The Paradox Corridor

Chapter 11: The Hitchhiker's Guide to Hitchhiking

Dinner that night was, at least for James and Amber, was a quiet one. Only Andrew, never seeming fazed by the mysterious, acted normal, which was to say, he caused commotion and chaos wherever he went. Amber sat quietly in the corner of their table, brooding over what had happened. James sat quietly and thought about how the night would go. Was the Custodian, who knew far too much about them and said too many things he couldn't prove be trusted? How could any of these things be real? Should they stay, or should they go? The first option was the safer, and admittedly the most cowardly option. On the other hand, James liked adventure, and had always wished to go on one. However, life was usually pretty boring, so they never seemed to pop up. But here was a chance, dangling in front of his nose, to go on a real adventure; even though the details of it were little border lining on non-existent, there it was, calling out to him.

"But what if you got hurt?" asked the cautious part of his mind. "Or, worse, you don't come back? Mom would be devastated!"

"Shut up, me" muttered James, deciding to ignore that part of his mind, which, he thought as he stood up to get some more steak, sounded like his mom when she was worried. That was not a good sign. When he sat back down, Amber scooted next to him.

"I've been thinking," she started, "About his offer".

"And?" asked James. He had decided to do whatever his friends wanted to do.

"I've decided that I will do what you want to do," she finished. This threw a wrench in James's idea.

"That was what I was going to say," he said, laughing a little, "I guess it's Andrew's choice, then."

"Letting Andrew pick is not very wise" said Amber, laughing a bit herself. At this point, Andrew sat down in between them.

"So, when are we leaving?" he asked. James and Amber both answered at the same time,

"At seven," said James.

"At eleven," said Amber. Andrew rolled his eyes.

"I guess we will leave at nine" he said, "So everyone wins." The others nodded and headed for their hotel rooms. They all knew they wouldn't get any sleep at all.

Later that night, James checked his clock for perhaps the fiftieth time that night. It was 8:59. He sat up in bed. "Andrew?," he asked, "Are you awake?" He waited for a bit, then stood up and checked the top bunk. Andrew wasn't there. James decided to get ready to go anyway, changing into actual clothes, all black. He wasn't taking any chances. The custodian might have said no one would know, but James wasn't going to sneak into the Mills wearing Tye-Dye. Once he had gotten everything he needed, he snuck out of the room, making sure not to wake the other boys. He opened the door, and walked right into Amber.

"Hey," asked James, "Have you seen Andrew?"

"No," said Amber, "I thought he was with you."

"Shoot. Well...lets go to the front entrance. Maybe he's there" said James.

"Are you kidding me?!?" asked Amber in a loud whisper, "We can't go out the front! Someone will see us! We should find another exit." James nodded his head, feeling stupid about not thinking about that. They headed down the hallway, but instead of turning left, toward the main entrance, they turned right. They spent a good 15 minutes wandering around, looking for another way. After checking the same place for the third time, Amber stopped walking.

"There has to be another way." she said, "There has to be another way out." They sat in silence looking at the map of the hotel. Suddenly, from the darkness they heard a "Psst!" They turned, and saw Andrew, waving his arms, indicating they should follow. They did, and he walked up to a Staff Only door.

"Andrew, we can't go in there!" said Amber, "Can you read? Staff Only?"

"Calm down," replied Andrew. "The door can only be opened by a special key"

"Yeah, I know," said James sarcastically, "That really helps us." Andrew reached into his pocket, and pulled out a key with his usual mischievous smile.

"I stole it from one of the maintenance staff," he said, and put it in. The button turned green, and they entered. It was pretty boring, just a set of offices, but Amber pointed at the sign on the ceiling labeled "Staff Exit". They followed the arrow to a small door. They opened it, and the humid smell of rain hit their noses.

"I sure hope it doesn't rain," muttered Andrew. They sat there for a moment.

"Well." said James,"How are we going to get there? No one answered. After a while, Amber turned to Andrew, realizing what he had done.

"You stole from someone!" she said indignantly, "You can't just do that!"

"We needed it!" replied Andrew. "Besides, I was going to give it back!" They continued to argue while James thought about how to get to the Mills. They couldn't take the bus, and moreover they couldn't drive it. The walk would take all night and the next week, and they couldn't call a Taxi, lest someone find out what they were up to. James whirled around.

"Will you two stop it!?!" he hissed, "I can't hear myself think! You guys can argue later. For now, we need to think." They stopped, and the three stood in silence for a while. Eventually, Andrew said,

"We could hitchhike." Amber shook her head in disgust, but James thought it was the best idea they had. They stood by the road, and ten minutes later were picked up by a man in an 18 wheeler. The man was old, but tough looking, with a cowboy hat. He had gray-brown hair and stared at them until they told him the destination, and he nodded, and headed out. Andrew and Amber sat in the corner, their anger with each other practically tangible. James sat nearest to the truck driver, whom he studied intently. He was about to say something when the man took off his hat and spoke for the first time.

"I promised you I would get you there," he said.

"Mr. Custodian!" cried Amber. James sat up straight. How had he not noticed before?

"I did not want you to know who I was," said the custodian. "There are many dangers out there, so its not safe for you to say my name. We are safer in here, while we are on the move."

"How can we say your name?" asked James "We don't know it!" The old man sat for a moment before responding.

"Just recognizing me will attract them." he answered in his usual vague fashion.

"Who? Attract who?" asked Andrew. The custodian looked in his rearview mirror, then sped up.

"We should not speak of this now. Wait until we reach my office before you continue this conversation." He pushed the gas down as far as it could go, and they headed off into the night, for the most part unaware that something was following them.