Listen Closely
Johnny sighed, adjusting his friend, trying to get a better grip under her legs.
"Nny~. How much further?" she asked tiredly, head resting on his shoulder, her eyes looking in the direction he was going.
"Not much. Just a few blocks," he told her. Sighing a bit, she nodded, allowing her eyes to slip shut. Johnny gave a small smile, though.
"Sleepy, huh?" he asked quietly, only to have her nod slowly. "Well, we'll be there soon. You can sleep in the bed and get off my back... literally."
"Thanks for carrying me, Nny," she muttered, wrapping her arms a bit tighter around his neck, trying to give him a hug. He chuckled slightly. He couldn't believe what was going on. The car broke down in the middle of nowhere, Jennifer, the girl he was carrying, got into an argument with a sheep by the side of the rode behind a fence, and now he was carrying her. Johnny was more tired than she was. Not having a license, Johnny was forced to drive for two days straight. Two days driving on the road, with nothing but animals, both dead and alive, in sight. And now, he was carrying her. He had been walking for at least three miles, and not once did he put his friend down. She had stayed up with him for three quarters of the way while he drove, sleeping for an hour or so each day. And yet, as Johnny continued to walk, he didn't put her on the ground. Instead, he would adjust his grip on her legs, trying to make her cease her slipping. To be honest, he loved the girl. Not in a lover way. Just a sibling way. He couldn't bare to imagine the girl not being in his life, and in the hospital or graveyard instead.
"Jennifer," Johnny spoke with a small smile, trying to see his sleeping friend. "We're here, buddy!"
"Mmm... okay..." she sighed tiredly, finally feeling him slowly loosen his grip on her, allowing her slip off. She grunted a bit, stumbling to keep herself up. Johnny kept his smile, wrapping an arm around her and helping her inside the hotel.
"Good evening!" the man spoke cheerfully, smiling at the two. "How may I help you?"
"A room with two bed, please?" Johnny replied. The man happily nodded, looking at the laptop in front of him, getting Johnny's full name, credit card, and ID.
"Okay! Here's your key! You're on the top floor, room 1002!" he told him, happily grabbing a key and holding it out. Johnny took the key as both said their good nights. He went over to the elevator, sighing as he saw a piece of paper with the words 'Out of Order'scribbled on it in rushed writing.
"Jenn, how well can you walk?" he asked, looking down at his slightly shorter friend.
"Eh... okay?" she replied, her voice different from her normal sounding one. Johnny felt horrible. Of course, it wasn't his fault. She stayed up with him when he said she could get a full night sleep! And that was possible for her. Jennifer traveled when she was child, and sleeping in a moving car wasn't too hard for her. But, she insisted on staying up with him. So, to see if she could walk fine, Johnny let go of her. She took a few steps, before Johnny had to jump out and catch her before she fell face first onto the floor.
"You liar!" he laughed, helping her stand. She yawned with a slight smile, leaning her head against Johnny's chest. He bent down, curling his arms under her knees, and securely holding her back. He lifted her up easily, carrying her towards the stairs.
"This is gonna take a while, isn't it?" she asked quietly, looking at him as he slowly made his way up the metal stairs, the blueish lights flickering above them.
"I'll go as fast as I can without dropping you or tripping and killing both of us," he promised, smiling down at her, hearing that giggle that told him she trusted the words he spoke.
As Johnny walked, he heard sounds both above and below him. Instead of hearing quietness like he thought he would, he heard children laughing and footsteps running back and forth, sometimes a shout from a parent.
"Nny? Why do people die so young?" Jennifer suddenly asked, her tired voice breaking the silence of the stairwell, making Johnny's heart stop for a second. "Why do children end up dead at a young age?"
"Well..." He thought for a moment. Why would she ask? Was she talking in her sleep? No. She never asked questions in her sleep. Johnny took a quick glance behind him, seeing nothing but flickering lights and metal stairs. "Why do you ask?"
"It's just not fair," she started, looking up at him. His chocolate brown eyes stared into her violet ones, remembering when she first got those contacts, and how happy she was. "They're brought into the world, suffer the flaws of others for a year or more, then they die a tragic death. It's not fair. Why does it happen?"
"Um... well, maybe it's because it's their time?" he tried, not really knowing. "I know it's sad because they're just innocent children, but look at it this way: they're in a better place!"
"Not always," And Johnny's heart dropped at that. "Sometimes their spirit stays here. They're looking for friends, Nny. They're looking for someone to play with, and someone to get love from."
"Jennifer, what's up with you and dead children?!" he asked with anger in his voice.
"Just... wondering," she replied, leaning her head against his body, closing her violet eyes. He sighed, finally reaching the top floor, his leg aching more than they already were. He turned to their room, finding it by the stairs. He put Jennifer on the ground, unlocking the door and entering with his friend. He shut and locked the door, Jennifer flicking the lights on, lighting up the room. She took off her shoes, socks, jacket, even tank top and jeans. This was normal for her. Johnny didn't mind her undress to her bra and underwear. She slept better like that, and if she didn't wake up in the middle of the night due to her clothes bothering her, it was okay with him. Besides, it's not like Johnny was going to sleep in the same bed as her. There were two, and by the looks of it, Jennifer made it clear she wanted to sleep alone by laying in the middle, covers already up to her neck.
"Night, Jenn," Johnny whispered, getting out of his clothes as well, leaving on his boxers. He slipped into the other bed, closing his chocolate brown eyes and drifting into a blissful sleep.
After about an hour of sleep, Johnny found himself awoken to giggling of children. He sighed, looking at the clock. It was two in the morning! Why weren't these children in bed? Why hadn't their parents told them to be quiet? He grumbled as he reached over, picking up the phone and calling the man at the desk.
"Hello~! What can I do for you, sir or ma'am?"
"Hello, Grisha. It's Johnny," Johnny spoke, remembering the man's name when he entered. "I was wondering if you could please talk to the parents of the children on this floor. They're running around the hall and laughing. It's pretty loud."
"Sir, I'm very sorry, but there's no one else on that floor!"
"Are you sure? I can feel the vibrations on the ground. Maybe it's the kids on the floor below us?"
"There are no children in this hotel. I'm sorry, sir."
"It's okay! Probably just my imagination! Goodnight!"
"Goodnight, sir! Sweet dreams!"
Johnny put the phone back on the receiver, looking into the darkness. Jennifer's sleeping form shuffled in the bed, making Johnny smile. She usually had silly dreams when she slept. He wondered what it could be this time? He rolled over, his back facing his friend. As he tried to sleep once more, he heard the sound of light footsteps on the floor, slowly walking over to him.
"Nny," came Jennifer's soft voice, showing she wasn't sure if he was awake or not.
"Hm?" he replied quietly, telling her she could speak.
"I'm having bad dreams. Can I sleep with you? Please?" she begged. It wasn't normal for Jennifer to bed, but when it came to nightmares, she always got scared and never wanted to be alone.
"Yeahsurewhatever," came his quick reply as he felt the girl struggle to crawl into his bed. He remembered one night when she had a nightmare. It made him feel sad. She was crying, and when he came near her, she clung to him, crying into his chest. He asked what happened, only to hear her answer with a sob. Apparently, she had a nightmare that he had tried to kill her, and chased her through the woods, trapping her in an abandoned house. She knew had it been someone else, she would've been just scared, but since it was him, she broke down. She hated it when the ones she loved either left her or tried to harm her.
"What was your dream about?" he asked quietly, feeling her settle into the side next to him.
"About my dad trying to drown me," she told him. He stopped for a second.
"But... you never dream about your dad! And he's dead!" he spoke, surprised at her dream. He felt her shrug, and her arm wrapped around him. He froze. Why did her arm have material on it? Jennifer didn't have her jacket on.
"Nny! Shut up before sew your mouth shut!" came Jennifer's angry voice from across the room. A shiver ran down Johnny's spine. Wasn't she in the bed with him? Telling him about her nightmare?
"J-Jennifer?" he called out, wanting this person to release him.
"What?" she hissed, shuffling in the other bed.
"Are you still in the bed by the door?" he asked. There was an irritated sigh.
"Yes. I am. Why?" After hearing that, Johnny shot out of bed, the arm being jerked off him as the sound of thudding was heard.
"JOHNNY! WHAT IS YOUR PROBLEM?!" Jennifer shrieked, flickering the light on. She glared at the male, who was pressed against the wall, looking at his bed in complete horror. Soon, his eyes met hers, admiring the hazel that was covered with anger and tiredness. "Dammit, I think we're finally gonna get some sleep, and you do this! Why?! What's wrong?!"
"I heard your voice," he started, now keeping his eyes on the darkness that was under his bed. "You said you had a bad dream, and you wanted to sleep next to me. I agreed, and then you start shouting from over there. I thought you were next to me, so I got scared."
"Dude, it's probably just your imagination," she told him, now calming down. "You haven't slept in... what? Two... three days? You're gonna hallucinate sometime."
"No, dammit!" he snarled, angry that she didn't believe him. "I was fully awake! I talked to that guy at the front desk over the phone, and talked to him about the kids running around! Then someone, in your voice, asks to sleep in my bed, because they had a nightmare!"
"Hey, speaking of children, I don't hear them anymore, do you?" Johnny ceased his anger, listening to the silence with his dear friend. There was no sound, except their breathing. "Think they went to bed?"
"No," he told her, biting his lip. "Grisha said there was no children in the hotel when I spoke to him."
"So... what? Are we going insane?" she asked, showing a sign of fear. He couldn't answer that question.
"Let's just... let's just get some sleep, yeah?" he suggested, walking towards her, seeing her tremble from both past anger and fear. "We'll leave first thing in the morning!"
"Fine, fine," she agreed, getting back in bed, looking up at him. "But you're sleeping with me!"
"I'm cool with that," he confessed, getting in the other side of the bed. He shut the light off, laying on his side to face Jennifer. "Night. Sweet dreams."
"Night, Nny. Sweet dreams," she repeated, smiling slightly. Both closed their eyes, wanting to sleep to come quickly.
"Night mommy! Night daddy! I'll see you in the morning!" a child's voice came from the foot of the bed. Johnny felt Jennifer cling to him, her arms nearly breaking his back.
"Johnny, if we don't make it through the night, I want you to know something," she spoke quietly, just loud enough for him to hear. "I want you to know... that I hate you for bringing me to this hotel!"
"... I love you, too, Jenn. Goodnight," he chuckled, holding her close, feeling the end of the bed go down, as if someone had got on. "I'll see you in the afterlife."