286.
motel.

i pulled back the yellow curtains and looked in the dark motel car park. she would be arriving soon. i had to relax. i put a cd in the hi-fi and lay on the bed. i watched the ceiling as the music began to float around the room before entering my brain.
i started to drift away. i took my mind of her and tried to remember the last time i made myself a meal.
it must have been months ago. i had been moving from place to place ever since my landlord threw me out of the apartment i lived in. i still hadn't found a job and i didn't particularly want one either. the only time i wanted a job was when the money was starting to run low and i had to resort to stupid crimes.
i would never get caught for these crimes as i moved about too much and i made sure i did them alone.

someone knocked at the door.

i assumed it was her, so i opened the door without looking to see who it was.
it was the guy who checked me in at the front desk.
he was middle aged, bald and overweight. he looked about two weeks away from a heart attack.

"just coming by to see that everything is ok"
he said, whilst looking around the room to make sure there weren't any dead bodies or lines of cocaine.

"everything's fine."
i said.

"you cant be too careful these days with all the murderers and crazy people there are"
i added sarcastically, looking straight into his eyes.
"i mean, you must get all kinds of freaks in here all the time, using this motel as a stop off point."

"im sure we do"
he said. worried.

"you know, i could bring you in here now and tape you to the ceiling and no-one would find you for days"

"what do you mean?"
he asked. scared.

"nothing. nothing at all. i was just making sure you were on your guard."

"ok, just phone me if you need anything"
he said. and left.

"i will"
i replied.

the music was still playing.

i took a can of beer out of my bag and sat in the chair in the corner of the room. i was quite impressed with my sheer lack of humanity towards the motel manager.

i got up and peered out of the window again. the manager was watching me from the booth in the middle of the car park. he pretended he wasn't. i sat back down again after no sign of her.

it was now 1.24am. she said she'd be here at 12.30.
i started to get a little impatient so i qickly finished my beer and started a new one, this time drinking it whilst lying on the bed.

i looked up at the clock. it was around 2.30am and i had finished nearly all my beer. it was bad stuff, but the only kind i could afford. i hope she wouldn't get angry with me for being a lttle drunk.

there was a knock at the door.
i woke up and looked at the clock. it was 3.28am.
it must be her.