Chapter 3 Leaving and same nightmares

"I am afraid that will not be possible." Said the manager, coming out of her office.

"What? What's not possible?" Mom countered, sizing the woman up with her eyes.

"You see, there's no other hotel around here. In fact you won't see another hotel for another 100 miles, and oh! It's 9: 30 already."

"And we have the no-refund policy! That's how this place is run Mr WoodsWorth."

"And how did you know my name? I don't recall seeing you when we checked in" said dad, heaving his chest.

"That wouldn't be necessary. We have the best room service you can find around. So, go on in! And enjoy the rest of your night."

Taking a proper look at the manager, I discovered she looked more scary than the receptionist and had a wart on her nose. Perfect description of a witch.

"No, we are leaving this place. Now." My dad said, making his final decision.

"Very well, then." The manager said, showing us the doorway.

"Let's go pals", dad said.

We all made a March to the car.

We all got talking as soon as we got to the car.

"That hotel is an evil place! "

"Did you see the faces of the staff in there, they all looked scary".

"Yeah right?"

"It's fine. Thank God we are out of that place." Dad said, revving the engine to life.

I and Jessie looked at each other. The whole thing seemed to have upset her so much. I squeezed her Hands gently.

Dad drove for half an hour, with no building in sight. I checked my wristwatch, it was some minutes pass 10 O'clock.

"Do you think we would see another hotel?" Mom asked.

"There's only one way to find out honey." Dad said.

"You broke your no-talking-on-the-wheel rule twice today dad!" Jessie teased dad.

"Yes, on purpose that is." Dad began.

"You see we are the only ones on the road right now! And as the manager of that evil hotel rightly stated, there is no chance of us getting to any building for 100 miles+. So the risk of running into an acci-"

"Right dad!!" Jessie and I chorused. Earning a laugh from dad. I looked sideways at mom. The poor woman had slept off.

"Dad, don't you feel sleepy?" Jess queried.

"No! I mean yes, a Little." Dad said, stifling a yawn.

"What????" Jess and I shouted.

"Come on kids! Just joking! How could I ever go asleep on the wheels??" Dad said, laughing out loud.

"Dad... Just pull the car up" I said.

"What why?" Dad said as he moved to the side.

"Let's call it a ride for tonight dad. Pull up on one side of the road and let's pass the night." Jess suggested.

"Like that evil worker said, we won't see another building for another 100 miles." I said, concurring with my sis.

"Well technically, we have moved for about 69 miles. So, we are having just 31 miles to go and we would see another--"

"That's not the point dad!" I interrupted.

"You see, a lot of things could go wrong in that distance." I said.

Dad looked at the two of us briefly.

"Okay, I would have done that but just take a look around. Where are we? We are on a road that is in the middle of the woods! Let's drive further for.. let's say 10 miles for our own safety." Dad said

I and Jessie exchanged glances.

"Okay then." Jess said, giving me a shrug.

"Let's hit the roads." Dad said, starting the engine of the car.

"Jess, why don't you tell us some tales to warm the place up. We could do with some of your history stuff right now". I said, taking a sip out of my soda.

"I would do that. But first, you know it's unhealthy to take soda right?" Jess asked.

"Unhealthy? Why?"

"10:28 pm, and you're taking a Coke. That's wrong." Jess preached.

"Oh cut that crap, jess." I said, taking a long sip.

"Suit yourself, then. I'll be talking about the lizard men of xenor". I and dad burst out laughing.

"What? What's so funny? " Jess asked.

"The lizard-men? What's that?" Dad said, in between hiccups.

"When I'm done, you would understand. This is Medo-persian mythology though."

"Okay then, holler!" Dad said, accelerating the car.

"Well, it was in the ninety-ninth year of what was to be later known as the hundred years war or the xenoroan wars simply put.

The planet Xenor which was located in another dimension of space, was populated by a super-duper intelligent but super-cruel race of beings called the lizard men, which wasn't what they called themselves though." Jessie said, allowing what she said to sink into our head. Typical jess.

"In appearance they were seven feet tall, scaly, and grey. Their eyes had Virtual slits, like the eyes of cats and snakes. So tough was their hides that ordinarily they didn't have to wear clothing, except for short pants which were Made of carchineal, a flexible red metal unknown to the earth." She continued.

"I don't know, but why is this sounding like a made up story?" Dad asked, the sound of the car engine making the only noise on the road

"I was about to ask the same thing too!"

"No it isn't! It's in Medo-persian mytholo-"

"Right! Continue." I said, enjoying the story myself. Jess gave an eyeroll before continuing.

"Yeah, so in the Ninety ninth year, the xenoroans got into a special project to capture a large number of earth's women and reed a super-race, half-human, half-xenoroan lizard man; which would be better equipped for life on the various other habitable planets of the universe than they were-- able to adjust to strange atmospheres, eat a variety of foods, resist unknown diseases -- but which would also have the strength and the extraterrestrial intelligence of the xenoroan race."

Jess said, completely exhausted from the long talk. A light just entered my head.

"Jess, isn't this story from the blind assassin by Victoria Atwood?" I had caught her red-handed and she knew it.

"Dad, remember that book you bought for me at the school bookshop?"

The car started veering In the wrong direction suddenly. We turned to dad and got the shock of our lives. Dad was asleep on the wheels!!

"Dad!!" We yelled.

"Yeah, you were saying??" Replied dad, waking abruptly from his sleep. The car veered into the woods.

"Dad!!" I yelled, my chest heaving in fear.

"I can't control the car!!" Dad cried as the brake of the car failed.

"Jesus! Dad control the fu**ing car!!"

Jess yelled in fright. The car was headed to a tree. Events of today rolled very fast in my head. This is the end, I thought. This is it.

Suddenly, the car came to a very slow end, just near the base of the tree.

"Thank you Lord!!" Dad said, leading the car in a slow reverse out of the woods.

Jess was breathing so heavily, I quickly brought out an inhaler from her bag.

"I'm fine, I'm fine." She said, trying to figure wave my hands off.

"No you're not, Jess. Here, take this."

She gave a sigh, took the Inhaler from my hands.

Dad's hands were shaking badly.

"Dad, just stop the car." Jess said.

"Yeah, sure I'll do that. Let's just get to the-- "

"No, dad. Just park the car now", Jess argued, sitting up.

Just then mom stirred from her sleep. She had been asleep all through the incident.

"What Happened darling? Why are we in the woods and not on the road?" Mom inquired, looking around sleepily.

"Err, we almost had an accident. But we're fine now" said dad, switching Off the car ignition.

"Wait, what accident?" Mom half yelled. She looked at us.

"Christ, mark and jess! Are you kids okay."

I gave an eyeroll. Mom could be such a worrywart at times.

"We're fine, mom!" Jess said.

"Tyson, what on Earth happened?" Mom queried.

"Okay, we we're driving and due to fatigue, I drifted." Dad said, trying to explain.

"You slept off?" Mom said, her mouth hanging open.

"Kinda" dad replied.

"Christ! We would have all died!" Mom shouted.

"Ehm, mom? Aren't you using the name of God in vain right now?"

Jess asked, catching mom in her own bait.

"Yeah, right." Mom said, trailing off.

"I think we've had too much drama for one night. don't you agree people?" Dad said, emphasizing the word 'people' like the coolest guy on Earth. Trust him to be the cool guy always.

"Yeah, sure we agree." Mom said, rolling her eyes.

"So I say we sleep here." Dad proposed.

"In this car?" Mom asked, with an incredulous expression on her face.

"Yeah" I said, speaking up.

"If not for this incident, I doubt if you would have woken up. And it's not like we have any other place to sleep. Like the hotel staff said, there's no place to stay. So I think we should camp here for the night."

I argued further.

"Yeah, you're right" mom replied in a subdued tone.

I turned to Jessie. She was sleeping already. Great.

"And we could turn on the Car air conditioning so we can get fresh air, without getting mosquito bites." Dad suggested.

"No problems. But damn, I'm hungry!" Said mom.

"Yeah, I'm hungry too."

I agreed, taking a sneek peek at the lunchpack; it was empty. Great.

"There's nothing we can to st this point. Let's just sleep. 5am tomorrow and we move." Said dad.

"Make that 6am, you'll need a good night's sleep so you'll not sleep on the wheels again." Mom remarked drily.

"Yeah, sure. Whenever we set out, we'll find food tomorrow." Dad said, turning the Air conditioning on. The car suddenly became cold!

"Dad, remember Jessie" I said, as goosebumps filled my skin.

"Yeah Right," dad replied, turning the air conditioning down by a few degrees. Jess has mild asthma, that's why she had that attack earlier.

"Night Mark, night darling." Mom said, drifting off into sleep.

I looked at dad, he was surveying the environment.

"Dad, aren't you sleeping? You have a long ride tomorrow, and mom doesn't drive on the highway, and I can't drive at all, and Jess-"

"Right, right! Must you be so dramatic? I'll get a rest okay ? After you sleep, that is." Dad said, Patting me fondly.

I stayed awake for a long time, that by the time I turned, dad was asleep already. I snorted to myself. So much for wanting to sleep after me.

I turned to the window to look outside properly.

Bright lights shone outside. On a closer look, I found out there was a house at the edge of the woods. Hmm. Why didn't we notice before, I wondered.

A thought came to my head. It wouldn't hurt to check the house out. Would it?

So cautiously, I opened the door of the SUV. I closed it, careful not to wake my family.

There were lights on in the House. I edged on, eager to take a peek inside. For some odd reason, my heart started beating loudly.

My senses heightened. I became more conscious of the environment.

I stepped on a piece of dried grass, and goosebumps filled my neck. This time, it was of fear, not the cold.

Something still urged me to go on.

I got to the door of the house.

Ring the bell, something told me.

I rung the bell, unsure why.

"Come in!" A sweet voice called from inside. The doors opened on their own accord, and I walked inside.

Every where was bright!, I noticed.

The room looked beautiful. A man was sitting at the living room with his back turned to me.

"Hello, welcome home! I'm the son of Lindbergh." He said, with the most creepy smile I had ever seen.

Suddenly the lights went off. They came back in a split second.

A lady entered the room in a bloody gown.

"I'm Florence! Welcome home." She said, as blood came out from her mouth. The room went dark again.

"Arrgh!!!" I yelled, waking from my nightmare.

I was back in the car. The confusing thing was that Everybody was yelling! Everybody seemed to have woken from a nightmare too.