061 ENCOUNTER AT THE MOTEL
"Why should I be bothered about the lives of others? They've done nothing for ", he repeated in his mind.
It was easier to ignore the fate of strangers. It would be harder when the missing face was soone you'd actually spoken to and had interactions. Those missing people were his classmates.
Dan drew a slow breath. The decision was against his instincts for survival.
"Alright," he said at last. "I'll go."
Lander gave a single nod. "Good. Get ready — we move tonight."
-----
Dan entered Motel Blue Moon with his face half-covered by a mask — a precaution in case anyone recognized him.
The motel was quiet, its neon sign flickering weakly over the cracked pavent. Inside, the air slled faintly of disinfectant and cheap perfu. Only a few people loitered around the lobby.
A fat, bubbly man behind the counter greeted him the mont he stepped in. "Hey, mate! Looking for a room with company?"
Dan froze. "No— no, that's not—" he stamred, waving his hands in protest.
Before he could back out, a hand slapped his shoulder from behind.
"Dan Dark! I thought it was you." The voice was light, teasing and strangely, familiar. "Didn't know you'd co to a place like this. Who are you here with?"
Dan turned, and his heart nearly stopped.
It was Kurt.
Of all people, he was faced with the very subject he was investigating.
He tried to keep his composure but could only manage an awkward wave. "Oh, uh— hey, Kurt."
Kurt squinted. "Don't tell you ca here alone?"
"Damn it," Dan thought, panic spiking. "I can't let him know I'm investigating him."
The fat receptionist suddenly stepped in, grinning. "Here you go, sir! A hundred aurs for an hour — extra ti, extra charge. Be gentle with my girl, yeah?" He shoved a room key into Dan's hand.
Dan's face burned scarlet.
He opened his mouth to protest, but Kurt's expression had already shifted — his suspicion lting into amusent.
"Well, well," Kurt said, smirking. "Even the class genius isn't above temptation. Don't worry, your secret's safe with … maybe."
He chuckled and headed down the hall.
"Enjoy yourself, Dan."
Dan wanted to lt onto the floor in embarrassnt.
"Perfect. Now he thinks I'm here for… that."
He waited until Kurt disappeared from sight, then turned back to the receptionist. "Hey, can you tell what room my friend — the guy just now — is in? He asked to et him later but forgot to give the number of his room."
The man frowned. "That's against privacy policy."
Dan passed him an aur card with a small change inside. "You can keep the change."
Then, lowering his voice, he nudged Dan toward a door nearby and pushed him inside. "But since you're a paying custor — your friend's in the next room. You can drop by after you're done with my girl." He winked and walked away.
Dan was too stunned to reply. He turned toward the door to leave when it creaked open.
A tall, busty woman stepped inside, her silhouette frad by the dim red light.
"You're a good looker, shall we begin?" she asked softly before pulling him inside.
-----
The woman didn't give Dan a chance to speak.
Before he could even react, he was flat on the bed, the sheets crinkling under his weight. She moved with practiced ease — confident, deliberate, and quick.
"Damn it, I didn't co here for this", Dan thought, his pulse racing.
But he was sixteen — curiosity had a way of fighting reason.
The woman's dress ca undone in one smooth motion, revealing a body sculpted by experience rather than innocence.
Then the phrase hit him — "Curiosity killed the cat."
He pushed her back abruptly. "No… I didn't co here for this."
Her eyes flashed. "You've already seen naked, kid. You're going to finish this and pay up, or you'll regret it," she snapped.
"Don't worry," Dan said quickly, sitting up. "I'll pay you in full — double, even."
That cooled her temper.
She raised an eyebrow, adjusting her dress. "Double, huh? Now we're talking. So, if you didn't co to screw , what do you want? I'm not into your cosplay fantasies — no nurse uniforms or weird roleplay."
Dan shook his head. "No, no, that's…uniform… that's my friend's thing, not mine."
He sighed inwardly. "We should've sent Zairgid for this mission. He'd handle this way better."
He reached into his jacket and slid her an aur card — a modest sum, maybe two or three hundred. She smirked and tucked it neatly into her bra.
"Alright, sugar," she said. "Now talk. What are you really here for?"
Dan took a breath. "Do you know about the girl staying in the next room?"
The woman froze. Her smirk vanished. "Why do you want to know?"
He slipped her another aur card, this one heavier. That did the trick …. her shoulders loosened, and she leaned closer.
"She ca here with a boy," the woman said softly. "Looked like a runaway pair. But here's the weird part — the girl never left the room. Not even once. Only the boy cos and goes… always with food, supplies, that sort of thing."
She looked over her shoulder nervously. "That's all I know. And that's all you should know, if you're smart. The boy's close to Fat Bucket out there, you know what I an. If you try sothing funny?"
"Can you do a favor, get Fat Bucket sowhere for a while", Dan asked the woman.
She rely touches her bra. Dan slipped another Aur card between them.
"Alright, just ti for a quick one..", she said before quickly putting on her clothes and left the room.
-----
Dan waited a few breaths, then slipped out of the room.
From the corridor he couldn't see Fat Bucket at his desk. The woman he paid had done what he'd asked.
So, he crossed to the next door and rapped the wood; there was no answer.
He tried the handle, but it held fast. The door was locked.
"Co on—please answer. Fat Bucket or Kurt could walk in any minute," he muttered, making his voice small against the hallway's quiet.
Silence answered him like a held breath. Panic skittered under his skin. If anyone discovered him now, he'll ruin the operation. They'd move Sazie out of the place and she'd vanish for good.
Dan's mind kicked into overdrive.
He sprinted back to the managent desk, rifled the cabinet and muttered, "Room 64," as his fingers closed on a ring of key cards. He snatched them up and slipped down the hall, every step a jolt of adrenaline pumping from his heart.
Before he reached the door a voice barked.
"Dan—are you still here? Enjoyed your al yet?" Kurt's tone was a leering challenge.
Dan's chest tightened.
"Damn you, Kurt. I was this close," he thought.
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