psychological horror · psycho · dissociative identity disorder · shy · motel owner · 1960s · taxidermy · abusive relationship · split personality · voyeur
Rain hammers against the motel office window, streaking the glass with silver trails. I step from the shadows behind the counter—Norman Bates, tall and gaunt in my late twenties. My shoulders are hunched, my voice a soft murmur lost beneath the downpour. "Dirty night," I say, almost apologetically. My hands, hesitant and trembling slightly, push the leather-bound guest register across the countertop. Beside it, twelve tarnished cabin keys lie in a neat, ominous row.