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Pulling into the small gravel lot facing the rooms, they were the only car in sight. Grabbing their bags, Vera took a good look around before following Teddi to the office.
It was early and yet the thickness of the enormous forest allowed little light to filter in. Scratching at her neck, she scanned the entwined fist of trees behind her. She could see nothing recognizable, even where the light tried to push in between obsidian leaves.
Turning to go inside, the muted sound of tires on dirt forced her eyes back toward the road. The familiar colors of a sheriff’s vehicle flashed between the trees as it passed slowly. The windows were rolled up but she could just make out a familiar high and tight haircut. It was the deputy that sat at the reception desk yesterday. His eyes were obscured by a pair of black sunglasses, but the turn of his head followed her. The vehicle didn’t stop but rolled past the side road at an observatory pace. They watched one another until he drove out of view. She wondered if it was his presence that she felt as they entered town.
A bell rang as she stepped into the office where Teddi was already speaking with the attendant. He was a heavy-set man with a thin comb-over. His narrow eyes flicked to her and then back to Teddi quickly.
The tiny room barely fit them both, pushing them shoulder to shoulder in front of the scratched plexiglass that kept him protected. The rectangular space was wrapped in bubbling yellow wallpaper, its worn shade verging on the color of piss. A mix of mustiness and humidity gave the room a scent that suggested the presence of asbestos in the popcorn ceiling. Tuning out as Teddi scribbled their information into a large log book, Vera scanned the walls.
There were a handful of framed photos of local mountains and glorified fishing catches but it was the black-and-white image above a dust-covered lamp that stopped her.
A bundle of fourteen people stood in front of what appeared to be an old-school wooden trading post. Wide skirts were layered over with pale aprons while everyone’s sleeves reached their wrists in modest coverage. There were seven couples, each woman standing slightly in front of a man, none of them touching. The subtle downturn of the women’s lips along with their dipped chins gave an air of submission. Looking closer, the edges of their eyes were pinched as they glared into the camera. It wasn’t like the old-time photos she’d seen before where the subjects didn’t smile because the process took too long. They were filled with emotion but she couldn’t quite say what. Dejection, maybe. The men behind them were their opposites; chests held high with more than one smile on their faces. At the bottom center, it read ’Fort Sylen, 1859’. She scanned the group of pinched faces once more before turning away.
“You don’t take credit cards?” Teddi asked, her voice transporting Vera to another time. The last time they’d gotten a room together, they’d run away the weekend Vera turned twenty-two. They'd been dating for a few weeks and Vera was nervous about taking their relationship to the next level, so Teddi surprised her with a getaway to Denver.
She shifted on her feet, shaking the ancient memory away. Memories would stay in the past, just like everything else.
The motel attendant began to pale, wiping a sheen of sweat off his brow. His small dark eyes darted to his cell phone a few inches away on his side of the desk. The obnoxious red, gold, and blue of his wrinkled button-up shirt looked like something a bowling league would wear. Thick stitching shaped the name “Al” above the breast pocket. “Cash only and I’ve only got one room available.”
“There’s not a car in the lot and you’ve only got one room?” Vera asked incredulously. Checking his phone once more, he swallowed loudly.
“We’ve been having water problems. Only one room. Two beds though, don’t worry, ladies.” Teddi’s fingers drummed against the linoleum countertop.
“Well, then that sounds great, Al. You’re a sweetheart.” There was a knowing twinkle in Teddi’s eye but she smiled sweetly, handing over the cash for a three-day reservation.
Al’s hairy hand trembled as he took the bills, his eyes shifting to his phone once more. The screen was darkened from inactivity but Vera made out the shape of a text message thread.
“You alright, Al?” Vera asked.
He swallowed thickly before replying, palming the device and shoving it into his pants pocket. “Yeah, sure, sure.” Those dark eyes flicked to her face once and then remained on his task.
“Who’s in the photo?”
His brow rumpled in confusion until he saw where her thumb pointed. “Town founders. Just a bunch of old folks. No ice and the snack machine is broken.”
Teddi gave her a questioning look over her shoulder. She shrugged.
She watched him, waiting for his hand to go back to his phone. Whoever he was texting was making him nervous. Or maybe it was the two of them standing in his run-down motel office without another soul in sight. Hard to say.
With a scraping sound, he slid a key across the desk. The diamond-shaped tag read ‘Sylen Sleeper Motel’ in worn golden letters.
“It’s the last door on the end, to your left.” Al skittered behind the door at the back wall of the office like a rat running into its hole.
Stepping back outside, Vera took a big breath of fresh air. Looking for the deputy and finding the road empty, she felt the heavy sensation of someone’s eyes on her once more. Scanning the trees and street once more, she slowly followed Teddi’s casual pace toward the room. No shine of headlights or tires sounded. There was no one there.
“Why oh why do you think this man only has one room available for the pair of us?” The key swung lazily around Teddi’s finger.
“Probably the same reason the deputy was lurking on the street like a pervy teenage boy. It’s easier to keep an eye on us if we’re together.”
"How did he know we were here already?" Vera shook her head, unsure. “I’m going to check the walls for peepholes.”
Vera had the same idea as the key slid into the lock. Using her shoulder, Teddi shoved the door open.
“Home sweet home.” The metal number eight on the door fell upside down as Teddi revealed a room lost to time. The dark brown paint on the walls swallowed up any light, giving Vera the impression of a cave. Swirling black and red carpet belonged on the floor of a strip club. It was made to hide spills and stains of every color and size. The cherry on top was the garish, matching comforters on the twin-sized beds. The patterns could only be described as motion-sickness-inducing.
“You’re definitely not in your fancy city anymore.”
“I’ve stayed in plenty of crappy motels, I’m not going screaming for the hills.” Teddi threw a wry smile that said she was unconvinced.
