Scattered

The dawning of the rest of our lives

Chapter three

“Just drive another couple of minutes, there’s a hotel we can stop off at.” Gloria rolled down her window and looked out at the dusty landscape that surrounded us.

            I legitimately had no clue where we were. The few patches of grass that covered the land were brown and in the distance I could see a small fire and figures running around it. Where ever we were was not a place I’d like to get lost in. Within a few moments I could see a vague outline of a hotel on the horizon. I assumed that’s what it was, and I as I drove closer, I found my suspicions were correct.  

            I parked in the badly constructed parking lot. I took a place away from the three other cars that were spread out in the lot. The cars were in the same condition as mine; out dated and a little beat up. Gloria yawned and stretched in her seat.

            “I’ll pay for the night.” She said nonchalantly.

            “Like hell you will.” I retorted. I’d never had much money but I’d always made sure that when I was in the company of a girl, I paid. It was the right thing to do. “I got this…you can carry my bag though if you feel kind.” I grinned at her before getting out of my car.

            I looked up at the hotel. Well, if you could call it a hotel. It had one of those pink neon signs which flashed bright enough to make you cringe from the sheer tackiness. It hung on an odd angle above the door, which was metal and covered in rust.

            The building itself was only four floors, with mouldy window frames and poor brick work. Overall, it was a pretty abysmal place. I had little to no hope in concerns to what the interior would look like.

            I turned to see Gloria holding my large bag and hers. She narrowed her eyes at me before walking toward the falling apart hotel that was only a few feet from us. I opened the door for her and we were met with a rather large man sat behind a desk. He wore a wife beater and a coat of sweat covering his face. I walked up to the desk and tried my hardest not to gag on the scent that hovered around him.

            “Do you have any rooms available?” I asked in strained voice (I was trying not to inhale the rotten odour that surrounded him).

            “Why course I do boy!” He turned around slightly and grabbed a key with a number on it. He slammed it on the desk. “Twenty.” His voice was like gravel.

            I put down $20. He grabbed it greedily.

            Gloria grunted and walked down the corridor located to the left, in fact it was the only corridor. “What number are we?” She asked me quietly.

            “Four.” I replied finding that I was stood in front of it. There were only three doors in the badly wallpapered corridor, two on one side and one on the other, which was our door. I unlocked it and moved so Gloria could walk into the room first.

            I closed the door behind me before turning to look at the room. It was small, with a double bed in the middle of it, above the bed was a window framed by dark yellow, moth bitten curtains. The bed sheets however looked very clean. They were a warm brown. The walls were covered in the same peeling yellow wallpaper in the hallway. I clocked a door that must have led to a bathroom.

            “I want to take a shower; I’ll wait though if you want to take one first.” Gloria seemed to have a debate with herself before answering me.

            “No you go in first…here, take one of my towels, I doubt you packed one.”

            “Hey!” I put my hands on my hips and then took the light pink towel from her hand. “No...I did not.”