The Mule: Part One Setup - Hotel Check-In and Preparation

The Mule: Part One Setup I arrived at the four-star hotel at 6:30 PM. A room for two had already been paid for, covering one night under the name John Smith. My friend was waiting in there and held the first badge key to our door; the girl at reception told me so. She asked if I had any luggage with me. No, I said. The checkout time is 11:00 AM. Your companion requested that we not be disturbed until then. Is there anything else, sir? Just no thank you, and I took the second badge for our room.

As I rode the elevator up to the sixth floor, a slight annoyance crept in—the receptionist might have assumed I was gay, sharing a space with another man. Room number 633 was mine. It stood alone down the hall, marked by a ‘Do Not Disturb’ tag on the knob. Inside, lights were on and curtains drawn tight. The TV hummed at a moderate volume so as not to disturb others nearby. I called out hello but got no reply; the room appeared empty except for a laptop sitting on the bed. It was active, its webcam capturing me like a mirror reflection. A scrambled voice greeted me: “Welcome, Mister X. We hope you enjoyed your flight.” So this is how it would work.

The voice continued, “Please do exactly as we say, and 40,000 euros will be transferred to your account. You won’t be harmed in any way. There will be no further contact with you; do you agree?” I agreed.

“Remove all your clothes and hang them up. We need to ensure there are no bugs hidden on you.” I could dress myself using a hotel towel while watching the screen. Once finished, return to face the webcam. Three minutes later, I was ready. I kept my underwear on just in case, covering it with the towel so they couldn’t see through.

“In the bathroom, you’ll find latex gloves, a plastic bag, and two micro-lax enema ampules. Use them to clear your cargo. You have thirty minutes.” I knew this was coming after swallowing my load abroad. Fortunately, it wasn’t too large. I administered the enema; one ampule works in twenty minutes, so thirty gave me plenty of time. After holding it for fifteen minutes, I expelled successfully. The cargo came out smoothly. I retrieved it and washed it in the bath before placing it into the plastic bag.

But I wasn’t done yet—I still needed to empty my bowels completely. I’d need some yoghurt over the next few days to help with that. Returning to the bed, I saw the laptop displaying an image of my cargo.

“Good. Place the cargo on the desk.” Inside the drawer is a box of Rohypnol in blister packs. Read the leaflet if you wish; these are standard sleeping pills meant to help me rest tonight. By morning, you’ll wake up 40,000 euros richer. I expressed mild displeasure but he insisted. I had to take two pills while facing the webcam and drink plenty of water, opening my mouth wide enough for him to see them go down. I took them—they looked like ordinary sleeping pills, and the blister pack was intact. The dice were rolled. It was 7:38 PM.

“Excellent,” said the voice. “The medication will kick in about two hours from now.” If you’re relaxed, sleep through until morning; otherwise, I understand this situation can be stressful. Tonight, I’ll enter your room to collect the cargo. Are you thirsty? You may have a drink. No need for the toilet anymore?” I said no and kept drinking my 50cl bottle of water, contemplating what had just happened.

“Very well. Time to bed.” Place the laptop on the desk so I can see it clearly. “Remove the sheets,” he instructed. Doing so revealed items laid out: a diaper, a roll of vet-rap gauze, a sponge ball, an MP3 player, duct tape, an eye mask, and scissors.

Pairs of zip ties were attached to either side of the bedposts via bungee cords near both head and footboards. It was clear what he wanted—I had to tie myself down. “You realize I don’t want any risks, so you’ll secure yourself. Don’t worry; it’s perfectly safe. I’ve tested it personally.” He would guide me through the process with confidence.

“Go to the bathroom and put on the diaper as a precaution against nighttime accidents. Normally unnecessary, but we prefer no mess for the cleaning staff,” he said. Following his advice made me feel like quite the fool—but hopefully worth it. This left my underwear in the bathroom rather than hanging up, should he decide to steal them.

“Any last words? No.” Insert the sponge ball into your mouth and bite down comfortably. Clear your nose; are you able to breathe normally? I nodded yes. Wrap the vet-rap gauze around your face. Start between your teeth for the first layers, then cover your lips with the rest of it until fully wrapped. Next, secure the tape over the gauze without catching your hair (it would hurt if pulled out later). Two wraps around the head suffice. Trim excess material with scissors and press firmly to ensure adhesion.\nAttach the MP3 player to your diaper for calming music during sleep—but do not switch it on yet so you can hear my instructions. Place the earpieces in, adding tape over them to keep them secure. Grab the eye mask and head back to bed. You may choose between lying prone or supine; I usually prefer stomach-down but decided upon back-up tonight for now. Slip the scissors under the pillow unnoticed—they’d come in handy later. Cuff your feet first. The zip ties connect via bungee cords along both sides of the frame. Sliding my left foot, then right, through them tightened things without being overly restrictive, allowing room to slip free if needed during emergencies.

“We’re nearly there. Goodnight, Mister X.” Switch on the MP3 player now. Put your blindfold in place and cuff your hands together above your head using two zip ties connected by bungee cord. The knots are secure against loosening—meaning you’ll need cutting to release them later. First my left hand, then right, allowing potential escape from cuffs despite scissors being slightly out of reach beneath the pillow. Before donning the blindfold, checking time showed 7:34 PM—a bit early for sleep but acceptable. Legs spread comfortably apart; hoping no cramps develop overnight. Calming synthesizer music played softly through earpieces while faint TV noise remained audible behind me. Though offset slightly during application, the mask blocked light completely creating total darkness. Moving jaws minimally helped manage saliva pooling down throat caused by tension forcing mouth open again occasionally. Everything seemed thoroughly prepared by him; I chose to let relaxation take over. What if he forgets untie me? If stuck until 11 AM clearance time when housekeeping arrives, it’d be awkward—tied gagged wearing diapers—with little explanation available. Could he kill me silently? Even so, retrieval of cargo matters most since his identity remains unknown. Primary risk lies solely in non-payment. How long has passed? The MP3 player loops continuously until power dies. Sleepiness induced by Rohypnol grows stronger; how much longer before succumbing fully? Is that actually the door opening or merely imagination amplified by background noise levels? Probably latter given combined sound interference from TV and music players. Strange odor present—perhaps ether-like scent wafting near. Suddenly felt damp cloth pressed gently across mouth/nose area.

This was it; he’s in the room. Quickly, I need to slip out of these zip ties. Hurry up—it hurts because he tightened them too much. Damn, game over.

I’m struggling like crazy but can’t break free. All I can do is mumble through my gag. The smell of ether fills my mouth and drags me into unconsciousness.

Can’t… I… sleepy… sleep…

Part 2: Almost midnight, a few rooms further down the hall, “the voice” was in another room. The laptop’s battery died about half an hour ago. He should be asleep by now. I put on my leather gloves to avoid leaving any prints. I broke out of and left my room. The hallway was empty. I headed toward the room where Mister X was.

I used my badge to open the door and entered as quietly as possible. Mister X seemed to be sleeping, but I wasn’t taking any chances. I grabbed the bottle of chloroform and soaked a piece of cloth with it. Mister X shifted slightly but didn’t hear me. I noticed that the zip ties around his hands were too loose. I placed the dampened cloth over his nose and mouth while tightening the zip ties with my other hand. He started to resist furiously, muttering through his gag. I kept the cloth firmly pressed against his face. The television helped muffle the noise he was making. After a few minutes, he went silent and stopped moving. I left the cloth over his face. It’s not like in the movies where chloroform works instantly; in reality, it takes time.

I opened the diaper. It was still dry. Quite impressive equipment you have there, Mister X. Nothing to be ashamed of.

I cleaned a spot on his right buttock with antiseptic and took out a syringe I had previously filled with anesthetic. I injected the drug into his right buttock. This medication would help him sleep for six to eight hours—enough time for me to get away. I closed the diaper and removed the rag from his face. He was breathing normally.

Sweet dreams, Mister X. Because you didn’t cuff your hands thoroughly enough, I won’t free you yet, Mister X. You’ll stay in this embarrassing position until the hotel staff finds you. It’s up to you to give them a reasonable explanation in the morning. I took the cargo and laptop, cleared out any remaining evidence, and left the room at about 01:00 AM. Mission completed successfully.

Part 3: 10:00 AM, Mister X awakens. My god, my head hurts; what has happened to me? I can’t see or move properly. Now I remember—the hotel room, the delivery. The pickup had taken place, but he didn’t do as promised. My hands are still tightly cuffed to the bed, and the zip ties are digging into my wrists. My right buttock feels sore. How long have I been asleep? The MP3 player has died, but the television is still playing. Forget about getting paid for this job.

I need to try freeing myself, perhaps starting at my feet. He didn’t tighten those zip ties enough. Come on, slip your foot out. Damn it; I shouldn’t have tightened them like that. It’s no use. Even pulling against the restraint doesn’t make much sound.

Let’s try removing the blindfold by rubbing it against my arms. Rubbing away the gag isn’t working because the duct tape is too sticky and the wrap remains very tight.

What’s that noise? The phone is ringing. It must be past 11:00 AM, and the hotel staff might come to clear the room soon. I can’t reach it to answer. The phone has stopped ringing now; they will likely come up, I hope. I need to pee but can’t get free.

There goes the phone again. Stop calling me! Come up and claim the room. Finally, the blindfold comes off. My eyes have to adjust to the light. The phone stops working again. The room is empty; he took the laptop and cargo from the desk. Now that I can see, let’s try retrieving the scissors from under my pillow. No, I can’t pick them up because I can’t lower my hands enough. I can just nudge them with my nose, but they stay out of reach. I’ll just have to wait for the hotel staff, who should arrive any moment now.

There goes the phone again. I can’t knock off the horn. I moan through my gag in despair; completely useless. No one can hear me over that television playing. I really need to pee. How embarrassing. I see it’s past twelve o’clock already. Why did I sleep so long?

Somebody is knocking at the door: “Mister Smith, are you all right?” It’s past eleven o’clock and we have to clean the room. Mister Smith, hello? The hotel staff arrives at the door. I moaned through my gag, but they didn’t hear me. “Mister Smith, we’re coming in.” The hotel clerk opened the door and was astonished to find me bound and gagged on the bed.

Come on, snap out of it! Release me,” he signaled with his eyes toward the scissors while accompanying them with a moan. He cut me free. Free at last! I would tell them a story about a male prostitute who lured me into a trap and stole my money. Needless to say, I didn’t receive 40,000 euros.