A Dark Heaven

Chapter 19 Hot And Cold

Riding back to the hotel felt long and numb. The gang trotted along the sand quietly, all too exhausted to speak. James rode Smokey slower than he normally would, he felt the animal sensed the death of Marty and didn't want to push the old horse too hard. When they made it back to Huston, the city was bustling with people, the city people carried a happy and spontaneous aura. The Supur gang rode in like a dark cloud covering the sun.

"Howdy y'all." Said David, behind the front desk of the hotel lobby.

"Hi." James said dryly, trying his best to move to their room.

"Why y'all look so glum, did you kill the Bombardos?"

"We did."

"Thank y'all so much!" David came around the desk and shook everyone's hands, they shook back unenthusiastically. "I'll get the news writer and a photographer here to get y'all the credit y'all deserve."

"David, we're a little worn down at the moment so if you would please just let us have a moment." James was irritated but kept his composure.

"Oh yes, yes of course, I see, I apologize. Please go take a rest." James pointed to the stairs.

"Thank you." James nodded.

Their room was left cold even with the big windows open with the sun shining through, there was a breeze making the cream colored curtains sway. Instantly, Beverly pulled down the blankets of the big bed and laid in it. Blood, dirt, and sand from gingham dress, messing up the clean sheets. Her body was facing the open window, closing her eyes hard from the sun, but the cool breeze made the sweat and heat in her face relaxed. Sally jumped on the bed to sniff at her ear, then laid down by Bevelry's back when she was ignored. Raymon pulled out a bottle of whiskey and passed it around to Gage, who passed it to Sara, who passed it to James.

"Can I have a sip?" Maggie asked Raymon.

Raymon signed and held the bottle to her lips for only a moment, Maggie's face contorted at the foul liquid and wiped her lips with her hand.

"I don't like it very much." She shrugged.

"Good, you ain't supposed to." Sara said. "Before anyone else calls it, i'm goin' to take a bath, I'll be quick." Sara got up to the restroom.

"I call next." Maggie said.

After Sara and Maggie's bath, Raymon went over to the bed Beverley was on, he couldn't tell if she was sleeping by the uncomfortable expression on her face. Light eyebrows furrowed, eyes tightly shut, lips in a frown, and dry blood around her nose with some black and blue marks on her left cheek.

Raymon nudged her shoulder, "The bath is open, and the men think ladies should go first."

"Let Maggie and Sara go, I'm resting." Beverly responded quietly.

"They already went, it's your turn."

Beverly signed hard, abruptly got out of bed, took the half empty bottle of whiskey, went to the bathroom, and shut the door fast. The room was humid as she turned on the faucet, the water was cold but Beverly did not care. The temperature felt refreshing, her skin prickled as she got into the cold tub and took a long swig of the whiskey. Setting aside the bottle on the wooden floor, Beverly ripped her hair tie out of her long braid and submerged her whole body underwater. The braid unraveled from the water and left the frizzy hair from the humidity finally smooth and straight. She sat back up, not caring that water splashed to the floor.

Beverly Heaven didn't feel angry or sad, she felt numb. Her body felt numb and she mentally felt numb. No tears leaked out of her eyes, she just sat still while washing her body and finishing off the whiskey. At the end of her bath, she still didn't feel clean.