Disequilibrium

Part 4: Senior Year - Scene 8

Casper wakes up once I've driven about four hours away from Seabrook. He starts off with a groan, and then a whimper, and slowly opens his eyes only to see we're standing in front of an old motel, miles away from home.

He tries to touch his head next, but he can't. His wrists are bound tight together. He wiggles them for a moment, probably trying to break free. It's not working. He looks down at his feet next. Same thing.

And then, finally, he turns to me.

His eyes are wild, which makes me smile a bit even though that's the last thing I should be doing. I kill the engine and recline in the seat, watching him watch me. His breathing is hitching little by little and his face is getting red. His hands are shaking like something's really wrong, but it only makes me smile more.

"Don't go off having an attack," I say. "I forgot your inhaler. So if I were you, I'd start calming down."

Casper doesn't say anything, but I can tell he finally gets it. He looks away from me and out the window, eyebrows furrowed in deep thought. When I figure it's safe to book a room, I unbuckle my seatbelt and stretch a little, saying, "Stay here. I'll get a place for us to sleep."

"Where are we?" His voice sounds raspy.

"Hell if I know. Stay here, okay? I mean it."

He doesn't nod or anything, but I get out anyway and slam the door shut, locking the car before I walk over to a door labeled 'office'. And as I'm walking, I start laughing a little because hell, this reminds me of one of his movies. The darkness, the secluded motel...it all seems like a joke. A big set up. I'm almost waiting for blood to spill out the office door, to be honest.

The door makes a chiming sound when I open it, but even so, the man behind the desk doesn't look up from his phone. I stand in front of him for a while, waiting for him to notice me, but he still keeps staring down at that damn thing. Barely blinking.

I clear my throat. "I'd like to get a room for two, please. Do you have anything available?"

"Does it look like this place will be full?" He finally drops the phone to look at me. "What are you looking for?"

"Nothing special. Just a room for us to sleep in."

"Us?" He raises an eyebrow, peering past me to look out the window. "Who's that sitting in the car?"

"My, uh, friend. We just need a place to sleep, sir."

But he's still staring at Casper, his lips turning into a tight frown. My hands are starting to get clammy the more he stares at him, so I slap the eighty on the counter, causing him to jump.

"How many nights will this get us?"

The man looks at the money first then back to me. He laughs a little. "Only about two nights, kid. Breakfast is on us."

"Fine. We'll take it."

He shrugs and counts the money first, then turns over to a dinosaur laptop that reminds me of the one Dad and I used to have. "What's your name?"

"Tim."

"And your friend over there?"

"Eli."

He gives me a dirty eye. "No last names?"

"We just need a temporary place, man," I say, leaning against the counter. "Our parents kicked us out back home. We've been driving for four hours now with nothing but a car and each other. So can't you hook us up? Please? We don't do anything stupid, I swear."