James Coppinger

GIT 210

1/28/14

Fan Fiction

The Shining Sequel

Many years after the tragedy, Jack Torrance's legacy continues to haunt the Overlook Hotel. Even though the root of the problem was alcohol and abuse, even after the remodeling, the hotel has had major difficulties finding a winter caretaker. Now that they pay more than double, the income is hard to pass up for such an easy job. The winter of 1921 was shocking, weird things have happened after, but nothing significant.

Jake Hooley; a man in his mid 20s, recently laid off teaching his local elementary school has taken the job as care taker. Ironically, he was teaching the 4th grade- the same grade Danny was in when he stayed at the hotel over the winter. Not sure what to expect, Jake is happy to take the job and spend the winter in the hotel with the company of his 2 dogs.

Jake's childhood dream was to be a famous musician. Since he was little he has wanted the stardom and fame. "This is my chance" he thinks to himself. With a lot of time on his hands, he is determined to master the guitar and drums. Maybe even start an album.

It has been 7 days since the hotel closed. The dogs- a German shepherd and Labrador love every moment. Never before have they had this much space to roam and play. Their favorite activity being the daily afternoon W-A-L-K. To Jake, the walk is eerie. The thought of being by himself in a large forest for the winter makes him anxious. A type of anxiety he has never before experienced. On his walks, he gets this weird feeling; so alone and quiet that it feels like someone is watching him. It is a strange feeling, but Jake is not really scared. He knows his dogs will protect him if something were to happen.

3 weeks into his stay and the snow has arrived. The storm has been dumping snow for over a week. Jake has been playing the guitar better than ever before. His skills have improved tremendously. Sadly, with his new devotion to music, he has begun to have trouble sleeping and thinking clearly. It appears he misses home. He started having nightmares a few days ago. An image of a tricycle rolling around the premises haunts him as he sleeps. Even the dogs have started acting differently. Now they never leave his side. Jake tries his best to shrug everything off. Under the impression that creating his first album will help his stress, he decides that an album regarding this winter could be the start of his success as a musician. He has decided that his first album will be titled "Overlooking Winter". Looking for ideas for lyrics and themes for his songs, Jake begins researching the history of the surrounding area and the hotel.

Since he started making his album, things have become even worse. Things are not the same. Jake is convinced someone is playing a prank on him. It was a cold Monday morning when he read about the historic room 237. A near perfect opportunity for a song, he has to investigate the room. Even after being remodeled, room 237 is never occupied. When he decides to go into the room, the dogs are too scared to follow him. Jake continues anyways, when he goes in, his eyes are amazed. It is like something he has never seen before. A recording studio! Jake cannot believe it. He feels so much better. Happy, he continues to search the room. When he gets to the bathroom, a woman is in the bathtub. She is beautiful, they make eye contact and she gets up and walks towards him. Right as she reaches out for him, once of the dogs lets out the fiercest bark Jake has ever heard. Angry by the interruption, Jake storms out of the room convinced his German shepherd is the root of all the evil. Jake feels it has to be done. The dog has to go. Jake knows he will not survive the winter with his dog's negative energy always around. Jake grabs one of the guitars and swings as hard as he can at the dog. In his rage, Jake is very inaccurate and the dog dodges what would have been a fatal blow. At this point, Jake has gone completely crazy. Letting his emotions get the best of him. The German shepherd bites his left arm, and runs out of room 237 never to be seen again. The Labrador is nowhere to be found either. Under the assumption that the dogs have escaped the hotel, Jake enters the frozen forest following the footprints from yesterday's walk. He leaves a trail of blood that drips off his hand onto the snow. It is only a matter of time before frostbite and hypothermia get the best of him.

When spring arrives, the hotel staff is greeted by emptiness. It is later discovered that Jake suffered the same fate as Jack Torrance. Not able to stay sane, Jake froze to death, alone in the forest. The dogs are never seen or heard again.