American Noise

42. Drag Me Away (From You)

A car pulled up outside the Rooster Sunrise Motel.

A man exited the car and looked at the motel.

He walked inside and the woman at the front desk said, "Mister... "Travis Johnson"?"

"That's me," Travis replied, putting the duffel bag next to him on the counter.

"It's after 10:00. We don't usually allow late check-ins."

"Yeah. Uh... sorry." He pulled his credit card from his wallet.

The woman took it, slid the card and the machine beeped. "And, um, you had a special request? Room 214?"

"Yeah. Doctor's orders."

"You been here before?"

"Long time ago."

"Mm." She handed him the room key. "Welcome back."

Travis took the key to room 214 nervously.

He walked the halls to the room and reached the room he'd paid for.

As he readied to insert the key, he inhaled shakily and his hand shook.

Travis exhaled deeply and whispered, "You can do this."

He inserted the key and entered the room.

He turned on the light and closed the door behind him.

Travis set the duffel on the bed closest to the door and drank alcohol straight from the bottle.

He sat on the bed and exhaled. His cellphone vibrated and he pulled it out.

It was a text from a girl named Caitlin. 'Travis, I'm worried. Why would you go back to that place?'

Travis turned off the phone and exhaled again before saying, "Just one night. And then it's over." He inhaled deeply. "It wasn't real." He fingered the necklace around his neck. "It was never... real."

He breathed deeply and hinges creaked.

A little boy entered the room and his voice echoed as he asked, "Do you remember me?"

Travis gasped and abruptly stood. The bottle dropped from his hands as he fell to the floor and said, "No, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no."

"I remember you." The boy stepped closer.

Travis brought his knees to his knees. "You're not real. You were never real."

The boy picked up part of the shattered bottle and glass crinkled under his feet as he moved closer to Travis.

The boy stood in front of Travis before smiling manically and saying, "Boo."

Inside the room, Travis screamed. Flesh tore and Travis gurgled.

EXT. ROAD

The Impala drove down the road, engine rumbling.

"Ugh. How much longer?" Dean asked as he sniffled.

INT. IMPALA

Sam pulled out his phone. "Uh... seven hours." He glanced back at Jayci who had fallen asleep. Jack had persuaded her to go and she'd relented.

"Ugh."

Sam inhaled deeply. "Yup."

"Can't believe we're going back here."

"Travis was a friend."

"Yeah, I know. I'm not saying what happened isn't sad. You know, I mean, the guy slit his throat with a whiskey bottle, but... he's an old friend, you know. Old, old. Like haven't seen him in 25 years. We've missed funerals for much closer friends -- Hunters."