Their first official stop was a motel in a county two hours away from their city. The motel had been converted from an old camping ground. As far as they could see, there were trees and even more trees. Marty and Mia were shocked and hesitant when they saw the place where they would spend the night.
"Let's find some other place. This... place is no good," Marty said.
"We've been planning this trip for months. We chose this motel because it's within our budget. I told you about it, Marty," Ethan explained.
"No, you didn't. Can we change places?"
"It's late. And I did tell you. You agreed to come on this trip. We use your car, share expenses, and you follow the plan we had. This is the motel we planned to stay at," Ethan tried to be patient, but Marty and Mia made it difficult.
They refused to talk on the drive there. When they finally did speak, it was either to complain or to give orders. As time passed, Ethan regretted more and more his decision to travel with them.
"Marty," Mia looked distressed.
Even though she wanted to leave, she didn't dare. They had traveled with Marty's friend to escape from Patrick. They couldn't leave them.
"Man, I'm sorry, but let's go somewhere else. I'll pay the difference."
"For god's sake, there's no motel or guest house within a 50-mile radius. We would have to drive back to the city to find a different place. It's also the cheapest place." Cassie lost patience while waiting for them in front of the check-in office.
Their argument was pointless. In an hour or two, it would be dark. Before leaving, everyone had agreed not to drive at night.
Reluctantly, Marty and Mia booked a room in the motel. As per their agreement, they chose a cabin with Cassie and Ethan. Although the young couple weren't thrilled about it, their wallet couldn't bear the cost of another room. They all had to make do with the situation and their regret about the planned trip.
It was midnight when it started. Someone knocked on the door. Mia and Marty acted like they didn't hear anything. Seeing them not moving, Ethan went to check out the situation.
"Who's there?" he asked as he stood behind the door.
The knock came again.
"Who's there?" he asked once more. The only answer he got was more knocking. He looked back at his companions.
"Open the damn door and look!" Cassie rolled her eyes at his behavior.
"No! Don't open the door!" Mia yelled as Ethan got ready to follow his girlfriend's suggestion.
Cassie looked at her suspiciously. "Why? Is there something you haven't told us?" she asked.
Mia looked away guiltily.
"Okay, calm down. Ethan, don't open the door. We don't know who's outside..." Marty didn't finish what he wanted to say. A deep, grating voice interrupted him.
"Patrick is alone. Patrick wants a friend. Do you want to be my friend?"
Cassie observed her companions, trying to understand what was going on. Mia broke down crying, holding Ricky in her arms.
Marty looked afraid. Ethan, a little apprehensive, slowly moved away from the door. But what really puzzled Cassie was the smile on Ricky's face. It was out of place among the others' reactions.
Weirdly, Ethan's description of Ricky before they met came to her mind: a little boy who often lost control of his emotions. He was diagnosed as autistic. However, the diagnosis was forced by his mother. They had consulted many psychiatrists who affirmed that he was healthy and just spoiled. The mother had looked everywhere for one that confirmed he was sick.
Cassie looked on as Marty rushed to Mia and Ricky. He looked scared and guilty.
"Everything's okay. Patrick can't get in." His voice shook as if he had no confidence in what he said.
"Marty, what the fuck is going on?" Ethan yelled.
Marty hesitated but finally decided to tell the truth.
"Some time ago, weird things started happening. There's that... man who kept following and threatening us. We wanted to leave, but we couldn't. We noticed that he never came when there were others around..."
"So you decided to let us be with you?! What the fuck?"
"Calm down, Ethan! Go ask the man what he wants."
Ethan looked wide-eyed at his girlfriend. He didn't want to confront some weirdo who was after Marty and Mia. Cassie sighed and rolled her eyes.
"Ethan, open the door and look. If you're scared, take that big umbrella near the door and use it as a weapon to protect yourself," Cassie tried to persuade her boyfriend.
Ethan hesitated. Marty and Mia tried again to stop him. He ignored them. The constant knocking got on his nerves, so Ethan chose to listen to his girlfriend. He opened the door. There was no one. He went out to look but still didn't see anyone.
"Is there anyone?" he yelled, but there was no answer.
He yelled again. The silence was thick.
He went back to the room. As soon as he crossed the threshold, he stopped, his eyes wide open. Fear was etched on his face. He raised his hand and pointed at Mia. His mouth opened, and no sounds came out.
Cassie, who was closest to the door, looked back. The shock was all over her face. She didn't think twice. She ran to Ethan, took his hand, and bolted out the door. There was no way they would stay there anymore.