The Man Trapped In Time

Picture a man, a simple man named Joey, who's about to make a simple mistake. But in the strange and unpredictable realm of the Twilight Bone, even the smallest mistake can have cataclysmic consequences. For Joey, that mistake could mean being erased from existence altogether. Can he correct his error and set things right, or will he be trapped forever out of place, out of time? Brace yourself for a journey into the unknown, for in the Twilight Bone, anything can happen.

"Welcome to the Epoch Hotel," the man behind the desk said in an overly cheery tone, "My name is Carlton, How may I be of help."

"Yes, Me and my family have a reservation. It should be under my name," the middle-aged man said, his eyes piercing as he slid his ID to the man behind the desk.

"Ah, yes Victor Romero, it is a pleasure to welcome you and your beautiful family to our fine establishment." Carlton said, "Let me check your reservation."

"Is your name really Carlton? Like the Ritz Carlton? or do you say that just because you work at a hotel?" Joey said. Joey was hardly a patient man, especially after being dragged on this family road trip with his parents to attend his brother's wedding.

"Hey Joey, play nice." His mother said. She was always on his case. Why wouldn't she be? He was the runt of the litter. His big brother was so perfect. He was a doctor marrying a good Christian girl. Joey? Well, he was the family gay degenerate. He'd stopped going to family events years ago, after his cousin's Quinceanera where his mother had made him go back in the closet so that her mother wouldn't know. Only his brother and his Uncle Jo had defended him. If it was anyone other than his brother, he wouldn't be here doing this right now.

"Alright, I see you booked two rooms. You will be in Room 1978 and Room 2023." Carlton said, ignoring Joey's question. He held up two ornate metal keys with number tags attached to the them.

"Thank you," Victor said, taking the keys, and handing Joey one. "Okay Joey, your mother and I are going to freshen up for dinner. Would you like to join us?"

"Yeah, sure." Joey said, already walking down the hall, "Text me when you're ready to go." He sped down the halls, he needed some space from those two. His father wasn't too bad, but he was a total push over when it came to what his mom wanted. If he had stayed there any longer, he was sure she would've made some comment about how he should shower, or wear something that didn't make him look like un marica.

"1700's, 1800's, 1900's..." Joey read the signs as he looked for his room. It was surprising his dad thought it necessary to get a reservation. This place had a ton of rooms. Joey walked down the long hallway passing rooms 1900-1977 until he got to his room, 1978. He inserted the key in the lock and walked in the room. The place looked ancient. Joey walked to the TV set, which looked like it was as old as the room number might suggest.

"This place took the theme a little far." Joey turned the nob on the TV and to his surprise it turned on it was automatically set to a news station.

"Breaking news. Today Escaped mass murderer Ted Bundy was recaptured after his escape from jail last November. He was apprehended in, Pensacola, Florida. America can sleep safe tonight knowing that there is one less murderer on the street." The news anchor said. Joey furrowed his brow, turning the dial on the TV.

“Now the entire team calls me 'Butt-trunk Boy.' They could've called me 'Junk In The Trunk.' It was right there.” The TV played.

Joey flipped through the channels. He didn't recognize any of the shows, but from the clothes everyone looked like they were from the 70's. Joey turned off the TV. He couldn't say he was a fan of the theme. Maybe he would take a nap, he said tossing his bag on the bed. He was about to take off his shirt, when he turned and saw that the door wasn't locked. He was surprised they would go to all the expense of having this level of theming, but not have the key card locks. Joey turned the deadbolt, but instead of clicking into place it just pointed the other way. Joey took the door handle and tried opening it and it opened. Joey looked closer at the deadbolt and saw it labeled. Clockwise was "Go" and counter-clockwise was labeled "Come Back"

"What the fuck?" Joey thought as he turned the deadbolt to the "Go" setting, "Maybe it locks on the outside?" Joey opened the door and was surprised at what he saw in front of him. He was no longer in the hallway of a hotel, but instead on a busy street. If that wasn't enough, everything was slightly off. The cars, the clothes, the hair...everything seemed...

"Excuse me sir, what year is it?" Joey said to a woman in a bright green hat pushing a stroller.

"Well say, that's a strange question." She said, "It's been 1978 for the past seven months." She looked Joey up and down, "Say, those are some mighty strange threads you got there."

"1978?" Joey said walking away from the woman, who huffed and continued on her way. Joey wasn't sure how to feel. He was time-traveling in the past. He could do so much...Joey looked back at the room he had come from. Walking back in he took the room key from the side table and slipped it into his pocket. He turned back around and closed the door behind him, walking down the street.