Vacancy: A Short Horror Story

by B. Groves

There is more to Foxworth House than dirty towels. Lacey Marshall hates flying and drives whenever she needs to take a trip. Once a year she drives from a work convention in Las Vegas to her home in Denver, CO. She’s never had trouble with the drive until this year when Lacey is caught in a freak snowstorm. The storm forces Lacey to stop and spend the night in a creepy bed-and-breakfast on a lonely road in the middle of the desert. Her room is dirty, the towels are moldy, and the clerk was rude, but Lacey has no other choice. There’s more to this bed-and-breakfast than just bad service. The bed-and-breakfast has a horrifying secret. One that reveals itself to Lacey after she checks into her room and that secret will change her life forever.

Genres: Horror

60 pages, Kindle Edition

Published October 29, 2018

About the author

It has been my passion to write good stories since I was handed my first Nancy Drew book at the age of ten. I've been writing stories and imagining other worlds since I read that first book, and I was determined to publish those stories one day. 
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I was born in a small town (truth) in southern New Jersey. Where there’s only 1 traffic light, an ice cream shop, and a post office run by an old lady who still thinks I’m twelve when I visit home.
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While in high school, I found a love of historical romance novels. Sneaking them around my teachers and parents. I got caught once and had the book taken away from me for the rest of the day. I was sent home with a note, and my mom shocked me when she said she was happy I was reading and didn’t care what it was.
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I have the greatest husband and supporter in the world. He has a love of books like me, but he would never touch romance. Except! He reads all of my writing giving me critical feedback. How awesome is that?
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I hope you join me on this journey through my personal twilight zone. You never know where you may go. I love writing dark fiction (In real life, I'm a goofball and I do a wicked imitation of Dean Winchester from Supernatural) about the dark side of humanity with paranormal elements, suspense, and romance in the mix. I love strong heroes and even stronger heroines. 
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Thanks for stopping by! 
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Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/authorbgroves/
Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/bgrovesauthor/

Reviews

[Peter · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this 'horror motel' story. Lacey is on her way back home when a snowstorm hits her. Her husband finds a motel that's not fully booked: Foxworth House. But this motel is not in the best condition, it seems to be unused for years (the guestbook is a good detail). The proprietor seems also a bit strange when telling Lacey about a curfew from 10 pm on. As Lacey tries to get some water from the vending machine the horrors begin. There's a strange tall man sneaking around outside. Will Lacey become a victim? Later on you are told the history of that place and at the end is a typical nasty twist. It was a quick and compelling read. I really liked the characters and the denouement at the end. If you like 'horror motels' it's definitely worth a read. The author doesn't invent the genre anew but it's a fine story!

[Cheryl · Rating 4 out of 5]

"She had to get out of there because her instincts were screaming at her to run as far away from this place as she could. That bad things have happened here and she would be next if she didn’t jump in her car right now and drive off."

A thoroughly enjoyable, well written horror short story of a woman's horrendous ordeal at a B&B during a snow storm. While the premise is not exactly original it was well executed and I loved the juicy twist at the end.

[Lise · Rating 4 out of 5]

Stuck in a snowstorm, Lacey is forced to shelter at a motel where everything is just a little creepy.

Horror isn't usually my go-to genre, but I got into this story. The storytelling was great - not drawn out but concisely plotted and there's a goosebumps conclusion to boot!

[Kim · Rating 3 out of 5]

Nice, short take on the Bates Motel ouvre.

[Jeanine · Rating 3 out of 5]

Short weird story.

[Sarah · Rating 3 out of 5]

A creepy story that escalated nicely and did a good job building suspense and tension. There were some noticeable run on sentences and other grammatical issues, but overall, the content made up for the technical faults. I also could have done without the last chapter, as I felt the ending was solid without that bit.

[Lily · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5 stars in fact.
It is a quick read. The story was very typical. Maybe I was expecting something more out of it.
The writing style was not bad but quite immature. Each sentence started either by 'Lacy' or 'She' which was very monotonous.