SHADOWS - Adversary

CHAPTER 7

A speed sign zoomed past Nora's window, telling her that she was going at least fifteen miles over the limit. She pushed the accelerater harder. 'Lets try 20'.

Nora loved driving. It was a refuge, a way of relaxing when she was stressed or upset. Valley, who didn't particularly enjoy it herself, had allowed Nora to drive her car, saying that it was also because Nora should drive to her first case.

Nora and Valley had gotten back to the hotel (via cab) to find a message on the older Venator's laptop. It was from Yuki, saying that she had found a case that the pair could work on together. Excitement had filled Nora and she had wanted to leave immediately, but of course, due to the amount of alcohol the pair had consumed they decided against it.

So instead, they had left early in the morning and four hours later they were almost at a town named Burlington. In the passenger seat, Valley began to stir. She had fallen asleep just a little over an hour ago.

"Morning sleeping beauty!" Nora greeted with a grin.

Valley blinked at Nora sleepily and then looked towards the road. "Where are we? And could you please watch the road when you drive!?" Valley moaned.

Nora chuckled and complied. "We are just outside a place called Burlington."

"Wow, we're in North Carolina already?"

"Yep." She replied. "So tell me more about this case anyway."

Valley sighed and sat up straighter. "Well, Yuki said that it looks like a ghost, maybe the beginnings of a Poltergeist haunting. You know, tapping in the walls, footsteps, whispering, that kinda thing. A woman living in the house reported a burglary to the police after some of her belongings went missing and she heard someone in her house, but the cops said they found no evidence of a break in."

Nora nodded. "Hopefully not a Poltergeist," she laughed nervously. "I'd rather not get thrown into a wall just yet."

"Or set on fire." Muttered Valley darkly. There was a story to go with that obviously.

"Yeah, that too."

*   *   *

After three stops later and a grey gas station coffee for each of them, they were finally at Statesville, North Carolina.

"Egh, how do you drink this stuff?" Nora groaned, finally giving up on the on the poor excuse for a coffee and tipping it out the window.

"It's caffinated," Valley answered, now in a much better mood seemingly thanks to the foul drink.

"Do you wanna find a motel first or check out the house?"

"Motel. We can check out the haunting after we get ready."

"Okay." Nora pulled into the first cheap-looking motel she saw, and got out of the car, stretching her long legs and cracking her back. Sitting in a cramped car for five hours was not the most enjoyable experience, turns out.

"Is this the motel Yuki suggested?" asked Valley.

"Yep. Said it's the cheapest one that we won't get the bubonic plague from."

"Nice." The pair walked inside with their bags.

"One room or two?" grunted the slack-faced woman at the front counter, chewing on gum with her mouth open.

"One please," Valley answered politely. The woman looked at the pair up and down, still chewing on her gum noisily.

"One bed or two?" She blew a bubble and it popped over her chapped lips.