Guarded

17

We kept walking until we stopped in front of room 121. She turned the key in the lock and it got stuck a few times before she finally kicked the door. Fumbling, she dropped the keys and picked them up, twisting the key around before she was able to get them to unlock the door.

The door swung open to reveal a small room with a worn double bed and a few items littered around the floor. There was a small suitcase and a few pairs of shoes o the floor. There was packets of snack food from a vending machine spread out over the dresser and empty soda cans on the bed.

“I didn’t have a chance to clean,” she said.

I offered her a small smile and tried to hide my disgust of having to live in a room like this. I smoothed my shirt and looked for a place to sit.

“What time is the interview?” I asked.

“Uh, like 1? I think? Excuse me for a second,” she said and turned into the bathroom. I heard her talking in the bathroom despite the water running and ignored it figuring it must be nerves. She returned a few minutes later, her hair around her face wet as if she splashed water on her face.

“Do you want a drink?” She asked, pointing to a half open bottle of wine.

“Uh, no, thanks. I’m going to drive after this so better not.”

“Come on, it’ll soothe your nerves. Just half a glass at least? It’ll make me feel better at least?” She pushed.

“No, thanks,” I said again, glancing around the room. The ceiling was a covered in wetstains and in need of a good paint job almost as much as the wallpaper in the room needed to be torn down and painted.

“I insist.” Carissa said. Her tone was desperate she pushed some red colored liquid into my hand.

I took the glass from her and took a large sip, hoping it appeased her. She smiled and lifted up a glass of clear liquid. “I’m a gin person myself,” she said.

I nodded and sat down on the bed after clearing off some trash. “So when is this interview exactly?” I yawned realizing how tired I must be even though I had about three coffees already.

“I think we just need to wait a little bit longer,” she said. “Finish your wine though while we wait.”

I glanced at the glass in my hand. There was only a few sips left and I finished it while we waited for the show to be in contact with us. She smiled at me when I set the glass down on the floor. I realized she had been watching me the whole time I’d been sitting. I yawned again.

“I’m really tired,” I said, laughing a bit.

“I’m sure you are,” she said. Her eyes continued to watch me.

“Is everything okay?” I asked, feeling a bit weirded out that she kept watching me.

“It will be.” She smiled at me again.

I felt really weird all of a sudden, more than tired. I was light headed and felt drowsy. My eyelids tried to close and my body felt heavy. I glanced at the wine glass. Could it have been the alcohol that was affecting me?

“Carissa, I don’t think I can stay here. I don’t feel well.” I tried to stand up, attempting to grab my purse, but my arms felt like lead balloons, dead and unable to be lifted even though I tried with all my will. I just felt so tired.

“Of course you can stay here. You have no where else to go.”

Her words echoed in my head before I found myself laying back on the bed in the dingy motel room, staring at the cracked ceiling before I drifted off into sleep.

-

I felt something hit my face. It was cold and wet and chilled me to the bone. I opened my eyes blearily looking around. Wherever I was seemed familiar and I felt like I had been here at some point in my life before. I glanced around the room and saw trash littered all over the floor and a suitcase with some clothing spilling out of it. There was a television mounted to the wall and the wallpaper was peeling off in the corners. The carpet was worn and lifting in places and there was a double bed that hadn’t been made yet today.

I blinked a few more times letting my eyes adjust to the light and took in the sights before me trying to make sense of where I was. The room seemed so familiar; I just couldn’t place it. I tried to stand up and found myself unable to. I looked down and realized I was sitting in a chair with my hands behind my back and my legs bound with ropes to the legs of the chair.