FICTION BY DUSTY DAVIS

Dusty Davis has always lived with one foot in the shadows. A former professional wrestler, Dusty learned how to face fear head-on, whether under the bright lights of the ring or in the quiet hours when stories begin to stir. Now those battles have shifted to the page, where Dusty crafts horror tales and haunting poetry that explore the uneasy spaces between the living and the lost. 

Though his writing is steeped in darkness, Dusty’s greatest strength comes from family, both a refuge from the nightmares and a reminder of what is worth protecting.

A ONCE IN A LIFETIME KIND OF LOVE
by Dusty Davis

The rain came down sideways, hammering the windshield so hard that Kevin half expected it would shatter. The wipers couldn’t keep up, smearing water instead of clearing it. Beyond the glow of his headlights, the world was a blur of gray and shadow. Squinting he made out the faint flicker of a neon sign. Vacancy.

Driving nearly twenty miles under the speed limit, Kevin eased the rental car into a gravel lot. The sign blinked erratically, like someone was flicking a switch. He parked in the first spot by the front doors of The Traveler’s Inn, not the kind of place he’d normally choose, but he wanted off the road and out of the storm.

A loud pearl of thunder rattled the sky, followed by a flash of lightning that lit up the inn for an instant. The building was two stories tall and run down, his car was the only one in the lot, except for a beat-up Buick at the far end. Through the rain, its front tires looked flat.

“Screw it,” he muttered, throwing open the car door and clambering out the driver’s seat. He grabbed his carry-on bag from the backseat and dashed for the inn. The door swung outward as he stepped inside, shaking water from his shaggy hair. His ex-wife Karen would have nagged him to cut it by now; he liked it a little longer. And now he could do what he wanted.

The lobby had an open floor plan, with a comfortable-looking couch in front of an old box television playing a black-and-white movie. Kevin hadn’t seen a TV like that since he was a boy.

He crossed the room to a long counter and rang the bell atop it. The sound echoed through the lobby. While he waited, he looked around. Black-and-white photos lined the walls, most appearing to have been taken in the inn. He guessed they were snapshots of previous guests.

From somewhere in the inn came laughter. Kevin moved toward a door along the far wall and pushed through it, finding a small room where half a dozen people were enjoying themselves. At the back, a bar held a few older men on stools, nursing brown bottles and swapping old war stories. The crack of billiard balls echoed throughout the room.

Kevin was surprised to see the scene in this small inn.

A man called from behind the bar. “Hey stranger! Can I get you a cold one?” The man held up one of the brown bottles.

“Maybe later,” Kevin answered. “I need to check in for a room first. Is there someone around that could help me with that?”

The barkeep chuckled. “Good ol’ Jim; must be napping in the back again. He’s the owner here at The Traveler. “Go back out to the lobby and I will send someone to wake him up for ya.”

“That would be great. Thank you so much. How late are you staying open? I could probably use a drink later tonight.”

The man said with a smile,  “Son, here at The Traveler we are open all night. As long as someone wants something, we stay open.”

“Well, in that case, I will be back as soon as I freshen up. It’s been a long day on the road.”

“We will save a seat here for ya, son.”

Kevin went back to the front lobby. At the counter he rang the bell again and this time he heard someone mumbling something and then the door banged open. A round, older man stumbled through the door. He huffed and puffed his way up to the counter.

“Howdy, son. I must’ve drifted off. Rain like this always makes me drowsy.”

“Not a problem, sir,” Kevin said as he dropped his bag by his feet. He noticed the man’s eyes behind wire-rimmed glasses were red. “Can I get a room for tonight?”

“Of course, son. Finest, most comfortable beds this side of the Ohio River. And it’s Jim, not sir,” he said with a wink. “How’s thirty-five dollars for the night sound?”

“Thirty-five dollars?” Kevin asked, astonished. He hadn’t seen rates this cheap since he was a kid.

“We try to keep the rates reasonable for truckers passing through. It’s bad enough out there without worrying about paying for a place to sleep.”

“Seems like a real nice place, Jim,” he said, pulling out his wallet and handing over two twenty-dollar bills, brushing the man’s hand as he did.

Outside thunder cracked again. The lights dimmed, then came back on.

“You’re all set, son,” Jim said. The humor had vanished from his face. A five-dollar bill dangled from his fingertips as he stared past Kevin towards the lobby doors. Rain pounded against the glass.

Kevin pocketed his change and scooped up his bag. Jim finally took his eyes from the storm and pulled a metal key from under the counter. A chain dangled from it, advertising The Traveler’s Inn with a small blue picture of the building.

“I’ll put you in room thirteen, up on the second floor. Need any help with your bag?”

“No, I’m good, Jim. Just this one. I think I’ll freshen up and get the car smell off, then head to the bar for a bit.”

“That’s good, son. Mike in there will take real good care of you,” Jim said, his faraway look returning.

Kevin accepted the key and headed away from the counter, through an archway that separated the lobby from the stairwell. A metal banister ran up the stairs, old and rusty. Kevin didn’t want to touch it. At the top, a wooden door squealed as he pushed it open, revealing a dimly lit hallway lined with more wooden doors on either side.

The first one on the right had a number five painted on the outside. Kevin kept walking. The carpet was old and had dark spots in places. The charm of the place that he felt upon entering was slowly fading the further he ventured into the Traveler’s Inn.

Halfway down the hall, the dim lights winked out, plunging the inn into darkness. Kevin froze, unsure what to do. He didn’t want to spend the night in a strange motel without power, but driving through the storm didn’t appeal either.

The deserted hallway was silent. He couldn’t even hear the storm outside or the guest in the barroom. He started walking again, trying to remember what the last room number he saw was and count the remaining doors to number thirteen. He passed a couple more doors and the lights came back up, flickered, and then remained on.

With a sigh of relief, Kevin hustled down the hall and found his room. The door was cracked, a dim patch of light spilling into the hallway.

“What now?” he whispered to the air, nudging the door open with his sneaker.

The room was small and brightly lit. By the bed, a woman faced away from the door, tucking the sheets under the mattress. She turned as he entered, and his breath caught. Her hair was messy, half in a ponytail, the rest falling over her shoulder. Her jeans hugged her figure, and her blouse hung loosely at the top.

“Well, hello there. I was just getting your room ready,” she said, straightening her blouse. A warm smile curved her lips. 

“Hi. I didn’t know anyone was up here. Jim told me to come on up.”

“Yeah, I saw you pull into the lot and figured he’d put you in this room,” she said gesturing toward it.

The room held little beyond a bed in the center. A dresser stood at the foot, and there wasn’t even a television, a detail Kevin didn’t mind. He looked forward to going down for a drink before turning in.

Kevin stepped further into the room and noticed an open door to the left, light spilling from a small bathroom.

“I’ll get out of your way,” she said, crossing the room. “My name’s Amanda. If you need anything, don’t hesitate to ask.” 

She gave him one last look and walked down the hallway. Kevin resisted the urge to peek after her as he closed and latched the door.

He dropped his bag on the bed and headed to the bathroom. It seemed clean enough. After using it, he stripped and piled his clothes on the floor, then turned on the shower, hoping for hot water.

Once warmed, he stepped in, letting the spray wash over him. He couldn’t stop thinking about Amanda, her voice echoed in his mind. He wished he’d asked her to join him for a drink. 

Finished with the shower, Kevin dressed in his favorite jeans and a light blue polo shirt. He stuffed his dirty clothes into his bag, wishing he’d brought more for the trip. He had planned to drive all the way home to East Liverpool, but the storm had other ideas. 

Grabbing the key, he tucked it down in his pocket and stepped into the hallway. The lights were still on. Following the same path down the stairs to the lobby, he saw Jim behind the desk, staring out at the storm with a distant expression. A chill ran up Kevin’s spine.

Rain pounded the windows. “Hi again, Jim,” Kevin said, as lightning briefly lit the night sky.

Jim turned, staring as if seeing Kevin for the first time. “Yeah,” he said after a pause. Recognition flickered in his eyes. “Does that room work for you?”

“Yes, thank you. I think I’ll get a drink before turning in.” 

“Good. If you need anything, I’ll be here all night. My daughter Amanda is around too, she can help with anything you need.”

“I met Amanda already upstairs. I didn’t realize she was your daughter.”

“Oh, yeah. She’s been helping me since she was a kid. I haven’t known what to do since…since I lost her,” Jim said, his eyes drifting back to the storm.

“What do you mean, ‘lost her’?” Kevin asked, a chill running up his spine. Another crack of thunder shook the building. 

Kevin waited, staring at Jim, but then he realized that no answer would come. He finally gave up and walked to the barroom.

The atmosphere had changed. Silence hung over the room. Only an older gentleman sat at the bar while Mike polished a glass with a rag, both lost in thought.

Kevin moved slowly across the room, passing a pool table with cues left haphazardly and a half dozen balls still on the felt. He was about to sit at a stool when Amanda appeared from the corner. Their eyes met, and she ran toward him, throwing her arms around him in relief.

“Hi again,” Kevin said, easing out of her embrace. Her eyes were misty. “What’s going on? Did I miss something?”

“I didn’t think I was ever going to see you again. You left and didn’t even tell me goodbye,” she said, as a single tear slipped down her cheek.

“What do you mean, I didn’t say goodbye? You were changing the bedsheets, finished, and then you left the room.”

More thunder crashed outside and the overhead lights threatened to go out. Kevin’s heart pounded in his chest as he looked into her eyes. He felt like he had known her his entire life. Like this moment had played out before. Slipping a strand of her hair behind her ear, Kevin bent in and kissed her. Their lips met and fireworks exploded in his head.

He didn’t know how or why, but he knew that he loved her more than he had loved anyone else in his entire life. Breaking the embrace she put her head against his and placed her hands on his chest.

“It wasn’t the room where you left me. Please don’t leave me again,” she whispered. He barely heard her over the storm outside.

“Amanda what is going on? What do you mean, ‘again?’ Have we met before?”

Her voice became panicked. “Kevin! Stop it. We met here at the inn. You’re scaring me. This is how you acted the last time that you left me.”

Kevin grabbed her by the hands and met her eyes. “It’s okay. Everything is okay. I’m just a little confused is all. I just got to the inn about an hour ago. You were making the bed in my room. That was when we met.”

Amanda shook her head from side to side. Tears spilled down her face. “Kevin, that was a year ago. You have been here with me at the inn ever since. You settled down here and wrote your book.”

“No, no, no!” Kevin backed away from her. Mike looked up from the bar and stared at him along with the old guy who now also stared.

“Something wrong?” Mike asked, throwing his towel down on the bar and leaning against it on his hands.

Kevin turned from them and ran out of the bar. Jim remained behind the desk, staring into space, as if he hadn’t seen Kevin at all. Kevin pushed through the front door into the storm. Rain lashed at him as he scrambled to his car, throwing open the door and sliding inside.

Through the windshield, the inn looked…older. Dust clung to the windows. The neon vacancy sign was dark, its letters burned out and worn. Kevin blinked. He caught his reflection in the rearview mirror. He looked the same, yet something about the scene outside felt impossibly distant, like a memory.

“What is going on here?” he whispered to himself. He wanted to start the car and leave, but Amanda’s face flashed in his mind. He couldn’t leave her. His legs moved almost without thought, climbing out of the car and trudging back through the rain toward the inn.

The front door had a crack in the glass, a streak running down its center. He stepped inside cautiously. The lobby was deserted. Dust coated the counter and furniture. Silence hung over the rooms.  

The bar was empty too. A musty smell hung in the air. Kevin crossed the room cautiously. Dust coated every surface. Behind the counter, a faded photograph caught his eye.

Kevin approached and lifted it from the wall. His breath caught. In the picture, he and Amanda were laughing together, arms around each other, frozen in a moment he had never remembered living. The edges were yellowed, the photo worn. The scene felt impossibly real, yet distant.

A chill ran down his spine. The stairs creaked under his weight as he ran to room thirteen. The door slightly ajar…Kevin nudged it open with his foot and entered, expecting to see Amanda, but the room was empty.

The furniture was old, covered in a thin layer of dust. A drawer in the nightstand caught his attention. Inside sat a single book. Kevin wiped the dust away and froze. His name was printed on the cover. Flipping it open, he read the copyright page. 1987. He had been only two years old. 

Kevin sank onto the bed, heart pounding. Outside, the storm raged, but inside, a strange stillness held him. The inn, the people, Amanda, even himself…none of it belonged to the present. Somehow, he had glimpsed a life that might have been, a once-in-a-lifetime chance lost before he even knew it existed.

Holding the photograph and the book, he realized the truth. The love he felt, the moments he remembered, they were echoes, fragments of a life that had never truly happened. The storm beat against the windows like a warning. Kevin closed his eyes and whispered, “I’ll never forget you,” though he knew she had never truly been his to hold.

He stood, the rain dripping from his coat, and walked out into the night. The inn remained silent, its secrets buried in dust, storm, and time.