Nightmare Motel
Chapter 3
Tobias' POV
We walk at a steady pace to the next building over, the parking lot is empty. Obviously, we will be Peter's only guests tonight. The thought doesn't surprise me as this place seems to be in the middle of nowhere. My guess is his only clients are people that don't want to be found or people who have car trouble like Tris and I.
We finally reach the room number that matches the large number attached to the key in my hand. Funny, I think this is the last place on earth that hasn't moved over to electric keys. I slip the key into the lock, struggling to turn the knob. I jiggle the handle just a little bit. Peter should really think about getting some WD40. I opened the door wide, stepping into the dark room first. Tris reaches in, flicking on the lights. I immediately wish she would have kept the lights off. The room is everything you expected it to be and more. I close the door behind her, sliding the chain into place and locking the door.
The room has a weird odor, something between mildew and different body contents. The room looks just as bad as the rest of the motel. The decor is outdated to at least back in the 1980's. With a wall that divides the bedroom, a small sitting room and entrance to the bathroom. Stains are in every inch of the room from the floor to the ceiling. I don't even want to think how they even got there. I glance over at what could only be a 30-inch TV from the 90's. Wonder if that thing even works, with an outdated VCR sitting right on top of it.
"Well, this is just great." Tris mutters, turning towards me and just about slamming the flashlight into my palm. I breathe deeply as I place it on the small table by the door and slam the motel keys right on top. Tris moves deeper into the room, exploring how disgusting this place really is.
"Good thing he upgraded us to the Honeymoon suite. I would hate to see the other rooms without all these perks," I say, letting my voice drip with sarcasm. I wonder how a place like this even stays in business. Then again, I know exactly how. Look at us.
I hear what the water must be running through the pipes, as Tris lets out a grunt of dissatisfaction. There goes the shower sex.
I look around too, finding myself at the TV, feeling the need to turn it on and fuck with it. What else is there to do?
Tris comes out of the bathroom with dissatisfaction written all over her face. Only the best place for my girl.
"We've had our tetanus shots, right?" She asks, moving towards the bed. I'm surprised that she is even contemplating on lying down in that thing. She must really be tired.
My eyes spot a small little book, recalling it from so long ago when I was a little boy. Holy shit, yup. It's a fucking TV guide. "Oh hey, if you want to know what was on back in March of 97, I have the answer for ya," I say, holding the small little book up for Tris to see. I throw the book back down on the TV. Taking off my jacket, I throw it on the overly stained couch. Don't think about it Four.
I open a sliding door, near the couch, discovering a closet. Nothing inside other than more stains. Shocker.
"I'm sleeping in my clothes." Tris blurts out.
"I'm sleeping in my shoes." I fire back, sliding the door back to close. Definitely not on that couch. I move back towards the bed, where Tris sits covering herself with her jacket.
"Look at it this way. Could be worse." I continue taking a seat on the foot of the bed. "We could be back in that fine hotel, sharing a room… Trying to pretend like we are a happily married couple."
"Maybe we should have come out with the truth." Tris says, with a heavy sigh of regret.
"Why ruin the event? It was Zeke and Shauna's wedding…. They deserved to at least have a pleasant wedding. We could at least give them that," I point out. The last thing we wanted to do was to bring down the wedding with our marriage problems and failures. "I think the best thing to do is tell everyone after we sign the papers in a few weeks. Deal with it then." I point out, just repeating what we agreed on.
"It felt strange being there, celebrating their marriage." i continue, "Like if we couldn't make it work, what shot do they have?" I express. "How did it make you feel?" I ask, turning towards her. Tris gives me a small smirk, as she looks my way. It's not a happy smirk, but more confused and not knowing exactly how to express what she needs to.
"I don't know. Tired, I think." She finally says.
"Yeah." I agree. I turn my body more towards her, feeling the need to say one more thing. "I'm sorry." I express. Wishing I could take so much back. "I never should have gotten off of that interstate either." I joke out.
"And miss our last great adventure together." She says, laughing at the mess we are in. My right hand reaches out on its own accord, rubbing her leg, I smile, glad that I can touch her. That she would allow me to. It's been so long. It's the first connection since…
"Four." She says, moving her leg from under my touch, as if snapping us back to reality. "Sorry." She whispers, as my smile falls along with my hand.
The old-fashioned phone rings beside Tris that's on the nightstand. For the moment I'm thankful for the interruption from what could have been an awkward if not bad road we could have fallen on.
"Must be the manager wanting to check on his only guests," I say, as Tris reaches for the phone. She answers on the second ring.
"Hello. Hello." She greets, she glances at me, placing the receiver back down. "No one is there." Our attention gets quickly shifted to the front door of our room, which begins to shake with rough banging. What the hell? I stand up rushing over to the door, as it continues to shake violently. Without thinking I slide the chain off the door and open it wide to see who the hell it is. But to my surprise there is no one there. Not one person in sight.
"Hello," I call out, standing half in and half out of the doorway. But no one answers or is even in sight. I close the door feeling the hairs on my neck stand up. What the hell was that? "You heard that right?" I ask Tris. I can't be that tired. Just like before the phone rings beside Tris. She turns to once again answer the phone that no one seems to be on. Just like before the banging begins again, only this time it's coming from the room beside us. I glance at the door to the joining room beside us. I thought we were the only guests. I knock on the joined room, securing the lock at the same time.
"What do you need?" I ask. But all I get back is the same banging against the door. I step back out of instinct as if the door might actually fall down. "Hello?" I called back. What the hell is this guy's problem? I knock another time, trying to keep patient as I call back. "I don't know what the hell your deal is… But it's a little too late for this shit. Okay?" I say, the door shakes worse than ever, at the same time the front door now begins to bang and shake. I kick and bang against the door, unable to take much more of this. "I don't know what your problem is asshole!" I scream out. Just like that the banging and shaking stops. I ask Tris to check out the window for any other cars in the parking lot. I could have sworn there wasn't another car other than a truck which would have been explained as the manager's. That's it.
"I'm calling the manager," Tris blurted out. She rushes over to the phone, raising the phone to her ear only to turn to me saying that the phone is dead.
That's it. Fun time is over. I swing the front door to our room open, walking to the door next door. I bang demanding them to face me. Just like before, all I hear from them is knocking, but calmer. I kick the door out of frustration,
"Fuck your silly games." I turn back to Tris who stands between the door frame demanding that she get back inside and lock the door. She thankfully does what I say, I walk away when I hear the lock and chains slide into place.
I pace myself walking up to the main office, for some reason I feel more than one set of eyes on me. I know without a shadow of a doubt they are watching me walk up to the manager's office. If they have any good sense in them, they will bolt.
"Can I help you, sir?" Peter asks, coming out of the back room. It only took four rings of the damn bell this time. "Is everything alright?" He asks, with caution. Obviously, my anger and frustration is written all over my face.
"No. It's not, because the asshole next door to us keeps banging on the doors and walls. I can't get him to stop. Got any ideas?"
"The room beside you?" He asks confused.
"Yeah," I continue, "Room 3. I don't know what the hell his problem is."
"Are you sure about room 3?" He confirms. "That's strange seeing that you guys are the only two guests I have in here tonight.
"Look, someone is in there. I'm exhausted…. Can you please just handle it?" I push.
"Once in a while, we do get a few drifters or some drunk kid…Who will climb in a window and crash for the night. Usually, the cleaning lady will discover trash left behind in the room or the bathroom has been trashed. But usually, they don't cause trouble other than residue they leave behind." Peter explains as he opens one of his draws, getting a bundle of keys.
"Well, this one is," I point out.
"I'll check it out for you." He assures me. I turn around, walking back to the room. I see Tris worryingly peeking out of the curtains towards the office. I hold my hands up, letting her know that everything is just fine. She opens the door, anxious for me to be back in the room with her.
This time it only took a few bangs on the door for Tris to want me close. Well, it's something.
"What happened?" She asks, locking the door behind me.
"Oh, he just thinks it's some drunk. He is going to check it out," I explain, as I walk into the room and grab a hold of the remote. All this shit, I just want to lay down and relax…. So much for a peaceful drive home. "Now we get to enjoy this luxury suite. A little peace and quiet." Yeah right.
"Four, maybe we should just leave. Just go back to the car." Tris suggested. That's the last thing I want to do.
"I'm not going to walk anymore tonight… Okay?" I continue to push, I glance at my watch as I continue, "We only have five more hours and then we will get the car fixed and be on our way." She lets out a big breath as she settles into the bed beside me.
"Okay." She gives in.
"Okay."
Revised by: FDFobsessed
