Hotel of the Dammed

CHAPTER 3

They walked hand in hand into the dining room, there were at least twenty tables scattered about the room. The tables were decorated with white linen and crystal wine glasses complete with silver cutlery. There were a few people in the room, A bar tender dressed in a white shirt and red vest that matched the clerks' they had met before. A young woman, around Kay's age sat at the bar with a martini in one hand. She wore a blue flower patterned long dress with ruffled short sleeves, her feet had stockings and a pair of simple white pumps. Her blond hair was fashioned into a bee hive with a few strands hanging around her round face. The woman was definitely beautiful to look at. It seemed that Kay kept her eye at the woman, her blue eyes starred back at her, that feeling refused to die.

There was another man sitting at a table in the far corner, dressed in a grey suit with a gangster like hat on his head. The way he had that cigarette hanging off his mouth, and that look on his face, another thing that seemed to cause worry in the young witch.

Mark pulled up a chair for Kay as she sat down, he took his seat opposite from her and smiled, "Hungry?"

"Oh yeah…" Kay heard her stomach talk back to her, she grabbed a menu on the table and looked through it, "I wonder if they have any onion rings?"

"Are we ready to order?" Kay looked up and smiled at the Bartender, she guessed with the lack of patrons, he was also the waiter here.

"I am…" Mark grinned, "Port house round steak, three baked potatoes, and lots of butter. And keep the beer coming."

"Very well, sir." The waiter turned to Kay as she was still looking a t the menu, "And you Ma'am?"

"I'll have the shrimp fettuccini, a salad…and a glass of white wine…"

"I'm sorry ma'am, but we haven't had that spirit here since nineteen sixty nine…" The waiter replied, Kay's eyes raised straight at his, her eyes wide in shock…."

"Do you have any champagne?" Mark asked, unaware of Kay's unmoving facial expression.

"Yes, we have a lovely pink champagne on ice."

"That will be fine." Mark said as he handed the man the menus, the waiter walked away, now Mark noticed that Kay had not let off her gaze at the waiter.

He rubbed his hand over his bandana and sighed, "What's wrong now Kay?"

Kay turned her head and looked at him with that same look, "Did you hear him?"

"Yeah? They have no wine, I didn't think that wine mattered that much to you."

"It's how he said it! We haven't had that spirit here since nineteen sixty nine?"

"But they have champagne…"

"Pink champagne on ice!" Kay still kept her voice low, she didn't want them to hear her ranting, if it was ranting.

"Kay, what are you getting at?"

"Have you ever listened to the song Hotel California by the Eagles?"

"Yeah, lots. Who hasn't?"

"In the song, the Eagles said it the same way! The song describes this place! So I called up the Captain, 'Please bring me my wine' He said, 'We haven't had that spirit here since nineteen sixty nine'. Mark, the Eagles are one of my favorite bands, I know all their songs by heart! There is a connection between that song and this place! I can feel it! Can't you? Aren't you the slightest bit concerned about this?"

Mark thought for a moment, then leaned over to her, "No."

"Why not?"

"Because I don't care Baby." Mark replied a little sweetly to her, he didn't want her to be upset that he didn't feel the same way about her ghost hunting urges, "I don't give a shit about anything that happens out side my little world. All I care about is my family, and that includes you and, I hate to say this, but your brother Dave as well. The only thing I'm going to do tonight is eat my steak, drink my beer, take a bottle of champagne back upstairs with you, and fuck you all night long. Then I'm going to drive us to San Diego in the morning where I'm going to put up with your brother's dirty looks behind your back for six hours. Sorry Baby, but there's no time for hunting."

Kay leaned back on her chair, a pout was forming on her face, Mark tried to look away. He couldn't resist any look of discomfort on her beautiful face, it pulled at his heart. But he could resist it…for a little while.

"Kay…" Mark reached over the table and took her hands into his, "You wanted an escape from your work, I'm giving you that. Let's just go with the plan for tonight, and maybe we'll come back here later and take care of it, if there's something sinister about this place you'll find it."

She raised an eye brow, "Promise?"

"You know it babe." He smiled.

Kay sat up and leaned over to him, "You know, I really like your plan…especial going upstairs…"

"Can't get enough of the Deadman?" He cooed.

"What can I say? I prefer my men dead…" She leaned over and kissed his warm lips, the hairs on her back stood on end.

Kay leaned back in her chair and looked towards the bar, the clerk was standing behind the bar with the waiter beside the woman, who was sitting there still sipping her drink. All three had turned their heads away quickly as she looked at them with a cautious eye, why were they looking at them?

"Kay?" Mark asked as he looked at the direction she was facing, it seemed that the three were acting a little nervous.

"What the fuck is that about?" Mark asked.

"I don't know, haven't they seen people kiss before." Kay replied with her own question.

"That's three times now. Ok, I'm now peeked." Mark whispered.

Kay starred at him, "What?"

"The clerk acted a little fucked when I handed him my credit card, like he's never seen one before. And he got a little freaky when I mentioned your name. Now it looks like those three were talking about us and you caught them." Mark answered.

Kay began to think, her lips curled in a smile as she realised what they were thinking.

She leaned over, "Mark…they know we're not married."

"So?" Mark was puzzled.

"In the sixties, it was taboo for a single man and a single woman to share a room, get my meaning? Premarital sex was shameful back then."

"Kay, we're not in the sixties."

"We're not, but they are." Kay grinned, she had solved one part pf the puzzle.

Mark starred at her for a moment, "What?"

"I've been getting a feeling since we got here, I'm telling you, this hotel must be stuck in some time warp phenomenon. Think about it. First, they didn't use credit cards back then, I think they were just starting out though, and the sex taboo, the décor of the place, even the way the people are dressed here. It's all described in the song. The Eagles must have stayed here once and something happened here, something bad. The last lyrics of the song are Last thing I remember, I was running for the door, I had to find the passage back to the place I was before. 'Relax,' said the night man, we are programmed to receive. You can checkout any time you like, but you can never leave."

Mark sat with his arms crossed over his chest, his eyes wide open as he absorbed all the information and came to his own conclusion.

A smile formed on his face, "I can't take you anywhere, can I?"

Kay just tried to smile.

To be continued.