Page 87 of The Butterfly Killer

Roman pulled into the parking lot. The car made a sputtering sound and then a jerking motion.

It completely went out just as Roman parked.

There was loud silence in the gloomy darkness surrounded by shadows casted by the low lights.

“Is it…dead?”

Roman opened the door. “It happens. I’ll have it running in the morning.”

His nonchalance didn’t convince Marcus, but he wasn’t going to argue. Getting stuck here might give him the chance to finda way to escape. Roman surely couldn’t know this place as well as the cabin. And they were closer to a town. Up at the cabin, Marcus was caged in by the weather, but now, he’d survive on the streets for awhile. He’d done it before.

Roman opened the backseat. Slowly, he held out his hand.

Marcus blinked at the hand like it was a snake Roman was offering him. He took it, still clutching the blanket to him.

It wasn’t as cold as it was up in the mountains. Still, the chill made him want to crawl back into the car. He missed the warmth he took for granted, but before he could turn back around, Roman closed the door and started pushing him toward the motel office.

The bell tied to the door jingled as they walked in. The white florescent lights brightened the small cubicle room while simultaneously made it seem darker. The shadows in the corners were more pronounced and harsh. The office table bowed beneath the dinosaur computer taking up most of the surface area.

Sitting behind the computer was an average young man with dark circles under his eyes. He was playing a loud mobile game on his phone when they came in. He turned it off as they approached the counter.

“How many nights?” He picked a random set of keys from beneath the table.

“Two,” Roman answered.

He pulled out his wallet and began to hand a card over. The man shook his head.

“Cash only.”

Roman frowned. He stared at his card like there was something wrong with it and that was the reason the man wasn’t taking it.

The man pointed to behind them. “There’s an ATM there.”

Roman looked at Marcus as if he could help. Marcus gave a shrug. Roman gave Marcus a long look. The commandment couldn’t have been clearer. Marcus was to stay put.

He did. As Roman went to the ATM, he awkwardly stood at the table. The man started to go back to his mobile game when Marcus put his hand on the table.

The man’s eyes darted upward. He leaned back. Marcus shook his head. He mouthed “help” and then “call 911”.

The man’s brows scrunched. He made a face.

Marcus mouthed the same things over again, but the man still didn’t understand what he was trying to say. Frustrated and nervous Roman was going to come back soon, he grabbed a pen and looked for something to write on.

He heard the ATM dispense money. There was a soft click as Roman grabbed his card.

There was a ledger to the side. Marcus grabbed it and began to write on it.

A hand fell down onto his. He didn’t stop writing. He was compelled to keep going. He needed to do this. He had to do something.

“Sorry. He’s drunk.”

Marcus almost blurted that he wasn’t. That probably wouldn’t help his case.

With gentleness that made Marcus grind his teeth, Roman pulled Marcus’s hand away. He pinched Marcus’s fingers hard so he was forced to drop the pen.

The man watched with a curious gaze, but he didn’t seem like it was the craziest thing he’d seen. It made Marcus wonder what happened in this motel though he didn’t really want to find out.

Roman shoved the money across the counter. The man picked it up and counted it.

---