Lucy and Barbara, 23yo, coming back from a music festival

Lucy Coleman (left) and Barbara James (right)

"I told you it was left ! Now we're in the middle of nowhere !" Barbara shouted.

Lucy didn't say a word, she was so sure it was right, she couldn't accept that there wasn't any highway sign or anything. They were driving for more than an hour in a forest without any crossroad or sign of civilization. The sun was already behind the trees and was casting long shadows, soon it would be dark.

Finally a billboard was visible on the side of the road.

"The Check Out Motel, 1mile." Barbara said out loud.

"At least we can ask where we are, there." Lucy commented.

"Weird to put a motel that far from anything..."

"Probably for tourist that want to get a rest from civilization."

Barbara couldn't shake off the feeling of unease about it, but didn't say a word to Lucy. Saying it would have brought more stress than just acting like nothing was wrong.

Less than a minute later, the motel was visible, it was small, with a couple of cabins and few trailers. There was already a car in the parking lot, an old Chevy, and there was lights coming from the main building. Even with the light of the day fading, it was visible that the place was not in good shape. Lucy parked the Toyota next to the Chevy and the girls came out of it. Barbara stretched herself while Lucy cracked her neck.

"It's good to finally stop." Lucy said.

"Yeah, we were driving for way too long..."

Barbara joined Lucy and they walked to the main entrance of the building. Inside was a dusty hall with a reception desk and two wicker chairs. Everything was made of wood, the floor, the walls, the chandelier which was probably made from antlers, the desk who was a tree trunk cut on its length, ... Everything had such a 70's style, it felt like the girls went back in time. Behind the counter, a man, reading a playboy magazine without any care in the world was waiting. He had long dreads with wooden jewels in it, a necklace with wooden beans, an unkempt beard, a tank top from which his chest hairs came out from every side, and a jeans that seemed to have legal drinking age. He was thin and his bare foot were put on the counter, showing that he rarely use any footwear.

The girls looked at each others in disbelief and Barbara walked toward him.

"Uh, Excuse me..." She said to get his attention.

The man put down his magazine and smiled.

"Heey ! How are you ? Welcome to the check out motel !"

"We're good thanks, but, we're a little bit lost, can you tell me where to get the highway ?"

He looked at her in an awkward silence for few seconds.

"Man... you're not in the good direction... The closest is at least a hundred miles from here."

Barbara gave a "I told you so" look at Lucy and continued with the guy.

"Ok, thanks and the closest town ?"

Again it took him a moment before answering.

"The village is two hours drive from here, uphill."

"Shit..."

Lucy got closer.

"What do we do ?" She asked.

"I guess, we'll spend the night here, I can't take more driving for the day."

"Same."

"How much is it for a night ?"

The man seemed to take a moment to think and then answered.

"It's 75$ for the cabin, 100$ for the trailer. It's a tech free place, so we only take cash."

The two girls looked at the content of their wallet.

"I have 53$, how much do you have ?" Lucy asked.