Greer’s kicking reverberates out through the open grate like drumbeats. Kit stumbles over to the far wall and squats down, hugging herself as Doc cocks his head for a better look up into the vent.
“Greer!” he calls out. “Keep moving! Just keep moving!”
What is only seconds but feels like hours pass, and finally Greer appears at the edge of the opening, still lying on her back. She spins and falls out, landing hard on the front desk before rolling off onto the floor, swatting and kicking and flailing about in a panic.
“Get them off! G-Get them off get them off!”
Doc climbs onto the desk, swings shut the grate then hops back down as Luke turns from the door and tries to figure out what Greer is reacting to.
“There’s nothing there,” Doc tells her. He lays the shotgun on the desk and grabs hold of her by her shoulders. “Greer, look at me. Look at me!”
She does, eyes wide with terror and her entire body trembling.
“There’s nothing there. It’s not real. Whatever he’s showing you isn’t real. Look. Look, there’s nothing there, nothing on you.”
Greer inspects herself as if for the first time, and her horror becomes confusion and disbelief. “But I…I saw them, I…I felt them.” She looks at Doc helplessly. “Rats. Hundreds of them, they…they were all over me.”
“It’s all right now. You’re all right.”
“He’s in my head, isn’t he?”
“Fuck is this shit?” Luke mumbles.
Doc looks away, turns to Kit. “Miss, are you all right?”
“I think so.” Kit pulls her glasses off, wipes the lenses with her shirttail then slides them back on and looks around, able to truly see again. She points to Greer. “You saved my life. I’m sorry I kicked you.”
Greer touches her chest, as if to make certain that pain is real.
“When I heard someone coming, I closed my eyes and kicked when you sounded close. I never even saw you until you called out and I looked back.” Kit slowly gets to her feet. “If you hadn’t stopped me I would’ve run right into him.”
“How long have you been up there?” Luke asks.
“Seems like forever. The man out there killed Carlin. He really killed him.”
“Who’s Carlin?”
“He works…worked here with me. I work the front desk nights. We’d just switched shifts and Carlin was on his way out when…I knew I had to get out of here and the only other way out fast was into the shaft. I didn’t think he’d be able to fit. Eventually I went up on the roof and hid, I—I didn’t know what to do. I didn’t have time to get my jacket or my keys and I knew with the storm I wouldn’t get far on foot so I just…” Kit’s horrified gaze slowly glides between them, one to the next. “What’s happening? I…I can’t believe this.”
“We don’t know that much either,” Greer says, her nerves evening out. “Just that there’s a maniac out there trying to kill us.”
“There’s only one of us that has any real answers to all this,” Luke announces. “Ain’t that right, Doc?”
Doc responds by introducing himself and the others to Kit.
She shakes their hands in turn. “Kit Piper.”
Luke slips into the office, grabs her army jacket and holds it up for her so she can slip into it. “Here, you’re shivering.”
“Thanks,” she says, wrapping herself up tight in the jacket. She notices the papers all over the floor. “My manuscript.”
“You a writer?”
She shrugs. “Hopefully one day I will be.”
Greer paces about like a trapped lioness walking her cage. “It’s time we got some answers, Doc. You need to tell us exactly what the hell is going on here. Because what I saw out there, what I just experienced isn’t possible.”
“There’s a chance we could all die tonight,” Luke says. “Don’t you think if we do we deserve to know why?”
Doc retrieves the shotgun, holds it by his side and watches the snow come down awhile. The wind howls like the tortured soul it is, shaking the motel and sweeping
“Greer!” he calls out. “Keep moving! Just keep moving!”
What is only seconds but feels like hours pass, and finally Greer appears at the edge of the opening, still lying on her back. She spins and falls out, landing hard on the front desk before rolling off onto the floor, swatting and kicking and flailing about in a panic.
“Get them off! G-Get them off get them off!”
Doc climbs onto the desk, swings shut the grate then hops back down as Luke turns from the door and tries to figure out what Greer is reacting to.
“There’s nothing there,” Doc tells her. He lays the shotgun on the desk and grabs hold of her by her shoulders. “Greer, look at me. Look at me!”
She does, eyes wide with terror and her entire body trembling.
“There’s nothing there. It’s not real. Whatever he’s showing you isn’t real. Look. Look, there’s nothing there, nothing on you.”
Greer inspects herself as if for the first time, and her horror becomes confusion and disbelief. “But I…I saw them, I…I felt them.” She looks at Doc helplessly. “Rats. Hundreds of them, they…they were all over me.”
“It’s all right now. You’re all right.”
“He’s in my head, isn’t he?”
“Fuck is this shit?” Luke mumbles.
Doc looks away, turns to Kit. “Miss, are you all right?”
“I think so.” Kit pulls her glasses off, wipes the lenses with her shirttail then slides them back on and looks around, able to truly see again. She points to Greer. “You saved my life. I’m sorry I kicked you.”
Greer touches her chest, as if to make certain that pain is real.
“When I heard someone coming, I closed my eyes and kicked when you sounded close. I never even saw you until you called out and I looked back.” Kit slowly gets to her feet. “If you hadn’t stopped me I would’ve run right into him.”
“How long have you been up there?” Luke asks.
“Seems like forever. The man out there killed Carlin. He really killed him.”
“Who’s Carlin?”
“He works…worked here with me. I work the front desk nights. We’d just switched shifts and Carlin was on his way out when…I knew I had to get out of here and the only other way out fast was into the shaft. I didn’t think he’d be able to fit. Eventually I went up on the roof and hid, I—I didn’t know what to do. I didn’t have time to get my jacket or my keys and I knew with the storm I wouldn’t get far on foot so I just…” Kit’s horrified gaze slowly glides between them, one to the next. “What’s happening? I…I can’t believe this.”
“We don’t know that much either,” Greer says, her nerves evening out. “Just that there’s a maniac out there trying to kill us.”
“There’s only one of us that has any real answers to all this,” Luke announces. “Ain’t that right, Doc?”
Doc responds by introducing himself and the others to Kit.
She shakes their hands in turn. “Kit Piper.”
Luke slips into the office, grabs her army jacket and holds it up for her so she can slip into it. “Here, you’re shivering.”
“Thanks,” she says, wrapping herself up tight in the jacket. She notices the papers all over the floor. “My manuscript.”
“You a writer?”
She shrugs. “Hopefully one day I will be.”
Greer paces about like a trapped lioness walking her cage. “It’s time we got some answers, Doc. You need to tell us exactly what the hell is going on here. Because what I saw out there, what I just experienced isn’t possible.”
“There’s a chance we could all die tonight,” Luke says. “Don’t you think if we do we deserve to know why?”
Doc retrieves the shotgun, holds it by his side and watches the snow come down awhile. The wind howls like the tortured soul it is, shaking the motel and sweeping
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