The Inn and the Boy [Short Story]

As he stepped out into the sunlight he knew what he needed to do. It had been coming for a long time now and had taken him a long time to get here.

They say that a bullet to the brain will kill any man. By God, he hoped this was true.

The man, a build of around 6 foot, with broad shoulders, blue jeans and a black t-shirt stood across the road from his goal. His holster hung to the right, the bullets hung from his belt. He knew that he carried a limited amount of firepower. Every single bullet counted. The man only had an inkling of what was about to take place.

A sign in front of him read, “Deschide Usa Inn,” and under it, “Where guests are treated like family.”

Yea, family he thought to himself.

Two more steps were taken.

The front door flung open with the violence of a thunderstorm. His hands shook and he found it particularly difficult to the right one steady.

Deschide Usa Inn cast a long shadow in the dusk even though only three stories stood adobe the ground. Its architecture had a way about it, something wasn’t quite right and he felt it even stare at him in the final minutes of daylight.

“Keep it together, Jack. Keep it fucking together,” Jack mumbled to himself. He flung his left arm over and right and tried once more to keep it under control.

A figure leaped through the dark doorway. It darted towards Jack, opened its mouth, and screamed as it flew through the air or appeared to.

A direct hit to its left shoulder sent a squirt of flying crimson. It staggered back and stared at him. The creature cocked its head to the left and lunged once more.

Jack was fast on the draw, but his aim was off.

A dollop of red fluid hit the ground as a small piece of metal entered its left eyeball and passed through the skull. It fell, hard.

Jack panted and wiped the sweat from his forehead. ?I keep veering to the left.? He reached for his right arm again and gripped it tighter this time; his right hand squeezing the gun’s grip. “Gotta keep this under control.” He deeply breathed in and out. “I’ve only just started.” An armature with a sidearm, but he already knew how to use it.

He stared at the building for a few minutes longer; a gust of wind passed by and ruffled his dark hair. The creature’s clothing ruffled as well.

A sound of music began to play from somewhere inside of the hotel, an eerie melody, which someone seemed to be singing. It sounded a little like, “tolololololo lololoooo. Dadadee dadada dadaduum,” but seemed too far away to comprehend.

“What the hell is going on in there?”