Steel Horizon

Chapter Sixteen

We pulled into a motel and parked outside of the manger's office, the tires of the Jeep spinning in the slush. The overcast sky seemed low and the hint of snow was in the air. Elliot and Kate were laughing as they got out of the Escape, but I felt Silas's eyes on me the moment he appeared. I glanced over and saw him pulling on his leather jacket, his lips curling into a half smile. I tore my eyes away and caught up with Jude who headed for the manager's office.

The whole place—the office, the rooms, even the parking lot—seemed untouched, exactly what I hoped for. It meant a good, worry-free night of sleep. I followed Jude inside while everyone waited near the cars, acting purposely impatient. The glass door shut behind us and we stood staring around the room before starting our search.

"This place smells like moth balls."

"Could be worse," I muttered in return. I looked back out the window and saw Silas grinning back at me, so cocky it was sickening. Then Elliot caught sight of me and gave me a big exaggerated wave. I smiled before turning back towards Jude. He averted his eyes quickly, like he didn't want to be caught looking.

Again, I kept my mouth shut.

While he search behind the desk, I wandered over to the little lobby where a couple of couches sat next to an old coffee maker. A half finished crossword puzzle from a newspaper lay on one the of cushions, waiting for its owner to come back and finish it. I picked it up and looked for the date.

November 10th.

I set it back down on the couch the same way I found it.

"Do you think anyone will ever come back here?" I asked. He stopped rummaging around in the drawers and looked up. From the angle he was at, his chin and jaw looked sharp against his black coat.

"I don't know," he said. "I guess it depends on how many people are still alive. There's really no way to tell at this point." He slowly dropped his eyes and started back through the drawer. I could tell he was still thinking about what I asked.

"Jude."

"Yeah." He didn't look up.

I smiled and said again, "Jude."

"What?" He finally stopped and looked up.

"They're on the wall behind you."

His raised an eyebrow and glanced over his shoulder. "Oh. Right." He pulled the keys off the board. "There's only three rooms left."

"Only three?" I came around the counter and glanced at the keys in his hand.

"Yeah." He shrugged. "They don't have many rooms to begin with."

"We'll just have to go two to a room."

We were silent for a little while, both staring at the keys again. I wondered if Jude wanted to room with Kate for the night. The thought made my stomach churn.

"Well, let's go," he said. "It'll be dark soon."

He moved around me towards the door and I nodded, again, not voicing my thoughts. Everyone was waiting for us around the cars. Kate and Elliot were near the Escape, Kaileb was leaned up against the Jeep with his arms crossed, and Silas was nearby smoking a cigarette. Nicotine was something the world would never run out of. Unlike the dwindling supply of food.

It started to snow again.

Silas stepped forward and flicked his cigarette into the snow. "What did you find in there Indiana Jones?"

Jude gave a sarcastic laugh and said, "There are three rooms free, so we'll be two to a room."

Silas's eyes slid to mine. I couldn't hold his gaze for long. He reminded me of my step-dad, except in a totally different way. They were two opposites but the same.