Mulder and Scully continued through the woods for the next few hours, when Scully stopped and pointed to a clearing ahead.
"Mulder, I think that's the road."
"Let me go first, Scully."
Mulder pushed through some branches and looked at the path of paved road ahead of him. There weren't any cars visible, and the sky was beginning to darken. Mulder came back to where Scully was standing and pulled a small twig from her hair.
"I think we should set up a camp for the night, maybe head out in the morning," Mulder said.
"I'm feeling a little dehydrated, Mulder. You don't see a river nearby, by chance?" Scully panted.
"Do you want to camp here or walk the road a bit? We might be able to find a gas station or something." Mulder said.
"I don't know, Mulder. I don't want to just stay here. I feel like whomever is after us will find us if we're just hanging around. I say we walk a bit longer."
Mulder nodded his head and approached the road with Scully closely behind. They walked along the road for a bit, hidden slightly in the bushes so if the men hunting them searched the area, they wouldn't be easily spotted. After walking for a bit longer, they saw lights in the distance.
"Mulder, look." Scully said, as she jogged ahead towards the lights. Mulder followed her, the need for water burning in the back of his throat as hope was visible nearby. They approached the town, the first building present being a motel that was situated on the outskirts of the town.
"Bates Motel," Scully said in disbelief.
"Must be fate…" Mulder said, about to enter.
"Mulder, wait. You can't go in like that. You're covered in dirt."
"Scully, sorry to break it to you, but you're not much better."
"At least let me wipe the dirt from your face. It will look less conspicuous."
Before Mulder could protest, Scully spit in her hand and began to wipe his face.
"Better, but you still need a shower."
"Maybe you can help me with that too, Mom." Mulder replied, half-joking.
He made his way to the front desk and came out a few minutes later with a key with the number 13 on it.
"Now I know someone's trying to screw with us." Scully said.
"Come on, Scully. We're here for the night and I call dibs on the shower."
Mulder opened the door to their room, where they noticed a modestly decorated, no extra frill motel room. The bedspreads were faded and the room smelled musty, like the windows had been closed for the past year or so.
"Should we call the Gunmen?" Scully asked.
"I think we should wait until we're about to leave. Let's get cleaned up and get some rest first. Then there's less of a chance of being tracked." Mulder said.
"I'll go to the supply closet and see if there's any detergent we can use to clean our clothes. Why don't you get in the shower?" Scully said, taking the room key from Mulder.
Mulder nodded and made his way to the bathroom as Scully walked the motel's grounds. It was now completely dark, and she felt herself get a chill from the cool air, exhaustion, and previous adrenaline that her body had been pumping. She made her way to a supply closet, thanking God that it was open. She grabbed a gallon of detergent, extra towels and scrub brush for their clothes. As she made her way back to the room, she heard the splintering of a branch behind her. Heart stopping, and quickly drawing her gun, Scully dropped the detergent and came face to face with a curious rabbit who was staring her down.
Laughing in disbelief, Scully went back to their room. Mulder was wearing a dingy bathrobe and had a towel wrapped around his head. He was struggling with the in-house coffee maker that wouldn't seem to turn on.
"Got the detergent. I say we clean up and leave by dawn." Scully said, tossing the extra towels on her bed.
"Our clothes will still be wet, Scully. Unless you want to blow dry them with the hair dryer over there, which, judging by the coffee maker, probably doesn't work."
"Maybe we can just put them on the heater. It's not perfect, but it'll have to do."
Scully made her way to the bathroom, showered, then piled her and Mulder's clothes in the bathtub with water and detergent. She began scrubbing the dirt from their jeans and tops, and rung them out, hanging them above the radiator near the window.
Still cold, Scully wrapped her robe tighter and opened the desk drawer, pulling out the typical Bible that one would find in a hotel.
Mulder sat on his bed, watching her intently as she started flipping through the pages and landed on a particular passage. Scully smiled briefly and continued to read.
"You ever wonder why hotels put Bibles in the drawers? It's like they're saying, while you rot in this crappy hotel, here's some light reading on the creation and destruction of mankind."
Scully ignored Mulder's comment. "Though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil. Psalm 23." Scully said, as she closed the Bible and put it on the table. "My father used to tell me that when he would be sailing the Atlantic or on a Destroyer, he would say this to his crew to remind them that God was watching over them."
"And do you believe that, Scully?" Mulder asked.
"I believe, I believe that we need to get some rest before we are forced to get up and replay the miserable day all over again." Scully said, as she lifted the blankets of the comforter and got into bed.
"Scully, I may not have the faith in God that you do, but I have faith in you. And I never want to see you give up that faith. It keeps me going. With or without your little gold cross."
Scully turned towards Mulder, who lay across the room on his bed and smiled before sleep overcame her.
"Goodnight, Mulder."
Mulder awoke to the sound of police sirens rushing by, noticing that the sun was slowly making its way up. He walked over to the radiator where their clothes lay and felt them. Though a little damp, they were nearly dry and a lot cleaner than the previous day. He walked over to Scully, who was still fast asleep. As he was about to wake her, he sat on the side of the bed and watched her sleep. The worry lines from the day before had dissipated and he decided that since she looked so at peace, he would let her sleep.
Getting up from the bed, Mulder made his way to the phone and dialed Frohike.
"Marvin's Floral Designs, how can I-" Frohike answered.
"Frohike, it's me. We need your help."
TBC. Please Review!