Ep. 4
“Why did you decide to take 281 north?”
“Because I wanted to have a nice, scenic route home. Would you rather we drive through the city?”
He sighed. It was a common disagreement when they travel. He just wanted to get to the destination. For him, the travel was a nuisance. His wife, however, liked to enjoy the moment. Which is, after years of arguing, they came to a compromise. He drove to wherever they were traveling to, she would drive home.
However, as they were on 281 on the way around the city, they lost reception. While they were going along, trying to find out where they were on the relic of a paper map they got from AAA last year when they booked the trip, they came on a split in the road. Here, route 281 turned towards the city, but the other road headed towards the mountains and she loved mountains. Impulsively, she turned right, passing a dirty and bent sign that read ALT 281. Who doesn’t like an adventure? She thought to herself.
Two hours later, they were still deep in the mountains, going through a pass on a road that they could not find on the map, in an area still without cell reception. He had made her stop to dig out the emergency GPS they kept in their ‘Oh Shit’ bag in the trunk. It was an ancient TOMTOM. She sarcastically commented that it likely had not had an update since before cars were invented. He grunted and plugged it in. Surprisingly, it turned on. The little car showed up on the screen, but nothing else did. A flashing symbol for poor reception blinked in the corner of the screen.
“Diane,” he said with as much patience he could muster, “this is why I don’t like taking the fun route. It stops being fun when you don’t know where you are.”
“Honey,” she only called him honey when she was trying to calm him down, “the fun begins when you get lost. Now, we get to find where we are. This way we can see more of the world we live in!”
“We see more on each vacation. I don’t need to see it when we run out of gas!”
Diane looked down at the gauge, more than half a tank. They have nearly 200 miles left. “Listen, when we get to under 150 miles left, we will turn around, that will give us plenty of gas to get back to the highway and find a gas station.”
Carl looked at her, knowing he had already lost. Her argument was sound and she was even willing to give up this foolish ride into the unknown.
“Fine, but not a mile longer.”
She turned to look at him and blow him a kiss. When she turned back, she saw something step out from the shadows by the side of the road. It was the size of a human, but its clothes were tattered and torn, he was covered in a beard that hid almost his whole face, and it merged with the rest of his head to look like he hadn’t seen a razor or pair of scissors in quite some time.
“I wonder if he needs help? There isn’t a car nearby, and it’s a long way from any house we have seen.”
Carl rolled his eyes, thinking that was the exact reason he didn’t want to stay on this road. “Dunno, I guess we can see. But do not lower the window more than a crack and keep the doors locked and the car in gear.”
Diane started to slow down. As they got closer, the man tried to smile. At least, that was what she assumed it was meant to be. What they both saw was a row of teeth that no human should have. They were jagged and pointed, like a shark. His eyes were bloodshot, and there was what looked like dried blood on his shirt. Carl saw the glint from his side, near the hand that was slightly behind his back.
“Shit! He has a knife! Get us out of here!”
She had just seen the same thing, and stomped her foot on the gas pedal. She forgot to correct her steering and was speeding directly at the apparition. Carl grabbed the wheel and jerked it over as the thing jumped back into the bushes, missing it by only a few feet. Diane fought to get the car straightened out, but didn’t let up on the gas.
After a minute of speeding down the road, she began to slow the car down, working on keeping her voice as cheery as possible, “See? I told you that it is an adventure.”
Carl kept the first five expletives that came to mind to himself, only grunting in response. In the excitement, neither had noticed that they had well passed the 150 mile mark the agreed on, and were nearing 100 miles left in the tank. When they realized that, it was agreed they had no choice but to keep going forward. Diane was not as sure whether it was really a win for her or not.
“It’s getting late,” she said, “let’s stop at the next hotel and see where we are in the morning?”
They drove in silence for a while, each scanning the sidss of the road to look for more surprises. Diane was watching the fuel level lower as they drove without a single house or sign of life. She was worried that her impulse was going to land them in more trouble if they couldn’t find a station soon.
Carl opened the window, letting the air circulate. The tangy smell of adrenaline was still heavy in the air, and they needed to clear their mind of the events of the last hour. He was getting hungry, and the thought of eating whatever was still in their cooler for dinner was not all too appetizing. He glanced over at his wife, noticing that she was getting fixated about how much more gas they have. They might disagree about the way they travel, but after thirty years together, there isn’t a soul he would rather travel with.
Diane sighed. Carl was right, this was a dumb idea. She had no idea why, with no way to know where they were or even a way to call for help, she decided to head into the mountains. She thought about the leftover Italian subs they had bought back when they had lunch. The restaurant was not bad, but the oil and vinegar has likely turned the bread soggy, and the lettuce into a type of soup reserved for those without taste buds. She could really go for a shower and some hot food. She could swear she could smell the unmistakable smell of Chinese take-out. A smell that does not identify as a single dish, but is universally known to be ‘that’ smell.
“Hey hon,” she started as Carl interrupted her.
“I swear I can smell Chinese food,” he mused. “I don’t know how, when we are out so far into the mountains, I don’t think they can spell the word ‘Chinese’.”
“You mean it isn’t my imagination? I thought I could smell it as soon as you opened the window!” Diane started to chuckle about the coincidence, as the sign for the “All Nite Chineze Buffet” came into view.
“Well,” she said drolly, “I guess they can’t spell it after all. I just hope they can at least cook it. I am starved!”
Diane followed the sign for the turn off, and they pulled into the parking lot for the restaurant. There were a few cars, but not enough to make them worry about a wait. The couple got out of the car in the near darkness and stretched the hours of sitting still from their limbs. The two turned to the restaurant to see the hulking tower of The Hotel. Its sign, lit like it was seen through a fog, rose up from the trees behind the restaurant.
“Umm, Carl, it that a hotel, or a set from the next horror movie?”
“Dunno, but I know I do not want to be worried about gas in these woods at night. Do you see a way to get there?”
“No, but we can ask once we get some food ordered. Maybe even one of those tiki drink things? I could use a stiff drink right now.”
The two headed into the restaurant in search of cheap food and expensive drinks.
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