Disclaimer: Neither the characters, the story nor the game of Hotel Dusk belong to me. Note the fact that I am writing this on a FAN fiction site...
A Pretty Good Set-Up
I've gotta get outta here, now. Danny, why wouldn't you listen to me dammit! I told you not to trust that guy, and look where it got you! Look at what you left me, Danny. I've gotta run for my life now! But where? S'not like my ma would take me in after what she told me last time I saw her… I'm gonna have to just get on my bike and go, anywhere. Nile doesn't hesitate.
***
How'd I end up here? It's been almost three days since I left Manhattan, and now I'm in front of some crappy rundown hotel somewhere in California. Near LA, I think. Jeez, I'm beat. Nearly three straight days of charging down highways on a motorbike'll do that to you. Maybe I'll be lucky and find someone with enough dough on 'em to get me a night in this place. I'm not too hopeful, though. Who'd carry that much in a place like this?
***
I go in and there's no one at the front desk, or anywhere. Maybe everyone split. Looking around, I wouldn't blame 'em. Everything looks like it's falling apart, from the moldy wood making up the shelf behind the front desk, to the poster and pin-ups peeling off on the wall. I go and ring the bell anyway. A man walks out from a door behind the front desk. His fake 'welcoming' smile fades as he looks me over.
"Whaddaya want? I don't carry cash on me if that's what you're thinking, punk"
Whoa. What's eating this guy?
"I wanted to know how much for a night here."
The man looks me over again.
"You sure you can afford a stay in any hotel?"
He got me there.
"Aren't you supposed to be nice to potential customers like me?"
"Not when they just got out of-"
"DUNNING SMITH!"
A woman's voice cut off the old man. She sounds like my mother… this isn't good. The owner of the voice comes out of the door that I assume leads to the lobby.
"Rosa, I'm with a customer!"
Customer, my ass, wasn't he just trying to throw me out?
"That doesn't change the fact that the few guests we have are lined up in front of both the restaurant and bar… again! Someone has to run the bar, but I'm cooking for the restaurant and cleaning this place. And either way, I can't deal with a room full of drunks every night!"
So this place is understaffed…
The man, Dunning, tries to answer to this saucy old maid.
"What do ya want me to do about it?"
"I don't know! Try hiring some people maybe!"
You could practically see the light bulb turn on over Dunning's head as he turned to face me again.
"You need a job, boy?" he asked.
I pretended to think about it for awhile, he had really bugged me earlier.
"Well, I dunno… I had a few offers… I'll have to think this over…"
"Cut the crap, boy, you and I both know you need this job more than anything."
Jeez this guy was getting on my nerves.
"Fine, if you insist… What's the pay"
"A room and meals. Besides that, the pay is pretty small… but I don't think you'll care"
"Sounds fine to me."
"Fine, you're hired. Happy Rosa?"
Rosa looked at me. She wrinkled her nose.
"I have a bad feeling about this boy… you sure you want to take someone like this in?"
"You and your feelings, Rosa! You see anyone else volunteering to work in this godforsaken hotel?"
The man had a point, but that didn't stop the mother of all sass from answering back.
"Yes, well, I'm gonna hafta listen to you on this one, but mark my words, this won't turn out well."
Oh yes, this is going to be a perfect place to live.
***
Damn this bed is hard! It's not much of a mattress at all. Guess I gotta count my blessings, though… At least I have a bed. I thought about Danny for awhile. The guy was too greedy, that was what did him in. He just had to do that one last job, and he got killed because of it. Reminds me of a story this Officer Hyde once made up about his dad. He told me it after he busted me the third or fourth time for pickpocketing and crap like that. He said that his dad had been a criminal, and had been caught, on his last job before he went straight. Wonder what the Officer would say if he could see me now. Guess he would be surprised, but he wouldn't care that much. Guy wasn't the most compassionate person in Manhattan. Come to think of it, though, this is actually a pretty good set up. And I get to run a bar…
***
"LOUIS! LOUIS DENONNO! GET UP RIGHT NOW!"
I groan. Where am I? It takes me a second to realize where I was and what I was doing here, and another to realize that Mama Sass was calling my name… at seven o' clock in the morning, no less. I put on the clothes I was wearing last night (It's not like I had any other clothes), and go out to see what she's hollering about.
I open the door, and get a package handed to me.
"Deliver this to 216, to a Mr. Windsor."
Great. Not even breakfast and I gotta start finding my way around this joint. At least I had passed the stairs on my way to my room last night…
I go upstairs and knock on the door of room 216. A middle-aged man in a robe opens the door, grabs the package, and slams the door in my face. Friendly. I walk downstairs, and find the door labeled 'Kitchen, Staff Only'. Well that'd be me, wouldn't it? I go in to find Mama Sass stirring up a storm in a frying pan. I start looking around for food.
"LOUIS!" she smacks my hand.
"What?" I demand, rubbing my hand.
"What are you doing, going through my cupboards?"
"Chill Mama Sass, I'm just hungry".
Her face hardens.
"WHAT did you just call me?"
"Sorry, Mama Sass, you just don't look like a Rosa to me…. Or a Mrs. Fox" I say, looking at her nametag.
"Fine, suit yourself. Have some eggs, them go collect the laundry from the guestrooms. The cart's in the linens room on the second floor. Go find Mr. Smith and he'll give you the keys to the rooms where guests are staying, or just recently checked out. After you have the keys, go around and collect the laundry, then bring the cart down here, to the laundry room. I'll wash everything later. When you're done all that, come see me and I'll tell you what to do next."
Jeez, I'm beginning to think that this whole set up isn't as great as I thought. I found Dunning, and got the keys. Four rooms are occupied. I hope Mr. Windsor's out…
I go upstairs and fill the linen cart. Luckily, Mr. Windsor is out, so I don't have to deal with him. I do have to deal with some lady who thinks I'm a thief trying to steal her bedsheets and towels. I guess this is the type of guest you have to deal with in a place like this. Now that the cart's full, how am I supposed to get the damn thing downstairs? I don't see a laundry chute anywhere. While I'm trying to figure that out, I lean on the cart, pushing it down the stairs, making all the bedsheets and towels fly everywhere.
"Damn" I say under my breath as I notice Mama Sass looking at me from the foot of the stairs. I'm sure I hear her say "I told you so" under her breath before giving me a glare, telling me to pick it up, and marching away. Maybe I just won't bother next time. It's not like they're gonna fire me, they don't have anyone else to do even this much of the job. I chuckle to myself. Yeah, as long as I can deal with Mama Sass, this actually is a pretty good set up.
Author's Note: So? How'd you like it? This is my first fan fiction, so I would appreciate it if you could review the story... Please? *begs* As another note... I was trying to picture Louie's room while writing this, and it occured to me Louie's room doesn't have a bathroom. How can this be? Every other room has one, and there are no public bathrooms in the hotel... Where does he go?