social media. Looked like it had been a stabbing – some local gentlemen disagreeing on a business deal.

I woke up to the sounds of men’s voices.

It would be impossible to fall back asleep with that noise. I had another long day ahead- meetings followed by the drive back to the city and I decided to go out and complain.

The corridor was lit with only two lights. The police barriers and tape had gone.

The voices sounded muffled through the corridor, and I contemplated going back to bed. As I paused, I heard a shout- louder than anything before. I froze in fear.

Then silence.

The door three down from mine opened and a man staggered out, bent double, holding his stomach. He saw me, and started coming towards me. Even in the dim light, I could see the blood trickling through his fingers.

Somebody cried from the room. “Get him!”

The staggering man stretched out his bloody hands and grasped at my pajama shirt. “Help me!” he gasped.

I knew what he wanted from me, but I couldn’t risk my job. I desperately untangled his clutching fingers from my pajama shirt.

Two other men stepped outside. One of them roared. “You can’t stop us!” They tore him from me, dragged him back down the corridor, into the room they had come out from.

I thought they couldn’t see me, but just before they vanished, one of them turned, looked straight at me and grinned.

My blood ran cold.

The door slammed shut behind them. The sound broke my paralysis. I went back inside my own room.

I knew perfectly well what was happening. I was dreaming about the events that had happened the night before. It was nothing to do with my job- nothing to do with me at all.

I fell asleep.

I woke up, refreshed, remembering the dream from last night very clearly.

I stepped into the bathroom and turned on the light, and glanced down.

And saw the bloody handprints smears, still bright scarlet, burning on my pajama shirt.