Room 404

David Carter was exhausted when he arrived at the Crestfall Hotel. A long day of driving, missed appointments, and an endless rainstorm had drained him completely. All he wanted was a warm bed and a few hours of sleep before continuing his journey.

The receptionist, a pale woman with hollow eyes, barely looked up as she slid a key across the counter. “Room 404,” she murmured.

David nodded, took the key, and dragged his suitcase toward the elevator.

A Room That Shouldn’t Exist

The hallway on the fourth floor was dimly lit, the carpet worn and musty. He found the door labeled 404, though something felt… off. The number on the plaque looked newer than the others, as if it had been replaced recently.

He unlocked the door and stepped inside.

The room was old-fashioned—dark wallpaper, antique furniture, and a single window overlooking nothing but thick fog. A musty smell lingered in the air.

Too tired to care, David collapsed onto the bed and drifted into sleep.

The Time Shift

He awoke to complete silence. The clock on the nightstand read 3:33 AM, but something was wrong. The air felt thicker, and the walls seemed darker than before.

Then, he noticed it.

The door to his room was… gone.

David shot out of bed, his heart pounding. The room was sealed—no exit, no hallway beyond, just four solid walls.

The window.

He ran to it and peered outside. Instead of fog, a city stretched beneath him, but it wasn’t the one he had seen before. It was older, filled with gas lamps, shadowy figures in long coats, and eerie silence.

Then he heard a voice behind him.

"You shouldn’t be here."

The Stranger in the Mirror

David spun around.

A man stood in the room. No—not a man. His reflection.

But it wasn’t mimicking his movements. The version of himself in the mirror had hollow eyes and an expression of pure terror.

"They put you in 404 too?" the reflection whispered.

David stumbled back. “What is this place?”

The reflection pressed its hands against the glass. "This room doesn’t exist. It’s a trap. And it’s not morning outside—it’s another time."

David’s mind reeled.

"You have one chance," his reflection said urgently. "You have to wake up before—"

The lights flickered.

A low growl rumbled through the walls.

The mirror shattered.

Escape—or Something Worse?

David woke up with a gasp, drenched in sweat. The room was back to normal. The door was there. The window showed the familiar foggy street. The clock now read 6:45 AM.

Had it been a nightmare?

Shaking, he grabbed his things and rushed downstairs. The receptionist gave him a curious look.

“I—I was in Room 404,” he stammered. “I need to check out.”

The woman’s face darkened.

“Sir,” she said slowly, “we don’t have a Room 404.”

David’s blood ran cold. He turned back toward the hallway.

And then he saw it—Room 404’s door had vanished.

Only an empty stretch of the wall remained.