Disclaimer: I (Pandonetho) do not own Hotel Dusk or anything related to it.
Arising Troubles
(Ending with Mila leaving with Hyde, Dunning's daughter has not returned.)
2 years after Kyle has left the Dusk on that clear sunny morning with Mila.
The quarter made a clink as it rolled through the slot of the vending machine which rarely had customers. A hand pressed the tab with the words booster-orange printed on it. A loud noise was produced; the can of orange juice clanked down the machine, and a hand took it out of the flap.
Kyle gave the can to Mila, she never asked for the drink, but he bought it anyway. They both walked side by side onto the sand. An ugly brown sign to the side read "Bourbon beach." Although neither of the two wore any swim gear, or had brought any for that matter, they decided to stop by a beach that Kyle was driving by. Mila took off her shoes and waded into the water. The beach was vacant, litter lay across the sand and the wind blew peacefully through the air.
As Kyle went to the pier, hands in pockets, he stood and stared into the sky. It was a clear beautiful morning; a few clouds dotted the sky and floated leisurely on the wind. He squinted, the sun attempting to blind him. After heaving a sigh, he looked over at Mila.
She too seemed to be in deep thought, staring far out into the horizon, the icy water swirled around her ankles. She didn't seem to mind however, and appeared to like the cold sensation. Her hands were clasped together, and she stood thoughtfully in the stainless, angel white dress she wore on the day of arriving at the Dusk. The wind blew gently, her beautiful white hair swaying, and her sky-blue eyes staring into space.
Kyle noticed how pretty the silent 21 year old girl looked. His head leaning back and at an angle, eyebrows forming a small frown, he tilted it the other way, pondering on what Mila could be thinking about. Curiosity was on his face, but he decided to leave the questions in his head.
He stared back into the vast expanse of water, it was just some shabby roadside beach, but the moment felt serene. The waves crashed onto the pier, and the gulls above cawed noisily. Kyle turned around and started walking back from the pier. His foot hit the sand, and he turned his head to take one last glance back.
In his imagination, he saw Bradley, standing at the last few planks of wood staring out. Kyle recalled this moment years ago, albeit at a different place, more of a dock. He wore a badge with NYPD printed on it, and he held a gun with both hands, yelling hoarsely, "Bradley! Why?" Bradley, still facing the water, turned his head back and looked sadly into Hyde's eyes. Kyle yelled again, "Don't Move!" After that, the memory was clear, he pulled the trigger and Bradley went sinking into the murky depths.
A whisper carried over by the wind, "Mila…" It was presumed that Brian Bradley was dead after the incident.
Kyle Hyde could still hear the echo of the gun as the bullet left the muzzle. A couple of years back, at the Dusk; he had a few inquiries answered. The note Bradley left Kyle was now a piece of memory to be treasured. At the very least, Bradley was alive somewhere! With this information, Kyle's heart could at least be relieved of some small burdens.
He shrugged off the bad but unforgettable memory, and walked over to Mila. Standing behind her, with one hand still in his pocket, he placed his left hand on her right shoulder, and she abruptly turned around. Her hair swayed gently in front of her face with the momentum of the turn. She looked up at Hyde with her innocent blue eyes.
"Are you ready to leave?" He asked gruffly, but with a soft complexion about his face. Mila made a small nod, and walked quietly from the water. "Come on, it's getting windy, you'll catch a cold. If Rosa knew, she wouldn't be too happy with me would she?" She made another small nod of acknowledgment.
Kyle went to his car; he leaned on it and waited, while Mila picked up her matching white shoes and followed shortly. She entered the passenger seat and dusted off the sand from her feet, then put her shoes back on. Starting up the old vehicle of his, he fastened his belt, and tuned the radio to a classical station. Pulling out of the empty lot, Kyle just kept driving straight. After a couple of boring hours, Mila was fast asleep, the orange juice still unopened in her hands. Hyde hadn't made contact with anyone he knew since the departure from the shabby hotel, but deep down in his chest somewhere, there was an urge that was telling him to go back to the Dusk, it was his gut.
Seeing a chance to turn back a few miles down the road, he took a right when the road forked. The scenery slowly passed by his window, rolling fields of green. It was vast and hypnotic, and Hyde was slowly closing his eyes. He hadn't slept well in the past couple of days, and this was affecting him heavily as he drove. Slowly, his car started to drift over to the left lane, where an oncoming truck was honking wildly at him. It seemed so distant though, and the honking sounded ever so far away.
Suddenly, a hand shook his shoulder, he snapped out of his daze and quickly swerved back onto the proper lane as the truck whizzed by, honking loudly. Another car was behind him too, the horn also barking. He looked over at Mila, she was staring at him, and worry filled her eyes.
"Ugh, I'm sorry about that. I think I need a drink or two... Mila… do you mind if we visit the Dusk? We haven't been there for two years now, and, and there's just this urge that I have, telling me deep down inside that something is happening at the Dusk." Kyle eyed her with his peripherals.
Again, another nod, and this time she also added softly, "Yes… I want to visit the Dusk again too." Mila stared down at her hands, which still held the can of juice.
Kyle nodded sincerely, "It's settled then, back to the start of our story." He gripped the steering wheel, determined to stay awake on the long trip.
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Whistling coming from the laundry room "Daaaaamn, that is nice! What a fine piece of work! Yeah, definitely." Suddenly, a faint ringing noise echoed through the hall, once, twice. Grumbling to himself, Louis DeNonno reluctantly put down the latest issue of Vroom, a model magazine. On the cover, it starred yet another pose from the experienced model Iris. She wasn't new to the scene, or young for that matter. In fact, she was still attractive enough to stay in the photo shooting business at her age. She was also one of the guests to visit the Dusk two years back.
"I'm coming!" Louis called, as he ran through the hall, passed the main entrance room and into the lobby. Panting heavily, hands on his knees he coughed, "Louis, at your… servi – huh?" He looked up, and just briefly caught a glimpse as a man in a long coat exited the main front doors. A shiver ran ungracefully down Louis' spine, he was chilled to the bone, the man seemed awfully familiar. The way he looked from the back as he walked out the door seemed too similar…
Louis' face was stricken with surprise and horror, it was that man. Louis breathed quietly to himself, "J…" On top of the small table near the entrance, was a letter, addressed to Kyle Hyde.
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That's all for the moment people. I'll keep writing though; hope you've enjoyed this short piece that I've typed out so far.
