Early the next morning, I wake to the sound of scratching at the door to the motel room.
It's Pixie. She wants to go outside; her white cotton bun of a tail wiggling against the floor.
My hair a mess, I check the ticking clock on the bedside table.
6:47 am.
The manager at the front desk – Dave his name was – said there will be breakfast around now.
I climb out of bed and get ready for the day.
"Don't go too far Pixie," I say as I open the door to let the rabbit outside. "And stay out of sight."
I watch Pixie hop to the outer fringes of the motel – likely patrolling the area. In the meantime, I comb through my hair, brush my teeth, and pack away my dirty clothes from yesterday.
I check the battery percentage on my iPhone as I did not charge it overnight; 47%. I switch it to low power mode so it will last longer. That should be enough to get to Paradise.
Limited resources on my back. On the hunt from Mogadorians. A Chimæra. Travelling 300 some odd miles to find an alien before a school is destroyed.
The odds of making it in time are slim, but it is possible.
All ready to face the day, I leave the room with all my belongings and head down to the main lobby where I met Dave last evening.
There is a corner in the lobby – small but plenty for limited patrons – sectioned off for food. Simple food. Eggs, bacon, fruit, juice. No specifics; only generalized foods. It isn't much, but for a small motel like this, it is plenty.
I take an apple and an orange from the fruit basket and put them in my backpack for later, as well as a bottle of water.
Before I go outside to the front entrance to find the Chimæra, I use an atm inside to withdraw some cash. Only a hundred bucks or so should do. Once the transaction is complete, I roll the cash together to keep it intact while I call out to Pixie.
"Pixie!" I call. "Come on! It's time to go!"
It isn't long before she is sitting at my feet in her usual preferred form of a bunny. I pick her up in my arms as I hail a cab with my free hand.
The cab pulls over and I enter the back seat.
"Where to Miss?" the driver asks with an Indiana accent.
"Paradise, Ohio," I reply. "I'm kind of in a hurry."
With that, he accelerates, and we are soon on the highway, driving toward John Smith.
YOU ARE READING
A Hero In The Dark
FanfictionTHE EVENTS IN THIS STORY ARE REAL. THE PROTAGONIST IS REAL. NAMES AND PLACES HAVE BEEN CHANGED TO PROTECT THE LORIEN. WHO REMAIN IN HIDING UNTIL THE TIME IS RIGHT. YOU HAVE IGNORED THE FIRST WARNING. YOU HAVE RUN OUT OF TIME. PITTACUS LORE IS...