Run Away

Chapter 35

Owen pulled the car to a stop on the opposite side of the road to the motel. He couldn't fault the police for thinking there was no activity at the motel. Some windows were boarded shut with plywood, skips bins were in the car park and over flowing some of them.

Owen climbed out of his car, standing on the road and shutting the door behind him, just staring at the motel. Brian and Zane climbed out and stood on either side of him.

"What's the plan?" Zane wondered aloud. "We do have a plan, don't we?"

"I guess we just walk around and see if we see anything unusual," Owen shrugged.

"Boys, I really don't think this is safe. If this Ryan kid is as dangerous as Evie told your mother he is, then maybe we should get the police to come with us."

Brian looked up and down the street, taking in everything in their surroundings, making sure they were safe.

"You heard what Mum said, the police can't do anything," Owen stated as he took a step out onto the road and crossed it to the motel.

Zane followed closely behind and then Brian after looking around one last time for any imminent threat.

Brian held up a hand to the glass window of the office to stop any glare from the sun and peered in the window. He saw a desk with piles of paper and some even scattered to the floor. The bin in the corner was full and an unplugged computer on the desk, the monitor tipped on its side. A sign on the slightly ajar door stated the closure of the motel until further notice, with a number to call for enquires.

Zane wandered around the large skip bins in the carpark area, searching for any clues. All the rubbish seemed to be old furniture and room fixtures, likely from the renovations that were never completed. He did note that there was a pile of takeaway food bags and empty drink cups on top of one of the bins, with one of the cups knocking gently in the breeze on the ground as if it had fallen out.

Owen walked along the long building made up of rooms, testing each door to see if it would open, each one locked. Blocking out the sun with his hands, he would look through the windows when possible, having to skip the ones that were boarded up of course. He made it along the entire length of the building before turning around.

Owen looked over at Zane in the middle of the carpark, "Anything?"

"Just a bunch of rubbish," Zane shook his head.

"Come on boys, it's not safe, we've looked, let's get back home before your mother worries," Brian called from the entrance of the driveway, next to where the office was.

"I just don't get it," Owen called over, starting to walk back along the building to meet the other two. "I was so sure that this is what the pizza meant."

"Don't worry, we'll-" Zane started but Owen held up a hand to silence him as he stopped outside one of the rooms that had a boarded-up window.

"What is it?" Brian asked loudly so Owen could hear him.

Owen simply held his index finger to his lips to indicate for them to be quiet.

Owen walked slowly to the door and reached for the door handle to check it once more. He thought he had heard something from inside but couldn't be sure. Before he touched the handle, it jiggled slightly as if there was someone on the inside trying to open it.

Startled, Owen jumped to the side and pressed his back up against the wall. He saw Brian was now standing with Zane in the carpark, between two skip bins, outside the room. The door to the room hidden from the street and the two skip bins provided more than enough room to hide a car if needed, yet there was no car anywhere in the parking lot.