iisailor (iisailor) wrote in _fracture_, @ 2014-01-14 18:51:00 |
|
|||
Entry tags: | adam, chapter 1, justin, the regent hotel |
Kidnapped?
Who: Justin and Adam
When: Morning
Where: Lobby, second floor
Adam had watched Kyle go and loitered for a little bit, like the other man might come back through the door and explain just what the hell had happened between them, but after a few minutes, no such luck. Sure Kyle had said stuff about liking him, like more than friends liking him, but at the same time he'd paired it with not wanting to see him ever again. Which was downright confusing and made Adam wonder if the liking him part was supposed to soften the leaving blow and not a real thing. If Kyle was going though, he was going and Adam didn't have much of a reason to keep dwelling too much. Not when there were more important matters at hand, like finding Jeffrey.
Adam went back to wandering the hotel, trying out the public rooms on the lobby floor, looking for his friend, calling out his name here and there, but so far no such luck. After going around in circles he found himself back in the lobby again, checking a phone with no messages, feeling panic starting to rise. How had they gotten separated? They never got this separated. Even if one of them hooked up with a girl, the other always messaged him to let him know where he was. And now Adam was wondering if Jeffrey was worried, or worse, if he wasn't.
Justin had risen early and it had taken him a few minutes to get to grips with what was going on. Waking up in a strange hotel room wasn't really an issue, since he had gone to sleep in a strange hotel room - though far less sober and far less alone. And he was fairly convinced that last night's hotel room had a view over white sands and palm trees with floor to ceiling windows to make the most of that far. This hotel room... Didn't. He wasn't one to panic though, and a quick look around revealed the note which... was weirdly cryptic. Still, it was what it was. He had taken a shower, found the bag of his things - all present and correct, he was pleased to note. He had dressed - knee length khaki shorts, collared t-shirt, shoes without socks, fleece jacket. He pocketed his folding knife which he invariably carried. Then he decided he was going to go exploring. He hit the lobby and was about to ring at the front desk for service when he saw another guy. "Hey," he called out. "You any idea what's going on around here?"
Adam spun at the voice, sure it was Jeffrey, only it wasn't. He frowned more staring at the guy wondering what part of his brain had thought this man up. Shorts and shoes without socks? The guy looked like he'd just stepped of a yacht docked in the Cape, the kind that they'd laugh at and say should go home. He drifted that way though, thinking that Kyle's suggestion around this being a bad dream wasn't ringing as true. Shouldn't he have woken up the moment the panic hit? Or Kyle left? Instead he was left staring at a guy he didn't know, being asked a question he didn't know the answer to. "Uhh..no?" he tried, feeling like he should have more of an answer, but didn't have one. "You?" Adam doubted he did, considering he was asking and all, but it was worth a shot.
Justin shook his head. "No clue. Woke up in a place I definitely didn't go to sleep in. Without the girl I definitely did go to sleep with - though, honestly, I'm less worried about the 'alone' of it all. Wouldn't be the first time," he said, easily enough. A one night stand was just that. No strings, no expectations. Have fun, go your own way. "And some cryptic-ass note about being welcome and getting to know each other in some kind of half empty hotel that time forgot. I'm staying away from the big busty blonde chick, because she's gonna be the first to get it when the axe murderer comes calling."
"Yeah same here. Or well...I don't think I would have gone to sleep here. I went to sleep somewhere, but that part's a little fuzzy." Of course though, he'd wind up finding some casanova though who seemed like hooking up with some chick was nothing. Adam knew about one night stands, considering that was all he knew, but he didn't really shrug them off, not like that. He rubbed at the back of his neck, shifting his feet with a nod. "I missed a note. Though I woke up somewhere strange and went looking for my friend. And I haven't seen a blonde..."
"So, let's break it down. Neither of us are where we expected to be. And we're not with the people we expected to be with. Seems we're not tripping, at least, I doubt I am and you really don't look like you are. Which means that we were taken from where we were and brought here. You know, I never thought that my getting kidnapped would look like this. I kind of figured that if it ever happened, it would be more Somali pirates with big guns and a whole lot of shouting. Probably also involving being tied up somewhere and told not to move or talk. This whole big hotel with decent beds and showers, plus all my clothes and being able to wander round freely thing is just kinda weird," Justin admitted.
Adam had considered the possibility of still tripping, still high off his ass but he was functioning at the moment, which through that all off. "You really think we were taken? Who the hell would take me? I'm not worth anything." Except to maybe Jeffrey but why not just take him? And what if he wasn't? What if they expected a ransom and Jeffrey decided Adam wasn't worth it? The deluge of questions left him panicking again. "Oh god..."
"I'm not worth anything either. That's generally the guy I'm working for. And if people think they'll get money out of my employer, they've got another thing coming. So not happening," Justin said, casually. He'd had good, steady, repeat employers over the years, but lately he'd been working charters, which pretty much meant working for a stream of self-involved, self-centred, overly monied toddlers who treated you worse than they'd treat their dog. Much worse, given the ratty tiny yappy things some of them had these days. If they were going to be ransomed, then he was on his own. Nobody would stump up for him, and he didn't expect them to. He was relaxed about that because it was something he couldn't change. His new companion, however, was clearly seeing things another way. "Woah, dude, calm down," he said, crossing to Adam in a few strides and taking hold of either shoulder. "What's your name, dude," he said, in a steady, calming voice. "Where do you come from?"
Adam jumped when Justin grabbed him, blinking a few times, trying to quell the spiral of terrible thoughts. One was taking hold, what he would do if Jeffrey moved on, if Jeffrey didn't need him. Who else would he have? He managed to get past the worst of it, reassuring himself that Jeffrey had his back, would always have his back, and stared at the guy. "Adam," he finally said, focusing on the answer to a much similar question. "New York."
“Okay Adam. I’m Justin. I’m an East Coaster, just like yourself. So, we guys have got to stick together, right? While we figure this puzzle out,” he said, still speaking in that calm, slow tone. “Do you have a phone? Have you called your friend?”
Now Adam felt patronized. He gave Justin a look, but didn't shake out of his hold or deny the part where they needed to stick together. "Of course I called him." He fished in his pocket and pulled out his phone. "Him, his house, his brothers' houses and nothing connects. And I've texted and they just don't send." Which had Adam feeling like he was in the Twilight Zone.
Justin was happier now that Adam didn’t seem to be on the edge of panicking. He nodded and stepped back. “Okay - figured that would be too easy.” He eyed the way out, warily. “And then there’s the way out. We could take it. Hope that whoever took us isn’t planning on making some kind of example of anyone who tries to leave…” Which made him feel a little sick and more than a little apprehensive. This entire set up felt wrong to him.
Adam felt his stomach go right into his throat at that concept, gagging slightly before closing his mouth and covering it with his hand. After a second he swallowed back the bile and nodded. "I hope...Kyle already tried to leave..." And if something ate him up then Adam was going to throw himself out that door for running Kyle off in the first place.
“Oh shit. Dude, I’m - I didn’t mean to suggest…” He wanted to say that he was sure this Kyle guy would be okay. Only - he didn’t know that, did he? Never make promises you can’t keep.
"It's fine," Adam said sternly, refusing to let his emotions get the better of him. Kyle would be fine. Hopefully. He had to be. And even if he wasn't...well Adam would get over it. Just like he did his parents and every other potential foster family that didn't want him. "What do we do now?"
Justin nodded. If someone had gone out of those doors, then either they were out, or they weren’t. Running headlong after them without any knowledge of what would be waiting was dumb as anything. “Isn’t that the question?” he asked. “See if we can find anyone else, maybe. The note seemed to suggest there would be a few of us here. More than three, anyhow. And we’d need to have each other’s backs.” Not exactly what was said, but that was how Justin had taken it.
Adam frowned. "I need to see this note," he said,starting back towards the elevator and assuming that Justin would follow. "And have each other's backs in what? That's really vague."
"Everything here is vague," Justin said, walking with Adam to the elevator. "We can go to my room. I'll show you the note. Then we can head time your room to see if you got one too."
Adam had wanted to go to his room first, not sure if his things were there yet or not, but at the same time, what if he didn't have a note? Shouldn't he have noticed a note? He wasn't really in a state to notice much of anything when he got up so it made sense that he missed it. "Uh, sure. Which floor?" he asked when the elevator showed up and the doors opened.
"Second floor, room 210," Justin said as he stepped inside the elevator and thumbed the correct floor.
"Oh, that's just down the hall from me," Adam said, surprised by that. So this guy with no socks was his neighbor for who knew how long. Adam was surprised how easily that thought came to him, that this was his new home. He'd thought those adjustments had gone away now that he had something that vaguely resembled a home, but apparently he still was the foster kid deep down.
"Well, then I guess that makes us neighbours." The elevator came to a stop at the second floor.
"For now yeah," Adam said, not sure that this was any more permanent than anything else in his life. Once the doors opened he was heading into the hall, looking at the numbers on doors before he started down the hallway towards Justin's room.
"Have you ever had to deal with anything like this before?" Justin asked, wanting to start to learn what Adam could and couldn't do.
Adam looked back at Justin. "Being in a weird Twilight Zone, getting kidnapped out of my bed, or my 'home' changing without any real warning?" The question was kind of stupid. Who had ever been in a situation like this before?
"How about all of the above," Justin said with a laugh. He liked the way the other guy boiled it down to those points.
Adam wasn't sure he had a laugh in him, at least not a real one. Maybe a darker one. "No, no, and yes."
"Okay, that's pretty much one more than me. I'm used to my 'home' changing, but I usually have some kind of notice. What's your story?" he asked.
Adam got to Justin's door and stopped, shrugging. "Foster kid," he said first and waiting a breath before going into it. "I never got adopted or really landed anywhere. Just bounced from time to time and usually wasn't told until a few days before I was leaving at most." Sometimes it was even less. It was his social worker showing up at the door and he knew what was coming.
Justin fished his room key out of his pocket and unlocked his door. "Don't take this the wrong way, because I don't mean to be rude, but - did you do things to get yourself shifted, or is that just how the system works?" he asked. He was still looking out for that axe murderer - and whilst he didn't think that would turn out to be this guy, he still wanted to know whether he had a string of juvie convictions, or some kind of personality disorder.
Adam shook his head, not seeming anything more than tired of the question. "I didn't get into trouble or anything. Just...wasn't wanted." It happened when he disappeared into the background. He didn't get in trouble, but he didn't stand out in any way. "It was a lot of trying to find me a home and nothing panning out." Until Jeffrey. Then he'd had a home, a real one, and now that seemed to be gone as well. Adam didn't want to linger on it, but the thought was there, that he was homeless again.
“That must have sucked,” Justin said with some empathy. He headed into the room. It was neat and tidy - partially because Justin had only been here for a few hours, but also because when you don’t have much space, you learn to habitually put everything in its place. The towel from his shower was hung over the back of the chair by the dresser. Yesterday’s clothes were folded up on the seat of the same chair. He had even made his bed. “I don’t get to see my family much these days, but at least I know they’re there.” He picked the note up and handed it over to Adam.
Adam was impressed with how neat it was. He'd been like that once, as a kid, not wanting to make waves, but after living with Jeffrey, clean wasn't really their thing. So he was used to a mess, knowing his bed was probably a mess of sheets and comforter and if he hadn't slept in the clothes he had on now they'd be on the floor. "Mine are dead," he said, taking the note. "At least until my friend." He read the note over twice, flipping it over to look for more, then looking up at Justin. "That's it? Really?" What the hell was that supposed to mean. "It sounds like we're stuck here."
“Really, that’s it. Told you it was vague,” Justin said. He sighed. “Sorry about your parents. What about your friend? He the guy that walked out of here?” Justin asked, doubtfully. If they’d have been friends, surely they would have left together.
Adam shrugged. "It was a long time ago," he said about his parents. It still hurt, but what could he say otherwise? He was tired of sympathy. Tossing the note back on Justin's dresser he shook his head. "No. Not him. We're not friends." Or so Kyle had said, though Adam hated that idea. "Just someone else. I was hanging out with him before here." And now he had no idea where Jeffrey was or if Jeffrey was looking for him. Maybe he was worried about Adam and he'd come find him. "Let's see if I have one too."
“Okay - lead the way,” Justin suggested. He got the feeling that Adam wasn’t exactly the most open and sharing person in the world. His responses to questions tended to be fairly closed. Not avoidant, but not giving any more than he had to either. Justin would have to factor that into how he deal with Adam - he didn’t want to piss the guy off by pushing him out of his comfort zone.
Adam headed down the hall to his room, pulling out his own key to let himself in, staring at the room that felt familiar without really needing to. Again, he knew it was himself adjusting, trying to find some comfort in his surroundings without really meaning to. He looked at his room around found the note, but what caught his attention more was the suitcase. He knew that suitcase. It was supposed to be in his closet where it had been since they'd moved into the apartment. He wasn't supposed to need it anymore. Jeffrey had said that. But there it was and Adam was headed to it, touching the outside of it reverently. "I didn't pack this."
Justin stood back, watching Adam and the way he moved. “But you recognise it,” he concluded. “It’s your case, isn’t it?”
"Yeah. Imagine an eight year old me dragging it around behind me," Adam said reaching for it to set it on the bed and open it. His things were inside, that much was obvious, but he was looking for something in particular, something buried in the bottom like he usually packed it. When he found the ratty old teddy bear and the stack of photos it took everything not to burst into tears. He was bigger than that now, older, tougher. "It's mine," he repeated, relieved his voice was steady. He shoved the two items back in the bottom of the suitcase and looked at Justin. "I need to find Kyle. Or where the door goes. Whatever."
Justin had taken a step back to stand by the doorway, giving Adam some space for his emotions. He knew enough about a sudden onset of memory to know when even a bit more privacy was needed, even if it was just for a few minutes. “Kyle?” he asked, raising a brow. “The guy who left? I thought you said that you guys weren’t friends?” Adam hadn’t seemed to worried about what had happened to the guy before just now, at least.
"That's his decision not mine." Adam closed the suitcase deciding he'd deal with it later. He'd do like he always had in every new home and go through the photos one by one, remember his parents like he was supposed to and fall asleep with the bear tucked under his arm as if he wasn't twenty-two. "And if we're stuck here, he's all I have left from home."
Justin paused for a moment, then nodded. “Okay, let’s go find the guy,” he agreed, with certainty. Who the hell knew what they were going to find outside. Hopefully absolutely nothing and this whole thing would turn out to be some weird prank. Somehow, he doubted it, but he could be prepared for every eventuality, right?
"Good," Adam agreed, grabbing his key again and heading out of the room. "So either we wander around looking for wherever the door goes or we walk through it ourselves. What do you think?" He was focused now, determined.
"If we think there's a chance there could be problems outside, there's a chance of that at every door," Justin pointed out. "I'd suggest going back to the front and take a look. Be cautious. We could be worrying about nothing."
Adam considered that then nodded. "Works for me. Let's do it." He started that way again, hoping that Justin was right and he was worrying about nothing. Worrying about nothing would be great because now worrying about Kyle was really eating at his gut, just adding to everything else he was worried about.
Justin walked along in silence, mulling the situation over in his head. They knew the doors weren't locked, Kyle had proven that for them. They'd been taken, but they didn't seem to be being held. "Maybe we'll find we're in one of those freak towns," he said at length. "You know, the ones they built in the 50s to test weapons on where they filled them with fake people. Maybe we'll find there's nothing out there but desert for miles and that's why they're not trying to stop us from leaving. Because there's nowhere to go."
Adam cut his eyes back at Justin with a curious look. "That's a little terrifying isn't it? Isn't that where they start picking us off?"
"Anything about this situation could be terrifying, if you looked at it in a certain way," Justin replied. "I'm just trying to get this to make sense. Which it doesn't right now. Why take us? Neither of us have money. We're not good targets. What do we have to offer? And then, to put us here? No guards, no guys, no boundaries as far as we can see. Nothing."
"You take people like us because we won't be missed," Adam said with a small shrug. And then you could do whatever the hell you could want a no one would notice. He knew that much. "I know it is. I'm just trying not to think about it."
“Aaaaand that is really terrifying when you put it like that,” Justin said, exhaling vocally. “Damn. Kinda wish I didn’t have that in my head now.” Because if someone didn’t want you for money, if they took you because you wouldn’t be missed, that suggested that they never intended you to leave. Justin, for one, didn’t intend to spend the rest of his life here. He didn’t intend being stuck in the middle of some warped horror movie either. “Come on – let’s go see if we can find our way out of here,” he said.