If you've seen Psycho(1960) reading this might be a bit more enjoyable to you as I've included one or two elements from the original film.

2 Days Later

The night is still but for the occasional car driving by on the main road. All the guests of the Bates Motel have already retired to their rooms and doused their lights. All but one. Romero is sitting on the porch just outside his cabin in complete darkness, a cigarette dangling from his lips. He had kicked the habit a long time ago but succumbs to the temptation whenever he found himself in any sort of situation of which he was losing grip. It was only two days since he moved into the motel but it seemed longer than that.

The smoke rises and swirls around him like a cloud, almost obscuring him but he doesn't notice. He's lost in thought.

Every morning, he rises early and hurries off, spending as much time as he reasonably could away from the place. Away from her. It was against his better judgement that he decided to stay at the Bates Motel after losing his house but it was an untameable force that led him to it. The same force that had been leading him to stop by the place every other night before he went home for the past month. He had minimal, almost non-existent, contact with her as he was away during the day and by the time he returned she was already getting ready for bed.

Living in such close proximity to her, however, meant that she was never really far from his mind and those few minutes just before he fell asleep each night he thought about her more than ever.

He had begun to understand his feelings towards Norma Louise Bates. She's one of the few people that can look him in the eye and contradict him. He had become so accustomed to the reaction that he generated in people that when she turned up he was more than taken aback. Sure, she was intimidated by him-her eyes betrayed her in this, but she doesn't let that get in the way. If she has something to say to him, she says it. She's has an inextinguishable spark in her. Some unknown driving force that constantly pushes her.

He cringes in the dark and crushes the cigarette butt with his shoe. It's finally sunk in but he doesn't like it. He's annoyed because his regard for her transcends physical attraction. Her strength and resilience pulls him in. But she's not always the strong willed woman she likes to be. She has her moments of weakness - which takes everything out of her. Like him,she doesn't take to being manipulated and controlled and if backed into a corner,boy she really can lose it. Romero's seen her in these helpless times and though he's slightly unsettled by her hyper nuttiness he also feels slightly protective of her. And,if he was honest with himself, that nuttiness that she manifests might even be a little endearing.

The loud noise of an approaching vehicle draws Romero out of his thoughts. Dylan's truck drives swiftly around the corner and comes to a stop with a screeching halt. He gets out, slamming the door behind him and walks away in the direction of the house. He is clearly hacked off about something. Or at least Romero thought so. He'd never really seen Dylan in any other mood besides; the kid had something hanging over him.

A minute later Norman is dropped off by the Brennan kid. He waves good night to her and watches as she drives away. Ignoring the motel, he turns and heads straight for the house.

Suddenly from somewhere within the house the heated sounds of an argument carries down. Romero swiftly jumps to his feet and starts for the house, retracing Norman's path. He walk around to the back where he knows the kitchen is. Standing just outside the door,he's torn between the urge to go in and break it up or to ignore them because its a family matter. He decides to wait and see if it escalates.

From within he can hear Norma screaming,"He raped me,Dylan! When we were kids. Over - and - over."

Dylan's cold voice shoots back,"That's a lie,he told me the truth. You got knocked up by some guy and you used him to get out of the house. You're not fucking with my head, any more, Norma."

Norma's voice is dripping with rage. Through the thin curtains Romero sees her stalk over to Dylan."How dare you? How dare you?! You weren't there. You don't know. He shows up here, comes into my house and then you - he feeds you this bullshit - and you believe him. That bastard is a monster!"

"No,you're a liar."

Dylan's stubbornness drives her over the edge and she lunges at him. He pushes her away from him and she lands hard against something. The sound is loud enough for Romero to hear. His nostrils flare as he hears Norman joining in,"She not lying! You get away from her!" The sounds of a hard scuffle. Norma is screaming at the two of them to stop. Romero has his hand on the doorknob, ready to burst in when -

"Stop! It's not his fault! It's his father. Caleb is his father."

Romero's freezes where he is. An eternity passes. He hears Norma say the words plain as if she was whispering it in his ear. The words he had thought was a lie two days ago.

"...that was my brother stopped by to see us..." "we...uh, we had a falling out..."

After a minute he shakes off his shock and stares at his hand still clutching the doorknob. He immediately lets go as if it sent a shock up his arm. No sounds are coming from within. Suddenly he hears the front door open and sees Dylan hurrying down those long steps. Half a minute later the engine of his truck flares to life and he drives away.