Age of zombies

[53] Motel night

After a long night at the tavern, we dragged ourselves back to the motel. The air outside was bitterly cold, the snow crunching beneath our boots as we made our way up the creaky stairs to our room. The exhaustion was settling in, but for the first time in weeks, it felt like we could actually rest without one eye open, without worrying about zombies creeping up on us in the night.

When we got to the room, Daisy unlocked the door and pushed it open, revealing a modest, dimly lit space. The bed—if you could call it that—was large but sagging in the middle, and there was a single couch shoved against the opposite wall. It wasn't much, but it was warm, and that was all that mattered.

"Well, this'll be cozy," Daisy said with a smirk, tossing her pack onto the bed. "Three of us girls'll fit, but you boys are gonna have to get real comfortable on that couch."

Ethan groaned, rubbing his neck. "That couch? That thing looks like it's been here since the '80s. I'm gonna wake up with my back broken in two."

"Better than sleeping in the snow," I pointed out, dropping my own pack next to the couch. "We've slept in worse places."

Yabe gave me a soft smile, always the quiet one, as she carefully folded her coat and placed it on the bed. "It's not so bad. At least we're indoors."

Liza flopped onto the bed, testing it with a dramatic sigh. "Well, this thing's no five-star hotel, but I'll take it over the ground."

Daisy grinned and sprawled out beside her. "Yeah, ain't no complaints here. We'll fit. Right, Yabe?"

Yabe blushed slightly, nodding as she made space for herself on the other side of the bed. "Yes. It's... fine."

Ethan and I exchanged a glance, the couch looking smaller and smaller the more we stared at it. I sighed, sitting down on one end, feeling the springs creak under my weight. "Looks like we're spooning tonight, Ethan."

"Great," he muttered, throwing himself down beside me. "Can't wait."

We were all just starting to settle in when, suddenly, through the paper-thin walls, we heard it. A loud, unmistakable moan followed by the rhythmic creaking of a bed from the room next door. The sound was clear as day, and we all froze, the awkwardness of the moment crashing down on us like a wave.

"Oh, for fuck's sake," Daisy groaned, covering her face with a pillow. "Really? Right next door?"

Liza, however, was grinning like a fox. She leaned over the edge of the bed, her voice low and teasing. "Sounds like they're having a good time. What do you boys think?"

Ethan immediately turned red, shifting uncomfortably on the couch. "Uh... I think... maybe we should, uh, ignore it?"

Another loud moan rang out, this time followed by the sound of something knocking against the wall. Liza burst out laughing. "Yeah, good luck with that, Ethan. Sounds like they're putting on a whole damn show for us."

Daisy, always quick with a comeback, smirked from her spot on the bed. "You boys might learn something if you pay attention."

I rubbed the back of my neck, feeling my own face heat up. "Can we please not make this more awkward than it already is?"

Liza, clearly enjoying herself, waggled her eyebrows at me. "What, Jake? Getting shy? We could always turn this into a little party of our own. There's room on the bed if you boys want to join."

Ethan nearly choked. "Wait, what?"

Liza grinned, her tone dripping with sarcasm. "I'm just saying, we're all here, it's warm, and you guys look like you could use some cheering up."

Yabe, who had been quiet this whole time, turned bright red and buried her face in her hands. "Liza! Don't say things like that!"

Even Daisy chuckled, though she wasn't as shocked by Liza's comments. "Calm down, Yabe. She's just messing with them."

I cleared my throat, trying to regain some semblance of control over the situation. "Alright, alright, enough of that. Let's just try to get some sleep before we all regret staying here."

The sounds from the next room continued, muffled now but still loud enough to keep us all painfully aware of what was happening next door. Liza rolled over, clearly still amused, while Ethan pulled a pillow over his face, trying to block out the noise.

Daisy yawned, closing her eyes. "Well, if those two can sleep through that, we can, too. Night, everyone."

"Night," I muttered, shifting uncomfortably on the couch.

Yabe's voice came softly from the bed, still embarrassed but trying to recover. "Goodnight, Senpai... goodnight, everyone."

The awkwardness lingered for a bit longer, but eventually, the exhaustion of the day began to catch up with us. One by one, we drifted off, the creaking bed from the next room fading into the background as sleep finally overtook us.

It wasn't the best night's sleep we'd ever had, but after everything we'd been through, it was enough. We were safe, warm, and—despite Liza's teasing—we were together. And for now, that was more than enough.

Q: Have you ever been in a situation like this before?