The sun dipped behind the horizon and the road seemed to stretch out longer in front of us.
"Chey, are we even close?"
"Uhhhhh...yeeeaah," I mumbled, too focused on our surroundings. Of course I wasn't going to tell Ace I was completely lost and had no idea where we were at. He would flip out.
"You don't sound sure..." he looked at me squinting his eyes. His feet were on the seat and he kept fiddling with the torn up shoestring.
"I'm..." I swallowed my panic, "...sure. The hotel is here. I know it is." I didn't know where the hell it was.
Unfortunately, cell reception was pretty crappy and I had forgotten to grab the map from the kitchen counter before we left. So I was left to ensure that we didn't die. Okay, maybe that's sounding a bit rash. But who knows...
We drove for what seemed like hours before I noticed something glinting ahead of us.
I looked over at Ace. He had fallen asleep and his knees were pulled up to his chest. One arm was wrapped around his legs and the other cradled his head against the window. His chestnut colored hair was a mess and one of his shoes was untied from him fiddling with it hours ago. I made a mental not to remind him when he woke up.
We neared the glinting mirage and I wondered what it was since it was nighttime and the sun had already disappeared.
"Hmmmmm..." Ace mumbled, shifting in his seat.
"We're almost here, baby," I said softly. He was still in the fetal position, his eyes closed when he crossed his arms tightly and rubbed his biceps.
"Are you cold?" I asked.
Ace nodded slowly. I pulled into an abandoned parking lot. The glinting turned out to be a broken motel sign. The letter E was dim and flashed every few seconds.
I reached in the back and pulled out my old tattered flannel, wrapping it around Ace like a blanket.
"There?" I smiled.
"Mmhmm...yeah...it smells like you," he groaned, trying to get comfortable again.
I chuckled. "It's been back here for a while. But anyway, I think we're here."
I looked through the windshield and scrunched my nose. It wasn't the prettiest motel I had seen but it was better than sleeping in the car.
"I'll go check us in. You comin'?" I looked at Ace and he stayed silent so I kissed him in the forehead and locked every door before making my way to the lobby.
The first thing that hit me wasn't the sight but the smell. The scent of old people and sweat lingered in the air. The sight wasn't any better. The lobby looked like a horror movie was filmed here. It's was retro and I wouldn't have been surprised if the owner was over the age of fifty. Or anyone who stayed here.
I make my way to the desk. The carpet was loose and with every step there was a creak. To the left of the desk was an old dusty vending machine. Only a few granola bars and gummy snacks were in there. Probably expired.
"Hello?" I voiced.
There wasn't a bell to ring and the desk looked just as abandoned as the parking lot.
"Hellooo?" I sang out.
I heard a creak and a door to the right of the desk creaked open. My heart started to hammer against my chest.
"Welcome!" A young boy appeared. He was fit and well groomed. I stared at him, my mouth slightly open.
"Oh, I know, you expected some old man, huh?" He laughed.
I was speechless.
"That's alright. I'm Tom. My grandad owns this place and I take over for the summer since he's getting too old now. We don't get many visitors anyway, as you can tell. He's close to sellin' the property but that's a no-go for me. I want to take over one day and turn it into...well...something better than this!"
I smile weakly and look down at my worn down converse.
"So what's your name?" He asked.
"Cheyenne," I finally speak. "Nice to meet you."
"Well, Cheyenne...what brings you out here all alone? It's quite dangerous out there."
"Oh! I'm not alone! I'm with my partner, Ace. He's in the car waiting for me. Fell asleep." I roll my eyes with a sheepish grin on my face.
Tom makes an 'o' with his mouth before making eye contact with me again. "Cheyenne, that's not a good idea!"
My heart races. "What do you mean?" Panic rises in my chest. Tom rushes past me and leaves the motel. I run after him.
"Tom! What do you mean?" He finds my car immediately and stops dead in his tracks. I follow suit.
"Where is he?" I ask glaring at Tom then back at my car.
"I don't...know," he stutters.
I run to the passenger side. The door is unlocked. My flannel is gone and the keys are gone. The car was turned off.
"Why would you leave him here!?" Tom yells.
"Me? I just - I - he knows how to handle himself and he was sleeping and I didn't want to bother him! I had the door locked and kept the keys in with the car running so he wouldn't get too hot or cold."
Tom grabs at his dark hair. "Fuck!"
"What?!" I scream. A tear rolls down my cheek as I run to the side of the motel.
"Ace!" I yell. "Ace! Baby, please? Where are you?!"
"Shh! Keep it down!" Tom shouts from behind me.
"Are you fucking kidding me? He is the light of my fucking life and you're telling me to keep it down? If you think I'm going to keep my mouth shut and ignore the fact that Ace went missing, you thought wrong, buddy!" I screech in anger.
Tom puts his hand on my shoulder and stoops down to my height.
"No, there are wild animals out here and sick people that have been known to roam around. It's a dead area. Nothing for miles. Yelling will only make things worse," he whispers.
"You're telling me that some murderer has my fucking boyfriend?"
"No, I'm saying that it could maybe kinda be a possibility. But let's not think too into it. We can go back inside and look around or you can stay out here and get eaten by a wild coyote. Your choice." Tom purses his lips, removes his hand, and walks back toward the motel entrance.
I run after Tom. If I'm going to find Ace, I'll need his help. He knows this place better than anyone.
