"1,2,3,4,5,6...21,22,....and that is going to be 40.....uhm...what did they call this again, Oh yes, 40 Rowlands. Bit of a wierd name for a currency but those were desperate times and there wasn't going to be precious time to think of a completely new 'good' currency name...still they should have just kept dollars. Anyways let's find a place to live shall we, it is getting rather dark."
Robert keeps walking in hope to find a tavern or hotel to stay the night but since most poeple were inside getting ready to sleep for the night, there was no one to help Robert navigate his way, so as dense as he was, Robert made his way to a shady and eerie alleyway. "Uhm.....excuse me, would you know of a way to a hotel or some place like that?" The man in front with shabby clothing and a high pitched voice responded, "Oh yes! Of course! We're always willing to help a newcomer, here follow me."
"Really! Great then, I'll be right there." Robert slowly approaches the group of people waiting for him, with his bag of money exposed, as soon as he reaches the point where he could clearly see their faces, his life flashes before his eyes as he falls down into an endless void of pain while the ruffians casually take everything of what he had. He couldn't scream or squeal because the pain was so thorough and long-lasting, his vision became blurry progressively until he blacked out..."Woah! Caught a good one this time, it's 40, can get couple beers with that."
*******************************
{The next Day}
Robert opens his eyes in the same alleyway, "Ah! My head hurts, wait....MY MONEY, its gone...No,no,no,no,no,no,no, it can't be....." He didn't want to let out any tears but what could he have done, maybe this was just one of the many batterings he would recieve for his unspeakable crimes. He walks away in hopes of finding a place where he could finally rest in assurance of 'solitude'.
To his own fascination, he didn't think it would be that easy and started rebutting on how he might have the strongest affinity with 'karma' as right in front of him, after taking few turns, was a humongous sign saying "WELCOME, A NEW DAY HOTEL, RIGHT AT YOUR SERVICE". "Man they really are advertising this change and rebuilding thing, I mean literary everything is promoted in relation with how they are tremendously trying to make something better here, seriously...not that I dislike it."
Robert walks in with low expectations as he already had no money left so no one would possibly let him, who's a newcomer, stay and spend his days in leisure in a comfortable room with service.
**creak**
"What in the world!?"
It was inexpressable, the sight before Robert, it was something he couldn't comprehend of ever seeing in actuality, from the pungent odor of some sort of waste being lying somewhere for more than a decade; the countless gushes of wind through the flying plates and the aromatic delight being served on those plates; a man's arm was on one corner of the room and his other arm was adjacent to that while his legs were on the ceiling like he was rubber; there were two of one at the same time; a naked kitchen that desired no gas or physical control as the woks were moving themselves with a perpetual flame which kept it cooking; while one was disappearing and reappearing through walls; while one had become the wall.
"Hello..." an unkown voice whispered to Robert with an opaque echo, "Are you new here, you'll like it here, how did you stumble your way here, you'll love it here, it's my house here!", the voice kept giggling and echoing away afterwards and Robert realized that it was only him who heard her as she was in his mind.
"Hey", another new creature secreted out of thin air beside Robert and presented his casual greetings as he had known him for years. "No strangers here, right?"
Robert was completely clueless, his mind became foggy and he started feeling dizzy, it was as though someone was squidging his head from the inside, "What is this? What is this place? Ah! it hurts, I think I'm gonna puke", he continues to breathe more and more extensively, what had seemed like nausea developed into an panic attack, although, help arrived sooner or better as the man who was miraculously rifting had yet again appeared after Robert and noticed his troubled behaviour, "Oye! Hey! You good there, Hello!". He kept screaming into Robert's ears who came to consciousness eventually and finally got to process his surroundings, ignoring anything distractful he recollected himself and approached the reception counter. "Thank you...for bringing me back and all." The rifting man equally replied with his appreciation of his gratitude but was then surged with a burly wave of curiosity which wouldn't leave him until he questioned Robert himself.
*****************************
After the bedlam in Robert's mind had calmed, he got to the point and effectuated his real purpose for coming to the hotel which was finding a place to live until he could earn for himself, however, there arose a hornet's nest.
"Excuse me? Hey, Ma'am, excuse me, I.....I.....wa...want.....Hello! Ma'am, GOD! CAN YOU PEOPLE BE QUIET FOR ONCE!!!" Silence broke loose as everyone stared at Robert in irritation who was ahsamed himself. "Well that's really no ways to make a good impression, in'it Sir...well go on, speak," she said in an ranchy Southern drawl. "I apologize." "O, no need to apologize, about everyone here has done more crazy than your temper can ever compare to!" She had a jolly feel about her, with her innocent voice and Savannah accent that balanced perfectly with her soft, slim and petite appereance, her gaze showed Robert a chance of trust, even though he had gone through such a regretful experience, he still wanted to trust her which he did, but....."Ok so, What can I do for ya'?" "Well a roof to stay under and some food is all I need" "Great, then, it will be 35 Rowlands per day for a room on higher floors, from floors 5-7, with a nicer view and better ventilation, but 20 Rowlands per day, of course, for a room on lower floors, 1-4, OR, you can also apply for our monthly subscription which is 300 Rowlands per month to recieve hospitality from the hotel at any time. There Robert realized, "Uhmmm.....the thing is, I might not have any cash on me, like any......."
********************************
"*Sigh*, What was I thinking."
"Are you serious, you have no money, why did you even come here", the receptionist lady exaggerated, "I'll do anything, I'll work for the hotel, I'll be out in a few days, I just want a roof over my head until I can earn for myself again", Robert said miserabely, "Wellllll........there is one thing you could do, everyday clean the hallway of your room floor, then come down and make your own food while also serving others food, then clean every dish by yourself, then come here to work as the receptionist because I would be on a short leave every day, also, you need to manage your own room, with your cleaning, your luggage....which you don't seem to have any...with your food and drinks that we restock everyday for the rooms mini-fridge, actually, no mini-fridge for you, no room service, no laundry which you have to do on your own and maybe we will make you do others laundry as well, also because of you we can be open on weekends again as we've got a new bellboy, aaaaaaand that's pretty much all you need to do. Thank you, your room number is '62', go on then."
"To think all of that, just for this cramped room with a single bed, one measly cupboard, a random table with no chairs, and two tube-lights. This is more like degraded solitary confinement, but at the end of the day I do have to live like this......" Robert suddenly covered his mouth with his hands, he made a sick noise in his throat, he closed his eyes and a red fluid came flowing in his mouth and spilling on the floor, he rushed to bathroom, as fast as he could while constantly holding the blood inside, while he was running, some also came out of his nose; in pain he didn't know what to do and rushed as fast as he could, when he reached the bathroom, he let it all out and the blood came flowing through both his mouth and nose and created a sharp stench in the room.
*pant**pant*
"Robert kept breathing intensively, his stomach kept growling and it felt as the blood almost reached Robert's neck but went back again.
*cough, cough*
As Robert was lying down under the sink, the bathroom door creaked open and came inside a woman.
She bursts out her vocal cords, and screams so stridently that it would have let people that are 10 miles out hear it. Robert still controls his consciousness but had spaced out evidently.