UNNAMED- Book One In The Unknown Identity Series

Chapter 20 - The Hotel

REWRITTEN

We stride along the forest, making our way to a highway that was bustling with cars speeding past us from behind the trees. We have to stay hidden, if anyone saw us, we'd be done for. Our faces are all over the news, the main headlines saying "Missing Teens" but so far, it's only in Denver as we know of, but I could very well be here already too.

We stay hidden behind the thick bark, following the highway, inching closer to the city with every minute. Up ahead, a sign hangs over the road, the green surface has a glare from the sun. I squinted, reading it out loud, "Phoenix, Arizona, One Mile," another wave of excitement washes over me and spreads like a rapid inferno.

"We're getting close," Keith breaths, his husky voice cutting off. Our bodies ache from not having any food for three days our throats sore. My bones can already feel the affect kicking in. I nod, striding forward, refusing to stop and biting back wails of pain.

***

Darkness now takes over the skies, the city lights glowing beautifully through the open windows of office buildings, apartments, and hotels. The streets are bustling with people, phones pressed to their ears and bags in their hands, not sparing us a glance.

We stay hidden behind the large crowds, hiding our faces from others. Keith and I walk shoulder to shoulder, our hands intertwined with one another so we don't get lost.

"Okay, so t-there's this hotel around the block, we can stay there for the night or two, alright?" Keith says, his head still tilted down.

"Yeah," I say.

"But we have to be careful, not to be seen by anyone. I have cash in m wallet, we have to use that instead of a credit card, Walker can track it and show up here, exactly what we don't want, so we have to use cash for everything," he says, wiping at his face with his shirt, and that's when I notice a rip in the sleeve and a small cut of exposed skin, dry blood surrounding it.

The automatic doors open as we approach, revealing the beautiful and elegant interior of the lobby. The lobby of the hotel is empty, besides the woman working behind the front desk who's focused on a computer screen in front of her.

I stare up at the ceiling, a large elegant chandelier hanging, the glass stained different shades of reds, blues, and purples. We stride to the front counter, Keith clears his throat and the woman looks up from the screen to us.

"Hello, I'd like a room please for two," he states, the woman stares at us for a second, gawking. I know we smell, but I didn't know it was that bad! I mean, we've been lost in a forest for days with no shelter or water!

"Is it possible if we could get your cheapest room possible?" Keith adds. The woman in a pantsuit behind the desk snaps out of her gaze and looks on the computer, not saying a word to us while doing so.

"The only room available is room 207 at the price of one-hundred a night, it's small, so it's not like a regular room," she explains, "oh, and it's on the second floor."

Keith averts his gaze, glancing at me, "we'll take it."

***

We stride down the hall, towards the stairs located at the back of the building. I grip onto the wall for support while Keith struggles to stay upright and not trip over his dragging feet. I push ope the door that says "Stairs" on a small sign, walking into the small tower. The Holiday Inn hotel is nice, and looks very elegant and beautiful, even here in the stairwell. Keith stumbles in behind me, closing the door.

I grab hold of the railing, walking the stairs. The souls of my warn out shoes clap against the smooth concrete, pain rising with every single step I take. Finally, I'm at the top step and pull open the heavy door that leads to a vacant hallway on the second floor.

I gaze back at Keith, who's even more paler than before and thin too. He crawls up, struggling with every step and he finally makes it up. I grab hold of his bicep and lead him out, a few people giving us looks in the corridor as we pass them and I badly want to shout at them to mind their business, but refrain.

I take the room key from Keith, and swipe it, the door buzzing green signaling clearance and I push open the painted white, wooden door. The room is small indeed, just how the front desk worker had said. There's a closet to the immediate right of the room, and a bathroom to the left. A small, narrow, path leads to the rest of the room. A single bed and pull out couch sit against the back wall, adjacent to one another.

I lead Keith to the couch, setting him down. I frantically search the room, and my eyes narrow on a welcoming bag. I pace to it, limping and wincing. I peak inside and there's two bottled water, I grab one rapidly and take it to Keith, opening the cap and holding it to his mouth, he chugs it and within seconds, the plastic container is empty, it's contents completely gone.

"Thank you," he says, leaning back on the couch and heaving a sigh.

I nod and go to the bathroom, grabbing a white towel that hangs on the bar behind the door. I rinse it under the faucet with cold water, wringing it out and taking it to where Keith is, his eyes shut, his breathing normal again. I roll up his sleeve, to reveal his bicep, a small gash spit open across it. I lift the towel, dabbing at it and cleaning up the wound, so it doesn't get infected. He winces when I accidentally dab too hard.

"Sorry," I say, doing it more gently.

"Thank you," he says, his brown wondrous eyes captivating mine.

"You're welcome." I pull away, the wound all clean now and roll down his sleeve. I flop over on top of the bed, the mattress sinking from under me. I curl up on the bed, not putting the comforter over my body and leaving it where it is.

My eyelids droop and within a minute, I'm out like a light

___________

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