Short Story Idea

The following is a short story idea I came up with about 7 years ago. I was bored at work and thinking about going away for a few days. While looking at places online, the idea for the following story just popped into my head…it then took me about 5 hours to write it all down and I’m very happy with it.

It’s only a detailed outline with 99% of the dialogue not there! but the main heart of the story is intact and if you take it as a dark comedy short story, you’ll have the tone I was going for when writing it.

So read and enjoy, as much as I enjoyed writing it. Hopefully one day I’ll be able to flesh it out into a completed short story.

Unknown Story Idea
DETAILED OUTLINE

David Michaels is a writer who has sold a few novels in his past. Most of his works have been thriller type stories, but David has recently gone through what he feels is writers block. Normally this doesn’t bother him as David has been able to regain his focus within a few days. But this time its been a month.

So with a little help from his sister, David goes back to the town he finished his first novel at. Spring Lakes. With his laptop and writing items in hand, David arrives in Spring Lakes with nowhere to stay, but the smell of fresh air. He drives through the town which is located a few hours or so from the city, and finds what appears to be a small motel with only 10 rooms. Not seeing many cars in the car park, David stops and goes into the main office.

A large man named Barry is behind the counter with his wife behind him looking through some gossip magazines. Barry owns and operates the motel and is proud of the place and Spring Lakes and like always, very glad that someone is choosing his motel to enjoy the town. David is happy with his, and asks Barry if he can have a quiet room with a view as he is a novelist in need of some serious inspiration.

Barry’s wife asks if he writes for the gossip magazine, and David says he is a writer who is in the middle of a new story. He promises to pass the first copy onto the wife if Barry can help with his request.

After handing over his credit card, David grabs his stuff and is shown to his room by Barry. While walking to his room, Barry tells him all about the town and about the best diner in town, which is owned by Barry’s brother. David just asks for a few good take away places, which makes Barry a little upset, but he hands over the key and informs him that he and the wife live in room 1 in case of any problems.

Barry walks off and David looks out his window. He has a good view of the whole place. Because the motel is in a square type of arrangement, David can see all the rooms with ease. Even the office building and entrance through to car park.

The whole place could be seen by David, and because of this, he grabbed hold of the small table in the middle of the motel room and dragged it over to the window, placing the chair in the front and a pillow on the seat. David then pulled out his laptop, powered it on and sat there with his fingers on the keys. He grabbed his digital recorder placed it down and pressed play.

David wrote down everything that was played out from his recorder and then looked around the room. He was getting hungry and couldn’t see any food around, so David grabbed the phone and dialled a local take away place.

Go forward a big and David is laying down flat on the bed. His stomach is full from all the junk food and he is tired from the day so far. Happy that he has finished off at least one page, David agrees that he has earned his nap and soon passes out.

An hour turns into many, and he wakes up to find the sun has set, and the evening has turned to night. Looking at his watch, its just after midnight, and has slept for what appears to be 6 hours. Not able to sleep now even if he wanted to, David jumps up, washes his face, and sits down in front of his laptop.

While typing away, David finds his attention drawn to the outside world as he studies his neighbours at the motel. He notices that only rooms 1, 10 and 5 are occupied. Barry and his wife live in room 1. David himself is in room 10 and room 5 seems to house a woman. Late 20’s from what David can work out. He noticed her while paying the pizza guy for his dinner. She was walking out of her room and driving away.

As David watched room 5, he saw a car pull up. She got out and walked to her door, but her mobile phone rang distracting her for a moment. David couldn’t hear anything, but noticed her smiling and laughing about whatever she was talking about. What David failed to realise was that his laptop produced a lot of light, and he was completely lit up from inside watching her. She looked directly at David and gave him the finger, turned and then walked into her room.

David felt embarrassed by watching her and quickly closed his curtains. He put his head back down, and resumed typing away. An hour passes and David grabs a glass of water but then hears something outside. He peaks out the window when he hears a bit of yelling, where he sees a guy banging on door number 5. David watches as room 5 girl opens her door and pushes the guy back. He looks to be begging with her, and David laughs.

Room 5 girl then looks around and tells the guy to shut up but he won’t. David then notices Barry in room 1 is peaking out of the window. And although Barry is a bigger guy than David, he is the one that goes to help Room 5 girl when the guy starts causing trouble. The guy tells room 5 girl to fuck off calling her a slut and saying that she is a dirty whore. When David asks if there is some trouble, the guy says he is sorry for calling her a whore because she isn’t.

The guy then notices David and asks if he is her next appointment, but David laughs nervously to himself. Room 5 girl says to David that everything is okay, and the guy puts his arm around her saying its all good now. However he grabs her ass and room 5 girl pushes him away with David’s help. The girl thanks him, and David is then knocked out by the guy.

When he next wakes up, David is in room 5 with the girl beside him. The time is just before 6am and David has an ice pack on his face. He apologises for watching her when she got home, and Katie, as she is known, says she owes him one for the help. Katie then gets a phone call and within seconds, she hangs up telling the caller that she is fine and slams the phone down.

David asks if that was the guy, but it turns out that it was Barry. He has been calling for the past hour and each time panting on the other end. Katie tells him that Barry is not only the motel owner and operator, but also the motel pervert. She jokes that every motel has one and Barry is it here. David once again apologises for everything and she tells him to just relax.

Over breakfast, Katie tells David how she found herself in Spring Lakes and that even though Barry is a perv, he is a paying customer with a small dick. To which David asks if she has slept with him, and Katie answers with a loud fake orgasm, yes. Says its the only reason she stays at the motel too. No rent to pay and has good security too with Barry always keeping an eye on her. David is a little taken back, but then quietly asks if she gets paid for sleeping with people. Being the outspoken person that she is, Katie says she is the local town escort. And although she has slept with half the people in town, everybody keeps it secret. An open secret.

David laughs at that while thinking of what Barry’s wife would say. And Katie tells him that when she says she owes him one, she really means it. David says he has no problem finding women to have sex with, and Katie blows it off saying neither does she. After breakfast, David collects himself and thanks Katie and asks what she is up to for the day. He’d like to see some of the town, and she can pay him back that way.

Katie giggles and says she normally only says bedrooms, but then says its a joke and would love to show him around. However she has a client which is a repeat customer. Her ex boyfriend’s best friend. David gets the idea that the guy that punched him was her ex and Katie explains that he is correct.

David leaves and Katie drives off. While heading back to his room, Barry calls out for David. Taking a look at his face, Barry says that Katie is a special girl and that if he isn’t prepared for a good time, he should leave her alone. David has no idea what Barry is on about, but thanks him for all the calls seeing how he was. He then closes the door to his room leaving Barry a bit red faced.

Later that day, David finishes up to page 29. And once again finds himself really tired again. He lays down for a nap only to pass out for another few hours to wake to the sound of loud noises. David rushes over to the window to find Katie’s ex boyfriend outside again, this time with his car stereo blaring a love song. He is singing over the top very loudly about his love for her and Katie stands outside telling her ex to shut up.

David goes for his front door, but then hesitates for a moment fearing another punch, but then decides to be the better man again. Katie sees David walking up, and she runs up to him. The ex boyfriend is drunk and tosses another can of beer onto the car park ground and then passes out on his bonnet. Katie invites David into her room, and hints that maybe he can take care of him if he looks after her. But David isn’t interested in sex.

To which Katie laughs it off and they both walk into the room. While inside, Katie says she is going to have a shower and David finds himself shouting back to her because of the music outside. He lays down on her bed, not able to sleep, and Katie falls asleep beside him. Throughout the night, David hears the stereo slowly drain out as the car battery dies. Eventually he passes out.

Upon awaking, David finds himself in front of his laptop back in his room with himself having typed up to pages 48. He looks at the time and its just after 9am. He then looks out the window and sees that the ex boyfriend is still outside asleep on the car bonnet with Barry walking up to him. Katie is beside Barry and sees David looking. She smiles and waves at him.

While walking up to David’s room, Barry uses his broom to hit the ex boyfriend, who falls off the car and yells. Katie knocks on the door and thanks David for the help again last night. He says its okay and apologises for leaving her, but for some reason, he woke up in here. Katie says that he must have left early. David laughs nervously and says he must have. Katie notices the laptop and asks him about the story, and David explains that since he’s met Katie, the pages have just been coming to him.

Katie gives him a hug and invites him for a drive. David umm’s for a while, but Katie assures him that she is a good luck charm for him as evident by the amount of pages he’s got down. After agreeing to go for a drive, David calls his manager. He gives the good news that the trip away is doing wonders for his writing and at the rate he is at, should be done within the week. The call ends with both very happy.

Its night when Katie and David both get back to the motel. Barry is watching from his room and quickly closes the blinds when they show up. Also there is the ex boyfriend who starts yelling at Katie for sleeping with his best friend. David gets out of the car and the ex boyfriend threatens him. Katie pulls out her phone and says that unless he wants to spend the night in jail, he better fuck off.

The ex boyfriend leaves and David thanks her. Katie says that maybe he better stay at her room tonight. David is looking worried and agrees. While having a bite to eat, Katie starts kissing David and eventually they have sex. Katie goes to have a shower and they both fall asleep in her bed. Sometime after midnight, David wakes up and although dark in the motel room, he heads to he bathroom and washes his face and then whispers to Katie that he is heading back to his room because he’s got an urge to write. David closes her door and goes to his room.

With his laptop fired up, David belts out another few chapters and can’t believe how easy its all coming to him. By the time the sun begins to rise, David looks outside and then grabs himself a quick drink. He then notices his emails from his manager with congratulations on the continued good work. At which point, David decides to have a look back at the last few pages because he is so tired and can barely remember what he has written.

While reading back, David realises that he has called the female lead Katie, laughing at the inspiration she has given. While reading on, he comes across a love scene he had written and then a killing also. David looks back outside and back at the laptop screen. David reads more on the killing details and then pauses. He rereads and pauses again. David looks down at his shirt and notices blood on it.

He falls back from the laptop and gets worried. The blood is a little dry by now and then he rushes over to the bathroom mirror and pulls his shirt off. No cuts are on him and no wounds of any kind. David then runs into the next room and grabs another shirt. He looks out the window to room 5 and notices that Katie still isn’t up. David puts his shoes on and runs over to Katie’s room making sure that Barry isn’t watching.

He enters to a dark room and turns the bathroom light on to find blood in the sink, on the floor and leading back into the bedroom/main room. He peaks back to the bed and sees that Katie is laying in the bed with bloody sheets. He pulls back the sheets and finds that Katie has been stabbed to death. The knife is still inside her.

David runs back over to the bathroom and throws up in the toilet. At which point outside, the ex boyfriend pulls up. This time he is crying and begging to be forgiven and says he’ll never care who she fucks again as long as she fucks him. David can’t hear though as he is crying into the toilet bowl and throwing up. The ex boyfriend knocks on the apartment door and it gives way slightly. From room 1, Barry sees the ex boyfriend’s car out front and notices Katie’s door ajar. He grabs his shotgun and heads for room 5. The ex boyfriend enters the room and then sees that Katie has been killed. David can be heard in the bathroom and the ex boyfriend grabs hold of the knife out of Katie’s chest. He heads for the bathroom and David turns around to see the ex boyfriend standing over him. As the ex boyfriend is about to attack David, a shotgun cocks and Barry pulls the trigger killing the ex boyfriend.

David looks in shock and Barry helps him up. Minutes pass and police are all over the place. David is being looked at by a doctor and Barry says that he’s a little shaken up because he was banging Katie. A detective says its a damn shame about Katie as she was a good fuck, and that the ex boyfriend deserves it. Eventually Barry tells the cops what happened. The two detectives drive off much later on sure that the case has been solved. They recount the incident as they believe it to be. That the ex boyfriend killed Katie because he was jealous David was fucking her and was about to kill him before Barry saved him.

Still a little uneasy, David goes back to his room and sits in front of his laptop and starts at page 1 again. By the time, he gets to the final page, David has mended all identifiable names. He then sends the document to his manager and closes the screen.

THE END