To begin with the Prologue of this serial novel, Monarch, please start here.
Chapter Four
Kevin began to laugh.
It came out as a chuckle at first, then hysterics took over. He stood up and held himself steady on the bed, as he laughed too hard to maintain balance. Once again, he allowed something to become more than reality. He shook his head, absolutely confused as to why he had thought the film on television represented anything more than just a movie. It was simply a cheaply made, Spanish movie on the Spanish channel the television turned too. The snow and static meant either an old television or a poor connection.
I’m nuts, he thought, absolutely, certifiably, bananas.
Kevin glanced at his watch, surprised to see that only a few minutes had passed, yet the weather outside had changed drastically. He stopped laughing when he realized that he sounded just as loco as he had felt after watching those few minutes on television. He walked over to the drapes and opened them at once, wanting a bit of sunshine to bleed into this little room. The clouds from the oncoming storm completely covered the remaining light of the sun and thunder rumbled in the distance. The storm, not quite upon this little town, but certainly coming fast, loomed upon them. He felt someone’s eyes on him, someone prying into his mind.
“This is silly,” he muttered to himself and pulled his soft briefcase onto the old desk. He pulled out his computer, his pads of paper, and stacked them on top of each other. Again, he stopped and looked around the little room. To think of that movie as reality brought him to the edge of his sanity. He wanted the thoughts to dissipate, but the uneasy feeling in the room simply would not leave. A dark, heavy cloud of apprehension and anxiety hung near the ceiling like rumbling clouds of smoke. He needed to get out of that room, and quickly. Wringing his hands and pacing he tried to decide where to go and what to do. The anxiety built, causing his stomach to dry heave, gags rising in his throat. He no longer cared where he went; he grabbed his dark blue jacket and baseball cap and walked out the door.
The moment he stepped outside the room, he felt a small amount of relief, but the uneasiness that accompanied his few moments in the hotel room remained strong. The storm seemed to be standing still, growing and gaining mass before it plummeted upon the city. Kevin watched it curiously, and suspected that it was the first real storm of the season, where the cool air would become even colder, to the point that it contracted your lungs and bit into your nostrils when you breathed. He shook his attention away from the dark clouds and walked down the building to the lobby. His footsteps thumped on the asphalt and he noticed that there were no other people or cars on the street. For a short moment, he felt alone, out in the open, seeming to be the only person willing to face the purple and black mass in the distance. The sun had almost completely disappeared and the breeze transformed into a steady wind, blowing the branches off the trees and making them creak and crack. Leaves blew around his feet and slapped at this legs as he entered the lobby.
The lobby felt warm and comfortingly guarded from the outside. Kevin looked across the empty desk into the back room, trying to see Michael. He called for the clerk, but received no answer. The door closed behind him, the bell jingling softly and he heard several thumps in the room above him. Kevin smiled as he heard Michael come running down some unseen stairs, imagining the man bumbling excitedly to meet him. He almost chuckled when the hotel clerk burst into the room, wiping his face and doing his best to remain calm.
“Mr. Johnson, hello.” He said, and then extended his hand for Kevin to shake. Michael’s shoulders slumped and he spoke quickly, as if he knew that Kevin teetered on the verge of getting the dodge out of this city and leaving the hotel for good. “I’m sorry about the wait, did you wait long? Is everything all right in the room?”
“No, everything is perfectly fine. I just wondered where a good place to eat would be?” Kevin asked, smiling as he watched the nervous little man in front of him sigh with relief and literally shudder with excitement. Michael responded, “I was just eating myself actually, and you’re more than welcome to join me if you’d like, but if not, which is totally fine, there is a diner just down the street, called Mabel’s. You can’t miss it. Just across from the church and next to the police station.”
Weird. Maybe this guy is related to Bates after all, thought Kevin. He shook his head and motioned to the door.
“Thanks. I think I’ll head over there and see if I can get something to eat.” Kevin walked to the door, but turned and as an afterthought, "I’m looking forward to breakfast tomorrow morning though.” Michael’s eyes lit up and he almost burst with pride. Jeeze, this guy must really not get out, Kevin thought, or he probably just doesn’t get a whole lot of business. Michael rambled on about what they would have for breakfast in the morning. He smiled and nodded. Michael was debating with himself about whether waffles or pancakes would be better for breakfast. Kevin interrupted.
“I saw a movie on television earlier,” he said, “maybe the Spanish channel; in any case I’m curious to know which movie I saw. Do you have a TV guide or something?” Michael stopped his personal debate and stared at him curiously.
“Do you get cable on your lap top?” He asked. Kevin shook his head and chuckled, despite himself. The guy is a trip, so literally caught up with his own conversation and unable to put a couple of thoughts together.
“No. The TV in the room; it’s not a big deal, I just wondered because the movie was… interesting.” Kevin replied, afraid that Michael would develop a complex over his stay in his motel. Michael responded slowly, carefully, “Are you sure you didn’t watch the television at a hotel on the way here? At home maybe?”
“No, just a few minutes ago, before I came over here.” Kevin said, “Why?”
The little clerk looked him up and down, obviously confused.
“Because…” Michael started, “Television has been out for a few weeks here at the Alpine Resort. They don’t work.”
Kevin glanced at his watch, surprised to see that only a few minutes had passed, yet the weather outside had changed drastically. He stopped laughing when he realized that he sounded just as loco as he had felt after watching those few minutes on television. He walked over to the drapes and opened them at once, wanting a bit of sunshine to bleed into this little room. The clouds from the oncoming storm completely covered the remaining light of the sun and thunder rumbled in the distance. The storm, not quite upon this little town, but certainly coming fast, loomed upon them. He felt someone’s eyes on him, someone prying into his mind.
“This is silly,” he muttered to himself and pulled his soft briefcase onto the old desk. He pulled out his computer, his pads of paper, and stacked them on top of each other. Again, he stopped and looked around the little room. To think of that movie as reality brought him to the edge of his sanity. He wanted the thoughts to dissipate, but the uneasy feeling in the room simply would not leave. A dark, heavy cloud of apprehension and anxiety hung near the ceiling like rumbling clouds of smoke. He needed to get out of that room, and quickly. Wringing his hands and pacing he tried to decide where to go and what to do. The anxiety built, causing his stomach to dry heave, gags rising in his throat. He no longer cared where he went; he grabbed his dark blue jacket and baseball cap and walked out the door.
The moment he stepped outside the room, he felt a small amount of relief, but the uneasiness that accompanied his few moments in the hotel room remained strong. The storm seemed to be standing still, growing and gaining mass before it plummeted upon the city. Kevin watched it curiously, and suspected that it was the first real storm of the season, where the cool air would become even colder, to the point that it contracted your lungs and bit into your nostrils when you breathed. He shook his attention away from the dark clouds and walked down the building to the lobby. His footsteps thumped on the asphalt and he noticed that there were no other people or cars on the street. For a short moment, he felt alone, out in the open, seeming to be the only person willing to face the purple and black mass in the distance. The sun had almost completely disappeared and the breeze transformed into a steady wind, blowing the branches off the trees and making them creak and crack. Leaves blew around his feet and slapped at this legs as he entered the lobby.
The lobby felt warm and comfortingly guarded from the outside. Kevin looked across the empty desk into the back room, trying to see Michael. He called for the clerk, but received no answer. The door closed behind him, the bell jingling softly and he heard several thumps in the room above him. Kevin smiled as he heard Michael come running down some unseen stairs, imagining the man bumbling excitedly to meet him. He almost chuckled when the hotel clerk burst into the room, wiping his face and doing his best to remain calm.
“Mr. Johnson, hello.” He said, and then extended his hand for Kevin to shake. Michael’s shoulders slumped and he spoke quickly, as if he knew that Kevin teetered on the verge of getting the dodge out of this city and leaving the hotel for good. “I’m sorry about the wait, did you wait long? Is everything all right in the room?”
“No, everything is perfectly fine. I just wondered where a good place to eat would be?” Kevin asked, smiling as he watched the nervous little man in front of him sigh with relief and literally shudder with excitement. Michael responded, “I was just eating myself actually, and you’re more than welcome to join me if you’d like, but if not, which is totally fine, there is a diner just down the street, called Mabel’s. You can’t miss it. Just across from the church and next to the police station.”
Weird. Maybe this guy is related to Bates after all, thought Kevin. He shook his head and motioned to the door.
“Thanks. I think I’ll head over there and see if I can get something to eat.” Kevin walked to the door, but turned and as an afterthought, "I’m looking forward to breakfast tomorrow morning though.” Michael’s eyes lit up and he almost burst with pride. Jeeze, this guy must really not get out, Kevin thought, or he probably just doesn’t get a whole lot of business. Michael rambled on about what they would have for breakfast in the morning. He smiled and nodded. Michael was debating with himself about whether waffles or pancakes would be better for breakfast. Kevin interrupted.
“I saw a movie on television earlier,” he said, “maybe the Spanish channel; in any case I’m curious to know which movie I saw. Do you have a TV guide or something?” Michael stopped his personal debate and stared at him curiously.
“Do you get cable on your lap top?” He asked. Kevin shook his head and chuckled, despite himself. The guy is a trip, so literally caught up with his own conversation and unable to put a couple of thoughts together.
“No. The TV in the room; it’s not a big deal, I just wondered because the movie was… interesting.” Kevin replied, afraid that Michael would develop a complex over his stay in his motel. Michael responded slowly, carefully, “Are you sure you didn’t watch the television at a hotel on the way here? At home maybe?”
“No, just a few minutes ago, before I came over here.” Kevin said, “Why?”
The little clerk looked him up and down, obviously confused.
“Because…” Michael started, “Television has been out for a few weeks here at the Alpine Resort. They don’t work.”
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© 2008, Derrick Hibbard. All Rights Reserved.
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