It was breakfast time at the Executive Inn and Suites, but Leon could think of nothing other than the pile of blankets on his empty apartment floor that he called a bed. The local news blared from the twentieth century Sony television that hung up in the corner of the dining room, above the breakfast bar. Travelers and vagrants- the kind that arose before eight in the morning sat around, sipping their coffee, waiting to give the only waitress on the clock their orders.
Leon's eyes threatened to shut, the heaviness of going eighteen hours without sleep weighed down hard on him. The extra money was worth it though. Robert was a dick for always being late, but at least there was something in it for Leon.
"Hey Leon, thanks for staying late again," Lori, the hotel manager, approached him. He tried his best not to show that she had all but startled him out of his standing doze. "Your willingness to go above and beyond hasn't gone unnoticed. I'm getting rid of Robert as soon as I can find someone else to fill in. I mean, I could always put him on graveyard, and the day shift could be yours if you wanted it."
"No, it's alright. I like the quiet," he replied curtly.
"Okay, suit yourself. Let me know if you change your mind. I'd tell you to ask your friends to apply, but I know you said you just moved here."
"If I hear of anyone looking for a job, I'll send them this way."
"Great, thank you," she smiled politely. "Let me know if you need anything. You're free to grab some coffee on the house if you'd like."
He offered her a flat smile, and she patted his arm lightly before walking off back towards the manager's office, her clipboard in hand.
Lori Grimes had been one of the better bosses he'd had, if not the best. It was early to make such a judgment though. Today marked his third week working security at the hotel, and though Texas wages didn't quite match up to California ones, he was a lot happier at this job than any of the ones he'd worked when he was sixteen or seventeen. It was a lot less busy than working in a restaurant. He stood around, had some free time to do what he wanted, and occasionally had to tell loiterers and people shooting up in the parking lot that they had to leave. They always complied.
But it was a good job. And he had gotten what he wanted. He was in the middle of nowhere. There was nothing to do in this town. And when there was nothing to do, it was quiet. He had the peace he'd worked so hard to get.
BANG!
Leon and the hotel patrons jumped at the sound.
"What was that?" one latino man looked up at him.
He wasn't sure if he'd heard right. He'd done very much to familiarize himself with guns in the last six months, and doing so really taught someone the difference between a gunshot, a firework, and any other loud noises that were easily mistaken for the former.
Sometimes, people came to hotels to end their lives. He'd heard the stories. He hoped he was hearing wrong, but a sick feeling sat in the pit of his stomach that wanted to convince him otherwise.
He glanced down the hallway- the direction it had come from. The hallway seemed to stare back hauntingly. The walls were painted a tacky yellow that somehow added to the creepiness of this overall cheap hotel.
He had been issued a gun, he knew how to use it decently. He wasn't the best shot, but gun safety was no stranger to him. The thing was, he never thought in a quiet town like Jefferson, Texas, he'd ever actually have to use it. He feared that today, only three weeks into the job, he'd be proven wrong.
The hotel guests would freak out if they saw him draw it though, so he had to play this smart.
"I'm sure it's nothing," he feigned a smile to the man.
Holding his right hand near his holster, he crept down the looming hallway, not knowing what to expect.