The Hotel at the End of Time

Chapter 16 - Emma references Michelle Obama to get herself out of a jam.

Emma had been driving since the Motel. Releasing pent-up energy into the Padlock let her sleep for a few hours, but eventually, the non-stop trickle flowing into her body woke her up. During the car ride, she'd attempted to draw Vain into a conversation, all without any success. If she asked about the Hotel or the Wyatts, Vain would grunt something unhelpful and retreat into her head. If she asked whether Vain believed the Corey Feldman character from The Goonies was the same character as Corey Feldman from Lost Boys, she was suddenly a Rhodes Scholar on a lecture tour.

Emma had long since tuned out, turning towards increasingly morose thoughts, when she realized Vain had asked her a question.

"I'm hungry."

Okay, so not a question. And kind of insensitive, given Emma was unable to eat now. Was there a term for that? Differently-appetited?

She pulled off the exit ramp and into a gas station beside a fast-food place lit by a gaudy neon-orange sign that read 'Mink Burgers'. Mink. Was that supposed to be someone's name? What in hell was a mink burger? It was a silly thing to call a burger place, and to lighten the mood, she sang, "If you like your burgers mink, get them here, we'll cook them pink."

"That's great Emma, I can't wait to hear your tight five at the Improv." Vain pointed. "There's a spot over there."

Miffed, Emma pulled into the back of the parking lot beside a field full of scraggly brush and half-dead trees. "How are we going to pay for any of this?" She asked. "Do you have any money left?"

"Barely, but I found a few bucks in the glove box. Can you grab the food? We'll eat outside. It's less crowded." She pointed to a patio that had lime-green plastic tables bolted to the ground under limp umbrellas. She crammed a fistful of wrinkled dollars into Emma's hand and hopped out of the car.

Emma headed into the large building to hunt down lunch. Vain had not been specific on what she was looking for, so she got the Mink Combo #1, a cheeseburger and fries. Even surrounded by the smell of a fresh meal, Emma had no appetite. This condition was going to help with weight loss, at least.

Families walked by, each one a blinking pulse of energy. They talked to each other, they ordered food, they sat down. They weren't being chased. They were normal. It had only been days since this whole thing started, and already, she missed that. Being normal. The routine of day-to-day life. Not being saddled with a choppy-haired psychopath who struggled to make eye contact.

But Vain had been going through this for much longer, and she'd endured. Sure, she was sharp angles and emotional elbows, but it was understandable, given everything she'd suffered. How much would Emma change if she went through all the same horrors? If Vain could make it, so could she.

Balancing the tray of food, Emma spotted Vain at the furthest table away from the entrance. She sat with her back to the scrub forest, biting her fingernails, her lips moving soundlessly. Her knees were tucked under her chin and her head constantly swiveled, trying to look at everything at once. Twice, she flinched, turning at something behind her, even though there was nothing there. She was the very picture of anxiety, and Emma's heart softened a little. The poor woman. Again, she experienced a tingle of selfish fear for herself. Is this what she'd become? Vain was right about one thing, they needed to stop this. But how?

Emma walked over and plopped the food down, earning a grunted thanks.

"We might have to leave." Vain thrust her chin out at a group of three younger guys a few tables over. "They've been staring at me. I don't know what they want."

"They're guys," said Emma, glancing to where Vain gestured. "They don't want anything. They're looking at us because we're girls."

Vain arched an eyebrow and tore into her burger. "Anytime anyone looks at me, it gives me the creeps. And I'm all out of dick punch."