The Fire -1-

-S1, Ep4: Chapter 16-

-Chapter 16: Fuller RV-

Seth and Anna walked up to the front desk and Seth ringed the desk-bell. An elderly man walked out from behind a door behind the desk.

"Hey there, old timer." Seth said as Richie snuck over to the other side of the front desk. "Say, listen, um, where's a good place to get something to eat around here?"

"What do I look like, the damn Chamber of Commerce?" The man asked, and shock covered Seth and Anna's faces.

"Look, I'm just trying to find somewhere to eat." Seth said. "My uh..." He glanced at Anna, trying to find words to cover up their white lie. "...My fiancée here, hasn't eaten anything since we've arrived. And she's real hungry." He turned his head to Anna and put his arm around her waist. "Isn't that right, sweetheart?"

Don't do anything stupid, Anna.

"Y-Yeah." Anna lied. "Totally. You know how long travels can give you the munchies." She mentally face palmed at her lie.

Munchies? Really, Anna?

"I don't care where you eat, as long as you don't eat in that room!" The man said as Richie checked the check-in log for who owned the RV. "If I smell food coming out of that room, I'm gonna throw hers and your ass out on that street, and don't you think I won't do it!"

"We don't doubt it, sir." Anna said, getting nervous as Seth glanced over at Richie. Richie nodded and him before walking away.

"You know what?" Seth said, looking at the elderly man again. "Just forget it. It's okay."

"Hey, I don't need to forget it!" The man said. "I've already forgot it! Don't you forget what I just told you."

"Okay, you have a nice day." Seth said, gently pulling Anna away.

"God bless you!" Anna added at the last second.

"What was that?" Seth asked Anna as they walked out of the main office.

"I don't know!" She said as Seth glanced back at the elderly man. "I panicked!"

"Well, whatever it was, he totally bought it." Seth said as they followed Richie up the stairs. "It was overdone, but he bought it. Nice one, Princess." The walked up to the door and Richie knocked on the door as Seth removed his arm from around Anna. There was no answer, so Richie knocked again. This time, the door opened, and an older man stood there. The man kind of reminded Anna of her father, and she immediately felt guilty.

"Hi." Richie said. "You know, we're actually in the room just below you. Do you think you could keep the noise level down a little bit?"

"What's that now?" The man asked. Seth stepped forward and hit the man backwards, causing Anna to flinch in response. The man fell back and onto his bed. Richie grabbed Anna's arm and pulled her in as he pointed his gun at the younger Asian kid.

"Man said shut your mouth." Seth said. The man sat up and Seth got him a towel for the man's nosebleed. Richie let Anna go and left the room. Seth pointed at Anna and then at the other bed. She reluctantly went over and sat down on the other bed while the Asian kid sat next to the man. "So, what's with the Asian kid?" Richie came back with a bag and closed the door behind him. "Trick-or-treat for UNICEF?"

"He's my son." The man said after glancing at the Asian teen.

"Really?" Seth asked as Richie walked into the bathroom. "Well, where's mom?"

"It's just me and the boy." The man lied.

"Well, what about the girl?" Seth asked. "She was driving the RV, remember?"

"Seth?" Richie called. They all looked as Richie held up a bra over his chest, and smiled at Seth.

"You two like to play dress-up?" Seth asked, turning back to the man and his son.

"No, we do not." The man said.

"Where is she?" Seth asked again.

"She went for a grocery run for the motor home." The man said. "She won't be back for hours." Anna immediately knew it was a lie. She could just tell when people were lying. It was like her superpower.

"He's lying." Richie voiced her thoughts.

"Call her." Seth ordered and gestured for the man to call his daughter. The man sighed as he got up and picked up his phone off the nightstand. He put the phone to his ear and waited. Anna glanced over and saw Richie was searching the bathroom again for more clues as the man sat down on the bed again. She felt eyes on her. She looked over to her right and saw the Asian kid staring at her. She looked down at her hands in her lap, trying to ignore the kid.

"She's not answering." The man said, taking the phone away from his ear. Truth.

"She put this on before she left." Richie said, holding up a tube for a bathing suit.

"She's probably at the pool." Seth concluded. And judging by the man's expression, Seth was right. "I'll go get her." Suddenly, the images of dead Monica and scared Anna flashed through his mind. "Actually, you go get her, Richie. You've spent enough time in hotels today." Richie rolled his eyes with a smile and walked towards the door. Seth grabbed him before he could reach the door and stopped him. "Hey." Richie looked at his short but older brother. "Now, you just go find her and you bring her back here. Okay? Do not talk to her. Don't touch her. Let's get on the clock. Ten on the Timex." Seth glanced at the father before looking at his taller but younger brother.

"I've got this under control." Richie said.

That's what he's afraid of.

Richie walked away and out the room, closing the door behind him.