CHAPTER 2: THE BOYS ARE BACK IN TOWN

She heard the muffled noise coming from the end of the hallway. Breanne had to remind herself that their was a guest. But he sounded distraught, soft cries sounded from the room he was in. She was in just her nightgown it was early morning, the sun was almost poking its head out into the sky. She jumped when a loud sorrowful scream sounded from just the other side of the door where she assumed he slept. Knocking softly she waited to hear a come in, but the man didn't say anything. He got quiet inside, had she woken him. She knocked again gently and waited for any recognition when she didn't get any she tried the door it was locked. She frowned, hopefully he was fine. She started to walk back down the hallway when she heard a soft, I'm sorry come from the other end.

It was about ready to get up anyway. Just because they didn't have visitors didn't mean they didn't have anything to do in the hotel. She had a meal to cook, she handled breakfast, and lunch, her father usually did dinner. There was the dinning room that needed to be finished being remodeled. James had helped her father start it but than he had been asked to go out on the fishing trip for some quick scallops before he had a chance to finish it. The money was good, and it would help them finish off what they had to in the dinning room and pay bills.

Mark got up from his bed soaked in sweat, he had slept most of the night that was a good thing. He wondered about whether or not he should move on now, he clearly had woken up, what was her name. He hated names, Breanne. That was her name, he remembered the old mans name well. She heard him, and she would have more questions for him. Question he wasn't willing to answer. Maybe it would be better to move on, but there was something about this town, he wasn't sure what it was. Something made him stop and go to the bar, much more than the need to reach oblivion through alcohol.

He found his jogging sweat pants, and a shirt to wear. His running shoes were the bottom of his bag. A job would help him forget the nightmares, and he could decide what to do next. The sun was poking out of the sky now, it was early, the town hopefully would be dead still.

She heard his footsteps through the hallway and down the stairs, hopefully he wasn't going away, he was a drifter it was noticeable by his beard that he was a drifter, but he hadn't yet paid for the one night. It wouldn't hurt them if he didn't pay, but she didn't want to deal with what her father would say.

He found his pace quickly, he moved through the town that was just waking up, studying the old buildings, and the old road. It felt nice to be outside, even in the cold. His legs welcomed the job, they hadn't been exercised in a long time. He never found the want to run since he had left Mexico for Canada taking a boat around the United States. Canada seemed to be the only place left that he didn't have many ghost to haunt him in. The United States, and Mexico were filled with ghost from the past. He picked up his pace, he wanted to remember what it felt like to feel exhausted for a good reason, for just the exercise, and not running from someone or something. He pushed himself further along the docks, he saw the boats coming towards the bay on the horizon.

A few more blocks and he reached the edge of town, it wasn't a big town but it was nice. He turned and ran back, toping himself off towards the end when he pushed himself faster and harder. He reached the door of the house soaked in sweat and exhausted from the exercise, but his body felt good. Even if his lungs burned for oxygen, it was a good feeling to have, something he missed. He opened the door his legs a little shaky from the exercise. He walked inside and saw the old man, Jack, walking down the long hallway.

"Good morning Mark. Have a nice run."

"Yes sir. Sure is a beautiful town you have here."

"Yeah that's what brought me to her." Jack said smiling at the new comer he looked happy. Jack had heard the cries too, and felt for the man. He had the same problem when he got to the small town. He stayed in the same hotel in the room he was in now, and Breanne's mother had taken care of him helping him heal his broken soul. "don't forget breakfast is in thirty minutes. Breanne makes a mean breakfast."

"Thank you Jack." Mark took off up the stairs. He heard the shower running at the top of the steps and continued down the hallway to his own room. He didn't have any toiletries yet, but getting cleaned up would probably be appreciated by all.

He closed his door and stripped his clothes off throwing them in the bathroom where his other clothes were. He climbed into the shower turning the water on. His body welcoming the water as it cleared the sweat off his body. He leaned his head against the wall and closed his eyes letting the water run down his neck onto his back. It felt nice, he felt almost normal now. Exercise was giving him this feeling, his brain told him as he frowned down at the drain. He didn't deserve to feel good, nor should he be alive now, but he was. Turning the water off he climbed out of the shower. There weren't any towels, but it didn't matter he dried off quickly in the warm air of the hotel and found clean boxers on the floor. He pulled them on and walked out into the bedroom with a shirt and pants in his hands. His boots and socks were already in the bedroom. He lay on the bed after checking the clock on the bedside, he had time to relax some.

He was letting his memory fill the silent time with a happy ghost from his past. He closed his eyes letting it fill him, he only allowed this occasionally because it hurt to remember the past. He heard the door squeak and snapped his eyes open quickly moving for the bag on the floor.

"I'm sorry I didn't know you were in here." Breanne said looking at the half naked man on the bed that clearly had been startled by her sudden entrance. She found her eyes moving down to his bare chest where scars were scattered around his chest and abdomen. She saw a clear bullet wound.

"It's fine. I just didn't expect anyone." He answered he noticed her studying him. He didn't offer up any explanation for them, and was happy when she didn't ask.

"I brought you towels." She said handing them over to him, noticing on the inside of his arm a scar. "I guess you could have used them earlier I'm sorry."

"Thank you." he smiled at her, her eyes were on the inside of his arm again.

"I better go start breakfast. You do like eggs, bacon, sausage, and toast right?"

A smile crossed his face he hadn't had a real home cook meal in forever, nor had he had real home cooked eggs in longer, "Of course."

"Good. See you downstairs in the kitchen in a few than."

"Thank you again." He said waiting for her to close the door. As soon as she was gone he lay back on the bed sighing, that had been closed. He was getting sloppy he should have heard her coming. He sat up again to get dressed. Time to get moving another day, he needed to find something to make some quick money to get out of the town. The question would probably start around lunch after she talked to her father about it. Maybe he could skip out for lunch and go to some diner in town.

He dressed in a pair of jeans and a black t-shirt they were clean and comfortable. Once he was in the kitchen the old man Jack smiled at him already sitting at the table waiting for his daughter to finish the eggs.

"How did you sleep last night Mark?" The old man asked with a smile on his face. He wasn't going to mention the screams that had plagued the house earlier that morning.

"The best I've slept in a long time." Mark said without thinking he was still on a high from the run. He had almost completely forgotten about waking up that morning screaming, than the soft knocks on the door.

"That's good. You staying much longer?"

"I was thinking about it. Can I pay for a week in advance?" Mark asked knowing there was no real reason he couldn't.

"Sure but eat first. We can take care of it later on. What are you going to do today?"

i The man never gave up /i, "I need to go to a store and pick a few things up."

"There is one down by the sea." Jack told him.

"I think I saw it on my run."

Breanne came over with two plates of food. "You ran that far."

Mark smiled and lowered his head, "Yeah. It was nice. The town is beautiful."

Breanne smiled, "It is. Just wait until the ships get into town. It livens up a bit." She was going to sit down when the phone range. She rushed over to answer it excusing herself.

"Are you going to be with us for lunch Mark?" Jack asked scooping food into his mouth.

Mark was already devouring his food, it was nice to have a home cooked meal. "I thought I might go out and see the town. Try to find some work possibly."

"So you planning on settling down here?" Jack was surprised that the man would settle, maybe he had seen the same thing in the town as Jack had when he first got there.

"No not really." Mark lowered his head when he answered.

"I see." Jack thought for a moment, he liked Mark, and there was something to work with it was clear the man needed help. "How about you help me out around here. When James gets back the two are suppose to go on a vacation to see James parents. I'm going to need some help fixing the place up, and the general repairs."

"I'm not sure." It was tempting the town was beautiful, but he didn't want to make anymore promises he couldn't keep, and any more questions might make him run out of fear.

"No major promises if you find you need to take off at anytime you can take off. I won't even charge you to stay here. Help out a old man. A fellow American. It's nice to have an American about." Jack tried convince the man he wasn't sure for who's benfit. He could see himself in Mark, and he wanted to help him, but was it to help Mark or make up for his past deeds.

He thought about it, he liked the town, and he felt the best he had in awhile just from the town. The old man Jack, was nice, it would take time getting use to it all, but what was a few weeks of working, really working for something decent and good again.

"Ok."

"Good. You can start tomorrow." Jack said with a smile on his face. He wondered, i does it really matter if he was in it for himself or the man Mark, as long as Mark found some sort of life worth living out of it all. /i

Breanne walked into the room and saw that both men were in a conversation about something. Whatever it was it didn't matter James would be home by nightfall. The boats had been spotted coming in, they would be there by noon, and he would be home by nightfall.

"Good new Breanne?" Jack asked with a smile on his face. He always seemed to know before she did when the boats would be back in town, as if he had surveillance the area before anyone that morning.

"yes James will be back by tonight."

Jack filled Mark in, "James is her husband. Good guy."

Mark smiled not sure what to do in the situation.

"Well I got some good new too for you honey."

"What?" Breanne was not sure what good that could have happened between now and when she left the room.

"Mark here has agreed to help me in the dinning room, and around the place so that you and James can go on a vacation." Jack said with a smile on his face. "I know you've been wanting to go out for awhile so here is your chance honey."

Breanne thought her father had finally lost it asking a stranger to help keep the inn running while she was out of town, on a vacation. It wasn't like they had a lot of people going through the place.

"That's great Dad we can talk more about it when James gets in." She didn't want to make the visitor uncomfortable. They didn't have the money to pay the visitor for his work either, and he was a drifter he would expect money.

"Thank you for the breakfast." Mark said getting up noticing the uneasiness in the room.

"Where are you off too Mark?" Jack asked after swallowing a mouthful of coffee.

"I thought I'd go check the town out a bit more." Mark answered thanking them again before he walked out.

He passed the time walking around town shop owners actually said hello, and the people who crossed his path said hello, the little children running off to school would wave and sometimes even stop and ask his name, all of them knowing him for a stranger. He made his way down to the docks and watched the ships that had hours ago been a small fleck on the horizon now parked in the dock bay unloading their cargo.

Finding a bench he sat down and watched as the cranes took the cargo, scallops, out of the tank bays of the ships. Men working loading the basket, and than cleaning out the bays of their ships.

Time flew by watching the men work, he yearned again to have the work that would be fulfilling. He got up around lunch time and walked to the local bar, the local restaurant in the other side of the bar. He sat at the bar and ordered a beer from someone other than the bartender that was working the night before.

"Can I get you anything to eat?"

"You have a menu?"

"Sure let me grab you one." The older woman answered walking off to go grab a menu.

Before she had a chance to return the men from the dock were inside filling the bar and restaurant laughing about the times they had on the ship.

A woman about his age took the stool next to Jack but said nothing to him. "Hey Barb." The woman next to him said when the bartender came back.

"How as the fishing?" Barb, he assumed was her name, asked the woman next to him.

"Good we filled the old beast. Can I get the usual please."

"Sure, what do you want to drink with that?"

"Rum and coke."

"Here you go sir. I would stay away from the barbecue if I were you." Barb the bartender warned.

"Thanks." Mark smiled at her and studied the menu not much of anything he'd eat.

When Barb came back with the woman next to him food, she asked, "So stranger you ready to order?"

"May I have the club sandwich please."

"Coming right up honey."

The woman on the stool next to him laughed as she at a fried catfish. "I'm guessing your American."

"Sort of." Mark answered wondering why he seemed so funny.

"Very few people come to this town, and very few order a club sandwich the last person through here to do that was the old man that runs the hotel. That was when he first got to town. A few of the teens here do, but they think it's club food." She laughed, and he noticed how her eyes lit up when she laughed.

A older man who looked like a bum with bleach blonde hair came up next to her. "Bobbie."

"Zack is the shit all tied down?"

"Yeah she's ready for the Alaskan Crab season unless we are going to go on another run for the pussy catch."

"No not if the boss's don't want us too." She was getting ready to introduce Zack, but she didn't know the other man's name either.

Zack had joined her crew around the same time she became Captain of the Freedom, a large fishing boat that always seemed to fill itself with whatever it was catching because it ran the best crew every year. She had been the Captain for five years and had yet to learn more about Zack other than he left the United States and could never return again. He had almost jumped overboard when they had to port in Alaska for an emergency fix when the ship kept loosing power. Loss of power while out on the killer Baltic sea could mean death because they were at the mercy of the huge waves, and freezing water.

"hey stranger what's your name?" She asked, never one of beating around the bush.

"Mark."

"Mark this is my best crewmen Zack. And I'm Bobbie."

"Nice to meet you both."

"Zach is American too. What brings you to these parts Mark?"

"I don't know. Just kind of passing through and decided to stop off for a bit."

He was left alone rest of the time while Bobbie discussed issues about fishing with Zach. Neither of them paid much attention to Mark. Mark noticed that Zach had studied the room every time someone entered as if he was expecting anyone at any time to come in and start something. The man looked much like Mark felt, wound up tight with everyone being a possible enemy he'd have to strike out at.

Mark finished eating and paid Barb for his lunch and beer. He thanked her and left the bar walking back towards the hotel. He enjoyed the cold air coming off the sea it felt as if it could cleanse him and his soul, but no amount of water could ever do that.