Auntie's Hotel

Chapter 1 Tommy Sprigg

On a night like this, most would not dare travel. The wipers were able to hold back the thin layer of condensation desperately attempting to cling to the windshield. Yet, the fog was the only thing Tommy Sprigg could visibly see this evening. It was so thick, he could see it wisp across the surface of the windshield as a thick layer of smoke.

Slowing down more would make more sense than raging on like a madman with a purpose. On the other hand, slowing down might give his pursuers an ever decreasing gap he could not afford. That is, of course, the down side or the deterrent to safe driving. Slowing down just cannot happen. Tommy Sprigg would rather crash and face his chances with surviving a tree than to face Mr. Cook and his butler. He fears them more than he fears the ever winding road, the steep cliff on one side, and the killer trees on the other.

Perhaps Tommy would be known as a foolish man. He'd seen what they had done to so many before him. Their mistakes... you never cross the boss... Never. Even in his senile old age, Mr. Cook was more dangerous and unpredictable than ever. He believed himself to be a Guardian, protecting the world from the other side, while sending his victims through. It seemed, to Tommy, that his vicious arm was ever reaching and the only way to escape was to keep moving. He feared what was coming for him.

Forget about the fog. Forget the inability of the dim headlights pushing out in front of the car, unable to give any premonitions of what might be on the road ahead. Even if these forces were in his favor tonight, he knew he could not look back. He could not slow down for anyone or anything.

If he could just keep moving forward, there was a slight chance of getting away. There was a chance he could escape the far reaching arm of Mr. Cook. Not everyone was under his complete control. Even better yet, not everyone who was under his control, knew who the accountant, Tommy Sprigg, was to the boss. He was counting on this, almost entirely.

Even as Tommy Sprigg fought the night and lack of visibility, the fog crept around the car. It threatened to defeat the defrosters and seep into the car, overwhelming and blinding him. Even on the highest setting, the defroster was not effective. The damn air conditioner. He cursed the unit, the car, and his inability to find the time to fix it. His negligence was costing him at the worst moment.

White knuckles gripped the steering wheel. Tommy sat crouched over the wheel so that he could look through the small clearing in his windshield. He had to be ready. He had to be able to move... to react on a moment's notice.

There were no lights in the rearview, not that any could be seen through the fog. He imagined they were there in the night, just behind him, within feet of his vehicle. Just because he could not see them, does not mean they couldn't see him. He could hear the engine revving every time his foot hovered over the brake pedal and he thought about slowing the car. In his mind or in his personal interpretation of his predators, their eyes glowed. Mr. Cook's minions were skeletons lacking the needs of survival necessary for the living.

They were hungry, hunting for Satan's souls and they were coming for Tommy as if he had just escaped with a suitcase of souls from Hell. Tommy did have a suitcase sitting in the passenger's seat. The contents within were something a bit more valuable for the living than for the pursuing undead he imagined might be behind him. If he could get away from them, he could benefit from the contents within.

His nerves were electric. The hair on his arms stood on edge. Sweat of his palms wet the steering wheel and dripped down onto the seat between his legs. His muscles were tense and tired. He was tired.

He had been driving west for 14 hours, but he knew he couldn't take the interstate or any of the main roads. He couldn't stop to eat and barely had the time to refuel. Even then, every second passing as he attempted, brought them even closer. Tommy lacked the endurance to be on the road this long.