Excerpt
Reaching the town of Salem, her father drove up to a string of rental units linked together in a long row. The gray buildings looked as if they could use a good coating of paint. Above the cabins on a hilltop, stood an old, ramshackle looking house badly in need of repair. A tiny yellow light glowed out into the darkness from one of the long windows.
Lacy got out of the car and turned her head away from the house on the hill. She walked to the back of the car and helped her father sort through the trunk for their cases. Carol and Lacy then carried the luggage into the cabin and placed them on the floor just inside the door.
"Do you know what I think?” Carol asked, turning her head and glancing around the room. "This place reminds me of the Bates Motel. Kind of eerie, isn't it? I wonder if Norman Bates still lives with his mother.”
For no-good reason, a shiver of apprehension raced down Lacy’s back. Just looking at the house had given her the strange reaction.
"It gives me the creeps looking up the hill,” Carol shuddered as she turned away and looked around. "At least they keep the cabins neat and clean."
Lacy walked across the room and glanced into the doorway of the bathroom. A white shower curtain hung inside the tub. Visions of the long ago movie danced through her thoughts and she shook her head to rid it of the image.
She closed the door of the bathroom shutting out all her unbidden thoughts and made her way into the main room again. There were twin beds, separated by a few feet and a set of faded curtains hanging at the windows. An ancient television was the only other furnishing.
"I'll bet that doesn’t even work,” Lacy said, reaching over to turn the dial on the television set. Sure enough, the only thing coming out of the box was the sound. "See what I told you. We should ask for a partial refund on the rental."
They burst out laughing and Lacy felt some of the tension draining from her over her experience in the bathroom. She made a silent promise to keep her mind occupied and not let morbid thoughts fill it. She figured she would have more fun on the trip if she did.