By the time Vernon and Eleanor reached Fairmont, it was almost midnight.
The city looked half-dead beneath the pale glow of flickering streetlights. Cold wind swept through the empty roads, carrying the distant sound of sirens somewhere far away.
Then Vernon saw it.
Blue Lotus Motel.
The neon sign buzzed in the darkness, flashing blue and pink like a dying heartbeat.
Eleanor followed his gaze and frowned.
“Why are we here?”
“To buy clothes,” Vernon said in a flat tone.
Without another explanation, he crossed the road toward the shopping mall directly opposite the motel.
Eleanor stopped walking.
“What?”
Vernon ignored her.
The mall was almost empty. Most stores were already shutting down, metal shutters halfway down while exhausted workers counted cash behind counters.
The firs
