half, so by the time they exited the I-90 onto Main Street, four inches of snow had already covered the asphalt.
“Pizza Hut!” Brandon said, looking out his window. He turned to his father. “You think the food there might still be good? Maybe we can make a pizza.”
“Maybe,” Ash said.
“Probably best not to get your hopes up,” Josie told her brother.
“I know, but…it’d be great if we could.”
Josie shook her head, but Ash could tell she was hoping her brother was right.
“There’s a Super 8 motel up here on the left,” Matt radioed. “We’ll pull in and check it out. The rest of you stay in your vehicles.”
Chloe drove their Humvee into the lot and parked, leaving the motor running. Outside, snow swirled in the headlight beams as a brisk breeze rocked the truck. From their position, they could see a few lights on in the motel, but not much else.
“How are you feeling?” Dr. Gardiner asked Ash.
“Not as bad as I thought I’d feel,” Ash said, truthfully.
“Any unusual pains or discomfort?”
“Nothing that wasn’t there before we started.”
That seemed to be the answer the doctor wanted to hear. “I can give you some pain pills before you go to sleep tonight.”
“Keep them.”
Gardiner studied him for a moment. “Are you sure? It’ll help you sleep.”
“I’ll be fine,” Ash said.
“Good,” Gardiner said. “But no running around once we get out. I want you to find a bed and stay there.”
“I’ll make sure he does,” Josie said before her father could speak.
Ash raised an eyebrow. “Oh, you will, will you?”
“I will,” she said, meeting his stare.
The radio crackled.
“This is a bust,” Matt said. “Most of the rooms are…occupied. I checked the phone book. There are several more motels we can try.
“How about that one?” Josie said, pointing across the street.
Through the storm, Ash could see a weakly lit yellow sign with a word that looked like “motel” at the bottom. “Tell him,” he told her.
Chloe handed the microphone back to Josie. Tentatively, Josie pushed the talk button.
“Mr. Hamilton?”
“Who is this?”
“Josie.”
“Josie? What is it?”
“There’s a motel right across the street.”
Silence for a moment. “I can’t see anything from here,” Matt said.
Ash took the mic from his daughter. “It’s there, all right. We’ll swing over and check it out.”
“Okay. We’ll meet you there in a minute.”
The new place was called The Paradise Motel. It was one of those single-story structures like the Bates Motel from Psycho , hopefully minus the insane manager. Ash couldn’t see all the way to the back, but there had to be at least a dozen rooms.
Chloe parked the truck near the front. “Doc, you want to join me for a look around?”
“What? Me?” Gardiner said, surprised.
“Unless you think it’s all right for Ash to come along.”
“No. Of course not. I’ll, um—”
“I’ll go with you,” Lily said from the back.
“No, I’ll do it,” Brandon said.
“I don’t think so,” Ash said.
“Why not?”
Ash opened his mouth, but no response came to mind. Searching the motel would be nothing compared to the ordeal Brandon had gone through after Project Eden attacked the Ranch.
“It’s okay,” Gardiner said. “I can go.”
“No offense, Dr. Gardiner, but I have more experience than you,” Brandon said. He glanced toward Lily. “Than you, too.”
As much as he hated to admit it, Ash knew his son was right.
“You can go,” he said, “but only if you listen to everything Chloe tells you. She’s in charge.”
Brandon had the door open before his father had even finished. “Sure, sure. No problem.”
__________
B RANDON WAS TOO excited to feelthe cold as he climbed out of the truck. He thought for sure his dad would not back down, but he had.
“Over here,” Chloe called from around the front of the truck.
As he jogged over, he said, “You want to start in the front and me in
“Pizza Hut!” Brandon said, looking out his window. He turned to his father. “You think the food there might still be good? Maybe we can make a pizza.”
“Maybe,” Ash said.
“Probably best not to get your hopes up,” Josie told her brother.
“I know, but…it’d be great if we could.”
Josie shook her head, but Ash could tell she was hoping her brother was right.
“There’s a Super 8 motel up here on the left,” Matt radioed. “We’ll pull in and check it out. The rest of you stay in your vehicles.”
Chloe drove their Humvee into the lot and parked, leaving the motor running. Outside, snow swirled in the headlight beams as a brisk breeze rocked the truck. From their position, they could see a few lights on in the motel, but not much else.
“How are you feeling?” Dr. Gardiner asked Ash.
“Not as bad as I thought I’d feel,” Ash said, truthfully.
“Any unusual pains or discomfort?”
“Nothing that wasn’t there before we started.”
That seemed to be the answer the doctor wanted to hear. “I can give you some pain pills before you go to sleep tonight.”
“Keep them.”
Gardiner studied him for a moment. “Are you sure? It’ll help you sleep.”
“I’ll be fine,” Ash said.
“Good,” Gardiner said. “But no running around once we get out. I want you to find a bed and stay there.”
“I’ll make sure he does,” Josie said before her father could speak.
Ash raised an eyebrow. “Oh, you will, will you?”
“I will,” she said, meeting his stare.
The radio crackled.
“This is a bust,” Matt said. “Most of the rooms are…occupied. I checked the phone book. There are several more motels we can try.
“How about that one?” Josie said, pointing across the street.
Through the storm, Ash could see a weakly lit yellow sign with a word that looked like “motel” at the bottom. “Tell him,” he told her.
Chloe handed the microphone back to Josie. Tentatively, Josie pushed the talk button.
“Mr. Hamilton?”
“Who is this?”
“Josie.”
“Josie? What is it?”
“There’s a motel right across the street.”
Silence for a moment. “I can’t see anything from here,” Matt said.
Ash took the mic from his daughter. “It’s there, all right. We’ll swing over and check it out.”
“Okay. We’ll meet you there in a minute.”
The new place was called The Paradise Motel. It was one of those single-story structures like the Bates Motel from Psycho , hopefully minus the insane manager. Ash couldn’t see all the way to the back, but there had to be at least a dozen rooms.
Chloe parked the truck near the front. “Doc, you want to join me for a look around?”
“What? Me?” Gardiner said, surprised.
“Unless you think it’s all right for Ash to come along.”
“No. Of course not. I’ll, um—”
“I’ll go with you,” Lily said from the back.
“No, I’ll do it,” Brandon said.
“I don’t think so,” Ash said.
“Why not?”
Ash opened his mouth, but no response came to mind. Searching the motel would be nothing compared to the ordeal Brandon had gone through after Project Eden attacked the Ranch.
“It’s okay,” Gardiner said. “I can go.”
“No offense, Dr. Gardiner, but I have more experience than you,” Brandon said. He glanced toward Lily. “Than you, too.”
As much as he hated to admit it, Ash knew his son was right.
“You can go,” he said, “but only if you listen to everything Chloe tells you. She’s in charge.”
Brandon had the door open before his father had even finished. “Sure, sure. No problem.”
__________
B RANDON WAS TOO excited to feelthe cold as he climbed out of the truck. He thought for sure his dad would not back down, but he had.
“Over here,” Chloe called from around the front of the truck.
As he jogged over, he said, “You want to start in the front and me in
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