6
In the dead of night, Rudolph Norman Francis Bates drove up to Green Lawn Cemetery in Fairvale. This was the first time he'd been into town since his dad died when he was really young.
Rudolph knew that the graveyard would be long closed, but that didn't stop him. He knew he would easily be able to hop the fence after several years of gymnastics training. Sometimes it seemed like he was flying.
He parked in front of the gates. As Rudolph turned the car off, he thought he saw a shadow of a person wander in front of the dimming headlights.
He took the headlamp he had in the center console, put it on his head, and turned the light on. Then he got out of the car and walked toward the person.
"What the heck are you doing?!" Rudolph asked the stranger.
"I… uh…" the person stammered. "My name is Anthony Hope. I'm from London. I was there one minute, going to meet my girlfriend, and now I'm here. I don't know where I am."
"Help me over this fence and I'll explain stuff to you while we go to my father's grave."
A few minutes later, Rudolph and Anthony were wandering through graves.
"Do you know where the grave you're looking for is?" Anthony wondered.
"No. The last time I was here, it was my father's funeral. I don't remember it since it was less than a month after I turned a year old."
After more searching, they finally stumbled upon what they were looking for. They had finally reached the grave they were looking for, the grave of Rudolph's father:
Norman Francis Bates
"Don't Fence Me In."
April 20, 1934 –
December 7, 1991
Rudolph sat down in front of the headstone, traced the writing on it, and started to silently cry.
"The only memory I have of him is… just what I've seen watching the movies. That doesn't really tell me much. I just wish he could've been around when I was growing up so I could know him really… And so I could have more of a family."
Anthony was about to sit down and comfort Rudolph, but all of a sudden, a light started coming towards them. They thought they heard someone faintly calling, "Hey! Who's there? You're not supposed to be in the cemetery after dark!"
Rudolph switched off the headlamp, stood up, dragged Anthony to his feet, and started running in the opposite direction of the oncoming light, dragging Anthony with him.
They ran all the way to the car, running through graves, occasionally tripping over them, all the while trying to escape the cemetery keeper.
When they finally reached Rudolph's car, Rudolph yanked open the front passenger door, shoved Anthony in, and strapped him in. Then he got in the driver's seat, strapped himself in, turned the car on, and floored the gas.
Rudolph didn't know where he was going, but he just went.
After a while, Rudolph stopped at the first building he saw, after driving in the middle of nowhere. He saw two large poles in the headlights. He stepped out of the car to get a better look at what the poles were holding up. It was a sign, a very large one. He turned his headlamp back on for a little extra light.
He gasped, then staggered, trying to keep himself standing while he registered what he read on the sign: Bates Motel.
"Oh, my God," he whispered.
"What?" Anthony asked.
Rudolph sat down in the driver's seat again, this time with his feet out of the door.
"I can't believe I'm actually here."
"Here?"
"My father's old motel."
"Oh."
Rudolph got back out of the car and closed the door.
Before closing it completely, he told Anthony, "You stay here a second. I'll see if the room keys are still there."
Rudolph walked into the office. He went behind the counter and took one of the keys to Cabin 2. He hesitated before taking the remaining key to Cabin 1 for himself as well.
He went back to the car and got Anthony. Rudolph gave Anthony the key to Cabin 2, then helped him in.
He then let himself into Cabin 1. After closing the door and turning the lights on, he sank down on the bed, mind buzzing. The last thing he did before falling into a deep sleep was put the cabin key on a chain around his neck.
