~ JACK ~
I pulled the truck into the parking garage of the Road Inn, feeling my irritation about recent events simmer just below the surface. The motel was one of those cheap places meant for tired travelers, with a neon sign flickering on and off as if it could barely stay lit. The parking lot was poorly lit, with a few scattered lamps casting long, eerie shadows across the cracked pavement. The building itself was a dull, weathered gray, with chipped paint and rust stains creeping down from the metal roof.
We had been driving for almost ten hours straight, the last four of which felt like an eternity after the bridge incident. I glanced over at Jessica and found her dozed off, her head resting against the window. She had to be exhausted. I knew I was.
I stepped down from the car as qu
