Chapter 16: The Motel

 

"Whoa....is that a tree?" Vivi asked in amazement.

"Yeah," Eli chuckled, "It's a pecan tree. Most people like pecans, but I think they taste like dirt."

"You've had pecans before?" Vivi asked, turning to face him.

Oh shit. I shouldn't know what that tree is, or what pecans taste like. Dammit, I almost screwed up big time and talked about pecan pie, too.

"Uhhh, I think I've tried them before, but I'm not too sure. It might be one of the memories that got all messed up that night in the church."

"Hm, well, we can just try some pecans and see if they taste like you remember." Vivi reassured him. 

Eli had used the 'church incident' more than a few times over the years to excuse his slip-ups whenever he revealed knowledge from his former life. The look of genuine concern on Vivi's face made him feel a little guilty every time he lied to her.

The red wasteland sands gradually transitioned to packed red earth. Sparse patches of dry, brownish grass were becoming more frequent the further west they drove. Right about the time the grass began winning its war with the dirt, they saw their first tree. It was a sad, shriveled old thing, but it signaled the clear end of the Wastes.

It was a surreal experience to see suburban country homes in a savannah, made even stranger by the ruinous state of the abandoned houses.

"You think that's the place?" Julie asked, pointing to a small cluster of buildings ahead of them.

"I sure fuckin' hope so, 'cause we're down to three percent battery." Eli answered, taking the highway's offramp.

The road curved around to a travel-stop area which once catered to long-haul truckers. A truck stop fueling station on the right, a single story motel with maybe ten rooms on the left, and a classic diner that looked like it could be in a Stephen King movie beside the motel; extra creepy. Eli rolled up to the rest area and was about to pull into the truck stop when Vivi stopped him.

"No, over there. Look, three rooms have new doors, and there's a water collection system out front." She said.

"Mm. Good call." Eli nodded, "I'll park by the rooms with new doors, then we can clear the place room-by-room."

Crossing the road into the motel's parking area, Eli turned around and backed the car into the furthest parking space on the left end of the long building. There were a total of eight rooms, now that they were close enough to get an accurate count, and a detached main lobby on the far end of the parking lot. The lobby would be easy to clear, it was a single standing wall next to a heap of broken bricks and chunks of roof. Clear.

Julie passed Eli his protective gear and weapons, then gave Vivi her trusty hatchet-pistol combo. Knife in hand, forearm guards strapped in place, and rifle on his back, Eli stepped out of the roller. He lifted the door's handle as he pushed it closed so it wouldn't click shut and alert any Ferals to their presence. His mother and sister mirrored his actions, silently making their exit.

Directly behind the roller was the first of three rooms with replacement doors. Eli soundlessly crept to the room's single window, which shockingly still held glass. The dingy black-out interior curtains obstructed his view into the room, allowing only a glimpse of the end table near the bed. Judging by the annoyed looks from the women, they encountered similar visual blockage.

The dented brass doorknob rattled in Eli's hand when twisted, then unlatched with a grinding click. No screams from the doorknob's aggravating loudness; a good sign. He pushed the door inward to create an opening wide enough to put his head through. His eyes shifted into night mode, showing him a single bed, end table, two chairs, a dresser, and an interior door which probably lead to the bathroom. 

Wow. Someone replaced all the furniture too. Yeah, this is definitely the right place.

Unfortunately, the toilet hadn't been renovated. Cracked and chipped porcelain, yellowed from age, and a matching sink and shower. All broken, all useless. As expected.

Retracing his steps to the room's entrance, Eli sneaked outside. Julie had finished clearing a room and was mid-entry on the next. The remaining vacancies were easier to clear. None of the rooms had curtains to block their view, and the furniture lay in disintegrating pieces. Vivi got especially unlucky in the search process when she entered the last room. She found the trader's designated latrine. She hurried out of the rank space, gagging at the unexpected assault on her senses.

"Clear," she coughed, "but maybe we should use a different room for our needs. That one's a fucking disaster."

Julie giggled, "Alright, let's get our stuff out of the roller for now. Then we need to rewrap your arm."

"Yes ma'am." Vivi saluted and jogged off to start unloading their supplies.

"So," Eli said as they followed Vivi, "have you ever been this far from Lancaster before?"

"Twice, actually. One time when I was your age, as part of a large-scale scouting mission to look for other settlements in the area. We found the remains of a small settlement that had been overrun by Ferals, but that's it. The other time was when your father-" She stopped mid sentence and shook her head. "I've been this far from Lancaster twice, but never any further."

They arrived at the car while Julie recounted her experiences. She passed one of the remaining cases to Eli, held the last one herself, and closed the door. Eli followed her into the first renovated room.

"Hey, mom." Eli said softly, "You always avoid talking about my father like that. I've never asked you about him because I figured you'd tell me if it was something I needed to know. I won't ask what happened to him, or between you two, but I do want you to answer one thing for me. Is he alive?"

Julie looked down and sighed. "No. He's not." She dropped the supply case beside the room's end table. Her beautiful eyes were cloudy with a mix of emotions Eli hadn't seen in them before as she turned to face him. "If you really want to know what happened, I'll tell you. But let me warn you, sweetheart, you'll only regret asking."

"Yeah, Eli. Some things are better left forgotten." Vivi added as she sat down on the bed.

"Fair enough, I won't ask then." Eli dropped his case, stretched out his back, and propped his rifle against the wall by the door. "Now, what are we gonna do while waiting on Lauren's caravan to pass through?"

Julie's eyes narrowed seductively. "Hmm. I can think of a few things."

"I don't think we should be pressing our luck with that right now."

"With what?" Vivi asked.

"Let's check the water collection system first. We need to refill our clean water supply." Eli ignored Vivi's question.

"I'll go check it, sweetheart." Julie said playfully and trotted out the door.

"Hey. Don't ignore me. Pressing your luck with what?" Vivi demanded.

"Nothing. Don't worry about it." Eli brushed her off again, not ready to open that can of worms, "Go ahead and get that bandaging off your arm so we can clean and rewrap it."

"Sure, just distract me so I'll stop asking questions. You know you can't hid anything from me though." She smiled mischievously and began unraveling the bloodied bandage from her upper left arm.

Eli was crouched down, digging through their medical supplies when Julie returned.

"There's water, but not very much, and it's definitely not drinkable. We'll need to filter and boil it." She said.

"Alright, I can do that." Eli stood and handed her the disinfectant wipes and clean bandages he was holding, "You mind helping Vivi while I get that done?"

"Of course, sweetheart." She smiled.

Their supplies included eight one-liter aluminum bottles, five of which were empty. Empty bottles in tow, Eli left to collect and clean some dirty water. The water collection system was a simple set-up; three lidded barrels with a network of pipes connected to the roof's guttering for catching rainwater. A metal funnel and long-handled ladle were attached to one barrel by rusty cables.

At least there's a funnel. That'll make filtering it easier.

Using Vivi's hatchet, Eli chopped a few branches from the three trees in their vicinity and got to work on a fire. Bricks taken from the crumbled lobby made a serviceable fire pit in the middle of the motel's parking lot. He had an alcohol fueled lighter in his militia equipment, so it wasn't much of a chore to get a flame going. While the branches were burning down, he picked up handfuls of grass, small pebbles, and some loose sand. He kicked a fully burnt chunk of wood out of the fire and crushed the charcoal into a rough powder using the handle of his hunting knife. Ingredients prepared, he assembled a survival water filter in the funnel.

"Need any help?" Vivi asked, strolling up behind him.

"Nah, I'm pretty much done with this part. Just need to fill the bottles and get them all boiled." He said.

"Well, I can put the full bottles on the fire for you, at least." She offered, "C'mon, hand it over."

"Uh, sure. Thanks." Eli relented, a little confused why she seemed so pouty.

The next couple hours were spent cleaning water and organizing their supply inventory. They had enough food to last three days, if they limited themselves to only eating twice per day. Their other supplies would probably last about as long as the food. 

The sun drifted lower while they ate in the motel room, the sky outside turning radiant hues of orange and crimson. The smell of campfire smoke had seeped into the clothes they wore, a scent Eli found nostalgic and relaxing. 

"We should probably all stay in the same room tonight." Eli said as he dragged a chair to the window. "I'll take first watch, you two can share the bed. Who want's second shift?"

"I'll take it." Julie raised her hand up halfway.

"Alright, fine with me." Vivi said, "But before we turn in for the night, I have something I want to talk about."

She sat beside her mother on the edge of the bed, a serious expression on her pretty face. Eli plopped down onto the rickety chair and stretched his legs out in front of him. Julie looked amused, a small smirk on her lips, like she knew something Eli didn't. 

"Okay. What's on your mind, sis?" Eli asked.

"I know." Vivi said, staring into his eyes.

"Uh, know what?" Eli nervously asked.

"I know you're fucking mom." She announced.

Eli, completely caught off guard and starting to sweat, stammered to find a response.

"Um, listen, Vivi-"

"Don't worry, I'm not mad." She interrupted, "I just want to know why."

"Why? Uhh, well, because we love each other." Eli said, like it should have been obvious.

"Not that." Vivi slapped the bed, looking sulky. "Why is it only mom? Why not me? It's not fair, dammit! I love you too! I've been dropping hints that I want you for years! Do you know how frustrating it was to have the man I love only see me as a sister? Why is it mom, and not me?" Hey beautiful gray-blue eyes were blurry with unshed tears.

Eli got up from his chair and knelt in front of Vivi to look up at her face. Her bottom lip trembled, Eli had never seen her look so vulnerable.

"Vivi..." He spoke softly, "I'm sorry. I'm sorry that I didn't notice your feelings. But I'm also sorry that I can't reciprocate them. I love you Vivi, but as my sister. I still think of you as the rowdy little girl you were when we were kids. I'm really sorry...."

She sniffled, fighting to hold back her tears and wiping her eyes with the back of her hand. Julie leaned over to put a hand on Eli's shoulder.

"Eli. Sweetheart." She said quietly, "Please accept your sister. I'm so happy with you, the happiest I've ever been, and she deserves the same happiness. Don't you think so?"

Eli, taken aback by his mother's words, struggled to grasp the implications of her proposal. Polygamy had become the cultural standard, with most men taking more than five wives, but incestuous relationships were still very much taboo. He'd already crossed that line with his mother, but could he do it with his sister too? Should he? What would become of his sibling relationship with Vivi if he continued to reject her? Would he lose his sister? How was Julie so nonchalant and accepting of the situation? His mind reeled, grasping for an answer. Any answer.

But his thoughts were rudely interrupted by a loud noise outside. A mournful, raspy howl cried into the early night's sky, vibrating the dirty glass windowpane behind him. A gravelly, low-pitched howl with enough force to raise the hairs on the back of his neck. A howl that struck a chord in his primitive instincts, shooting terror into his bones. The scratching of claws being scraped across the cement parking lot. The huffing and snorting of massive lungs sniffing the air. The sounds of an apex predator hunting.