Keeping their reservation they booked into the old sandstone, Elizabethan manor hotel. The thick, dark green carpet on the floor hardly gave as they stood in the large atrium. The walls were heavily hung with tapestries and paintings on mahogany rails and in guilt frames. In front of them the young woman stood behind her marble topped, mahogany desk processing their reservation. Every so often she would lift her hand to flick her dark hair from her eyes showing her thin, silver watchstrap. Her computer was weirdly new in this ancient home. A large log crackled on the hearth giving warmth and light to the almost authentic reception room. The young woman looked up and handed them their key instructing them to enjoy their stay.
They proceeded up the candle lit stairs hand in hand to the second floor. At the end of a short corridor at the top of the stairs was the door to their room. Engraved into the oak door and lightly gilded was the number 13. He unlocked the door with the long key and it opened with a long groan. She followed him in as he set their large case down on the four poster bed and opened it. In just a few moments they had transferred all of their clothes into the large oaken wardrobe and the drawers of the dressing table in the same wood. At eight an elderly man came to inform them that dinner was now being served. A few minutes later they sat in one the large dining room next to one of the wood panelled walls.
After dinner and cognac they returned to the room. She opened the door to see the drawers open and all of the clothes from them and the wardrobe strewn around the room. The leaded window was unbroken and firmly closed. Upon trying it took 5 minutes to open the window due to its intricate locking mechanism. Nothing was missing and they were sure no one had been into the room so he went down to reception to report the happenings to them. In reception there was no one to be seen. Perhaps they were eating now or busy with someone else whose room had been broken into. He waited there some time and started to move around and look at the paintings and tapestries.
Most of the tapestries were new replicas but on the wall by the dining room was a photograph of a far older one. It appeared to be a mediaeval representation of hell filled with flames and burning people. In the centre was a tall, black figure with a long tail and bright red eyes. The photograph almost glowed from the eyes they were so bright. The creature appeared to be an early representation of the devil, especially when the horns were noticed. The legend under the picture told much the same story adding only that it is the earliest tapestry ever found and it hangs above the bed of room 13. No longer bothered about the intruder he walked upstairs to see the real thing.
The door was not locked so he pushed it open. It groaned open to reveal the room in chaos; there were clothes everywhere again but this time the bed had been moved, the drawers were torn out and strewn across the floor. Even their case lay open on the bed from under the dresser. The bathroom door was locked and under it flowed a thin stream of water, the carpet was soaked through. He knocked on the door but there was no reply, even when he banged on it and shouted. After several times of shouting to her inside and hearing nothing he tried to break the door down. On his third run at it the lock broke and the door opened.
The sink was overflowing as were the toilet and bath. He ran over to the latter, which looked like an old tin bath that had been converted to take a pair of gold taps. In its bottom she was lying almost lifeless until he seized her and pulled her out. When she reached the surface she started to gasp for air and reach for him. Now she could breathe again she told him that she could not remember even wanting a bath. As she told him this the apertures through which the water was flooding the room started to turn red. A torrent of thin, red blood gushed onto the floor. It was flowing faster than the water had been and was quickly dispersing around the water already in the room.
Hurrying into the bedroom they closed the bathroom door. To prevent the stuff from flowing under the door they packed the space with jumpers. When they thought it was stopped he mentioned the tapestry. On the wall behind the bed they could see it. They walked over to look at it and, although crude, it was a wonderful picture. The bottom was in chaos with every thing thrown about, including several bodies. Above this there was a depiction of a number of people drowning in what appeared to be a large sea. Looking higher they could see rivers of blood flowing across something like farmland. They looked at each other, all of these things had happened.
In an attempt to divine their future they examined the piece a little bit higher. As they did so a crackling sound made them turn around. The carpet around their fireplace had ignited and the room was on fire. As the room burnt they screamed and shouted for what felt like an age but no one seemed to hear them and they attracted no help. In a sudden bout of clarity he recalled the depiction of the devil, had it not been surrounded by flames. His musings were soon to be answered as the flames reached the middle of the room and a great chasm opened up in the floor.
From the hole appeared the devil its self. The creature was large and hideous with long horns and a long tail. Its form was solid mat black except for a pair of bright red eyes like light bulbs stuck into its head. It stood upon its rear legs the feet of which were cloven hooves. The legs them selves were massively muscular yet solid black. The body was so thin that forms like ribs showed through and from the rear a long, thin, whip like tail ran to the floor. Its arms were large and muscular like the legs and the hands had long claws on the ends where its fingers should have been. The head was almost triangular with two red eyes and a long pair of horns jutting from the top and two small ears, also triangular, at the base of them.
It moved quickly towards them with out a single sound. The creature was like a bullet yet silent. Its long claws were poised in the air above it and its tail was flicked back ready to whip over. The centre of the triangular head opened to show a pair of long fangs like a snake. Reacting almost on instinct he tore the tapestry from the wall in its picture frame and smashed it over the beast's skull.
They awoke in the bed, pushed back against the wall. Their clothes were neatly put away and the log fire still burning in its place. They tentatively opened the bathroom door but it was empty and there were no signs of blood or bloodstains. They took it in turns to wash then descended the stairs to reception. A young man at present sat behind the desk who greeted them cheerily. He told the man that they thought they had had a break in into their room that night. The man enquired as to which room and when told looked confused replying that there is not and never has been a room 13 in the five years the man had been there. The man called his boss in who was an older man with a short, white beard. This person could recall a room 13 but said that no one had been in there for thirty years and the tapestry was destroyed in a fire when the last occupant was in there.