The Mad House

The Red Shoes

Zola awoke abruptly in a daze. Without allowing her head to leave the comfort of the cool feather pillow, she slowly surveyed the dark hotel room with her right eye halfway open. All of the furniture that was used as shields during pillow fights, and makeshift trampolines during play fights with her lover, had transformed into shadows that decorated the seemingly black walls. Even her girlfriend Sincere, peacefully sleeping next to her, looked like a shadow in the dark room. The only light came from the crack under the door leading into the hallway, which is where Zola focused her now opening eye.

The small space between the door and the frame, where the light shined through, was only broken by bolts, screws, and a pair of red shoes. Zola's right eye focused on the red shoes as she slowly began to open her left eye. Seconds that turned into minutes crept by as she analyzed the candy apple red men's loafers, and wondered why they were directly in front of the door, the front of the shoes positioned toward the door as if their owner was going to enter the room. For at least fifteen minutes, the shoes didn't move. Trepidation gradually blossomed in her heart. Hesitantly, Zola reached over to the nightstand beside her. Her small hand searched for the button to turn the lamp on. With one click, the shadows in the room came to life.

The rich, deep red and jet black Victorian furniture evolved from their shadow state to the familiar objects Zola and Sincere used to play with each other before they tired themselves and retired to bed. The cream and grey accents on the furniture complimented the cream Victorian style wallpaper with grey accents. Everything was still in place. Even the soft, king size, cream colored comforter that enveloped Zola and her snoozing lover was in a perfect position. Everything was as it was before the two fell into a deep slumber, except the red shoes waiting at the door outside of their room.

"Baby, wake up," Zola softly whispered as she lightly shook her girlfriend.

"Hmm?" Sincere murmured without moving. For the first time since she set eyes on the shoes at their door, she redirected her attention by turning around to look at Sincere. Sincere hadn't opened her eyes or moved at all. She was in a deep sleep that could only be broken by an emergency or planned duty. Zola was well aware of this and watched her sleep for a few minutes, staring in awe. Sincere's smooth brown skin glistened from the lamp's brilliant light. Her big, beautiful brown eyes were closed shut while her small mouth remained wide open. Her small, pointy nose twitched every few seconds as if a fly was buzzing nearby. She was gorgeous. Zola almost forgot about the shoes.

The door handle of the hotel room began shaking rapidly. Zola's trance was instantly broken. Her head snapped towards the door as she inadvertently shook Sincere harder and faster than she did before. Sincere did not move. The handle on the inside of the hotel room violently moved from left to right. The bolt in the door gradually inched from being locked to being in the open position. Much to her dismay, Sincere would not wake up. She wouldn't even open one eye. The red shoes remained in the same place.

As Zola reached for the phone on the other side of the lamp on her nightstand, the door of the hotel room flew open. Zola jumped backwards over Sincere, and landed on the floor by the glass sliding doors that led to the balcony overlooking the long river next to hotel. A tall man, at least 6'5, was standing at the door in the same red shoes Zola had been speculating over. He wore an all black suit with a red tie, a black trilby, and a menacing smile that showed all of his yellowing teeth. His skin was pale and clammy as if he was soaking in water for hours. His eyes were as yellow as egg yolk with small black slits in the middle. From the moment the door opened, those demonic eyes and maniacal grin were focused on Zola as if she was the only person or thing in the room.

"BABE!" Zola screamed for Sincere. Still, she did not move. Her chest rose slowly, indicating she was breathing, but she was unaware of everything around her, including her lover attempting to wake her.

Without taking a single step, the man glided across the floor at lightning speed, until he was inches away from Zola's face. The moment he stopped in front of her, the door of the hotel room slammed shut and the bolt lock returned to the locked position. Fear took over Zola's body. She was paralyzed. She could no longer move or speak. She stared at the tall, silent stranger in horror as he looked down at her with the same menacing smile he wore since the door first swung open. He leaned down until the bridge of his pointy, pale nose was almost touching Zola's. His evil smile remained.

While Zola's mind tortured her with this night terror/sleep paralysis combination that felt so real she thought she was awake, her body lay still on the bed next to Sincere. She squirmed a little as if she was bound by heavy chains. She ground her teeth like she was chewing an overcooked steak. Her hands gripped the sheets so tightly, her nails loosened the threads they came into contact with. Sincere slept just as peacefully as she did in Zola's night terror. She couldn't see or hear her lover's pain.

Suddenly, Zola's grip on the covers gradually loosened until her hands lay flat. She stopped grinding her teeth. Her heart rate decreased and breathing became shallow. Slowly, she sat up with her eyes still closed. In a robotic fashion, she got up from the bed and glided over to the sliding glass doors. She slid one door open, letting the harsh wind enter the room, waking Sincere.

"Baby, what are you doing?" Sincere asked. "It's cold." Zola stood silently as the fierce winter wind tried to knock her down. "Baby, are you okay?" Sincere then sat up, sensing something was wrong. She stared at Zola for a few moments before grabbing her glasses off the night stand by her side of the bed. She then pushed the comforter back, and prepared to get up to see what was going on.

The moment both of Sincere's feet touched the floor, Zola's eyes opened simultaneously. Her captivating brown eyes were replaced with bright yellow circles that had small black slits in the center. She turned her head around at a snail's pace, so that Sincere had already gotten within two feet of her before she saw her piercing gaze. Sincere then stopped dead in her tracks. Zola looked her up and down without moving her head. After her brief inspection, her lips curled upward and her teeth began to come out of hiding. Zola sported a maniacal smile showing that her perfect white teeth had been traded for yellowing fangs.

"She's mine now," Zola declared before letting out a shrill chuckle. Sincere watched in horror as the woman she loved calmly backed up past the curtains swaying in the wind until she fell off the balcony into the river.

He's got her now.